Squirrels, Decisions, and Shiny Objects

Have you ever found it perplexing to watch how some business leaders make decisions? Ever watch a squirrel cross the road in front of your car? “I can make it, Run!... Maybe not?... %&#@!...Go back!...Too Late!.. Go left!...Go Right!...Duck and lay down flat!”...and there is always one of three outcomes. After doing circles in the road in front of your car, that squirrel either jettisoned to safety before becoming part of the pavement, or they made it across the road living another day. The third outcome is final all because of indecision. If they made it across the road, they achieved their goal and hopefully learned a lesson. As we all know, the need to get to the destination doesn’t go away. Indecision only causes them to have to try it again later in the day, tomorrow, or next week. By now you’re probably thinking about how analogous that squirrel is to how some leaders make decisions about their businesses especially as it pertains to Sales. Sales are down…change the incentive plan, Sales are up… change the plan back it costs too much, get a new sales manager…that must be it, hire a new sales manager and the decline in sales grows exponentially, reassign salespeople to low performing territory, reassign them again when you realize the territory is a desert with no opportunity. Stop it already, you are not doing anyone any favors! Let’s hope I am not describing you, however, if you feel like a squirrel even occasionally, consider the following:

What Example Am I Setting for My Employees?

Nothing is more demotivating to an employee than to work in a company or department where leadership is constantly wavering on making decisions or setting the direction. It is near impossible to do good work if the direction is constantly changing or goals of the department or company are not well conceived. If the boss is muddled or always changing direction, one of two things happen: 

1) Employees are unfulfilled professionally and financially causing them to leave the company 

2) Work never gets fully completed, implemented, and/or improved upon because direction from the boss changes before any of that could happen. The result, little improvement takes place and eventually job satisfaction and achievement decreases.

Competitors Are Eating Your Lunch

Time is Money! Don’t think you can kick the can down the road when it is time to address Sales issues. Pushing off staffing, sales leadership, channel, or incentive compensation issues for another day will most definitely affect your cash flow and profitability in future months. It is just a matter of when. While you are doing circles and being indecisive, your competitors are buying Jeeps with BIG Wide Tires to be sure you don’t get a second chance to cross the road. Your competitors are taking advantage of your failure to make decisions or your constant change in direction every single day. They are knocking on the doors of your customers and prospects to run you over. They are advancing their business while you are doing circles trying to decide. Think about it. You could set back your business 6 months, 1 year, or more without a well-conceived plan or strategy to improve the top-line revenue of your business. And if you’re thinking right now that “my plan is well thought out”, let's hope you aren’t one that has changed the direction of your sales and customer-facing people every 1, 2, or 3 months. If you have, I encourage you to think about the message you are sending and do something about it now.

Shiny Objects and Plan Achievement

I find that many Sales and Business leaders that do not have well-conceived plans are the same ones that are always chasing the next Shiny Object. Do you chase Shiny Objects? The next silver bullet to all your problems? Admit to it…that Shiny Object is a distraction and should be treated as a distraction. It is likely keeping you from achieving your goals. They keep you from making progress, and they keep your employees distracted and confused. 

Most of the time plans fail because the goal is too large to visualize and get your arms around. Because it is too large, all the incremental steps that need to be taken to achieve it are never identified, are skipped over, or ignored. If the goal is hard for your team to visualize, no one will understand the benefit to them or the company. Instead, break it down into small digestible and understandable milestones. As a business owner or sales leader, you should describe the destination or vision until everyone can describe it back to you with buy-in, enthusiasm, and understanding. Describe why it is important to achieve and assign the incremental steps with achievement timelines for completion. Hold the team accountable and celebrate achievement often. 

Don’t Set Yourself Up for A Road Crossing

Plan your work and work your plan. Old saying but so true. The best plans are conceived with all the best minds in the room. Involve those in your company in what needs to happen to make more sales, bring on new customers, reduce attrition, win against a competitor, increase cash flow, increase margins, you get the picture. Get ideas from those that are working it every day. If you have trusted suppliers, a board, or advisors from the outside, involve them in the discussion for some fresh ideas. Whatever your goal, what are the incremental steps to achieve it?  Finally, is it enough to keep your company ahead of your competition, grow customer loyalty, sustain the culture you want, and drive your business to the next level? If it is, and it’s achievable, go for it! 

Assign accountability to those that can achieve within an agreed to timeline and KPIs, and as their leader remove any obstacles that get in their way. When building a house, work begins with the footings then building from the foundation up. When you get started, you might want to have someone accountable for the grading of the lot working at the same time, but it is not a priority to begin working on the landscape plan just yet. Keep everyone focused on milestones, incremental achievement, and interdependencies while you keep the pulse and direction of the vision. 

There are always lots of Shiny Objects to chase, and without a plan, you will always be chasing them. Communicate a vision, break it down into achievable milestones, assign accountabilities, involve those you trust to contribute, work as a team and celebrate the achievement. If you plan your work well, adjustments will come up for sure, however, there should be no need for complete changes in direction that can keep you from achieving your vision.  

Be decisive… it’s way too stressful and risky to be a squirrel.

Randy Johnson [email protected]

The Sales VP, LLC  https://www.TheSalesVP.com

Randy Johnson is the founder of The Sales VP, LLC. The Sales VP develops Sales infrastructures that result in predictable record-breaking results for small to medium businesses. The Sales VP acts as a Fractional Chief Sales Officer (CSO) for companies that lack Sales Leadership, Strategy, Process and most importantly the ability and skill to execute and achieve their goals.