Is it possible to start coaching your team even without your manager’s support? Can you be the only sales unit in the company with a coaching culture and still be successful?
Undeniably, the answer is YES!!! Regardless of the country or the number of times I’ve delivered my management coach training, I know there are certain inevitable questions that managers will ask. The first question I always hear by the second day of this training is, “Keith, is my boss taking this course? They REALLY need to take this course!”
The second question I hear is, “Keith, I fully believe in coaching and will certainly commit to becoming a better coach. However, what about the overall result driven culture of this company and more specifically, what about my boss? He doesn’t do any coaching, or he thinks he’s coaching but he’s not.
So, how can I then coach my people if all I hear from my boss are interrogating, result driven questions about my commitments, numbers, quota, results and goals?”
To the question originally posed, yes, you can be the only team creating the culture that you feel is most productive, healthy and enjoyable for everyone, even if it may currently conflict with elements of your existing culture.
It’s also your responsibility to insulate your people from the pressure you’re feeling from the top. Otherwise, you’re now just doing to your people what you hate having done to you by your boss.
I can assure you that it will be only a matter of time until people start paying attention to you because you’re doing far better than the other teams. Of course, I’d suggest still speaking with your boss and coaching up, so they know that your intentions are still aligned with corporate objectives.
That’s how you change a culture and leave a legacy you can be proud of. Always remember who has the power to create the culture on your team.
You.
You are the person who interacts with your team the most. You are the one who creates a certain atmosphere during every conversation and interaction. Whether face to face, phone or email, in every interaction, you are either building trust and the culture you want or you’re eroding it.
Ultimately, the culture is you.
Photo Credit: JD Hancock
I think this sounds great in theory and is an option for people that are not getting the support they feel they need. However if salesperson is going to create any sort of sustainable change it’s paramount that management buy in and participate. Of course there are exceptions to this rule but overall it’s very hard to change a sales environment without the buy in and participation from management.
Thanks for your points, Andrew. In the spirit of ensuring full clarification ;-), I’m referring to front line management’s interaction and alignment with upper management and what’s expected of them and how even though upper management may not be coaching and instead be more metrics, numbers and results driven; that front line manager can still develop the coaching culture they want; regardless if manager is coaching them. I’m not referring to the essential buy in the manager needs to create from their OWN team in order to develop the desired culture and atmosphere. This is absolutely essential in any scenario where the manager needs buy in agreement around change while respecting and aligning the goals and needs of each individual with the business objectives. Back to the scenario I was referring to in this post, I find as you move up in rank you often move down in personal connection, which is replaced with the results; the quota, the numbers, the data, the KPI’s and commitments. Again, not always the case, but even when this does occur, ‘from the top’ I still see so many managers thrive because they realized they do have the ability to influence and shape their team and the environment in which they work. Now, there are even those VP’s and executives who recognize this, don’t like it, realize there’s an issue, wish the culture could change but believe they have no power to influence or control it. And even with that manager who may be managing a team of managers; the same rule still holds true.The power to create the culture on your team rests in the hands of that manager. You are the person who interacts with your team the most. You are the one who creates a certain atmosphere during every conversation and interaction. That’s why in every interaction, you are either building trust and the culture you want or you’re eroding it.
This is timeless and valuable advice. Front line managers who build up their own success bubble DO get noticed because of the successes that can come from it. At some point you DO need to deal with those above, but if you can help insulate your reps and coach them to greatness, they can succeed. Great reminder!