What’s needed to be a high performing leader?

In a recent poll top sales manager scored 19% higher in the self-discipline facet and 27% higher in the priority focused facet than underperforming managers.

Let’s take a look at what that means. Someone who prioritises and then has the self-discipline to stick to it is going to be successful and reap the rewards. As long as they are prioritising the right things. In my line of work, I am coaching leaders every day and it’s very apparent that the connection between being organised and getting results is profound.

So, organised, prioritising and self-discipline are interconnecting skills that set you up for success. Let’s touch on these.

Focus is the first step in organisation and prioritization. Think of yourself as the captain of the ship. Where are you heading? Where do you want to be in 5 years, 10 years? We need to be crystal clear on where we are heading so we know where to aim our focus.

Planning allows you to break down the important milestones that need to be achieved yearly, quarterly, monthly, weekly and daily. This means you need to be clever about where you put your energy and effort. Watch your planning, most people overestimate what can be done in a day but hugely underestimate what can be done in 5 years.

Prioritising is key, it’s what gets results. We all have access to the same amount of time in a day, so it’s what we each do with it. Ensure you are aware of prioritising what’s important and not what is shouting out the loudest or easiest to just get ‘out the way’. This takes discipline. Bundle up distractions and ‘parcels’ of work into different time slots across the day and week. Some people find they are more disciplined if they break down the day into segments, i.e. learning, leading, reacting, engaging, admin.

Success-driven The other stand out factor was that 20% of top sales leaders rated higher in the success- driven facet. When you strive to be successful you
are constantly looking at ways to improve. You are learning along the way. You are able to break down a situation and see the interconnecting dots of where something went well and where the wheels fell off. You are reading, absorbing, learning, expanding your knowledge. Among the leaders that I train their average time spent on development is at least one hour a day. This might be a book, a podcast whilst driving or exercising, a YouTube channel –something that is taking them from where they are to where they want to be.

Whenever we update our resources page with new articles, immediately the first batch of ‘downloads’ is by the same leaders. They are at the cutting edge of ideas; they want to know what the latest thinking on sales is, how they can help their team, how they can improve results. They are passionate about advancement. When we run webinars, it’s the same batch of leaders who have simultaneously signed themselves up as well as urged their teams to do so.

page9image28679872

What to do

Ensure you are organised, positive and reflective

Learn more

Read: ‘How to be a successful Leader’ >>>

Watch the recording of our live Sales Leadership Webinar held 14 September 2021 >>>>

Smarter Selling is sales and mindset coaching for high performing leaders and teams