Have you ever sat in a sales meeting and thought, "What is the point of this meeting?" Even worse, have you ever been running a sales meeting and half-way through thought, "What is the point of this meeting?" Weekly sales meetings often turn into a "zombie activity". We put it on the calendar without thinking, it's just there because it's there every week. And then we go through the motions until the meeting is over and we don't have to think about it until the next one. No one seems to know the purpose, and no one gets anything of value from attending or leading the meeting. Eventually, they drop out of the schedule due to lack of … [Read more...]
Drive – Daniel Pink
Quick note: Daniel wrote a blurb for Networking in the 21st Century, but I wrote this review over 4 years ago, so I'm not biased in it. Big Thought When it comes to motivation, there's a gap between what science knows and what business does. Our current business operating system – which is built around external, carrot-and-stick motivators - doesn't work and often does harm. We need an upgrade, and science shows the way. This new approach has 3 essential elements: 1)Autonomy...2)Mastery...3)Purpose. (right from Dan's recap on page 203 – thanks, Dan!) Ideas, Implications, and Questions I think that Drive has big implications for how … [Read more...]
How to Help Your People Fail
When I was a young sales manager, one of the most challenging parts of my job was having 1-on-1 meeting with my sales reps to assess their performance. It was easy to do when they were rockin'. I'd give them a few pointers and some words of motivation and send them back out. But when they weren't doing well it was another story. It can be really hard to fail. It can be even harder to watch someone fail. It's the worst when you have to watch people fail... and you're their boss and the one who is supposed to address that failure. Manage Through Failure I think this is why so many competent individuals are such struggle as managers and … [Read more...]