The Sales Leaders Playbook. Nathan Jamail

been documented, and we have been studying them for years. So, then why do so many organizations continue to struggle with great leadership? Why does the ability to excel in leadership remain a challenge in corporations?

      My experience has shown that successful leadership does not come from simply reading and knowing what a great leader says and does. In fact, most leaders know what it takes to be a great leader, but simply cannot find the time, or know how to prioritize their time, to make it a way of life. Successful leadership can only be acquired from doing it and doing it again and again.

      Make the Time

      Becoming a successful leader requires time and persistence. Unfortunately, what we read about, learn, and want to implement all too often falls in the deep black hole of the many great ideas we never end up pursuing. Sound familiar? Perhaps you may have experienced this yourself – most of us have. Have you ever gone away on a leadership retreat or decided to use a great leadership book as the blue print of how your leadership team was going to improve? Then, six months later found yourself back to doing the same things you were doing prior to the retreat?

      I remember attending a leadership retreat with my boss and all of my peers quite a few years back. We spent two days studying the book ‘Top Grading’. During the retreat, we discussed how we were going to align our teams and leadership style with this book. We even planned a number of great activities we would put into place to implement these programs. We left the retreat motivated to make the changes to better our teams and improve our leadership.

      Three months after the retreat, our plans became a reference of what we were going to do. Then six months later, we never discussed them again. What happened? It is simple – we did not internalize and follow the success blueprint we were given. Unfortunately, I find this outcome is more the norm than the exception. All too often we forget that success depends on well planned, consistent behavior.

      Write It Down

      

I encourage all leaders to fill the black hole of never implemented great ideas with action. To succeed, you must stay on target to achieve your leadership goals. The first step to making this happen is to write down exactly what you want to do. This can often be the hardest step – so do it immediately. Do not wait for the time to be right, do not get ready to do it, and do not wait till Monday, the new month, or the new quarter to do it. Just do it – and do it now!

      Yes, just do it was a slogan popularized by Nike, but it is also extremely useful in business. Many people and organizations are “fixin” to get things done, but never do because they feel the timing is not right. The reality is that, unless you make it a priority, the timing will never be right. You have to want to make it happen right now, and just do it.

      Being a Leader: 20% - Attributes & Skills

      When we talked about Tiger Woods being the best golfer in history, and not a “natural born” golfer, it was with the understanding that we are born with some talents, while others are developed through hard work and dedication. However, if “natural born” talent is left untouched, it will just go away or fail to develop.

      Tiger Woods tapped into his golfing abilities young and then had the desire (this being the actual talent he was born with) to go after it. He practiced – oh did he practice, and practiced some more. There were many days and nights when Tiger probably missed some fun activities with his friends because he had to be either resting or practicing, but he chose this – he desired to succeed.

      

Like Tiger Woods, many of us are born with the desire to succeed. Desire to succeed is just one of many attributes people are born with. Through valuable life lessons, we further learn and enhance our knowledge which strengthens our attributes. So, what exactly is an attribute?

      An attribute is defined as: a quality or characteristic inherent in or ascribed to someone or something. In laymen terms, an attribute is something that is inherently part of who you are as a person.

      Key attributes that a great leader needs to possess include kindness, strength, discipline, focus, vision, action and self-motivation.

      What are your attributes and how can you improve them to become a better leader? Take the time now to list three of the top leadership attributes you have and the ones that you would like to have:

      I Have:

      1.

      2.

      3.

      I Would like to have:

      1.

      2.

      3.

      Just because something is inherent does not mean practice is not required. As with anything worthwhile, to maintain and improve an attribute, you must put it into practice – into action, and consistently use it. For someone who does not inherently possess an attribute, they will need to first work to acquire it. Then, practice will be needed to develop and strengthen it.

      Skills of Leadership

      A skill is something that can be learned and definitely not something we are born with despite what people say (we have been through this, and I think you understand). Key skills for a great leader include: communication, prioritization, delegation, coaching, the ability to get people to follow, the ability to create ownership in others, and the ability to teach others to be future leaders.

      Communication skills allow a leader to communicate his vision to the team. Successful communication allows the team to understand the vision and goals and adopt them as their own. During tough times, a strong communicator will not sympathize with his team and console them; rather, he will guide them toward the winning path.

      

People must want to follow you on the path you have communicated, not just because the organizational chart says so. People will follow you as a leader if they believe you have the answers and knowledge needed to help them achieve their goals. This is a key requirement – it must be their goal too.

      No one, no matter how dedicated of an employee, wants to be given an order and then told, “Now, go do it.” This communication style leaves them without input or the ability to use their own skills and knowledge to achieve a task. When communicating with your team and getting them to follow you, make sure it is on a path that has been created together.

      Let’s Talk About It

      How can you do this and still retain your leadership stance? Start by asking your team for their opinions – their visions. Be sure to stay on track and not let their input get you lost. In other words, you must know what the final destination is and what cost you are willing to spend, which is not always monetary. With your leadership and direction, let your team help make the road map to achieve their goals so that they own them and desire to achieve them. Use your action list to guide the process.

      To reinforce this concept, I want to use a common, real-life scenario, which I am sure you have seen happen before. There are two teenagers. One teenager is given a car by Mom and Dad. The other

teenager has to work, save and sacrifice for his car. Of these two teenagers, one babies the car like it could break any minute and takes great care of it. The other always forgets to wash it, change the oil, or even gas it. Which teenager do you think took care of his car and which one did not? The answer: the one who worked for it took care of his car. The reason why is because a vested interest leads to success. This same concept applies to individuals and goal setting. Let your employees own the goals, and they will care about achieving them.

      As with most things, there are exceptions to this as a leader. There will be times when you are given marching orders from