Managing a new sales team? Foster your kittens.

My family has always wanted to volunteer for a just cause.  It's surprising how few opportunities are available to 8- and 10-year old children.  Then we found Rocky Mountain Feline Rescue, where, for the last year, my wife and kids have spent time feeding and playing with lovable, abandoned cats, all of whom need a new home.  

In general, I'm not the biggest fan of pets...and it's all my fault.  I'm selfish.  I'm busy.  I manage an amazing business and am experiencing the challenges of launching another.  We have two senior cats at home, still kicking at ages 18 and 20.  Cats are great pets.  They're self-sufficient and can demand the attention they need, when they need it.  Simply feed them, change their litter, and they'll figure out the rest.

Enter kittens.  RMFR has new volunteer foster parents...the Bryant Family.  We received a litter of stinking' cute 5-week old runts a few days ago.  As I sat with them this morning, I was whisker-slapped by the similarities of the professional world...these little tykes were like a green sales team:

1.  They're fearless.  They go everywhere with reckless abandon.  Pawing, chewing, jumping through the air, the little ninjas are immune to distress of the new world.  To stifle their curiosity would stunt their growth.  New salespeople need to carve their own path and be supported when they trip and fall.  You just need to be there to keep them from a fall from heights that could cause injury.

2.  They're unique.  While they look nearly identical, each one has their own distinct personality.  Pepper is a love and prefers to be petted to wrestling with her siblings.  Polly uses those piercing claws to climb legs, arms and shower curtains to quickly reach her perch on my shoulder.  Rocky bulldozes everyone and everything in site, a true alpha-male.  Salespeople's true gifts are innate, and you'll need to reveal and embrace their strengths, and guide in a manner which allows them to utilize those strengths to their benefit.

3.  They're filthy.  I wish I took pictures of the first time they ate at home.  All-in, feet and faces in the bowls, spilling, falling, smearing themselves and their siblings with salmon bits.  The alphas dominated while we had to clear space for the omegas to get their turn.  We even had to run a couple of them under the faucet to get the clumps out.  Was it food, was it poop?  A new salesperson is going to be messy.  Screwing up things in a CRM, missing the most important question of the qualification process, showing up late to an appointment.  Remember this...YOU DID IT.  You may not recall or be fully aware, but you sucked out of the gate, too.   Don't get angry...just smile and offer genuine encouragement.  They'll get there soon enough.

4.  They're adorable.  Next to the sound of my own children laughing, a kitten's meow is the best sound on earth.  Those stumpy little faces, beady blue eyes and big whiskers makes me want to squeeze them 'til their heads pop off (in a good way).  Everything they do is genuine.  Just think of your newest junior rep...dapper in their brand new suit, big smile and brimming with anxiety and fear.  Their energy is a character builder.  What are they building, you may ask?  CHARISMA.  Clients will see that, too.  

5.  They learn...quickly.  I woke up on Day 2 and walked into the most disgusting mess and smell.  Poop everywhere, none of it in the litter.  Food sprayed to the walls, and pee in every crevasse.  By the end of Day 3 every turd (too many #2 references, perhaps?) was nestled in its rightful place, almost every morsel in the mouth and not on the body.  Best of all, they had become a well-oiled machine...a HERD.  Vocal when hungry, determined when mobile and confident wherever they traveled within their confined space.  A mentor once told me, you hire the person, you get the brain for free.  Think about it.  You recruited and hired these people...you clearly thought they would be right for the role.  You sold them on the job, and they sold you on them.  They really are smarter than you give them credit. With the right guidance, they'll be running circles around you in no time.

6.  They'll leave when they're ready.  Fostering is bittersweet.  After a month and all the love we've given them, they'll be adopted and go their separate ways.  Not only will their family bond be broken, we'll be left with empty hearts.  That's the role we agreed to serve.  I've told every salesperson I've ever hired that my job is to help them achieve their dreams...to be better than when they started and to do my part to give them the tools they need to succeed at the next level.  You've got a big task at hand...to train, groom and get the most out of these stars before they burst out of your orbit.  They're the next leader...as their leader, show them the way.

These little buggers have already been a handful, but every minute of care has been worth it.  Just having them show affection immediately makes me happy, and that's more than enough return on investment.  So foster your kittens, and enjoy it.  Understand them, prepare them for the world, and help make them the best cat they can be for their forever home.