Shhh...Hear Those Ideas? |
He said that when you took the account away? |
Club MOTOR |
Shhh...Hear Those Ideas?
A business person, thinking.
“I want you to quiet yourself in a relaxed position and remove every thought you have in your brain.” That was the first directive from the app called Calm I heard upon my first guided meditation. Before I could reach for the stop button, the voice came back on chuckling, “…of course you can’t do that, it’s impossible to eliminate every thought in your brain!” That little dose of humor sold me – not just to keep going in the meditation, but with the realization I have to re-think HOW I think in this fast, digitally-connected world.
Through my work with clients at Core 6 Management Advisors and in Club MOTOR: Managers On The Rise, I see an incredibly consistent problem in the workforce that is rarely, if ever discussed: deterioration of our cognitive ability due to behavioral choices.
These are choices that include checking our email every 15 seconds; talking on the phone while clicking on links through our web browser; listening to music through headphones while attending to another task; checking emails while in meetings. The list goes on.
We all do it. We’re all guilty. And we’re losing brainpower every single time we choose to multi-task.
As a result, our ability to listen, focus, and process is compromised each and every minute of the day. The implications are profound in terms of lost production: deadlines slip through the cracks, the best decisions are not made, and execution is marginalized.
In his brilliant book, You Are Not Your Brain, Jeffrey M. Schwartz, M.D. offers: “The more often you act in these unhealthy ways, the more you teach your brain that what is simply a habit (a learned behavior), is essential to your survival.”
But it doesn’t have to be this way. If you’re a believer that the creative process successively links ideas together toward a solution or conclusion, then you may want to think about how you think, and how you make decisions. And of course, good decision-making is paramount to maximum productivity whether you’re a sales executive trying to strategically address obstacles on a specific account, or a manager trying to help a teammate maximize his/her efforts.
To reclaim the focus that evaporates daily, we have to work hard and smart at having better focus and being better thinkers. If we start slowly and focus on a few of these items, positive results will come:
1. Listen better. Focus on the speaker and force yourself to commit to what is said by keeping other thoughts segregated;
2. Organize your time and tasks. Keep a time sheet and be accountable for where you spend time and the results of your efforts;
3. Focus on one task at a time. Multi-tasking does not work. (And please don't think you're the exception.) For example: instead of viewing web pages while talking on the phone, commit to the phone conversation and you’ll have efficient calls. Also, your listening aptitude will skyrocket.
4. Take a break in the middle of the day without technology. Spend at least 15 minutes without your phone, your laptop, or your drone. Take a walk, meditate, lie down and stare at the sky….whatever it takes to be quiet and let your personal hard drive rest. And if you feel brave enough after a few weeks of this routine, increase to two breaks a day…you’ll be surprised how the ideas and solutions come rolling in.
For those who want advanced techniques, practice formal meditation every day; click here for a review by the NY Times on a few mobile apps that can help you with meditation (I went with Calm, btw…love it).
Good luck. (Are you still reading at this point? Did you focus on this task? Did you complete it? Email here and put "I did it" in the subject header to proudly proclaim your success!
Through my work with clients at Core 6 Management Advisors and in Club MOTOR: Managers On The Rise, I see an incredibly consistent problem in the workforce that is rarely, if ever discussed: deterioration of our cognitive ability due to behavioral choices.
These are choices that include checking our email every 15 seconds; talking on the phone while clicking on links through our web browser; listening to music through headphones while attending to another task; checking emails while in meetings. The list goes on.
We all do it. We’re all guilty. And we’re losing brainpower every single time we choose to multi-task.
As a result, our ability to listen, focus, and process is compromised each and every minute of the day. The implications are profound in terms of lost production: deadlines slip through the cracks, the best decisions are not made, and execution is marginalized.
In his brilliant book, You Are Not Your Brain, Jeffrey M. Schwartz, M.D. offers: “The more often you act in these unhealthy ways, the more you teach your brain that what is simply a habit (a learned behavior), is essential to your survival.”
But it doesn’t have to be this way. If you’re a believer that the creative process successively links ideas together toward a solution or conclusion, then you may want to think about how you think, and how you make decisions. And of course, good decision-making is paramount to maximum productivity whether you’re a sales executive trying to strategically address obstacles on a specific account, or a manager trying to help a teammate maximize his/her efforts.
To reclaim the focus that evaporates daily, we have to work hard and smart at having better focus and being better thinkers. If we start slowly and focus on a few of these items, positive results will come:
1. Listen better. Focus on the speaker and force yourself to commit to what is said by keeping other thoughts segregated;
2. Organize your time and tasks. Keep a time sheet and be accountable for where you spend time and the results of your efforts;
3. Focus on one task at a time. Multi-tasking does not work. (And please don't think you're the exception.) For example: instead of viewing web pages while talking on the phone, commit to the phone conversation and you’ll have efficient calls. Also, your listening aptitude will skyrocket.
4. Take a break in the middle of the day without technology. Spend at least 15 minutes without your phone, your laptop, or your drone. Take a walk, meditate, lie down and stare at the sky….whatever it takes to be quiet and let your personal hard drive rest. And if you feel brave enough after a few weeks of this routine, increase to two breaks a day…you’ll be surprised how the ideas and solutions come rolling in.
For those who want advanced techniques, practice formal meditation every day; click here for a review by the NY Times on a few mobile apps that can help you with meditation (I went with Calm, btw…love it).
Good luck. (Are you still reading at this point? Did you focus on this task? Did you complete it? Email here and put "I did it" in the subject header to proudly proclaim your success!
He said that when you took the account away?
“So he actually broke into your 1:1 with Sarah and shouted that you were an ‘a-hole’ (sic) for taking the Acme account away?” VP Sales Tina asked incredulously. Justin responded, “Yep, I was just so shocked that I couldn’t speak…so I ignored him. That ticked him off even more”.
“I'll bet. Then what happened?” asked Tina. “He stormed off with a very red face, and I could hear his wake as he stormed out of the office. We haven’t spoken since then and that was two days ago,” offered Justin. “Two days, hmmm. Ok, give it to me from the start,” Tina requested. “Well you know how Will gets 'high-n-mighty' about his accounts, right? I mean, he’s always acting like his list is the most important in the company, and always refers to them like they are his birthright. Very protective about 'em. I basically got tired of that so I took Acme away,” Justin responded. “But there's got to be more behind why you took away one of his strategic top tens…right?" questioned Tina. “Uhh, yeah, of course...sorry…lemme explain. With our recent push this quarter against everyone’s top tens, I have been leaning on him pretty hard…I just don’t think he’s been strategic in his approach. He’s been taking folks out to games and drinks and stuff, but there’s not much substance in how he’s attacked the accounts. He's not methodically working through the account obstacles,” Justin replied confidently. |
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“Got it. Well, first, good job recognizing that he needs to step it up regarding Acme, those guys are huge for us. But tell me, how have you been working with him on on being more strategic with his accounts?” Tina calmly inquired. “How have your weekly 1:1s been with him?”
“Well, umm, we haven’t had them in awhile…well wait, that’s not entirely true…we had one two weeks ago….we’ve just both been so busy and they’ve slipped through the cracks. And he’s always assuring me he’s on it….that’s our running joke, in fact. Whenever he sees me he says, ‘oink oink,’” offered Justin. “Ummm, the oink oink thing is kinda our little joke between us, it’s supposed to stand for ‘On It, Kommander’”!
There’s a pause in the room.
“Oink. Oink. Hmmm,” whispers Tina.
“So I wrote him an email telling him I was re-assigning Acme,”
“An email. Alright…let’s slow this down a bit and dissect it, ok? Why don’t you go cancel your 3 o’clock and come back so we can talk about this a bit more,” Tina directed.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Let’s cover the numerous missteps made by Justin throughout this situation and you can vote on two of his biggest mistakes.
1. Justin should never write an email informing a sales executive that an account is being re-assigned. Sales executives take pride in how they manage their account list. A manager should deliver the news of account reassignment in person, justified by business rationale. And while most senior managers always stress to reps that they must “take ownership” of accounts, the fact is accounts are not owned by reps, they are rented. Management needs to set the tone within the sales force from the beginning in order for sales executives to understand their behaviors and actions are the only thing that secures the assignment of an account.
2. Justin should not allow sales executive Will to miss valuable 1:1 meetings, when strategic help and counsel is most likely to be dispelled and taught. The sales life is fast and furious, but strategic meetings between manager and sales executive must be honored amidst the hectic pace of each week.
3. Justin should not have ignored Will when Will had burst into the meeting between Justin and Sarah. To best diffuse a combustible situation, Justin should have stood up, excused himself with Sarah, pulled Will aside for 30 seconds and informed him he’d be happy to talk with him at length after his meeting with Sarah, provided Will can "down-shift" his emotions.
4. Two days is an awfully long time for a manager not to address a major problem with a top producer. Justin needed to take faster control of the situation and address the conflict as soon as possible.
5. Justin’s decision to reassign Acme should not at all be predicated on Will’s attitude and hubris, but instead should be based entirely on business reasons. Justin’s first explanation to Tina suggests that there is some ego involved with how Justin made his decision. When dealing with a senior executive like VP Sales Tina, Justin needs to communicate in a clean, clear and factual manner.
Certainly Will is not without blame in this situation. Nobody should ever barge into a meeting, especially in an emotional state, or use profanity. Period. Will was out of control and should face some sort of formal action from the company. However, this specific scenario is presented to help our Western Director Justin, who CLEARLY is ready for Club MOTOR: Managers On The Rise!
Now it's time to vote...go back to the top right!
AND, if you're now at the bottom of THIS article, you TRULY have exhibited strong concentration skills...send an email and put "I did it" in the header! You'll get a treat!
“Well, umm, we haven’t had them in awhile…well wait, that’s not entirely true…we had one two weeks ago….we’ve just both been so busy and they’ve slipped through the cracks. And he’s always assuring me he’s on it….that’s our running joke, in fact. Whenever he sees me he says, ‘oink oink,’” offered Justin. “Ummm, the oink oink thing is kinda our little joke between us, it’s supposed to stand for ‘On It, Kommander’”!
There’s a pause in the room.
“Oink. Oink. Hmmm,” whispers Tina.
“So I wrote him an email telling him I was re-assigning Acme,”
“An email. Alright…let’s slow this down a bit and dissect it, ok? Why don’t you go cancel your 3 o’clock and come back so we can talk about this a bit more,” Tina directed.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Let’s cover the numerous missteps made by Justin throughout this situation and you can vote on two of his biggest mistakes.
1. Justin should never write an email informing a sales executive that an account is being re-assigned. Sales executives take pride in how they manage their account list. A manager should deliver the news of account reassignment in person, justified by business rationale. And while most senior managers always stress to reps that they must “take ownership” of accounts, the fact is accounts are not owned by reps, they are rented. Management needs to set the tone within the sales force from the beginning in order for sales executives to understand their behaviors and actions are the only thing that secures the assignment of an account.
2. Justin should not allow sales executive Will to miss valuable 1:1 meetings, when strategic help and counsel is most likely to be dispelled and taught. The sales life is fast and furious, but strategic meetings between manager and sales executive must be honored amidst the hectic pace of each week.
3. Justin should not have ignored Will when Will had burst into the meeting between Justin and Sarah. To best diffuse a combustible situation, Justin should have stood up, excused himself with Sarah, pulled Will aside for 30 seconds and informed him he’d be happy to talk with him at length after his meeting with Sarah, provided Will can "down-shift" his emotions.
4. Two days is an awfully long time for a manager not to address a major problem with a top producer. Justin needed to take faster control of the situation and address the conflict as soon as possible.
5. Justin’s decision to reassign Acme should not at all be predicated on Will’s attitude and hubris, but instead should be based entirely on business reasons. Justin’s first explanation to Tina suggests that there is some ego involved with how Justin made his decision. When dealing with a senior executive like VP Sales Tina, Justin needs to communicate in a clean, clear and factual manner.
Certainly Will is not without blame in this situation. Nobody should ever barge into a meeting, especially in an emotional state, or use profanity. Period. Will was out of control and should face some sort of formal action from the company. However, this specific scenario is presented to help our Western Director Justin, who CLEARLY is ready for Club MOTOR: Managers On The Rise!
Now it's time to vote...go back to the top right!
AND, if you're now at the bottom of THIS article, you TRULY have exhibited strong concentration skills...send an email and put "I did it" in the header! You'll get a treat!
Club MOTOR's Spring Session Open for Enrollment
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SPRING COURSE OPEN ENROLLMENT: Club MOTOR is accepting memberships for its Spring program in May featuring intensive instruction around two main themes: Communication skills and Recruiting best practices. In the Communications session, Managers will learn how to teach team members how to write effective emails, how to use ears more than the mouth, and how to present decks, proposals and themselves in a professional manner.
The Recruiting session focuses on teaching Managers how to conduct interviews for maximum results (candidate qualifying), how to be effective team builders, how to manage recruiting resources, and how to create and execute successful on-boarding and training/education programs. Send an email to receive more specific information about these two important Spring courses. |
CURRICULUM ADVISORY TEAM: Club MOTOR is please to announce the appointment of an amazing team of Curriculum Advisors consisting of Risa Goldberg (recruiting), Adam Kapel (marketing management), Randy Kilgore (sales management), Lee Kirkpatrick (finance), Eric McNulty (leadership), and Dave Morris, (sales management). Please visit this page to learn more about these highly experienced and valued members of the Club MOTOR team.
Click here to visit the Club MOTOR web site.
Click here to visit the Club MOTOR web site.