Imagine this. You'll be watching one of the many NCAA basketball games in the next few weeks. One particular game you'll flip to seems really out of control. It looks a little like playground basketball. Not much passing or rebounding, no plays being called, looks of frustration and fear from the players, and lots of fouls. The camera scans the benches, and something strikes you:
There are no coaches. Not one. Where you usually see four to six "suits" on the bench, you see only players. No one is helping develop the next tactic or strategy, no one is helping the team get organized and play with efficiency.
The coaches have disappeared at the most critical point in the game.
If you are a manager who has direct responsibility over salespeople, you have to get on the court. So many things pull you in different directions, and I get that. But coaching and mentoring your team while seeing them on the street will have more impact than any forecasting report ever will. As a manager, if you're not on the street with your team, you will start to see fear, frustration, and lots of missteps by your team.
If you’re a manager whose direct reports are other managers who oversee teams of sellers… make sure you make this a priority too. Take things off your managers’ plates where you can. Make a goal for how often you want your managers on the street each month with the account managers, and then help them make that happen.
