How do you identify potential future leadership on your team? How do you know who is a future sales leader?
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VP of Sales in Software5 months ago
We track performance very closely from both a 'what' and 'how' perspective, future leaders are those who can do their jobs very well and constantly can execute above expectations on what & how, but also showcase leadership capabilities in a succesful and consistent manner. CSO5 months ago
I often see great individual contributor salespeople get promoted into sales leadership roles. Sometimes this works. Other times, you lose a great performer and get a not-so-good leader. I look for people who are highly respected in their role, and who are always looking to help lift others up. I think a distinction we need to understand is whether the person gets a charge out of winning the deal themselves. Or do they get a charge out of helping others win a deal?
1) Vision: Are they able to look up from the minutia or daily tasks and see the horizon, assessing where they are now and where they need to go?
2) Prioritization: Based on their vision, can they effectively take their task load and prioritize effectively?
3) Delegation: Do they delegate tasks or ask to offload distracting, low-impact tasks in order to maximize their effectiveness and impact?
4) Integrity and truth-telling: Will they hide the truth or will they own difficult realities? Will they try to spin things the way they think others will "want to hear it" or will they clearly articulate challenges and/or problems?
5) Trustworthiness: Do their peers, subordinates, or managers see them as trustworthy? Do they have a track record of following through on what they say they'll do?
6) Emotional intelligence: Do they accurately understand and own their emotions? Do they empathize easily and readily with others? Are they able to manage complex, emotional moments judiciously?
7) Inspirational: Do they motivate and encourage others by the way they carry themselves, speak, write, and act both in times of difficulty and in times of ease? Do others tend to follow them naturally, without coercion?
8) Care and Curiosity: Are they curious about others and do they truly care about them? You can be curious but not care and will alienate and frustrate others. You can care but not be curious and you won't dig into situations deeply enough to make an impact.