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		<title>Four Common Destructive Sales Management Styles</title>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 10 May 2012 13:22:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>James Strutton</dc:creator>
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		<description><![CDATA[I’ve had the privilege of working with many new managers whose company hired me to help them transition from seller to manager or to work with existing managers to become more effective.  One of the recurring issues I’ve discovered &#8230; <a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/four-common-destructive-sales-management-styles/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I’ve had the privilege of working with many new managers whose company hired me to help them transition from seller to manager or to work with existing managers to become more effective.  One of the recurring issues I’ve discovered is a misunderstanding of what a sales manager is.</p>
<p>Whether I’m working with a newly promoted seller into a frontline sales management position or an established sales leader, I often find someone with a warped and destructive idea of what a sales manager’s work is. </p>
<p>Generally I find these misguided managers have adopted one of these four destructive management styles:</p>
<p><strong>The Clone Coach</strong>:  A common tendency of great salespeople when promoted to manager is to believe that if they could just train all of their salespeople to be mini-me’s of themselves then everything will be great—the salespeople will be happy, they’ll make their numbers, management will be thrilled, customers will be loyal forever, and the new manager will be promoted again in no time.  Thus, the new manager sets out to coach every seller on his or her team to do exactly what they did to be successful without regard to the individual salesperson’s experience level, knowledge, personality, or skills. </p>
<p>Typically the harder the manager tries to “coach” each of their salespeople to mimic the way they sold, the more frustrated each seller becomes and the more resistant to being “coached.”</p>
<p>Although the manager may succeed in creating one or two clones, they will alienate the majority of their team and eventually there will be a breakdown of trust and cooperation.</p>
<p><strong>The Super Seller</strong>:  The Super Seller is the star salesperson who when promoted to manager tells his or her salespeople to forget about selling, “you get the prospects, I’ll sell ‘em” is the crux of their management style.  They haven’t the slightest interest in seeing their salespeople grow as sellers; their only interest is making THEIR numbers because it’s all about them.</p>
<p>Salespeople languish and eventually wither and die under a Super Seller for they not only have no chance to grow, if they do decide to exercise selling skills they are typically scolded for the perceived sin of costing the manager potential scalps on his or her lodge pole.</p>
<p>Although the manager may appear successful to upper management if judged only by the numbers, she is judged a complete failure and is resented by her team which typically suffers large turnover and discontent.</p>
<p><strong>The Disciplinarian</strong>:  Less prevalent that the two previous management styles but equally dangerous is the manager who comes in with the attitude of “I’m going to whip these lazy good for nothings into shape if it kills me.”  Most typically it does kill—both the team members and the manager.</p>
<p>The Disciplinarian usually has a chip on their shoulder and disrespect for those they “manage.”  This manager views himself as being not only a superior seller to his team members but also more dedicated to the company and his job than they are. </p>
<p>Sales teams under the thumb of the Disciplinarian suffer from morale issues that eventually result in high turnover and often outright rebellion. </p>
<p><strong>The Pal</strong>:  The Pal manager has most often been promoted from within the team and is friends with the majority of team members.  The Pal’s transition from peer to manager changes virtually nothing in the team’s relationships as the salespeople have a difficult time making the transition to viewing their old friend as their manager and the new manager has a difficult time now having to hold her former team peers accountable for their actions.</p>
<p>Instead of making the transition from peer to manager, the new manager makes a transition from peer to Super Friend, becoming the advocate extraordinaire for her team mates, protecting them and covering for them no matter what.  The Pal is committed to her friends and is most concerned about how they feel about her rather than managing them. </p>
<p>Unfortunately for most managers who take on the role of The Pal, the lack of discipline and accountability results in the team members taking gross advantage of them—to the point that often their tenure as manager is very short lived. </p>
<p>The common denominator that binds all four of these management styles together is a focus by the manager on themselves and their wants and needs.</p>
<p>Certainly managing entails coaching, and disciplining when necessary, as well as helping close a sale here and there; and needless to say making the numbers is important.  But managing involves far more than these few traits and it becomes destructive when the manager becomes completely focused on their own needs and their perceived success rather than their team’s growth and performance.</p>
<p>One of the keys to being a successful sales manager is having a solid understanding of human nature and in particular understanding what makes each team member tick.  More than anything else, sales management is about leadership, not about control or being the big shot or even just making the numbers.</p>
<p>Manager, if you see yourself locked into any of these management styles, by all means seek out a quality coach or find a quality management training company and start the process of becoming a strong manager.</p>
<p>Seller, if you find that you are working for one of the above managers, consider your situation carefully and make a conscious decision as to whether you want to continue in such a situation where your growth as a salesperson may be stymied and you may live in a constant state of frustration.</p>
<p>I hope this helps and for more information on our very effective <a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/practical-sales-management-ii/sessions-objectives/">Sales Management</a> training system just click <a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/contact-us/">here</a>, and I will send you a PDF overview.</p>
<p>Best regards,</p>
<p>Jim Strutton, CEO<br />
<a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/">Accountability Plus, Inc.</a><br />
770-205-8171<br />
strutton@accountability-plus.com</p>
<p>Please forward this URL or email to anyone you feel needs to read it.</p>
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		<title>What is Management/Leadership</title>
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		<comments>http://www.accountability-plus.com/what-is-managementleadership/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 25 Mar 2012 17:34:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>James Strutton</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.accountability-plus.com/?p=770</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Every organization must have its own philosophy for Management/Leadership. We can’t give you a philosophy but we can help you develop one by first determining a solid definition of Leadership?
What would your definition be? Quickly write it down and then &#8230; <a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/what-is-managementleadership/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Every organization must have its own philosophy for Management/Leadership. We can’t give you a philosophy but we can help you develop one by first determining a solid definition of Leadership?</p>
<p>What would your definition be? Quickly write it down and then continue.</p>
<p>The best definition I have personally ever heard came from W. Steven Brown, author of the 13 Fatal Errors Managers Make&#8230;and How You Can Avoid Them. The definition is:</p>
<p>Leadership is the SKILL of ATTAINING PREDETERMINED objectives with and through the VOLUNTARY cooperation and effort of other people.</p>
<p>We feel this definition is so strong because of the words that make it up.</p>
<p>Leadership is the SKILL: Being a skill, Leadership techniques can be learned and with practice they can be perfected. All managers should be committed to improving their Leadership Skills on a daily basis.</p>
<p>The next key word is ATTAINING. Leadership by necessity must be results oriented. It’s not about working hard, giving it the old college try or your best effort but ATTAINING. It’s also not about ATTAINING just anything but ATTAINING…</p>
<p>…PREDETERMINED objectives. That is doing what you say you will do and being accountable for your team’s performance. Effective Leaders can effectively PREDETERMINE what the objectives will be. The best way to PREDETERMINE the future is by knowing the past, studying you company history and knowing your team members.</p>
<p>Knowing your team members leads us to the fourth word of VOLUNTARY cooperation and effort of others. We can’t push people, we must lead them. That does not mean we must be doing more of their work than them but building an environment that communicates to our people that they really count.</p>
<p>Sharing a common definition will help any organization develop a well founded philosophy!</p>
<p>The major problem I find in working with managers for over 30 years is you can ask 12 managers to define it and end up with 12 different definitions. That is not good because the success or failure of any business is determined based on five prerequisites and they are:</p>
<p>A Quality and/or unique product</p>
<p>Proper timing of our ideas being introduced into the market</p>
<p>Sufficient Capital and the ability to manage it effectively</p>
<p>A Productive workforce</p>
<p>Quality Management/Leadership</p>
<p>You will note I placed Quality Management/Leadership at the bottom of the list because it forms the foundation for the other four. I did because effective Leaders contribute to the other four. For more information on these ideas and more, I would encourage you to explore or <a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/leadership-in-action/system-outcomes/">Leadership in Action</a> and/or <a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/practical-sales-management-ii/system-outcomes/">Practical Sales Management</a> development systems as they are build upon the principles.</p>
<p>As always, I hope this has helped and please contact me if you desire more information.</p>
<p>Best regards,</p>
<p>Jim Strutton, CEO<br />
<a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/">Accountability Plus, Inc.</a><br />
770-205-8171<br />
strutton@accountability-plus.com</p>
<p>© <a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/">Accountability Plus, Inc.</a></p>
<p>You have our permission to forward this URL of email to anyone you feel needs to read it.</p>
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		<title>So, now you’re A Leader</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/accountability-plus/~3/dFoCqqH8gfE/</link>
		<comments>http://www.accountability-plus.com/so-now-youre-a-leader/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 12 Mar 2012 15:02:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>James Strutton</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.accountability-plus.com/?p=763</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[There are some times in life when everything changes. For families, it&#8217;s the birth of the first child. For people in business, it&#8217;s moving from individual contributor to the Leader. Here are a dozen things to think about.
Being a Leader &#8230; <a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/so-now-youre-a-leader/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>There are some times in life when everything changes. For families, it&#8217;s the birth of the first child. For people in business, it&#8217;s moving from individual contributor to the Leader. Here are a dozen things to think about.</p>
<p>Being a Leader is a different kind of work, more like changing a career than changing jobs.</p>
<p>You may have been a leader before, but now being a leader is part of your job.</p>
<p>The team is now your destiny and you&#8217;re accountable for the way they accomplish the mission.</p>
<p>You will do better if you work to help your team members succeed.</p>
<p>You&#8217;re the default decider.</p>
<p>It can to take you more than a year to get effective and comfortable with the basics of the job.</p>
<p>It can take you a decade to master the job, without an effective development course.</p>
<p>You are responsible for your own development, no matter what programs your company has.</p>
<p>Some people who used to think you were competent now assume you&#8217;re a jerk.</p>
<p>Some people will laugh at your jokes who never used to think you were funny.</p>
<p>Conversations are your primary tool for getting your job done.</p>
<p>You will almost certainly not be ready for your new work, hardly anyone is, but you will be expected to perform right away.</p>
<p><strong>Leader&#8217;s Bottom Line</strong></p>
<p>When you become a Leader, your job is to help the team and the team members succeed. It can be the most rewarding job in the world, or a living hell. You make the choice.</p>
<p>As always, I hope that what I have shared helps you be more effective in Leadership. To learn more about this and many other areas of effective leadership, please explore our “<a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/leadership-in-action/video-preview/">Leadership in Action</a>” multimedia training systems and the <a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/our-process/">process</a> we use to implement it into your organization. </p>
<p>To receive a pdf overview of this course, please email at strutton@accountability-plus.com and request it</p>
<p>Sincerely,</p>
<p><a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/about-us/about-james-l-strutton/">Jim Strutton</a>, CEO</p>
<p><a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/">Accountability Plus, Inc.</a></p>
<p>Strutton@Accountability-Plus.com</p>
<p>770-205-8171</p>
<p>© 2012 Accountability Plus, Inc.</p>
<p>You have our permission to forward this URL or email to anyone you feel needs to read it. Thank you!</p>
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		<title>Why is there so much FEAR in the workplace today!</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/accountability-plus/~3/2gMevi7whKc/</link>
		<comments>http://www.accountability-plus.com/why-is-there-so-much-fear-in-the-workplace-today/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:20:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>James Strutton</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.accountability-plus.com/?p=761</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The technology of the 1980s and 1990s bears almost no resemblance to what we have today. In the same way, our jobs and organizations probably bear little resemblance to that time. Companies reduce their staffs, outsource their operations, rearrange their &#8230; <a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/why-is-there-so-much-fear-in-the-workplace-today/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The technology of the 1980s and 1990s bears almost no resemblance to what we have today. In the same way, our jobs and organizations probably bear little resemblance to that time. Companies reduce their staffs, outsource their operations, rearrange their organizational structure, and upgrade their platforms and tools. All of this creates fear of job security in the minds of their employees.</p>
<p>As I began to think about I could help with this fear, I thought it might fall on deaf ears. Why? Because in too many companies the last budget planned and first one cut is training. This occurs for several reasons, not the least of which is many on the senior team just do not see the value of training.</p>
<p>We know many are holding cash, not hiring because of fearing the unknown. However, that is the very reason companies should be training, enhancing people abilities. We are all demanding more from fewer people and they are burning out or in fear of being the next on the chopping block if layoffs are taking place.</p>
<p>We need to be allaying those fears and showing a commitment to them by providing quality development. This stabilizes people and helps them feel a sense of security, belonging and certainly creates more productivity. Someone once said; people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. In too many companies today, people are unsure how much they are valued.</p>
<p>Manager’s attempts to do this often do more harm than good. The at-a-boys, pats on the back, good job comments, etc. are so short lived. People need something that can help them be more effective in their jobs and in their lives. </p>
<p>I mention this because we have an idea for you that can accomplish both purposes for you while building a culture of Personal Accountability in your company. Imagine no more blaming or excuses, solutions and not problems. Think this doesn’t apply to your company, I have a friend who is a professional speaker who was working with a major medical firm’s sales operation. In doing so he kept hearing the term SPC. When he inquired what it stood for he was told the Sales Prevention Club. This was the term they used for corporate. Can you imagine?</p>
<p>The idea I am suggesting is a training system entitled The <a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/qbq/video-previews/">QBQ!</a> The Question Behind the Question! It is all about eliminating blaming, excuses, entitlement thinking and procrastination while building that core value of Personal Accountability. Not only is it effective but it is affordable as well. If you click on QBQ! above you will see a preview on this exciting course that so many companies are raving about. If you would like to receive a PDF overview that shares everything you need to know, simply send an email to me requesting one.</p>
<p>This course can change your people and company! Thanks you for your time.</p>
<p>Best regards,</p>
<p>Jim Strutton, CEO<br />
Accountability Plus, Inc.<br />
Strutton@Accountability-Plus.com<br />
770-205-8171 </p>
<p>© 2012 Accountability Plus, Inc.</p>
<p>You have our permission to forward this URL or email to anyone you feel needs to read it. Thank you!</p>
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		<title>Should I Trust My Sales Manager’s Advice?</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/accountability-plus/~3/QyjJ7E0VTKw/</link>
		<comments>http://www.accountability-plus.com/should-i-trust-my-sales-manager%e2%80%99s-advice/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:36:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>James Strutton</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.accountability-plus.com/?p=756</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A good portion of salespeople wonder at some point during their tenure with a company as to whether or not they should trust their sales manager’s advice. I wanted to tackle this issue head-on this month as this is an &#8230; <a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/should-i-trust-my-sales-manager%e2%80%99s-advice/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A good portion of salespeople wonder at some point during their tenure with a company as to whether or not they should trust their sales manager’s advice. I wanted to tackle this issue head-on this month as this is an important subject that impacts all salespeople.</p>
<p>Generally speaking, you should trust your sales manager’s advice. However, this doesn’t mean you should stick your head in the sand when he or she gives you advice, either. It is always important to weigh their advice and mix in your own experience &#038; knowledge before taking action. It is also a good idea to engage your sales manager with your own thoughts after you have been given his or her advice. After all, two heads are certainly better than one. Issues and problems that come up when working in a sales capacity can be complicated, so never be afraid to seek out your sales manager’s opinion before moving forward.</p>
<p><span id="more-756"></span>If you know for a fact that your sales manager’s advice cannot be trusted, I would think very seriously about continuing with your present employer. At the very least, you might want to consider making a lateral move within the company. Poor sales managers who give bad advice will ultimately not only impact your moral in a negative way, but will also impact your sales numbers and income at some point in the future, too. </p>
<p>While the majority of sales managers do a good job, there are still far too many sales managers who fall into the “poor” category. This can even sometimes happen at companies where the company is great but the sales manager seems to sabotage sales at every stage of the game because he or she is a poor manager in general. Whatever the case may be, it is always a bad idea to continue working for a manager who doesn’t know what it really takes to sell or is simply incompetent.</p>
<p>The bottom line is that you ultimately need to trust your sales manager to sustain long-term success. Don’t be afraid to seek out their advice when you need it. And if you can’t trust your sales manager, you need to move on to another company or make a position change within the same company.</p>
<p>To learn more about this and many other areas of effective sales management, please explore our “<a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/practical-sales-management-ii/video-preview/">Practical Sales Management Strategies for Today</a>” multimedia training system and the process we use to implement it into your organization. It is my hope that this has helped!</p>
<p>Sincerely,<br />
Jim Strutton, CEO<br />
<a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/">Accountability Plus, Inc.</a><br />
Strutton@Accountability-Plus.com<br />
770-205-8171<br />
© 2011 Accountability Plus, Inc.</p>
<p>You have our permission to forward this URL or email to anyone you feel needs to read it. Thank you!</p>
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		<title>Learning Personal Accountability</title>
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		<pubDate>Mon, 12 Dec 2011 20:14:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>James Strutton</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.accountability-plus.com/?p=752</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In the past few weeks, several times I have heard this phrase, &#8220;I can&#8217;t hold myself accountable.&#8221; Another person even said, &#8220;I don&#8217;t have a problem letting myself down, so I need somebody else to hold me accountable because I &#8230; <a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/learning-personal-accountability/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>In the past few weeks, several times I have heard this phrase, &#8220;I can&#8217;t hold myself accountable.&#8221; Another person even said, &#8220;I don&#8217;t have a problem letting myself down, so I need somebody else to hold me accountable because I won&#8217;t let them down.&#8221; Why is it so difficult for some of us to hold ourselves accountable? Why is it easier to count on somebody else to hold us responsible for our own goals? Is it because it&#8217;s easier to blame somebody else if we don&#8217;t quite make it to the goal line?</p>
<p>What is Accountability?</p>
<p>Okay, I don&#8217;t normally go to Wikipedia for resources, however, this time, I liked the definition that site provides: &#8220;Accountability is a concept in ethics and governance with several meanings. It is often used synonymously with such concepts as responsibility, answerability, blameworthiness, liability, and other terms associated with the expectation of account-giving.&#8221; Personal accountability is an important piece in the plan to stay on track to achieve your goals. </p>
<p>There are some tools people use to help me stay accountable for their actions. A &#8220;To-Do-List&#8221; for example, helps one stay on track. It&#8217;s always in front of you and you will like to see things crossed off so it keeps me accountable. Others have questions on their desk that they ask themselves daily &#8211; those questions help keep them accountable for their personal goals. I have a friend has a checklist he uses at the end of each day and he calls his list &#8220;AP&#8221; for Accountability Partner. The check list consists of his daily goals and at the end of the day, he checks yes or no. If there is a no, he takes a few minutes to assess why he didn&#8217;t do what he said he would do and writes about what he&#8217;ll do the next day to make up for it.</p>
<p>Holding yourself Accountable</p>
<p>I would be a very, very wealthy man if I had nickel for all the times I&#8217;ve heard people in the workplace fault everyone else. I&#8217;m sure you&#8217;ve heard it, &#8220;THEY don&#8217;t care enough&#8230;&#8221; &#8220;nothing ever gets done around here&#8230;&#8221; &#8220;I can&#8217;t get THEM to commit to the project&#8230;&#8221; &#8220;It&#8217;s THEIR fault&#8230;&#8221; &#8220;THEY won&#8217;t take responsibility&#8230;&#8221; &#8220;THEY need to improve&#8230;&#8221; Notice the theme here of excuses here; it&#8217;s easy to blame others. Perhaps you&#8217;re even guilty of saying or thinking some of those things. Here&#8217;s the deal, if you want others in your life &#038; business to be accountable, the best you can do is lead by example. You have to figure out how to make things better even when you don&#8217;t have control over the actions of other people. Accountability is a choice. You always have choice in how you act and react to every situation and you should hold yourself accountable to your actions and reactions.</p>
<p>Accountability tips</p>
<p>Here are some tips on improving your accountability percentage:</p>
<p>* Stop blaming other people. Instead, ask yourself how your actions or inactions contribute to the situation.<br />
* Figure out what part of the situation you could positively impact.<br />
* Take action. Do things differently in order to change the result.<br />
* Write your SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound) goals.<br />
* Develop your own check and balance plan for your accountability.</p>
<p>In the end, you&#8217;re the only person who is responsible for your actions and you&#8217;re the one that has to live with your results.</p>
<p>Coaches Challenge</p>
<p>It doesn&#8217;t matter what your role is; you could be a parent, or child, an entry-level employee or the CEO and you can be a shining example of accountability. Holding yourself accountable takes courage, because it&#8217;s taking away the ability to place blame on everyone around you. Stand up and take responsibility today!</p>
<p>I hope has helped you and if it did I hope you will explore our “<a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/qbq/video-previews/">Personal Accountability and the QBQ!</a>” multimedia training system. It is designed to be facilitated internally to instill a winning culture into any organization. For a detailed PDF overview of this results oriented system just click <a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/contact-us/">here</a>.</p>
<p>Happy Holidays,</p>
<p><a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/about-us/about-james-l-strutton/">Jim Strutton</a>, CEO<br />
<a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/">Accountability Plus, Inc.</a></p>
<p>Strutton@Accountability-Plus.com</p>
<p>770-205-8171 </p>
<p>© 2011 Accountability Plus, Inc. You have our permission to forward this URL or email to anyone you feel needs to read it. Thank you!</p>
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		<title>5 Keys to Effective Appreciation in the Workplace</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/accountability-plus/~3/1fg3UlM_sAE/</link>
		<comments>http://www.accountability-plus.com/5-keys-to-effective-appreciation-in-the-workplace/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 28 Nov 2011 18:14:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>James Strutton</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.accountability-plus.com/?p=744</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[As I consult for businesses and organizations, I hear the same message over and over—both from leaders and from their employees: “People are getting burned out. We have to do more work with less people, making do with the budget &#8230; <a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/5-keys-to-effective-appreciation-in-the-workplace/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>As I consult for businesses and organizations, I hear the same message over and over—both from leaders and from their employees: “People are getting burned out. We have to do more work with less people, making do with the budget that we have,” or, “We need to do something to show our workers appreciation but funds are tight.” Burnout is the common theme, as people in the workplace express that they are becoming more negative, cynical, and discouraged. </p>
<p>Research confirms that there are serious problems developing in the workplace today:</p>
<p>• 65% of workers say they have received no recognition or appreciation in the past 12 months.</p>
<p>• While 80% of large corporations have employee recognition programs, only 31% of their employees say they feel valued for doing good quality work.</p>
<p>• The #1 reason for recognition in most workplaces is longevity (how motivational is that?).</p>
<p>• Only 8% of employees feel their top management cares about them personally.</p>
<p>• 70% of employees are either disengaged or under engaged in their work.</p>
<p>• Yet only 21% of these workers are looking for work elsewhere, meaning approximately 50 % of the workforce are just passively enduring work they don’t enjoy.</p>
<p>The workplace environment needs to change for the better, and leaders can change the course. Unfortunately, many managers’ efforts to appreciate their staff are misguided and wind up being a waste of time and effort. Why? Because they are not built upon the core principles necessary for appreciation to be communicated effectively.</p>
<p>Make your praise specific and personal. The most common mistake organizations and managers make is communicating appreciation that is general and impersonal. Sending blast emails with the message, “Good job. Way to go, team!” has no specific significance for the individual who stayed late to get the project completed. Use your colleague’s name and state specifically what he or she does that makes your job easier.</p>
<p>Realize that action can have more impact than words for some employees. Some people (seemingly, often men) do not value verbal praise, holding to the mentality that words are cheap. For these people, compliments are viewed with disbelief and skepticism, and often verbal praise is understood as an act of manipulation. Actions are more effective to show appreciation for these individuals, such as spending time with them at the office or helping to get a task done. </p>
<p>Use the language of appreciation valued by the recipient. Not everyone likes public recognition or social events. One person told me, “You can give me an award but you’ll have to shoot me first before I’ll go up and get it in front of a crowd.” And for many introverts, an invitation to attend a staff appreciation dinner is more like torture than a reward for doing a good job. They may prefer getting a gift card for a bookstore and staying at home and reading. Find out what your co-workers or employees value and communicate in that language.</p>
<p>Separate affirmation from criticism or instruction. If you want the positive message to be heard loud and clear, don’t follow your affirmation with a “Now, if you would only…” message. Don’t offer a compliment followed by a criticism of how the individual could do better. They will only remember the criticism, and may not even hear the positive.</p>
<p>Be genuine. Don’t try to fake it or overstate your appreciation (“You are the best administrative assistant in the free world!”). People can sense when appreciation is obligatory or contrived.</p>
<p>In my practice, I have seen these simple principles of appreciation successfully improve workplace environments previously suffering from a bad case of burnout. Appreciation has the ability to transform any team into being far more productive in a voluntary manner.</p>
<p>To learn more about this and many other areas of effective sales management and leadership, please explore our courses entitled “<a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/leadership-in-action/video-preview/">Leadership in Action</a>” and “<a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/practical-sales-management-ii/video-preview/">Practical Sales Management Strategies for Today</a>” both featuring W. Steven Brown. These systems are designed to be facilitated internally by a client to customize the message to the managers and the company.  They help any organization build a method that vastly improves people’s ability to perform. Read how easy the <a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/our-process/">process</a> is.</p>
<p>For a PDF overview of one or both courses to learn more and see how they can be successfully implemented into your organization just request it by clicking <a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/contact-us/">here</a>. We appreciate your time and hope this has helped.</p>
<p>Sincerely,</p>
<p><a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/about-us/about-james-l-strutton/">Jim Strutton</a>, CEO</p>
<p><a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/">Accountability Plus, Inc.</a></p>
<p>Strutton@Accountability-Plus.com</p>
<p>770-205-8171 </p>
<p>© 2011 Accountability Plus, Inc.</p>
<p>You have our permission to forward this URL or email to anyone you feel needs to read it. Thank you!</p>
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		<title>Creating Change in Your Organization</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/accountability-plus/~3/4ZTLOFPD65M/</link>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 03 Nov 2011 22:23:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>James Strutton</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.accountability-plus.com/?p=736</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[If you look back just 25 years in your business, I would wager you did business much differently than you do today. I would even wager that your business has changed more in the last 5 years than it did &#8230; <a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/creating-change-in-your-organization/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>If you look back just 25 years in your business, I would wager you did business much differently than you do today. I would even wager that your business has changed more in the last 5 years than it did in the previous 15. The one constant in business is change. Technology, if nothing else, has forced us to change. When I think of change I remember the years I was serving on a ship in the US Navy. The larger the ship the slower the course change and there is no difference in business. The larger the company the slower the change occurs.</p>
<p>There have been so many businesses that have gone under because they could not change fast enough. We’ve all heard the old adage there is the quick and the dead! I would suggest this is a statement of face and the purpose of this article is to help you help your people adapt and change more quickly. This content comes from two specific courses; “<strong><a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/practical-sales-management-ii/sessions-objectives/">Practical Sales Management Strategies for Today</a></strong><strong>”</strong> and “<strong><a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/leadership-in-action/sessions-objectives/">Leadership in Action</a></strong>.” Two courses that can help your managers in greater detail lead their teams quickly through change.</p>
<p><span id="more-736"></span>First we need to recognize that all people are different and that change affects them differently. A major behavioral style in people is Dominance. There and those who are more dominate and those who are less dominate. Dominance is shown though a persons willing desire to assert their influence over others. The more dominant a person is the quicker they are to change. More dominate people even recommend changes before we even see they are needed. Less dominate people resist change and are slower to accept it, they will even resist it. The problem is most organizations are made up of people who are less dominate.</p>
<p>A major problem of change is the mindsets people have with it. The first being people always experience <strong>discomfort</strong> because it takes them out of their comfort zone. A comfort zone if a range of environment or activity in which they are totally comfortable. Effective leaders let their people know in advance they will be there to support them through the period of discomfort. They create support systems and teams to assist people.</p>
<p>The next major mindset is people feel they are being ask to<strong> give something up</strong>. This is caused by the right answer/ wrong answer mentality. If a person feels what they have been doing has served them well then it becomes the right way meaning your way must be the wrong way. This is why effective leaders don’t <strong>tell</strong> change they <strong>sell</strong> change. They sell the opportunity for personal growth to the people.</p>
<p>The third mindset of change is<strong> </strong>people fee they are<strong> alone</strong> in the change. Nobody wants to be alone, out on the point taking all the risk. That’s why the effective leader never lets them feel alone by make it a team effort. The leader insures each person on the team is supporting others and the leader is supporting the team.</p>
<p>Now what really determines how quickly people will change is the basic motivation of change. That is: <strong>ACTION IS ALWAYS PRECEDED BY DISSATISFACTION</strong>! In other words <strong>PAIN IS ALWAYS INVOLVED IN CHANGE</strong>! This pain can take different forms such as the mindsets, money, time away from home, having to learn new skills, etc.</p>
<p><strong>PEOPLE WILL CHANGE ONLY IF THE PRECEIVED BENEFITS (VALUE TO THEM) OUTWEIGH THE PAIN</strong>. What determines the degree of difficulty in the change is how the people feel about it. Their tolerance for change is determined by how they view what is happening in their lives.</p>
<p>If people feel what they are doing is <strong>good or good enough</strong> there is no motivation, no tolerance for change. So how do you get them to embrace the change? There are two ways and the first <strong>we do not recommend</strong>!</p>
<p>1. You can <strong>attack</strong> their present course of action. An attack is      personal and builds resistance</p>
<p>2. You can offer them and alternative that provides      them greater pleasure, the fulfillment of their personal goals.</p>
<p>For people to embrace change there are three questions we must answer for them.</p>
<p>1. <strong>What the change is</strong>? Recognizing some people require more      information than others.</p>
<p>2. <strong>Why the change is being made</strong>? Too many managers answer this question by      using because “<strong>THEY</strong>” (Senior      Management) said so. Never do that, it devalues the people and kills their      belief in the Senior Team and Company! Always try to share the purpose of      the change in terms of benefits to your customers.</p>
<p>3. <strong>How will this change affect me</strong>? They need to hear personal work related      benefits to them personally. As mentioned before we must <strong>sell</strong> change and not just <strong>tell</strong> the change.</p>
<p>As always, I hope that what I have shared helps you be more effective in creating change. To learn more about this and many other areas of effective leadership, please explore our “<strong><a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/practical-sales-management-ii/video-preview/">Practical Sales Management Strategies for Today</a></strong>” or our “<strong><a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/leadership-in-action/video-preview/">Leadership in Action</a></strong>” multimedia training systems and the <strong><a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/our-process/">process</a></strong> we use to implement them into your organization.</p>
<p>Sincerely,</p>
<p><a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/about-us/about-james-l-strutton/">Jim Strutton</a>, CEO</p>
<p><a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/">Accountability Plus, Inc</a><a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/">.</a></p>
<p>Strutton@Accountability-Plus.com</p>
<p>770-205-8171</p>
<p>© 2011 <a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/">Accountability Plus, Inc</a>.</p>
<p>You have our permission to forward this URL or email to anyone you feel needs to read it. Thank you!</p>
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		<title>Sales managers are not responsible for their people! (Part 2)</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/accountability-plus/~3/VCbblag8m40/</link>
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		<pubDate>Sun, 23 Oct 2011 20:55:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>James Strutton</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.accountability-plus.com/?p=732</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In part 1 we shared that sales managers must be responsible to their people. So how do we do it? First, we recognize the three causes of failure and treat them in advance. Those causes are not knowing what the &#8230; <a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/sales-managers-are-not-responsible-for-their-people-part-2/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>In part 1 we shared that sales managers must be responsible <strong>to</strong> their people. So how do we do it? First, we recognize the three causes of failure and treat them in advance. Those causes are <strong>not knowing what the job is</strong>, <strong>how to do the job</strong> or <strong>someone or something interferes with their desire and/or ability to perform.</strong></p>
<p><strong><span id="more-732"></span>Knowing what the job is</strong> – So many companies and managers feel this is covered by simply supplying a job description, however, this is not the case. A person must be told:</p>
<p>The mission of the organization. A mission should not be an objective; it should be the purpose of the business to build people’s belief in the organization.</p>
<p>They should also be told the Sales Department’s objectives and how they contribute to the objectives.</p>
<p>Additionally, we must share their responsibilities, and the specific activities in which they must engage to accomplish them.</p>
<p>They should also be told how they would be measured. There are three ways to measure any job by using one or a combination of the three.</p>
<p>The fist way to measure is through quantity – how much do they produce.</p>
<p>Next is cost effectiveness – Is the business or sales profitable both short and long term.</p>
<p>The third way to measure is timeliness. Can the job be accomplished in a timely fashion? Can reports be submitted on time?</p>
<p><strong>How to do the job</strong> – Another breakdown in many organizations are caused by two reasons. We feel our people are experienced. This leads us to only train the new people. I heard people say I’ve had 15 years experience but given the rate of change today, 15 years only equates to about 5 years at best. The next problem is we teach product knowledge and call it training.</p>
<p>Salespeople must be taught the skills of doing the job and allowed to practice until they are proficient. Certainly product knowledge comes into play but not just that knowledge. People need to communicate their knowledge in terms of benefits that the customer/prospect can relate to. They need to know when and how to close, how to deal with the “no” professionally and verify the customers/prospects true concern and deal with it effectively without pressure.</p>
<p>Another breakdown is the lack of coaching. In over 30 years I can count on one hand the number of sales managers who have raised their hand to the question: How many of you have observed a salesperson’s presentation with a customer/prospect without getting involved.</p>
<p>To coach effectively, at some point, we must be in a position to observe a presentation without jumping in. But the vast majority of sales managers feel it is their job to get involved to save the salesperson. They then leave the salesperson alone to butcher prospects on their own and wonder why there is no improvement.</p>
<p><strong>Someone or something can interfere with their desire and/or ability to perform</strong> – Another problem in many organizations is that sales managers often provide the interference unintentionally by mis-managing. They belittle people in front of their peers, destroy their confidence and belief in the company.</p>
<p>Effective sales managers remove the obstacles that interfere with a person’s desire. Often these obstacles are other people in the environment, ineffective tools or supplies, sometimes prospects, even family and friends can interfere by showing no confidence in the person’s decision.</p>
<p>Again, effective sales managers strengthen the person to deal with these things that interfere. They strengthen people by constantly building belief in the person, the company they represent and their products and services.</p>
<p>We build the belief of people, as Ken Blanchard says, by catching people doing something right and recognizing it. The easiest way to recognize people is by telling people specifically what they have done right, how it makes you feel, and why you feel that way.</p>
<p>I could go on and on about this information and hope that what I have shared helps you be more effective. To learn more about this and many other areas of effective sales management, please explore our “<strong><a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/practical-sales-management-ii/sessions-objectives/">Practical Sales Management Strategies for Today</a></strong>” multimedia training system and the <strong><a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/our-process/">process</a></strong> we use to implement it into your organization. It is my hope that this has helped!</p>
<p>Sincerely,</p>
<p><a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/about-us/about-james-l-strutton/">Jim Strutton</a>, CEO</p>
<p><a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/">Accountability Plus, Inc.</a></p>
<p>Strutton@Accountability-Plus.com</p>
<p>770-205-8171</p>
<p>© 2011 <a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/">Accountability Plus, Inc.</a></p>
<p>You have our permission to forward this URL or email to anyone you feel needs to read it. Thank you!</p>
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		<title>Sales Managers are not responsible for their people! (Part 1)</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/accountability-plus/~3/JdRoGhqwtOA/</link>
		<comments>http://www.accountability-plus.com/sales-managers-are-not-responsible-for-their-people-part-1/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 17 Oct 2011 16:17:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>James Strutton</dc:creator>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.accountability-plus.com/?p=727</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It&#8217;s true, you can’t be responsible for your people but by necessity you must be responsible to them. There is a big difference between being responsible for someone and being responsible to someone.
When we feel their success or failure is &#8230; <a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/sales-managers-are-not-responsible-for-their-people-part-1/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>It&#8217;s true, you can’t be responsible <strong>for</strong> your people but by necessity you must be responsible <strong>to</strong> them. There is a big difference between being responsible <strong>for</strong> someone and being responsible <strong>to</strong> someone.</p>
<p>When we feel their success or failure is our responsibility, we begin cutting corners for them, making excuses for them and even going so far as to adopting them. Their success or failure is their responsibility, it is not ours. Certainly there are things we can do to aid their success and be responsible <strong>to</strong> them, and we will cover some of those in part 2 next week. First, we must accept that they are accountable for their success.</p>
<p><span id="more-727"></span>One of my mentors, Steve Brown, Chairman and CEO of The Fortune Group, an international training firm related a story that happened to him in the early 70’s when his company was in it’s infancy, and he was personally managing the sales organization. He had a salesperson, a man working for them in Florida who had been very successful for several years. Steve said he was closer to him than anyone else in the company. Then the once-successful man went into a slump, and his sales had fallen.</p>
<p>The company had a policy, they brought him in, worked with him, retrained and coached him but nothing seemed to work. He was not succeeding and company policy, thought out with calm cool reasoning, said if someone was not performing and had been re-trained and subsequently didn’t respond, they were to be terminated. Steve said it was his job, but he couldn’t do it.</p>
<p>He said every time he brought himself to the point he backed away because this man had a wife and 10 kids. Steve also said he realized this man would not have the same financial opportunity anywhere else so he kept putting it off. Finally, Steve was speaking in the same city where the man was based and at the break, he came to Steve and asked if he could stay over after the session, as he had something very important to tell him.</p>
<p>Steve said of course and got so excited because he thought the man was going to do his job for him – Quit! After the session they had drinks and dinner and the man shared nothing. Finally, Steve said to him, you ask me to stay over because you had something very important to tell me.</p>
<p>The man looked at Steve and said that it was so difficult. Our relationship has been so strong and you have stood behind and supported me so much. Steve said, “You can tell me anything!” The man said, “ I fallen in love, I leaving Betty and the kids!”</p>
<p>At that point Steve said he finally understood adoption. Steve said he was more concerned about the man’s family than he was. Additionally he said he also knew something else, if he had done his job following company policy and terminated the man, he wouldn’t have had time to fall in love!</p>
<p>Most sales managers had at least one person they have adopted and they never do it for person, they do it for themselves, it inflates their ego. Steve said he took an ego trip at the expense of a family. If you have a person on your staff whose success, meaning a good steady producer, would surprise you, follow your company policy but terminate them as soon as you can. Why? Salespeople seldom fail alone, they generally fail in pairs. If one fails alone, who would be responsible? Them! If they can drag another down with them, guess whose fault it would be? The sales manager!</p>
<p>The belief that we are responsible <strong>for</strong> our people can be very costly to the person and our company. Understanding that we are responsible <strong>to</strong> them leads to just the opposite, and as I mentioned earlier we will cover that in part 2 next week.</p>
<p>To learn more about this and many other areas of effective sales management, please explore our “<strong><a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/practical-sales-management-ii/sessions-objectives/">Practical Sales Management Strategies for Today</a></strong>&#8221; multimedia training system and the <strong><a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/our-process/">process</a></strong> we use to implement it into your organization. It is my hope that this has helped!</p>
<p>Sincerely,</p>
<p><a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/about-us/about-james-l-strutton/">Jim Strutton</a>, CEO</p>
<p><a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/">Accountability Plus, Inc.</a></p>
<p>Strutton@Accountability-Plus.com</p>
<p>770-205-8171</p>
<p>© 2011 <a href="http://www.accountability-plus.com/">Accountability Plus, Inc.</a></p>
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