When I was a young sales representative, I reported to a Unit Manager. My Unit Manager reported to a District Manager, who reported to a Division Manager, who reported to the Vice President of Sales.
That’s a lot of “managers!”
One thing I learned in my first few days on the job is that all my managers were obsessed with numbers. They counted the number of displays I sold, the number of facings I had on my customer’s shelf. Oh, and of course, the number of cases I sold directly to my customers.
The pressure to produce results was continuous. They would say: “We’ve got to beat last month’s sale,” Then, when the end of the quarter came, it would be: “We need to push to make our numbers for the quarter! Of course, the pressure undoubtedly intensified by the end of the year, “Load your customers. We won’t make our bonus if we don’t make these sales!”
Well, that’s what it was like when I started my sales career in 1973. And honestly, nothing has changed much. Managers are still obsessed with making the numbers, except the pressure to deliver results has become more intense. Plus, they are focused even more on the short-term! Nowadays the managers push sales, saying, “Come on! We need to make Friday’s payroll!”
Can you imagine the pressure?
Can you feel the “love” from these managers? No?
Perhaps, that’s because managers are focused on numbers above all else? In a manager’s eyes, when you perform well, you’re a hero. However, when you don’t, you’re a zero! The unspoken message was clear, “You’re just a cog in the giant wheel of business. If you don’t perform, we’ll just replace you with someone who will perform!”
My Start as a Manager
Over the years, I performed well enough as a sales representative to be promoted a few times. At this point, I was now a “manager.” I was just like the managers I worked for when I was growing up.
Like my managers, I was obsessed with my sales representative’s numbers. If they did well, they got raises. Some got promotions. If they did poorly, they got extra training, and if they still didn’t perform, they were encouraged to find a new career.
Then a few years into my career, I had my usual annual performance review. Instead of the glowing compliments for reaching my numbers, I was given feedback from the people I worked with that was less than complimentary. It seems they appreciated the fact that we made our numbers but none of them, none of them, liked working for or with me.
They referred to me as being harsh, dictatorial, demanding, critical, and a slew of other terms I have tried to forget.
Ouch!
My Journey to Leadership
About that time, I had become a Christian, and in my young Christian heart, that performance review cut me to the core. I knew something needed to change. I needed to change.
I vowed to myself that I would let go of my old behaviors and start being the kind of person I thought a Christian businessperson should be! My start was simple. I recognized how important everyone on my team was to our success. I started to really care about the people I worked with.
Like a cocoon ready to metamorphose into a butterfly, I was determined to change from being a manager focused solely on the numbers to be a leader focused on the people!
I started showing them how much I cared about them in very simple ways. I wrote emails, complimenting them when I saw a worthwhile achievement. Then I stepped up my game and started sending those complimentary emails out to the team so they could all share in a team member’s success.
It was fun to shed the manager shell and become an encouraging leader. I even started sending encouraging emails to other people’s sales representatives. And then, I told all the bosses what great work all my team members and others were doing.
It became a kind of fun game to find someone doing something well and let them and their bosses know their achievement was recognized.
I was becoming a leader!
The next year my team said they liked working for and with me. And we still made our numbers. The year after that, word had spread. People were asking to join our team. Leadership changed the culture of our team.
As much as I would like to take credit for this transformation, I know it wasn’t really me. The change in my life and my leadership came from the Holy Spirit working in and through me. God’s Spirit changed me into someone more like the kind of leader I think God intended us to be.
Leadership is Needed Today
In his book, “Leaders Eat Last–Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t,” author Simon Sinek says, “Leadership is about taking responsibility for lives and not numbers.”
I wish I had realized and learned that truth earlier in my career!
We need more leaders today who reflect God’s power and love for the people in their organizations.
Because Simon is right, real leadership is taking responsibility for people’s lives!
More Articles About Leadership
I’ve written several articles about leadership over the years. You can search for “leadership” to find them, or you can check out the links below for five of the most recent articles on leadership.
#224: Effective Leadership: Employ, Equip, Empower, and Get Out Of The Way!
#198: Build Performance by Learning How to Use Leadership Styles Effectively
#194: Do You Know the 3 E’s of Expanded Leadership?
#190: Humility, The Most Important Overlooked Quality of Leadership
#160: Six Leadership Lessons from a Woman of Valor, Conviction, and Faith
Join the Conversation
As always, questions and comments are welcome. Do you see a difference between managers and leaders in your workplace?
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Category: Personal Development | Character
