Why do some teams never reach their potential?  Seldom is ability the issue.  Most teams are made up of people with wonderful abilities.  Only rarely is it a matter of resources.  It’s almost always a payment issue.  The problem is that the team is unwilling to pay the price of success.

People who have never had the experience of being on a winning team often fail to realize that every team member must pay the price.  It is never true that if some work hard, others may coast.  If everyone doesn’t pay the price to win, then everyone will pay the price of losing.  

No one can move closer to their potential without paying in some way to get there.  Some people mistakenly believe that if they can accomplish one particular goal, they no longer have to grow.  It can happen with almost anything: a certain rating, a particular award, or a level of production.  But effective leaders and effective team members can’t afford to think that way.  The day they stop growing is the day they forfeit their potential and the potential of the team.

The first step in taking your team to a higher level is to take yourself to a higher level.  Find a mentor.  We can only get better with the help of people better than us.  Find someone who makes things happen, and learn from them.  Then begin a growth plan.  Look at your strengths and weaknesses.  Analyze your capabilities and build a growth plan that will help you develop the skills you need to get to that next level.  Then build a business plan based on your strengths and talents.  Then get out of your comfort zone.  You will never know what your real potential is until you go beyond what you’ve done before.

If you follow these steps you may not become a million dollar producer, but you will improve and your team will improve.  And in the end, all we can be is the best we can be.

TIME FOR REVIEW

As we celebrate the beginning of our third year of distribution, we thought this might be a good time to go back and review how we interact with other people, associates, clients and prospects.  The good sales person realizes that there are differences between people.  The excellent sales person will learn to recognize, or read those differences and make minor modifications to their own behavioral style so that they will be better received by the other person.  Many times this modification has to do primarily with how we communicate with the other person.  Let us examine the Dominant, Influential, Steady, and Compliant styles as they interact with each other on a team or at home.

High-D and High-D

One of the basic characteristics of the high-D is: “There is only one tiger to a hill—and I am it!”  Some behavioral clash is almost inevitable when two or more high-D’s live or work together.  The common ground on which they can negotiate, however, is the one founded on mutual respect.  High-D’s respect talent and will listen, at least somewhat, when they respect the accomplishments of the other person.  Since high-D’s tend to come on strong, get to the point quickly and generally move right through the issues to decisions and conclusions rapidly, they will enjoy that approach in the other person.  High-D’s should be careful, however, that they do not move so quickly that they “go off half-cocked” or leave themselves open to later criticism of committing errors of both omission and commission.

High-D and High-I

The high-D prefers to “tell” while the high-I prefers to “sell,” so it is usually a game of who maneuvers best on a given day.  If the high-D is well enough prepared, he or she will not often be “sold a bill of goods.”  If, however, the preparation is weak, the high-I is at his or her best while dealing in non-committal, broad-based generalities.  Both the high-D and high-I are risk-takers, good competitors and enjoy moving quickly through or around the details.  If the high-D is going to “score” with the high-I, he or she should nave all the facts straight, lay them out and get a commitment.  On the other hand, the high-I will do best with the high-D if he or she deals in specifics, stays away from “broad brushing” major issues and, in general, does not substitute charm for substance.

High-D and High-S

Give Round #1 to the high-D, as the high-S will tend to back down in the face of the initial, direct confrontation.  In other words, the high-D’s knack for “winning through intimidation” will generally carry the opening round.  It is Round #2, however, that is almost always the more important and this can go either way.  Sometimes the high-S will carry it by shrewdly observing a policy of “watchful waiting” and carefully timing the next move.  You will recall the race between the tortoise (S) and the hare (D).  Since high-D’s tend to see high-S’s as “moving too slowly” and having “no sense of urgency,” it would be a good idea for the high-S to move more enthusiastically and quickly to the bottom line when dealing with the high-D.  The high-D should also exercise caution when the high-S “clams up,” as this may be the first sign of passive aggressiveness and a general policy of “getting even” by deliberately “slowing things down.”  The high-S will respond favorably, however, to a policy of being “included” and “appreciated”—both of which are hard for the high-D to do.

High-D and High-C

Toughness (D) and strictness (C) also present as natural protagonists.  Dominant people tend to see Compliant people as “nit-pickers” and “bogged down in details.”  Compliant people perceive Dominant people as “arrogant” and “pushy.”  In debating issues or arguing decisions, the high-D will hit fast and hard and quote themselves as the final authority.  The high-C will “quote the book,” get defensive and generally attack the specific details.  The high-D should learn to slow down in the presence of the high-C, deal in facts, be well prepared and normally expect to be met with plenty of doubt, questions and analysis before action.  On the other hand, the high-C has to speed up in the presence of the high-D, be less evasive, get to the point quicker and learn to be a little less rigid, especially if all the “i’s” aren’t dotted or “t’s” crossed.

High-I and High-I

When two high-I’s wheel and deal, it’s a question of who out-impresses whom.  High-I’s will instantly like and relate to each other.  Both will be easy to get to know and respond to the “innate” people skills of the other.  They can work comfortably together, support dreams and schemes and capitalize on the input from people they admire (admiration is the basis of high-I respect).  High-I’s like to have fun along with their work, which is okay as long as it doesn’t interfere with performance or deadlines.  Prone to enthusiasm and optimism, two high-I’s in any relationship may, on occasion, need to exercise restraint as it relates to spending, budgets and short-term projects versus long-term objectives.  They must also learn to listen instead of only thinking about what they will say next.

High-I and High-S

People skills (I) and patience (S) will get along well for openers.  The high-I will sell, convince and charm and the high-S will listen, nod approvingly and not openly disagree.  The high-I and high-S do not, however, share the same capacity for taking risk and, while they will appear to “hit it off,” they will never be entirely sure of each other.  High-I’s have to tone down their natural enthusiasm, suggest rather than direct and be sincere above all else with the high-S.  Anything less will be suspect, and the high-S, never wishing to appear foolish, will protect his or her flank by not giving complete cooperation.  High-S’s, on the other hand, should be less placid and possessive in the presence of the high-I, say what they really think and generally let the high-I know where they stand.

High-I and High-C

This particular relationship has a high potential for conflict as most of the high-I’s strengths are at odds with the preferred style of the high-C, and vice versa.  Basically, the high-I is most comfortable with outgoing people and the high-C is most comfortable with things.  The high-I should go out of his or her way to impress the high-C with being well-prepared, deal in specifics and never let “fun and games” interfere with getting the job done first.  The high-C tends not to relax before or during but only after, while the high-I’s preference will be to blend fun with work from beginning to end.  The high-C, conversely, should learn to speed things up in the presence of the high-I, have some fun, play down the facts in favor of “gut” feelings once in awhile, all while trying to be more stimulating and less “fussy.”

High-S and High-S

Patience, patience, and more patience.  The support given by one is only to be outdone by the support returned.  Very rarely will two high-S’s find the basis for a good old-fashioned argument because they are both too low-key to really care.  Tending to plod and persevere, one high-S will not push the other (high-S’s never push but rather motivate by good example).  Hopefully, when two or more high-S’s work or live together, there will be goals and deadlines from some outside source or else it will be a very pleasant place where very little happens.

High-S and High-C

The high-S and high-C both agree on being cooperative, reducing risk and exercising care in decision-making.  The high-S, however, will come across as a little too “easy-going” and “lenient” for most high-C’s.  the high-C can be very demanding of facts and evidence and the high-S doesn’t usually feel that same “sense of urgency.”  To most effectively relate to a high-C, the high-S should build the “friendship” bridge slowly, deal in raw facts and realize that the high-C’s initial “coolness” is nothing personal.  The high-C would do well to remember that to “err is human” and that the high-S will often make decisions and/or take action based on trusting someone rather than because the facts are all perfectly clear.  

High-C and High-C

Very few philosophical differences will occur when two or more high-C’s get together.  They will cooperate, remain cool and exercise a high degree of self-control.  Since a high-C deals in direct answers and volunteers evidence to support conclusions, another high-C is rarely frustrated in the planning and control aspects of a given endeavor.  The difficulty is that the high-C would rather be “right” than “finished.”  Therefore, deadlines are sometimes sacrificed for accuracy and that, at times, can be very costly.  I would suppose that some timely advice for two high-C’s would be to remember that “Rome wasn’t built in a day”—but it was built.    

HAVE YOURSELF A GREAT DAY!

Ron Keese