Some salespeople seem highly confident, but as human beings, we all have our doubts. Thus, in this Expert insight Interview, Marc Pitman discusses his new book: The Surprising Gift of Doubt: Use Uncertainty to Become the Exceptional Leader You Are Meant to Be. Marc Pitman is the Founder of The Concord Leadership Group, an executive coach, speaker, and author.
The interview discusses:
- Dealing with imposter syndrome
- Realizing and accepting your gifts and abilities
- Embracing coaching
- Honoring and operating with integrity
The Imposter Syndrome
A good part of the imposter syndrome encourages people to stretch out of their comfort zone and grow. But, it also has a negative side when one feels inauthentic and phony. Sometimes it happens that a person is learning something new, but it does not feel right. For example, if an introverted person would train for a job position that consists only of making calls and going among people for networking. In that case, the inner nudge pushes the people to incorporate what they learn to become part of their authentic selves. Many introverts write a letter they never send, but that gives them time to think about what they will say to people before they speak.
Gifts and Abilities
Many people do not recognize their gifts because they are so used to them. However, once we accept the things we can do, we also start acknowledging our limitations. Having self-awareness and knowing what you should and should not do is critical for managerial roles. Moreover, focus on your strengths rather than your weaknesses. Do things that come naturally to you, and leave other things for people that come naturally to them.
Realizing our abilities does not come easy to people. A good practice is to think of a fictional character that you most identify with or admire. By doing that, you see yourself but in a different light. However, this is not a linear process, and this approach might not work. It is okay to invest time into professional development and to try new things.
Professional Help
The best sales managers are good at coaching people. They are not trying to force people to act like them. Instead, they agree on the outcome they want with people and then coach them to make that happen. Accepting coaching and investing your time and money into coaching is very beneficial.
The Integrity
Working with integrity is one of the best tools that you can have today. It means incorporating your stories, core values, goals, and personal mission and vision to work together in complete solidarity. Also, knowing your values, your why, is a powerful thing because it enables you to make better decisions for yourself and people who depend on you.
Our Host
John is the Amazon bestselling author of Winning the Battle for Sales: Lessons on Closing Every Deal from the World’s Greatest Military Victories and Social Upheaval: How to Win at Social Selling. A globally acknowledged Sales & Marketing thought leader, speaker, and strategist, he has conducted over 1500 video interviews of thought leaders for Sales POP! online sales magazine & YouTube Channel and for audio podcast channels where Sales POP! is rated in the top 2% of most popular shows out of 3,320,580 podcasts globally, ranked by Listen Score. He is CSMO at Pipeliner CRM. In his spare time, John is an avid Martial Artist.
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