| I recently reread Jim Collins' book, Good to Great: | | | | many more good decisions than bad ones. And good |
| Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others | | | | decision-making requires accurate information, which |
| Don't and found that many of his ideas can help you | | | | can be difficult to obtain. Collins writes: |
| improve performance of your sales team. | | | | Indeed, for those of you with a strong, charismatic |
| Collins' book answers the question: How can good | | | | personality, it is worthwhile to consider the idea that |
| companies, mediocre companies, even bad companies | | | | charisma can be as much a liability as an asset. Your |
| achieve enduring greatness? Using tough standards, | | | | strength of personality can sow the seeds of |
| Collins and his research team identified a set of elite | | | | problems, when people filter the brutal facts from you. |
| companies that made the leap to great results and | | | | Winston Churchill understood the liabilities of his strong |
| sustained those results for at least fifteen years. The | | | | personality. He was concerned that he wouldn't get |
| research team contrasted the good-to-great | | | | accurate information from his subordinates, so, during |
| companies with a carefully selected set of | | | | the darkest days of World War II, he founded the |
| "comparison" companies that failed to make the leap | | | | "Statistical Office", a separate department outside the |
| from good to great. | | | | command structure that fed him the most accurate, |
| Over five years and 15,000 hours of research, Collins | | | | indeed brutal, facts of the war. Churchill also |
| and his team deduced the key determinants of | | | | possessed the second requirement of greatness -- an |
| greatness – why some companies make the leap | | | | unwavering faith that Britain would survive and thrive, |
| and others don't. Here are a few of their findings and | | | | even when things looked so bleak. |
| what, I think, Collins' findings mean to you and the | | | | Application questions: What's one great dream you |
| development of your team. | | | | would dare to dream (for your team) if you knew you |
| Good is the enemy of great | | | | could not fail? |
| Some sales teams will never be great because | | | | Your "Stop doing" list is more important than your "To |
| their sales managers settle for being good. It's easier | | | | do" list. |
| than being great. We have also found that a lot of | | | | Many sales managers lead busy lives, accomplishing |
| sales manager do not send their salespeople to any | | | | task after task after task. Interestingly, the leaders |
| sales seminars. | | | | studied in "Good to Great" companies made as much |
| First Who... then What | | | | use of "stop doing" lists as "to do" lists. They continually |
| Collins expected to find that Good to Great leaders | | | | asked themselves: |
| would begin by setting a new vision and strategy. | | | | What can we do better than anyone else? What type |
| What their research discovered, however, was that | | | | of opportunities are we passionate about? And, what |
| the best leaders first got the right people on the team, | | | | segment of customers allows us to make the most |
| de-hired the wrong people, and got everyone in their | | | | profit? |
| optimal position... and then decided what the vision and | | | | Good to Great leaders instilled the culture of discipline - |
| strategy was. The saying, "People are your most | | | | by teaching their team where to focus, and what to |
| important asset" is incorrect. It should be changed to, | | | | ignore. |
| "The right people are your most important asset." | | | | Application questions: What opportunities, or customer |
| Then, put your best people on your biggest | | | | segments, can your team make a compelling case of |
| opportunities, not your biggest problems. | | | | being the best choice? Which of these opportunities |
| Application questions: Is there anybody on your team | | | | are most profitable, and why? Finally, what can you |
| who shouldn't be? Do you have any team members in | | | | become passionate about? |
| a less-than-optimal position, a person whose skills are | | | | Is your team brilliant on the basics? If not, you may be |
| not being fully utilized? What, and when will you rectify | | | | losing sales you should be winning. At TopLine |
| these situations? | | | | Leadership, we help salespeople re-focus on the |
| Confront the brutal facts, but never lose faith | | | | fundamentals of effective salesmanship, and sales |
| One of the most important findings from Collins' | | | | managers to master the basics of management / |
| research is that breakthrough results come about by a | | | | leadership. We can help you and your sales team with |
| series of good decisions, diligently executed and | | | | these concepts with our sales management training |
| accumulated one on top of the other. You don't need | | | | seminars and coaching. |
| to be perfect, but to be great you do need to make | | | | |