When you become a sales manager or a VP of sales it says a lot about you, your accomplishments and your organization. What one does with their new role and opportunity is what separates leaders from promoted minions, says Tibor Shanto, principal at Renbor Sales Solutions, an Ontario, Canada-based sales consultancy.
“In my experience as a participant in the corporate world and as an observer with a unique seat in the stands, there are a number of things that make for good leaders; there are two that are musts if you are going to lead and have people willingly follow,” Shanto recently blogged (sellbetter.ca).
The first is leading from the front, rather than behind a desk. “Many get to the position by survival, which is, after all, a skill in a competitive environment like sales, but not necessarily a success factor for revenue growth,” Shanto states. “The part you can’t fake is synthesizing and extrapolating from years of real experience – more importantly, the ability to share that with a member of your team, and educate them without ‘bossing’ or telling them how you did it. Context is key, leaders understand that and use the situational context of their reps’ current reality to educate and help that individual grow, and win the right deals.”
A dividend of the latter, Shanto points out, is it hones the next generation of great leaders.
The second trait is accountability. Managers focus on keeping their people accountable, which is a real challenge when they see a manager not a leader. Shanto recounts recently meeting a VP of sales who was the title-only type. Faced with a negative situation, he blamed everyone in sight. First it was his admin who messed up, then it was the manager, finally the rep.
“Never in the discussion did he consider his role in the blunder. He literally used his team as a human shield from facing the situation he created. Would you follow this guy into battle? Not that you could as he was firmly strapped to his desk.”
