There are two football coaches.
Coach #1 has a vision of winning the state championship and he has communicated his goal and his plan to his team. As a matter of fact, he has posted it in writing in his office and in the locker room.
Coach #2 simply wants to go out and have fun and get through the next game.
Which coach do you think will inspire his team the most?
Which team would YOU rather invest in?
I think you will agree that Coach #1 has the greatest chance of having a successful season.
It’s the same way in sales. A true sales leader must have a vision of success and be able to clearly articulate that vision to his or her team. In order to get the team members to fully invest, they must know exactly what it is they are buying into. But it is more than just a statement of a goal. They want to understand the values of the leader, what s/he believes is important, what they will model and what approaches will guide how the team works and supports each other. By sharing their aspirations for what the future can be, particularly when it is written in the context of the value being offered to the customer, it helps drive commitment, accountability and focus.
If there is no vision or a fuzzy vision, you are destined to lose games and end up with a less than stellar season.
Bottom line: Having a clear vision and the supportive goals and practices that flow from that is imperative for reaching your ultimate potential. It allows your subconscious mind to become focused on a target and an end result.
All great leaders know this and they strive continuously to make sure all of their players know it too! It is not a once every few years activity, but a relentless effort to shape it, articulate it and make it real for every member of their teams.
Have you crafted with clarity your vision for your team?
The mind set of yesterday’s manager was to accept compromise and keep things neat, which tended to breed complacency. Tomorrow’s leaders, on the other hand, raise issues, debate them, resolve them. They aren’t afraid to go against today’s current because they know their constituency is tomorrow. They rally around a vision of what a business can become.
– Jack Welch