High-performance organizations and teams depend on accountability. It’s the fuel that great teams run on, and a lack of true accountability is almost always the reason why some organizations underperform. Here’s a definition of accountability we can probably all agree on: Accountability = The obligation of an individual or...
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Everyone is in sales. It doesn’t matter what your actual job title is… if you want to get important work done, you need to know how to influence decisions. The only real question is: are you good at it? Do you know how to effectively sell an idea or...
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1. Confusing Manipulation with Leadership A lot of the “leadership” executed by non-developed sales leaders is actually just some form of manipulation. Manipulation can be used successfully and honestly by a leader who understands that it’s a short-term strategy. It can’t take the place of a real coaching or...
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Energy is one of your most crucial assets. What makes it so important for a leader is that it dictates how much you can use your other leadership assets. Your intellect, your attention, your sensitivity, your ability to listen and understand, your patience…these are all subject to your energy...
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Sometimes the clearest view of something comes from a non-expert. Their language and descriptions are usually original and not influenced or derived from another source. This is especially true when the subject is leadership. Very few topics have been written about and discussed as much as leadership, and an...
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There’s been a lot said about the differences between managers and leaders. It is an important distinction that many of our most prominent management and leadership thought leaders have wrestled with over the years. In his important 1989 book “On Becoming a Leader”, Warren Bennis composed a well-known list...
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Leadership blind spots are the specific areas where a leader…even a very successful leader…is missing something. A blind spot can be a lack of attention to a certain area or a part of your skill set that never really developed. All leaders have blind spots. Why is this? Because...
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Who is Noel Burch? He is the guy who, while working with Gordon Training International in the early 1970’s, developed an amazingly practical description of how people learn things. His theory is often referred to as the competency ladder or the four stages of competence, but he called it...
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Congratulations! You have a new job in professional sales. Regardless of the industry, you probably have a great opportunity in front of you. There are a few things you need to know to succeed in this new adventure. This isn’t going to be motivational or product knowledge kind of advice,...
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One of the most important character traits of today’s high-performance leaders is transparency. We refer to it as a character trait because transparency, both the commitment to it, or the lack of it…is a reflection of the character of the leader. Historically, managers have used a kind of...
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