If you want to eat better: Make it a priority.
If you want more leisure time: Make it a priority.
If you want to improve your sales or recruiting skills: Make it a priority.
If you want to hit your budget/quota: Make it a priority.
All the time I hear people say they want to do this or do that, but they are just too busy to make it happen. We are all busier than ever, including me. But, if I woke up tomorrow and found two feet of water in my basement, I WOULD MAKE THAT A PRIORITY.
"Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishments.” - Jim Rohn
We all have those managers who struggle making their numbers month after month. They get close; in the 80-90% range, but continually miss their numbers and negatively impact the overall team. Why? Because I believe making their numbers is not their priority. If it was, they would find a way to make their plan.
Having done ride-alongs and interviews with hundreds of managers, here is what I find the vast majority of under-performing managers make a priority:
Being liked over being respected
Focusing more on how people feel than about achieving outcomes
Putting out “fires” all day
Looking busy
Rationalizing their below quota performance through socially acceptable excuses
Seeking positive attention and approval
High-performing managers who recognize the importance of being respected (with or without being liked) are more inclined to:
Make performance (making their plan) a priority
Make on-the-spot coaching (praise publicly, constructively criticize privately) a priority
Make having difficult coaching conversations a priority
Make 1:1s a priority
Make hiring and onboarding good people a priority
Make their personal development a priority
Winning breeds winning. It is really that simple. The habits formed by the successful manager center around the things that need to get done, rather than feelings. They are not mutually exclusive. A top performing, well-respected manager can care about feelings too. They just make sure they don’t get caught up in the “noise” of feelings and socially acceptable excuses. They understand that performance through leveraging a solid set of core values is truly the yardstick of measurement.
At Butler Street, we provide high-impact sales and recruiting manager training that makes for great leaders and future growth. We’ve been there. Tell us a little about yourself and let’s talk.