6 Ways to Determine Whether to Keep Your Sales Manager

November 18th, 2011 by admin No comments »

Because the sales management position within any organization if so vital to the company’s health, it is hard for the executive not to occasionally second-guess his or her choice in sales managers. When it comes to hiring, the devil we know is a lot better then the sales manager whom we have to replace that individual with, so the idea of changing sales managers strikes nausea into the gut of many a sales director.

Despite this, there should be some set parameters within your company to determine the sales aptitude of the individual managing your organization’s sales force. Below, you’ll find some of these measurements of sales management competency and, in following each, you should be able to determine whether the person you’re going to hire to run your sales team is going to become the future of your company or hinder the future of those under them.

1. Do They Justify Their Worth?

With sales managers it’s all about numbers. Sales is one of the few quantifiable positions, if not the only quantifiable, within the majority of organizations. At the end of the day, the sales leader has to make quota and have to ensure that they are teaching those under them how to properly implement business development techniques in order to gain autonomy and drive revenue themselves.

2. Are They Constantly Upbeat?

Effective managers can stay positive even in the most stressful situations. They firmly understand that their subordinates will not do well in a pressure cooker environment. For any manager, a positive, bright outlook starts with them and either resonates throughout the company or fails to create an atmosphere that breeds leaders. » Read more: 6 Ways to Determine Whether to Keep Your Sales Manager

Strategic Leaders Involvement in Diversity Management

November 17th, 2011 by admin No comments »

Strategic leader’s involvement in diversity management can no longer be ignored. We all know that an organization’s competitiveness and its ability to be successful will depend on how the strategic leader manages workforce diversity. Simply put, strategic leaders are charged with assessing and evaluating their workforce diversity and this must be built into the structure of the organization. Over the years, I have learned that there are significant benefits to diversity because everyone has the ability to bring some unique skills to the table. A strategic leader’s ability to handle these unique skills is critical to the overall success of the organization.

Diversity Management

Diversity management is a process that allows a strategic leader to plan and direct the activities of diverse groups; harnessing their unique skills to a point in which it adds a measurable difference to the overall success of the organization. Diversity management facilitates a different kind of communication in an attempt forge a new and broader understanding of organizational problems. There is no doubt that when diverse groups come together, it sets the stage for transferring knowledge which creates a learning environment. However, diversity management centers on more than just the result of transferring knowledge through leaning. It also includes diversity of the mind.

Cognitive Diversity

Cognitive diversity involves diversity of the mind and strategic leaders must promote this in their organizations, particularly in groups. This is about creating knowledge through the diverse interaction of groups. I believe the power of cognitive diversity supports organizational goals of creating new ideas and opportunities, not only to stir innovation, but also to promote a variety of ideas to facilitate change. What is so unique about this concept in that when a group or team for that matter, generates their own ideas for change, they are more likely to support them. To support this effort, a strategic leader must create diverse groups which can be done by combining people with different attributes, temperaments, backgrounds and skills to instigate the creative thinking needed to anticipate new opportunities and threats to the organization. This also helps to generate those possibilities and solutions as there is something to be said when it comes to the term “two heads are better than one.” » Read more: Strategic Leaders Involvement in Diversity Management