High Performance Leadership

Daniel Pink has famously said that everyone is in sales. What do you think? I think he's right. Whether it's internally convincing your boss or your board about a project or doing your best to connect clients with goods and services, we're all selling something. That's not a bad thing, it's just a thing. We all must influence. We all seek to add value and to do that need to convince someone of something. That's sales. Occasionally, I'll receive feedback (criticism) about my sales pitch. Yes, I sell. I sell resources, I sell training programs, I sell my services as a trainer, consultant, and (sometimes) entertainer. It used to bother me, but now I see the benefit. Think of it as marketing if you like, but it all starts with sales. No sales, no organization. It's as simple as that. I promise not to judge your sales pitch if you promise not to judge mine. Let's share feedback instead. Let's listen. Let's evaluate. And whenever we can...

Do you like to be pressured into making a decision? I always feel rushed if someone is in a hurry to convince me of anything (even something I really know that I want) and the impact is to hold off on committing. That's probably not what the person who is in a rush is going for. We need a reasonable pace. We need to know that a decision feels right AND that it's logical. Too often someone will see the merit to their case and pound on one or the other - the feelings, or the logic. It seldom feels right if the logic is wrong, and it doesn't matter how logical it seems if it doesn't feel right. As leaders we must take care of both the facts and the feelings. As people who's job it is to influence others, we must find a reasonable pace that walks in harmony with the pace the people we are seeking to influence need. That takes practice. That takes patience. And, that takes a centered focus on what is truly important to begin with. If it doesn't feel right to ...