New To Being A Front Line Leader

If you’re like most sales leaders, you got promoted, got a team, got a territory, and a pat on the back while hearing, “Don’t f*ck this up, thx!”.

No? Just me? Sweet.?

With that in mind, I wanted to share the first of a three part series on things I wish I had known, done, or had guidance on when I became a first time leader. Whether you’ve been leading for 20 minutes or 20 years, I hope this offers you a perspective on at least one thing you can switch up.

Make Time For 1:1s

In my first role as a leader, I didn’t do 1:1s. I had a very unusual dynamic with my team and sometimes you get so lucky to work with a team that has something so special that the norms don’t work for them.?

My mistake was that I thought this was specific to my leadership style, I thought I could replicate that anywhere; I didn’t realize that the dynamic was made through a series of perfect (positive) storms that I had, in fact, created, but that would be hard to mimic anywhere else.

When I landed in my next role, I proudly said that I didn’t do 1:1s, and that got out quickly, but not in a positive way. Not only did I often get grilled about if my meetings were being done, but there was no mercy when I would travel for leadership off-sites or be required to be at a conference for days. If I missed them, I was, regrettably, in hot water.?

This led to further issues - some of my team saying they needed even more 1:1s with me, one even suggesting that I do one hour 1:1s with the team of 11 I was managing at the moment. Impossible, but now a standard I was held to, without a perspective of what my work week was like. A tough culture, to say the least.?

All that said, 1:1s aren’t for everyone, but they are for many people, and they’re important.

They’re a chance to communicate, to check in, to reinforce expectations, and to give your directs dedicated time with you. I also believe that this is their time with you, so while you may have things to cover, it’s up to them to prepare the agenda and make effective use of their time with you. Not doing so can cause them to ask 100 questions on the fly vs. being organized and intentional with the time they do have with you.

These times are also chances to teach proactiveness and preparation, and to show meaningful dedication to these individuals. The one thing these are not: meetings that replicate forecast calls. Take this time to invest in the person, to ensure they’re tracking against their goals/metrics, and that they get strategy and insight from you.?

As for me, I’m not a 1:1 kind of person. I rarely need them, I find that they get in the way of my focus, and I prefer to be wound up like a toy and set free to do what I do best: lead and sell.

Worst Kind Of Leader: The Bottle Neck?

Long ago, someone asked me on a podcast where my confidence came from, and I answered, “You mean, my misguided confidence?”

Right or wrong, confidence and the ability to laugh at myself has always been a strong suit of mine, but it’s also made me a great leader.?

In that, when questions arise, I don’t believe that I need to be the only one who can have an answer - my confidence isn’t shaken if I say, “I’m probably not the best source for an idea here, have you asked Name?”?

When a lack of confidence creeps in, we tend to panic if we’re not the source of all guidance, but that is one of the worst kinds of leaders.

The best kind? They encourage peer-to-peer learning.

You have to think about your team as a unit, even outside of the bounds of who you manage.

So even if you DO know an answer, does someone else know the same answer? Does someone else have a tactic around something or ideas they could share with the person asking??

Helping others build bonds through educating each other not only makes you an amazing leader, but helps them find ways to break the ice, talk, and form relationships that lead to stronger overall teams.

Expectation Setting

I have a lot of high expectations (you’re welcome, team! ;)), but two keys:

Expectations can often be vague, so they need to be defined. My “Urgent Bird Gets The Worm” can mean 24 hours to me and two weeks to someone else. If I don’t define what vague words mean to me, I’ll likely be disappointed and be in a spot where I need to give feedback that could have been avoided.

Also, my expectations of the team are one thing, but I often see leaders miss the chance to tell their team what they can expect of them. Meaning, “You should expect me to be prepared for client calls, to get proactive feedback from me, etc.” which also opens the door to easily tell you if they’re not getting what you promised you’d give them.

Don’t tell someone what to do. Ask them what they’d do first, then fill in the gaps.

Rep: That was a great call, what should I do next?

Leader: Tell me what you think first, what would be your strategy if I weren’t here?

^^easiest way to see how they think first and then teach them how to think differently. If you don’t follow this model, you could be stuck answering this question hundreds of times.

Be Brave. Ask For Feedback.

Be brave enough to ask your directs:

What doesn’t work about my leadership style??

What stands in the way of me building better relationships or getting us to our goals?

What blind spot do you think I have that I can work on?

This doesn’t mean you’re weak, it means you give a shit, and it also helps you grow as you gain perspective. As with all feedback, not all of it is valid, but gut check the ones that don’t sit well with you with leaders you respect - sometimes the feedback we don’t want to hear is exactly the one we need to hear.

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