You read the title and one of two things just happened…
If you have known me for a long time: ‘Wow! THAT explains a LOT!’
If not a long time: ‘So THAT is why the club soda!’
My decision years ago to walk away from my addictions was the best decision I have made in many ways. And it drove unexpected benefits, too many to count. One of which was the many lessons learned in the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous that, unexpectedly, brings tremendous leadership wisdom for sales leaders.
Are you willing to learn from a bunch of drunks in recovery who have mapped a path to freedom that applies to how you lead your teams? I suggest we can and should as there is a lot of time-tested wisdom in there that is available for you.
Humility: Humility isn’t thinking less about yourself. It is thinking about yourself less. That means focusing on others and serving them. Humility makes it much less about what you are entitled to and makes it more about what you can do. Humble people have an amazing propensity for production.
Honesty: Truth is truth. And that is just the truth. Once it is managed or manipulated, it is no longer the truth. Basing our engagements and interaction on truth makes the conversations much safer and productive. And there is a whole lot less to have to remember!
Hope: Hope is the fuel of the front line. Without it, the amount of received rejection would crush them. The health of their hope is in your hands.
Self-Discipline: To train. To practice. To run the play the right way. To not be distracted away from the goal. That is self-discipline and it is like a muscle. It takes a lot of training. It can atrophy. Sales leaders can help their teams to train it. To feed it. Success is built on self-discipline. Self-discipline doesn’t give up what we want most for what we want now.
Courage: Facing the reality of addiction takes courage. It isn’t easy and it isn’t pretty. For your team, they are facing difficult tasks that are new, difficult or frightening. Courage is action in the face of fear. Help them through it. Be kind along the way.
Integrity: Integrity is doing the right thing when no one is watching. You set the tone for your team on where the line of integrity is set. What are you going to tolerate? Pick wisely because whatever you tolerate, you are going to have to live with. In a socially connected world, where you are drawing a line in private may become public. Set the bar high for your team.
Willingness: The core for achieving and maintaining sobriety. Willingness. Are you willing to do whatever it takes to win and serve your clients in an amazing way? If you aren’t, don’t expect your team to. Being willing to do whatever it takes is contagious. Be that for your team.
Perseverance: To quote Dwayne Johnson, ‘It is hard to beat a man who won’t quit.’ That is perseverance. No matter what the conditions, applying the will to win. I think of my sweetest sales victories and they came when I could have easily and justifiably quit. But I didn’t. Nurture and encourage perseverance in your team.
Service: In the end, we must answer the question: ‘Is this about taking or giving?’ Giving, ultimately, I believe, is the path with greatest reward across all vectors. A life and profession built on true service is not only gratifying to live it is filled with success. As our good friend Zig Ziglar reminds us: ‘There is plenty left for us if we help others get what they want and need.’
A completely understandable question is: ‘Randy, will applying these principles work and, if so, how?’ I think the answer is ‘Yes!’ and here is why:
- We are building on transparency. Authentic conversations. Based in truth. It is a safe and nurturing environment where your teams can experiment and grow. Not without consequences but certainly without fear.
- Progress, not Perfection. The beauty about AA is there is no expectation of perfection, only progress. If we foster a mindset of constant progress, our teams will grow. Their skills will grow and their production will follow. Not because they are perfect but because they are focused on getting themselves better today than they were yesterday.
- We practice these principles in all of our affairs. The key word is practice. Focused. Intentional. Daily. Consistently. If we as leaders practice these principles in all of our affairs, our stress level will come down. Our relationships will be stronger. Our contribution will be higher. Practice.
- One Day At A Time! This is probably the killer hack from AA. The focus on NOT living in sobriety for the rest of your life. It is just on today. If we are focused on today, mindful, present and focused, we can Win the Day. Do that 7 days in a row and you just Won the Week. 4 of that in a row? Won the Month. You get the point. #Winning TODAY is the critical first step of winning anything long term.
Imagine what it would feel like for your team members and clients if you practiced and applied these principles every day. It. Would. Feel. Amazing!
My challenge to you is to pick one or two of the principles above and start putting them into daily practice. Need help? Let’s chat. You deserve it. Your peeps deserve it.
Bring it! #BeBrave
