Professional Development - Whose Responsibility is It? Part II of II
Professional Development - Whose Responsibility is It? Part II of II
Knowing that Renee wants to grow into a leader, Ted ensured her office was next to his, promised guidance and provided her with one direct report – to see what she was capable of on her own. If Renee was going to be in charge of a team, she needed to understand her role, create a vision and seek out guidance where necessary. Ted assumed Renee understood his approach and would grow into it. Meanwhile Renee was jumping through hoops to gain Ted’s approval. With her review just around the corner, Renee knew from Ted’s non-verbal communication that she was not on track for promotion. She sent him an e-mail requesting a meeting to discuss her progress. She got no response to that message, though he responded to all her other e-mails. Renee was thoroughly annoyed and very frustrated. In her words: “All he needed to do was acknowledge my e-mail and let me know when he would have time to speak.”
If you are in a leadership position, I encourage you to meet employees halfway. If leadership is really about optimizing talent (and I think it is), your success will consistently show up in how your direct reports perform. If their performance is below par, consider another approach. Make a game out of it; have fun finding new ways to help your rising stars shine brighter. The following are three essentials for leading any team, anywhere, any time: Ø L = Learn. Get to know your team both inside and outside the context of work. Learn what motivates and inspires them. Ask about their long-term career goals.
Ø E = Environment. Create an environment that’s fun and rewarding to be part of. Research has shown people are far more productive at work when they feel like they are part of something. Find ways to strengthen bonds between team members outside their everyday tasks. People who know and like each other do a better job.
Ø A = Assume Well. Based on the way people interact, we all make assumptions about others, sometimes without knowing the full story. For example, you might assume a young professional who wears jeans to the office is a slacker, when he really just can’t afford a suit and tie yet – or that a seasoned professional who doesn’t embrace new technology isn’t being a team player, when she is really just intimidated by what doesn’t come naturally to her. I urge you to resist the temptation to assume until you’ve asked the right questions.
Ø D = Demonstrate and Define. Great leaders act how they want others to act and thus lead by example. They define their expectations and provide feed-forward for their team. People need to know what’s expected of them – and when they are falling short of reaching goals. Likewise, reinforce excellence by announcing and rewarding it.
Good news. Ted took time to sit down with Renee, asked her where she thinks she’s doing well and where she needs to improve – and gave her a specific targets to hit. While Renee did not get the promotion the first time around, she was given the support she needed and a new opportunity to get there. And she just got promoted!
Rock on!
Misti Burmeister
Professional Development Whose Responsibility is It Part II of II - To learn more about this author, visit Misti Burmeister's Website.
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Last month I said that responsibility for your professional development rests solely in your hands. But if you’re a manager, and an American for properity, that doesn’t get you off the hook for mentoring and developing your talented employees. Sure, it’s up to them if they succeed, but since you have a stake in the game (if your employee succeeds, so does the company), I’d suggest you consider what you can do to help your direct reports become the superstars you (and they) want them to become. I previously shared the story of Renee, an ambitious employee, and Ted, her supervisor, who didn’t give Renee the guidance and feedback she expected from him. I’ve witnessed both of their struggles, so I’m fortunate enough to understand both perspectives. And I know what he has been looking for out of Renee for the past two years. While his approach hasn’t worked well for Renee, his process makes sense.
Knowing that Renee wants to grow into a leader, Ted ensured her office was next to his, promised guidance and provided her with one direct report – to see what she was capable of on her own. If Renee was going to be in charge of a team, she needed to understand her role, create a vision and seek out guidance where necessary. Ted assumed Renee understood his approach and would grow into it. Meanwhile Renee was jumping through hoops to gain Ted’s approval. With her review just around the corner, Renee knew from Ted’s non-verbal communication that she was not on track for promotion. She sent him an e-mail requesting a meeting to discuss her progress. She got no response to that message, though he responded to all her other e-mails. Renee was thoroughly annoyed and very frustrated. In her words: “All he needed to do was acknowledge my e-mail and let me know when he would have time to speak.”
If you are in a leadership position, I encourage you to meet employees halfway. If leadership is really about optimizing talent (and I think it is), your success will consistently show up in how your direct reports perform. If their performance is below par, consider another approach. Make a game out of it; have fun finding new ways to help your rising stars shine brighter. The following are three essentials for leading any team, anywhere, any time: Ø L = Learn. Get to know your team both inside and outside the context of work. Learn what motivates and inspires them. Ask about their long-term career goals.
Ø E = Environment. Create an environment that’s fun and rewarding to be part of. Research has shown people are far more productive at work when they feel like they are part of something. Find ways to strengthen bonds between team members outside their everyday tasks. People who know and like each other do a better job.
Ø A = Assume Well. Based on the way people interact, we all make assumptions about others, sometimes without knowing the full story. For example, you might assume a young professional who wears jeans to the office is a slacker, when he really just can’t afford a suit and tie yet – or that a seasoned professional who doesn’t embrace new technology isn’t being a team player, when she is really just intimidated by what doesn’t come naturally to her. I urge you to resist the temptation to assume until you’ve asked the right questions.
Ø D = Demonstrate and Define. Great leaders act how they want others to act and thus lead by example. They define their expectations and provide feed-forward for their team. People need to know what’s expected of them – and when they are falling short of reaching goals. Likewise, reinforce excellence by announcing and rewarding it.
Good news. Ted took time to sit down with Renee, asked her where she thinks she’s doing well and where she needs to improve – and gave her a specific targets to hit. While Renee did not get the promotion the first time around, she was given the support she needed and a new opportunity to get there. And she just got promoted!
Rock on!
Misti Burmeister
Professional Development Whose Responsibility is It Part II of II - To learn more about this author, visit Misti Burmeister's Website.
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John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
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David BarrDavid Barr is the President of Venture Opportunities, Inc. David has been a professional business broker/intermediary since 1980 focusing on General Business Brokerage and Mergers and Acquisitions representing client transaction value from $400,000 to $20,000,000. Mr. Barr has handled the sale of over four hundred and fifty companies. David earned a university degree from the State University of New York majoring in economics and business. David holds the Mergers and Acquisition Master Intermediary and the Certified Business Intermediary designations from the International Business Brokers Association. He is also a Senior Business Analyst and a Texas licensed Real Estate Agent. For more information about David and Venture Opportunities, visit www.bizdealmaker.com. - Visit David Barr's Website |
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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website |
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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Jay Kubassek(Jay's Full Bio: EvanCarmichael.com/jaykubassek) In five years, Canadian-born entrepreneur Jay Kubassek went from selling mufflers at a Midas franchise to revolutionizing Internet marketing with the 2004 launch of CarbonCopyPRO, a online marketing education company, now worth over $20 million with customers in over 160 countries.
As an independent film producer, his upstart film fund Aliquot Films is currently producing a films with Spike Lee and Abel Fererra (starring Ethan Hawke and Dennis Hopper.)
Jay's entrepreneurial spirit is irrepressible. He’s the owner of five companies, a professional speaker and trainer, international real estate developer/investor, extreme sport enthusiast and emerging philanthropist. Jay resides in NYC with his wife Jamie, son Milo and dog Cooper. Visit Jay's official website: www.JayKubassek.com - Visit Jay Kubassek's Website |
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