Leadership

Leaders in any business are easily identifiable; they’re the people who have the right spirit, the right stuff. They lead by example, helping to create extra-ordinary results from ordinary people.

Leadership qualities are generally a combination of intrinsic characteristics amalgamated to learned and developed skills – so are leaders born or made? I believe it is a little of both. Leadership is something we all need to learn and practice.

You will find leaders are both confident and modest. Being a leader is not about making ourselves more powerful, it’s about making our people, the salespeople we lead more powerful. This takes courage and confidence and these elements are rare.

Leaders are authentic and walk their talk. Commonly however some people in leadership roles are merely delegators. They send their troops out to fight the battle while they hide back in the safety of the bunker. Worse still they come down from the hill after the battle is over and shoot the wounded for not winning the war.

Leaders should be good listeners. Are you interested and curious in your team and in its individual members? The enemy of curiosity, and therefore listening, is belief that you have all the answers, and the truth is (as you know) that none of us do.

Leaders should always be encouraging, by doing no less than challenging, encouraging, motivating and inspiring the people around them. This is a leader’s ultimate purpose. A good leader should also then be able to let go, stand back and allow the process to happen.

Good leaders connect, between sales team members and other divisions within the company.

Great leaders have the ability to direct people, however not in the form of orders and answers but by the use of questions, leading people to follow and put into action what they already know.

Leaders do not blame, they learn, even the smartest in business make mistakes. Do you recall when Bill Gates decided that the World Wide Web would have little impact on his business? Try, fail, learn, and try again.

Excellent leaders know they work for their team members. Your sales team members are your customers, how can you serve them better today for a bigger effect tomorrow?

Wise leaders network with other leaders, and learn from other leaders. Remember: It’s only lonely at the top if you place yourself on a pedestal.

Brave leaders make more leaders because the sales team with the most and best leaders wins, so become a leader of leaders.

Leaders understand the difference between leaders and managers. Do you?

The principal difference is leaders understand people work for people and not companies. Not systems, not processes, not your brand, and not your company’s philosophy, or mission statement, they work for people. It’s a people thing.

As we all know there are ‘leaders’ and then there are LEADERS!

There’s that person who walks into a room, maybe things are going moderately well, but the whole place clams up and goes stiff at the mere appearance of this type of manager. Then there’s that other person, the Leader who walks in, and even if things are going badly, we all just feel a little bit better, a little calmer, and a little safer. There’s a little more confidence and ‘buzz in the air’ just because of his or her presence and we know we are going to get ‘there’.

Leaders are authentic, they walk their talk……so take your opportunities to lead at every chance, it’s the only way you will become that Leader we all want to be!

Michael Tate: Sales Director International – NRS Media 

A foundation employee during its initial five year start-up phase Michael Tate has returned to NRS Media after 15 years of working internationally to take up tenure as the company’s Sales Director in its International office.

Michael has a vast knowledge of effective media use, advertising and advertising sales management built over the last 25 years working with some of the world’s largest TV and radio groups.

He is a highly sought after key-note speaker and advertising sales trainer at major industry bodies like the Radio Advertising Bureau, the Texas Broadcasters Association, and the Oregon Association of Broadcasters. Tate has successfully worked with advertising sales managers, their staff and clients in 12 countries including the USA, UK, Canada, Ireland, Norway, Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Philippines and Australia.

Comment Form

Your email address will not be published.

Recent comments (0)
Post new comment

Jobs

See all