New Article in Investors Business Daily

I started reading Investors Business Daily for my business news in the mid 90s. It was one of the papers that arrived in stacks for partners and staff in my early days at PwC. I was always drawn to the Leaders and Success page, finding it filled with practical advice and ideas. So, I was thrilled when The Growth Leader and a handful of quotations from my interview with IBD was featured in those pages.

This quotation from the article is about the lack of alignment between the executive suite and the sales organization:

"Nearly always missing in a company's strategy is the connection to sales and this essential question: How does our sales experience create value?" he said. "The answer to that question has to be as much a part of your strategy as what you offer and who your ideal client profile is."

Of course, you can only make so many points in a short exchange of ideas, and the article leaned further into what sales professionals need to do differently. Instead of what leaders need to do to create a widespread change in their sales organization.

But that is always the challenge when discussing performance as it relates to sales. The fact of the matter is that it is a leadership issue. Not a sales issue.

You can read the entire article here: Improve Sales Pitches By Not Trying So Hard.

Individual Leadership: Don’t Mistake Being Smart For Good Leadership

I’ve worked with some exceptionally good leaders in my career. Even some great ones. I’ve also worked with plenty who weren’t as great as they could be. One common characteristic among this group is that they are all very smart. They possess strong financial acumen or operational or technical expertise. In truth, they are frequently the smartest people in the room. But strength in analytical thinking and financial or operational decision making is only part of being an excellent leader.

Great leaders understand how to move people to action, getting better performance from individuals and teams than they would have produced otherwise.

The solution is not to stop using your expertise, but rather adding a dimension to your leadership focus. To drive performance improvement for your team, ask yourself: “What kind of leadership does my organization need from me today? What will help them perform at a higher level, and produce stronger results?” If you are honest with yourself, you likely already know the answer.

Organization Leadership: Alignment Is About Conversation - Not Presentation

The idea of alignment began as a useful concept for leaders to get their teams in sync. Like other good ideas, the term is overused and routinely misapplied in organizations.

Driving alignment is a process of creating a shared understanding and clarity about direction, issues, opportunities, plans, and actions. Often, we focus on slide decks and presentations to create alignment. But the real value comes from the conversation. Not the presentation.

To drive alignment on any topic, discuss these questions as a group:

·     Do we share the same understanding of this issue? (Have everyone state their understanding and listen for similarities and disparities.)

·     How can we address our differences in understanding?

·     What is our definition of success?

·     How will we work together to support our shared vision of success?

LinkedIn Live: How Sales Stigma Is Limiting Your Company Growth

Please join me on for an important discussion on April 23, 2024 at 10am ET. If your business relies on sales professionals to interact with customers, then your growth is inextricably linked with your sales organization. But for many executives, the role of sales is surrounded by stigma and outdated views. That stigma influences dozens of decisions and choices made by leaders throughout the organization about the sales function. This drives a culture where the sales organization produces a valuable source of competitive advantage, or merely a series of transactions.

In Memoriam: Luke

Last month our dog Luke passed away suddenly at the age of 9. Which is not especially old for a West Highland Terrier. If you’ve ever loved an animal you know that they transcend pet status to become family members. Then you also know the grief and pain of this kind of loss. Now, I can only say I loved him. So much.