Nobody wakes up one morning and automatically gets placed in a leadership role. Why? Because being a leader takes dedication, time and hard work. As a leader, the success of those around you depends on you. So what qualities should you look for in a good sales leader? Is it someone that is consistently able to overcome obstacles in order to close the deal? Is it someone that embodies honesty, integrity, positivity, assertiveness, adaptivity, and intelligence? Or is being a great leader a combination of all these things?
Here are 10 commandments to being a great sales leader:
- Those who you lead will follow you because they believe in the vision.
- You exceed objectives with your ability to influence horizontally and vertically through leaders within your organization (you are a bridge builder).
- When everything goes wrong, you step up and own it.
- When everything goes right, it’s your team that made it happen…not you.
- You understand and can execute on how to influence others vs. manipulate.
- You know that leading is public. Managing and coaching is private.
- You take solace in knowing that one or more team members will financially outperform you.
- Your team embraces uncertainty and adapts with challenges.
- You recognize that each team member is unique and helping them learn how to leverage their strengths is your competitive advantage.
- You get out of bed in the morning knowing that what you say, how you walk, how you sit, how you stand, etc. will make a dramatic impact on the lives you lead…and you love it.
Leadership is about making an impact in the lives of those around you. At the end of the day, your sales team is going to want to be led by someone they respect. Are you embodying a great leader that those around you want to follow?
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