We’ve seen top sales performers pre-maturely move into management roles who not only don’t make great managers (yet). Their team also experiences a dip in revenue, because they struggle to manage and desire to close the business themselves, which dilutes their overall effectiveness.
Struggling to manage and desire to close more business, to us means they are most likely more concerned with numbers and results than they are with people and leveraging their skills and work that led them to become a top performer. Whether it’s by choice or by default, the way through is coaching them through this blind spot.
Most top performers believe it’s the next logical step to move into management, and most companies believe the same thing – reward top performers with promotions.
For the performer, this belief is typically based on the ego wanting notoriety or following the traditional corporate ladder. For the company, this belief is typically based on looking at the performer as a resource, rather than a person.
We found almost half of the top performers thrive and feel more fulfilled when they continue being the top performer, and when given more support (not more responsibility), they continue to amplify their performance.
One way we’ve coached companies with top performers having it both ways is to invite the top performer to all management and leadership conversations that shape the development of the sales team and how sales relate to the overall performance of the company. This satisfied the ego and progression of the top performer and allows companies to leverage top performers’ skills and talent. We’ve also coached some scenarios where the top performer takes on the mentee first, and share the responsibility for the mentee’s results and growth, easing the top performer into managing a team of people.
For top performers who are already struggling in the management role, and for top performers who want to coach into management before accepting the role, we take an accelerated coaching approach, intensively uncovering all blind spots, reflecting them with powerful feedback and techniques, and take these top performers through experiential exercises to transform their leadership and other valuable people and relationship skills suited for their path.
With our work at EVOLVE, we not only train sales leaders on invaluable people and relationship skills, but we also coach them into fully accessing their growth mindset to become both a top performer and inspiring leader for their team and company, unlocking their full potential, creating a WIN-WIN.
If you’d like to explore our work at EVOLVE, book a conversation with us.
