A time capsule: Memories of developing successful sales teams.

The following is the original and the rewrite can be found by clicking here.

I was recently rummaging around my makeshift office* and came across a very neat stack of papers held together with a large paperclip; on further inspection I just started to smile. It was one of those smiles that come with grand memories, special moments, and one’s refection on personal growth.

This stack of paper span about five years and in its totality could be called a “Sales Team Development Program”; it represented the iterative events that started with a dramatic expansion of an Inside Sales Team, included the development of an inside sales training program, and finished with the creation of a development program that included the hiring, training and strategic deployment of outside sales representatives. It contained the original “pitch slide”, detailed sales reports, an overview of the development program, people metrics, insight into managing the Y Generation, performance dashboards, “hits & misses”, recommendation slides, and a picture of the original inside sales team.

It was the time capsule from a very exciting time.

As you would expect, there were ample revenue metrics... revenue to plan, revenue growth, revenue by person, etcetera (there are many ways to look at revenue data it seems), but what also struck me was the amount of information and thinking we had regarding people, their development, and culture - I have always believed “people are everything" but can't help wonder if my beliefs shaped the documents or vice versa... I suspect a little of both.

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Armed upfront with the competencies needed to be successful in the role, I would hire and on-board people who showed abilities to develop into those competencies, were effective communicators, would fit into the culture (team), and had the potential to be promoted (exported) into advanced roles. An effective hire was important.

As important as an effective hire was, development of that hire was imperative. 

Development is the socialization of behaviours and competencies that leads to a highly skilled team, higher productivity, low unwanted turnover and a culture of excellence. Each team member is taken through an iterative process of Assessment / Planning / Implementation and Rhythm to develop competency and behaviour; a positive impact would be seen as the momentum of competency success increased, not only with the individual but the overall team. I should point out when I say positive impact I'm specifically referring to revenue growth and over plan performance.

Some of the competencies evolved over the years, such as SPIN selling changing to PSS or calling out Revenue Plan Achievement in a clearer fashion (in the beginning it was part of Accelerating/Closing) but I never changed the framework for developing successful sales teams. It just seemed to work.

I get that people development is time consuming and can get in the way of "hitting the number" or the rigor of those weekly deep dive forecasting calls with finance, but as my time capsule has reminded me, a well developed team can make "hitting the number" much, much easier.

iamgpe.

* It seems my office is now wherever my laptop is but I still have a designated area for my printer and important files. As a note to myself, I should look through those files to see if they really are that important.

Bourbon versus Scotch.

The following is the original and the re-write can be found by clicking here.

I "discovered" Bourbon about two years ago and have been developing my palate ever since; along with that I have carried the presumption that everyone sees it as the finest of all the whiskeys, has the same enthusiasm for the amber ambrosia, and wants to raise a glass whenever the opportunity arises.

You know where presumption takes you? 

More or less the same place as assumption... and that brings you face to face with that ol' adage. *

Recently I had the opportunity to join a number of old friends for a weekend out of the city; an agenda of good food, relaxation by the water and at my insistence, bourbon tasting (because I am still looking for my "signature taste") - I have very obliging friends as each arrived with a different bourbon in tow. 

The tasting started in earnest the first evening after dinner with plenty of amateur commentary about bourbon, the odd "blind taste test" bet, and many life stories. It was in the middle of this I noticed someone was operating on an empty glass so I "enthusiastically" convinced him to pour another bourbon and join in. My "enthusiasm" continued as it became apparent he was not drinking. With that he looked at me, offered a frank and appropriate perspective regarding my pushy enthusiasm, took a sip and said, "I don't really like bourbon, I prefer Scotch". **

"Me, me, me... me, it's all about me, think like me, me, me; be me, me, me... you should all be like me, think like me... me, me, me..." Am I ever exhausting! (As well as humbled and embarrassed.)

You would think after all my years in sales and marketing, launching products, involvement with a focus group or two, and being someone who has always said listen for the needs of the customer, that I would have been able to "read the room" much better than I did. As I dissect why this happened (not in a neurotic way but more for intellectual understanding), I have to say it simply comes down to my enthusiasm. It was like an emotional blindness had occurred, preventing me from seeing anything else but my view on bourbon; accompanied by the enthusiastic belief that everyone else also saw it my way.

This story of "Bourbon verses Scotch" has now been added to my collection of pity stories, fables and metaphors that have come in handy over the years as I meander through business and life. Its lessons still ringing in my ears:

• It may be the best Bourbon ever made but there are people who just don't like Bourbon.
• Just because you "really, really like it" does not make other people "really, really like it".
• Ask yourself, "Is emotional blindness impacting your ability to see something for what it really is?" And then ask others.
• Look in the mirror and ask, "Is this about me?"
• Don't forget to ask the simple question, "Do you like Bourbon?"
• When someone says they like Scotch, serve them Scotch. There are some battles you just won't win.

The next time I see Kevin I will buy him a Scotch, thank him for his patience, and for giving me this story. I will have Bourbon... I really don't like Scotch.

iamgpe

* They say when you "assume", you make an ASS of U and ME.

** Three weeks earlier a group of us caught up for drinks and Kevin had a Scotch when we all had Bourbon. It was an $18 Scotch so I think it's fair to assume (see above) he's quite sure about his whiskey of choice. Interesting how I knew he liked Scotch but was blind to it.

A Story of Catching the Wind... and maybe a metaphor for success.

The following is the original and the rewrite can be found by clicking here

Is there anything that invites nostalgia more than the thought of a spring fed pond? Long carefree days filled with the sounds of laughter and the endless escape into the cool water from the hot summer sun; a harmonious balance with nature - Except when it isn't. 

It seems a pond is a dynamic creature with thermal layers, aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, a constant amount of "nature" going in, and unpredictable movement; all of which can lead to an overgrowth of algae and pond scum if not in balance, and this was very much my pond.

In looking for a root cause, it seemed to be an imbalance between aerobic and anaerobic bacteria; as oxygen in the water is depleted, the anaerobic bacteria flourishes and creates ideal conditions for algae, pond scum and bad smelling water. The solution it seems is to simply put oxygen back into the pond that encourages the aerobic bacteria to restore the harmonious balance of nature.

So, with an environmentally friendly windmill to aerate a pond on order, the Story of Catching the Wind begins.

An unassembled sixteen foot windmill comes in six boxes that includes a compressor, a large number of galvanized metal pieces, what seems to be a countless number of bolts, nuts and washers, and an abundance of one off parts. Also included is one very detailed twenty-five page manual to aid with assembly. 

There was never any doubt that I would do the work myself; with the help of Big Red and a long in the tooth Toyota Tercel named Doris we planned to start early Saturday morning, under what turned out to be a cloudless sky. I suppose I could have hired someone but skills and competencies are developed when you do it yourself; to truly understand something, including yourself, you have to become a practitioner - In the end, this windmill (as well as catching the wind) was an exercise in patience and perseverance.

The assembly process was systematic and not to be deviated from; the legs, cross supports, bolts, washers and nuts were put together but left loose; as the tower took shape, the holes did not always align, necessitating the need for shear muscle to coerce the bolt through the hole. With the sun high in the sky, we were now able to divide and conquer with Big Red working on the blade assembly and I (awash with déjà vu) readdressed the nuts and bolts of the tower to fully tightening them. With the tower and blade assembly complete, that left us just with the compressor assembly and then final windmill assembly. 

The compressor housing assembly consisted of inserting a pivot tube through two holes in the compressor housing (and fastening it) and then sliding a brass bushing over the pivot tube. What we quickly discovered was the pivot tube too large to go through the holes of the housing and the brass bushing was too small to go over the pivot tube. Two and a half hours later (after some cursing, creativity, tools used outside their design specification and lots of muscle and sweat) the "what should have been a 15-minute" task was complete.  

With the top of the tower now resting at a 15 degree angle on a bench, the pivot tube was greased and inserted into the hole at the top, the blades were attached to the compressor shaft (involving the ongoing equal tightening of bolts and nuts until the blades were balanced) and the tubing that would carry the air to the pond was secured - With he windmill now fully assembled, all we had to do was get it vertical! After two failed attempts to lift the windmill into place and the shadows around us started to get long, the possibility of leaving the windmill lying on its side was a real and would be a monument to our failure.

Now enter the ever-dependable Doris whose only desire is to help you get from here to there. With Big Red behind the wheel, Doris strapped to the windmill, and me guiding and directing progress, the windmill started to rise. There was a moment where it almost fell over onto Doris and then back onto the ground but in the end the windmill settled majestically into its new surroundings. After celebrating a little, we secured the windmill to the ground, attached the air tube to the air diffuser and sank the diffuser in the middle of the pond. We were now set; in theory the wind would turn the windmill, the windmill would pump air into the pond, and the diffuser would inject micro-bubbles of oxygen into the water.

As we looked at the water and then at each other, we slowly looked up at the windmill with the realization that the early evening air was dead still - The windmill was motionless. Our day was now done, so we packed up and left the property to its own devices. In the end, the 16-hour day positioned us to "catch the wind" and that was all right by me. Literally it is about being in the right place at the right time and I knew the wind will come. 

Metaphorically speaking in a professional sense, "Catching the Wind" (or "catching the wave" if you identify with surfing) means you are in the right place at the right time to catch the energy of the "moment" to propel yourself fast and far in your career. Metaphorically speaking, the assembly of the windmill that day was a reminder of what it takes to position yourself to "Catch the Wind that propels your career far": 

• Depending what you are positioning yourself for, it may come with any steps and some are such that you just can't "skip over" them - Know what you need to do.
• You can't do it alone, and you need good people to help you along the way - Their support is crucial to learn, to develop and motivate you.
• It is hard work. Don't think otherwise.
• Unforeseen problems will arise and they have to be solved before you can continue - This will most likely take creativity and perseverance to work through them.
• The only one stopping you from quitting is you - Don't quit!
• Sometimes the wind just isn't blowing. Make sure you are positioned in the right place and have a little patience.

So my windmill is ever vigil and waits to catch the wind.

So does my pond for that matter.

iamgpe