Leadership AND Management

This is Sales Trend 2 from Barrett’s 12 Business and Sales Trends for 2024.

You can download the full report here.

In 30 seconds

For the last few decades, developing and cultivating leadership qualities has been a key trend and has become a billion-dollar global industry. However, this often neglects essential business and people management skills. While there was a surge in prioritising leadership, businesses are now realising the importance of building effective systems and processes for effective team operation. This trend recognises that successful sales leaders must balance both leadership and management roles to meet team and marketplace demands. This balance is crucial for achieving organisational goals, fostering professional development, effective problem-solving, cultivating trust and engagement, and long-term business growth.

In 2.5 minutes

For the last few decades, developing and cultivating leadership qualities has been a key trend and has become a billion-dollar global industry; however, this has often been at the expense of developing effective fundamental business and people management skills and capabilities. Businesses have missed out on building and managing the systems and processes that provide tangible frameworks for their teams to effectively operate.

Sales leaders are recognising that striking the right balance between management and leadership is the best way to meet the evolving demands of their teams and the marketplace.

Leadership is the ability to inspire, influence, and guide individuals or groups towards a shared vision or goal, often emphasising innovation, motivation, and adaptability. Management involves coordinating and overseeing tasks, resources, and processes to achieve specific objectives efficiently, often focusing on planning, organising, and controlling within established frameworks.

This balance of leadership and management is important for several reasons:

1. Achieving Organisational Goals: A leader’s ability to communicate the importance of goals and convey a sense of purpose among team members is instrumental in ensuring that sales targets are met. To achieve this, they use management skills to set and frame specific and meaningful targets and objectives.

1. Professional Development: Leaders inspire individual and team growth and development, and management skills provide the frameworks and structures that are repeatable and transferable, and create sustainable sales cultures. Sales leaders who focus on both leadership and management develop their team members to become independent ensuring they follow the underlying standards and deliver a consistent sales approach.
2. Effective Problem-Solving: A sales leader who can effectively balance their roles as leader and manager can better navigate through challenges. They can use their managerial skills to address immediate issues, quickly adjust course, modify existing processes and standards, or provide the framework and resources necessary for their teams to adapt in the short term. Leadership skills play a crucial role in inspiring innovative problem-solving approaches and fostering long-term thinking. These leadership skills aid in the development of these and other capabilities within their teams, enabling them to self-manage effectively in their roles.
3. Cultivating Trust and Engagement: Trust is a fundamental component of any successful team or organisation. Leaders build trust through their authenticity, integrity, and courage, and managers earn trust through their competence and ability to execute tasks efficiently. Sales leaders who can effectively balance both roles gain a broader trust basis and higher employee engagement. Being able to link strategic vision with operational execution boosts team morale and encourages greater commitment to the organisation.

Balancing the roles of leader and manager is a fundamental shift in the way sales leaders operate. To succeed sales leaders must possess a versatile skill set that encompasses both management and leadership capabilities. Striking this balance is essential for achieving organisational goals, adapting to change, boosting team morale, fostering professional development, and ensuring the long-term growth and sustainability of the business.

You can download the Barrett 12 Business and Sales Trends Report for 2024 here.

Remember, everybody lives by selling something.

Author: Sue Barrett, founder and MD of Barrett

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