I’m a mom. A lot of you are moms and dads as well. I often see parallels between “managing” my family and managing a team of salespeople. I noticed something the other day that I think I’ve noticed before, but hadn't made the association back to managing a team of salespeople until that moment.
My son just started track. This is his first foray into organized school sports, and frankly I was concerned that 2 hours of track practice Monday through Friday would be overwhelming for him. We did all we could to prepare him, realigned some things and set him up for success. I have been amazed how well he’s handled it.
The other day I was talking to my dad on the phone and telling him about how proud I was of my son. My son was in earshot of this conversation. He loves and admires his grandpa, and you should have seen his face light up when he heard me tell his grandpa how proud I was of the way he was handling this new challenge. He was BEAMING.
My point here is – don’t just tell someone they are doing a great job. Tell others in front of that person that they are doing a great job. Or maybe you've been in a meeting with other managers and told them that you’re really impressed with one of your salespeople? Does your salesperson know you did that? Does your salesperson know you’re so impressed with their performance that you’re willing to share with others? The power of feedback is really immeasurable, and this is just another way to shout it out to your team.
Also as a reminder – if you see someone doing something great, don’t hesitate to give feedback right then. Don’t stop yourself, even when that person may be not performing in other areas. Feedback is powerful to everyone.
Don’t just see it – SAY IT! And say it to whoever will listen.
