Step 10: Attitude determines altitude

Step 10: Attitude determines altitude

This is for those first-line managers that make or break a company’s success.?You are the real engine behind the business and it's crucial your leadership qualities are a shining light.?My leadership approach is amplified below but I love this quote”

“Take praise from the back and criticism from the front”

Leadership Principles

1.????Know your objectives and have a plan

2.????Pick the right team

3.????Make sure everybody has a role and that it has been communicated clearly to them

4.????Understand your responsibilities as a leader but learn to trust your team

5. Don't ask anybody to do something you wouldn't do yourself

Secretary Powell’s 13 Rules:

?1.????It ain’t as bad as you think! It will look better in the morning.?

2.????Get mad then get over it.

3.????Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when your position falls, your ego goes with it.

4.????It can be done.

5.????Be careful what you choose. You may get it.?

6.????Don’t let adverse facts stand in the way of a good decision.?

7.????You can’t make someone else’s choices. You shouldn’t let someone else make yours.?

8.????Check small things.

9.????Share credit.

10.?Remain calm. Be kind.

11.?Have a vision. Be demanding.?

12.?Don’t take counsel of your fears or naysayers.

13.?Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.

Colin L. Powell?- 1937-2021

Core Values

First and foremost, to be a great manager, you have to be trusted. This means being honest, transparent, and reliable, and setting a good example for others to follow. If you don't lie then you don't have to remember anything. Your team will respect you for your honest and candid approach and rank that above any need to be popular.

Innovation is also a critical value that great managers should embody. They should be constantly looking for ways to improve processes, products, and services, and encourage their team members to do the same. They should be open to new ideas and willing to take risks, while also being mindful of the company's goals and priorities. They should also give credit for new ideas to team members and not seek the limelight themselves.

Customer success They should always keep the customer at the forefront of their decision-making, and prioritize their needs and satisfaction above all else. This means being responsive to customer feedback, and taking proactive steps to ensure that they are getting the best possible experience.

Finally, great managers should prioritize growth. They should be focused on developing and growing their team members, as well as the business as a whole. This means setting ambitious goals, investing in training and development, and taking a proactive approach to identifying and pursuing new opportunities.

Business is not a popularity poll – take tough decisions when needed. Do the hard jobs personally.

As a manager, you may be tempted to make decisions that are popular with your team, even if they aren't the best for the company. But remember, your ultimate responsibility is to the success of the business. Sometimes, you need to make tough decisions that may not be popular. And when you do, it's important to take charge and handle the hard jobs personally. This shows your team that you're willing to take the tough road and sets an example for them to follow. Business is not a popularity poll.

Evaluate people's results, not just their personalities

It's easy to be drawn to people who are friendly and easy to work with, but ultimately, it's the results that matter. Focus on the outcomes that your team members produce, rather than how much you like working with them personally.

This will help you make better decisions when it comes to promoting, rewarding, and addressing underperformance. By evaluating people based on their results, you can ensure that your team is achieving its goals and driving the success of the business.

Hire proud passionate people who refuse to fail and who are better than you.

The success of your team largely depends on the people you hire. These are the people who will give them all to help the company succeed. And don't be afraid to hire people who are better than you. This not only strengthens the team, but it also shows that you're confident in your leadership abilities. I used to get so excited about hiring amazing people. Excited by the impact they'd have on our business and what I could learn from them. Sion Lewis was one of my best-ever hires and now look at him! So pleased.

Your loyalty is to the company – if in doubt do what’s right for the company.

When faced with tough decisions, always remember where your loyalty lies. It's to the company and its success. So, if you're ever in doubt about what to do, choose the option that's best for the company, even if it's not the easiest decision to make.

Measure, measure, measure – have a cockpit of key metrics & spot deterioration quickly.

Metrics are a critical component of any successful sales team. Make sure you're measuring the right things and tracking the right metrics. Use these metrics to spot any deterioration in the team's performance quickly. This will help you make the necessary changes to get back on track. If you need help on this, please DM me.

Don’t do most things – remember the 80/20 rule.

The 80/20 rule is a reminder that 80% of your results come from 20% of your efforts. So, don't get bogged down in tasks that don't move the needle. Focus on the things that will have the biggest impact on your team's performance. As a manager, make sure your team is focused on the right things to drive progress and take away all mundane administrative tasks that don't add value to the mission. I'd start with internal meetings...according to Forrester, reps only spend 23% of their time actually selling, therefore 77% of their time is spent on admin, filling in the CRM, travel, emails, proposals, and internal meetings etc. My partner and I have spent the last three months researching this. It's concerning the lack of discipline and corporate BS that is suffocating sales right now. If only you could see it broken down with a monetary value against it and have a solution to manage it better:).

Never solve a “none-problem”!

Sometimes, it's easy to get caught up in solving problems that don't actually exist. Before you start trying to solve a problem, make sure it's a real problem that's impacting your team's performance. Otherwise, you may end up wasting time and resources on a problem that doesn't actually exist.

Have a sense of urgency in everything you do

“If the world outside is moving faster than your world inside, you are doomed”

Finally, always have a sense of urgency in everything you do. The world is moving fast, and you need to keep up. If you're not constantly pushing to improve, you'll fall behind. So, move quickly, stay focused, and always be pushing for improvement.

Scheduling carefully and in detail

As a manager, you need to be mindful of your team's time and resources, and ensure that they are being utilized in the most effective way possible. This means that you should schedule tasks and projects carefully, taking into account the availability of your team members, the deadlines, and the priority of each task.

It's also important to schedule in detail. This means breaking down tasks and projects into smaller, more manageable pieces, and assigning specific deadlines and responsibilities to each team member. By doing so, you can ensure that everyone knows what they need to do and when which will help you to stay on track and meet your goals.

Scheduling carefully and in detail also allows you to identify potential issues or roadblocks early on and make adjustments as needed. This will help you to avoid delays, stay within budget, and deliver high-quality results.?If it’s business critical then set up a ‘war room’ and have daily stand-ups until the project is completed and you have delivered the desired outcome/decision.

These tips are not only important for sales managers but for any manager looking to improve their team's performance. Remember to put the company first, hire the right people, measure the right metrics, focus on the most important tasks, and move quickly to keep up with the fast-paced world around you. By doing so, you can set your team up for success.

All this will help drive the company forward and ensure you are seen as a leading light for future promotions.

I’ve enjoyed this series. Some super solid advice in each chapter. My days at Salesforce taught me so much. It’s where I learned proper sales cadence and disciple and that sales is a business process that needs to be optimised and taken seriously. I always ask my sales leaders to run deal reviews, pipeline days, deal clinics and territory plans just like I was taught at SFDC. I learned all these techniques whilst at salesforce, working for and with some of the best tech execs in Europe especially you Peter Grant.

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Rob McCarthy

Home Mortgage Consultant at Wells Fargo - NMLSR ID 121019

1 年

Love this. Well done!

Richard Palmer

Renewables l Energy Storage l EVs l Flexibility l Strategy & Execution l Growth l Change l Innovation

1 年

Great note Peter! Hope all well with you.

Alan Clark

CRO / VP Sales : 20+ years Scale UP exp : Trade sale and IPO exits : Multiple awards and Club attendance : Main Board Advisor

1 年

….best advice I’ve been given is investing in oneself. It’s also something I constantly remind others……great to see you call it out here! It’s never to late to learn something new or develop a higher level of skill. In the current working environment if you stand still you’ll be left behind.

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