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The Lead - Are We Settling?

Last week I had the opportunity to meet with a sales leader who manages a small team of individual contributors. Things are going well. They're seeing growth as an organization year over year. Overall, ownership is happy with the numbers. No problem, right?

While there may not be any issues, this sales leader knows that they haven't reached their potential. He sees how big the opportunity is in their market. He wants more, not just for the company or to make him look good. He believes in his team, and wants to see them get to the next level.

Now listen, in the grand scheme of things, we could call this "champagne problems". There aren't any red flags. We aren't scratching and clawing to survive and that's a good thing. But this isn't uncommon in organizations or with individuals. Why is that?

Many of us are in sales, because the sky is the limit. We love the freedom that comes with the role, not only the ability to control our income but also our time. At our best, we have no problem motivating ourselves because of that.

But this is a pretty optimistic perspective. The reality is, we also have a quota to hit. A minimum standard of performance that keeps the bosses happy and hopefully pays us well enough. If we keep our performance above a basic bar, then we know we're "safe". I have no problem admitting that sometimes I've had the motivation to do just enough, rather than aim higher.

So if you're a sales leader in this position, or a sales person feeling like you're just settling then here are a few things to consider.

Where do you want to go?

For the individual contributor, this is a question to ask yourself. Am I happy with where I'm at? Sometimes it's a financial question. Maybe you want to get into real estate investing, pay for your kids education, afford to take a big trip. My hope would be that there's a bigger "why" to what you do. Working just to keep your job is a pretty sad state, especially in sales. It feels a lot better to be working towards something you're excited about, than just maintaining your spot.

It may not be financial though. It may be future leadership opportunities or even starting your own business. If that's the case, there is no better way to prove yourself to management than to step up and lead with your performance. Not only letting your results speak for themselves, but the effort you put forward. If business ownership is the big goal one day, I can tell you from experience that a track record of sales results is the best confidence builder before making the leap.

For the sales leader, I would take the time to ask your team this question. Be genuine in the way you ask it. This isn't just about seeing your team reach an outcome, it's about seeing people become the best version of themselves. If you can play a role in helping them get there, that's a damn good marker of leadership.

Are incentives aligned?

This one's a lot more tactical, and it's pretty simple. Are you incentivizing your team to reach greater outcomes? Incentives drive performance, and you need to think carefully as you create them. They will drive behavior.

I'm a big fan of The Office. There's a great episode in Season 7 where Jim Halpert discovers that Sabre's commision structure is capped and he's met his number for the year. He can't make any more money, so what happens? Motivation gone. He starts pranking Gabe, stops selling. It's a funny caricature, but it's true. Don't expect your people to keep going if there isn't something in it for them.

Are you creating an environment for continuous growth?

If you actually read these every week, you'll know I'm not big on the word culture. In my opinion, it's hard to define and gets used way too much for anyone to actually know what it is. I like to think in terms of an environment because it's more descriptive and easier to follow.

So here's what I mean by an environment for "continuous growth". Does your organization prioritize and celebrate improvement both personally and professionally? Even outside of sales, are others in the organization encouraged to grow in their roles? What opportunities do you provide for that? Is training a critical element of what you do? Do you recognize significant achievements of team and individuals?

You can help facilitate this desire by making it a critical element of what you do. I've used this example before, but at Second Nature we had weekly sales training which was often led by member of the team. It wasn't optional, and we all looked forward to it. It's not just programming, it's seeing others around you who are pushing harder to get better. You can do this even as a sales team of one, pull in people across departments. Make it a clear and consistent priority.

Here's the truth - you can do and emphasize all of these things and some people will remain happy with the status quo. They'll be perfectly content with doing just enough. As a leader, it's up to you whether you're willing to accept that. Believe it or not, I think there's a time and a place to accept that your team isn't going pedal to the floor towards exponential growth. But I think in most cases that's not acceptable long term.

I''ll boil my three points down into this - seek to truly understand the individuals you're leading, reward them well for their efforts, and create an environment where they have a real desire to aim higher. If you do these things, and don't see the results you want, then you may not have the right people. But at least you'll have clarity on that.

And finally, if you're the sales person who feels willing to settle for good enough, then examine these questions for yourself. You may not be in the environment. You may need to go find it somewhere else. But before you make that judgment, think about what you really want to achieve. My hope is that there's a bigger "why" that you can find within yourself, that may actually push you more than any manager could.