SalesForceXP: March/April 2009 Coverstory: Mindful Managers Are Hard to Leave

COVERSTORY

SalesForceXP March/April 2009 Cover Mindful Managers Are Hard to Leave

by Paul Nolan

It's often said that employees don't leave companies, they leave managers. How you treat your team during tough times has a lot to do with how long they stay with you.

Remain calm.

A team's composure is a reflection of its leader. Los Angeles Lakers Coach Phil Jackson, one of the best in the game's history, says, "I treat tirades like timeouts - you're only allocated a limited amount." If you turn outbursts into habit, they lose their effectiveness. Jackson also tries to balance two positive comments with every negative one. "Any message will get through more effectively if you pump up those egos at the same time."

Don't make all of the decisions.

"A group freed from fear of having to check on everything with the leader has an energy for action that is formidable. It gets things done," writes legendary basketball coach John Wooden in The Essential Wooden: A Lifetime of Lessons on Leaders and Leadership (McGraw Hill, 2006). "My general policy in the huddle was to let the assistant coaches or players decide which man would shoot in a crucial situation. Of course, I knew who should take the shot, but I let them figure it out. Only if they figured it out wrong did I overrule."

Welcome opposing ideas.

In fact, seek them out. Great leaders are willing to share power and prestige to get the results that benefit the team. Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin's bestseller Team of Rivals analyzes Abraham Lincoln's strategy of placing opponents in his cabinet and circle of advisors. President Barack Obama has been lauded for using this same approach.

Appreciate mid-level performers.

Just as a coach does not get all of the blue chip players he wants, it's unlikely that your sales team will be overstocked with self-motivated rainmakers who push for personal bests each quarter. There is a place on every team for role players, and they need to know they are appreciated. One excellent way to avoid repeatedly recognizing the same stars is to design sales incentive programs so participants compete against their own past performance rather than the rest of the team.

Be creative with rewards.

Cash incentives are too easily duplicated. If a competitor really wants to steal some of your salespeople, they will make them better offers. Regular use of non-cash incentives and recognition are a better way to set you apart and a more effective means of building employee loyalty.

Sit on the footlocker.

This is one of our favorite management tips and it comes from our friends at www.contentedcows.com. Major General Melvin Zais, commander of the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam, once said in a speech to future officers, "If you'll get out of your warm house, go down to the barracks and just sit on the footlocker...you don't have to tell 'em they're doing a great job. Just sit on the footlocker, talk to one or two soldiers and leave. They'll know that you know that they're working hard to make you look good." Great leaders show up, especially when their people are having a tough time.