What Makes a GREAT LION?

Why do some sales people succeed better than others? Are they born or made? How do you clone their best practices onto others? Is it Nature or Nurture? etc, etc... let me share some of my perspective here as we just wrapped up our H1 award Ceremony for CATIA in NAM at Niagara-on-the-lake before we get ready for H2 acceleration.

I first met Mark Teneyck exactly 3.5 years ago and I will always remember our first interaction when I had just been appointed CATIA Sales Director for North America : I called my new sales team from my car to introduce myself to them and his first question to me was "so,..what scares you the most in your new job?" I broke out laughing and I liked him immediately because I knew right away that I was dealing here and then already with true "Lion Material".

Ages ago as an Engineer, I used to be scared of Lions. I did not understand the world they were living in and I was even looking at sales as a necessary but potentially "evil" function...

After I made my own transformation first into a Lion, then into a Lion Tamer and finally into a "RingMaster", I have learned not only to actively seek out Lions everywhere but also to surround myself with them and to help many of them grow and develop their true "Lionhood".

So Yes, I do believe that becoming a Great Lion is a matter of both Nature and Nurture. I have seen over the years some Great Lions being destroyed by mediocre managers, and I've also helped great "Am I a Lion Cub?" - who would never turn into true Lions- become way happier once they accepted to grow into other unique animals than Lions but with the strengths and powers that were unique to them and that they could exploit way better in a different role.

It is OK not to become a Lion and it's also OK to be one. Nothing happens without Sales and nothing happens until there is something to sell that needs to be built...

As for Mark, he has been rocking on all cylinders for many years now and he is actually helping us attract other great Lions and also develop new ones...

Thank You Mark!

Next step will be your Lion into Lion Tamer Transformation...!

:-)