Having worked with and for a great number of leaders over the years, it has been amazing to observe the different leadership philosophies and approaches that leaders have adopted in order to grow their teams and to develop their leadership. Whilst many leaders start out with the greatest of intentions to be strong and inspiring leaders, some become overwhelmed by the lack of attention they receive compared to their people – many of them have been so used to being the centre of attention & being in the limelight within their business as individual contributors, that when they make the transition to leader, they do anything to keep themselves in the limelight, including de-positioning their people, albeit sometimes unintentionally. Many of them believe that to keep themselves at the front, they must be interesting, where really what they need to focus on is being interested – interested in their people.

As John Maxwell says ‘People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care’. Caring is about being interested. As a leader, how do you become interested and maintain your interest, rather than focussing on being interesting? Here are some key principles to help you : Continue reading →

I am currently working with a client who is exceptionally passionate about sales and his people – he can literally talk for hours about sales and shares a philosophy with me that sales is the ultimate form of service. He loves his people and would do anything for them to ensure that they are supported and working in a successful environment. However, despite his passion, he shared with me recently that he feels as though he is struggling within himself – he can feel self doubt creeping in, as well as a drop in confidence. He even shared with me that he is now wondering whether he is worthy of leading the team forward – is he the right man for the job?

Self doubt and a lack of confidence can have a significantly adverse effect on the team, even if members of the team are optimistic and upbeat, because, ultimately, the team is a reflection of the leader. If the leader is suffering from a lack of confidence, it won’t take long for this lack of confidence to play out in the team. As we discussed his feelings, we explored a number of key principles around leadership, dominated by the principle that to effectively lead his team, he must first be able to lead himself. Here are 7 key principles we discussed in detail to help him better lead himself : Continue reading →

3D rendering. One person raising arm in crowd

Are you new to Sales Leadership? Have you recently moved from sales peer to being promoted to a sales leader, and wondering what has hit you? If the answer is ‘yes’ you are not alone! After 7 years working side by side a very successful and competitive group of sales people, I was fortunate enough to be promoted to Sales Leader. My Sales General Manager took a great leap of faith in appointing me, as I was untried and untested, however, what I did have, was confidence & belief – I had been working towards and preparing myself for this role for nearly 2 years, and I was ready for the challenge.

Even though I had developed a strong reputation within the business, I knew that my team was going to test me, and to compound it even further, my original sales mentor was in my sales team. As it turned out though, he was one of my biggest supporters and became a huge advocate for me within the business. If you are new to sales leadership & have moved from a peer to a leader, here are some principles that helped me through the transition – I hope they help you too : Continue reading →

Business people at starting line

Welcome to a brand new Financial Year. The books have been closed for another year and the slate has been wiped clean and we are now back to the starting line, ready to do it all again!! And like most organisations, we are being asked to achieve even more this year than we did last year. It’s an old cliché, but so true – we are only as good as our last sale, our last deal, and our results for last year. As a Sales Leader, how are you placed? Are you excited about the new year or are you dreading that it could be another Groundhog Year? I truly hope that you are excited.

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