In When A Salesperson Is Better Than His Manager, Part I, the last article in this series, our feckless managers credibility and authority were being covertly challenged by the top salesperson. The production leader seemed to be spreading rumors that the boss was a failed salesman, someone who got kicked upstairs into management because of incompetence. Sensing this slander, the manager wonders what to do. Here are some of the options that occur to him, right off the bat: (1) Should he just let this whittling away of his stature occur, without comment? (2) Should he have a meeting, one on one, with the alleged miscreant? (3) Should he call a meeting with all of his reps and discuss the matter, openly? (4) Should he do a masters demonstration, like a sensei at a martial arts academy, demonstrating his selling skills to his troops? Several thoughts come to mind. Does a manager, whose job is leadership, have to be excellent at performing the task that his underlings are fulfilling? In baseball, there are various leadership positions on the field and in the dugout. Most obvious is the manager. Does he have to be a great player, at this very moment, to be credible? Many of these guys reached the Hall of Fame as players, before becoming managers. You wouldnt expect a 70 plus year old to be a pinch runner or even a designated hitter, would you? But the fact that they WERE some of the games greats undoubtedly plays a role in determining their credibility for later generations of players, right? A rookie with the Washington Nationals can find a film of Frank Robinson and prove that this was one of the best all-around players to ever put on a uniform. At the same time, look at Tommy Lasorda, a Hall of Fame inductee, who didnt get voted into that august institution because of his pitching ability. He made it, primarily, because he was a winning manager for the Dodgers. So, a great manager doesnt have to have been a great player. Doesnt the same principle apply to sales leadership? Maybe our besieged sales manager should just say nothing, because if this is true, he has nothing to prove, right? In Part III, the next article in this series, well explore his other options. |
