Most of my clients are sales leaders who get it. They understand ROI and want to give their people the tools they need to succeed.

The sales leaders of today are very different than those I’ve worked with in the past.

I see an exodus. A departure of our attachment to traditional leadership. A leadership that shunned emotion. That saw their people as an expendable product. That had barriers in place to prevent communication and sharing of best practices.

Successful companies are moving forward with a holistic approach to growth that includes an interconnectedness of purpose, people, and profit. The last few years has taught us resilience and empathy. To make a conscious connection to our humanity.

The power leaders have (individually and with our companies) to make an impact is extraordinary. According to Achievers most recent culture report, “managers are responsible for 70% of the variance in employee engagement. Managers play an enormous role in the employee experience, so spending time and effort on manager training is worth it. Make sure managers know how to acknowledge the work of their employees, inspire them, and encourage them to develop the skills they need to shine.” 

Over the last year I had an epiphany. I was on what I believed was a parallel track. In my business, I was working with leaders and working with my coauthor Will Lewis in finishing our book Where’s the Office? Moving Today’s Leaders from What IS to What CAN BE. In addition, I was on a personal journey to find humanity. To seek moments where people are doing good, helping, serving, being kind, sharing, giving, etc.

What I learned- my epiphany- came in the realization that this was not a parallel track at all. It was the same track and an important one at that.

We can find and foster humanity in business. Leaders are better served in recognizing the power of their people. In honoring their own boundaries and knowing that communicating vulnerability can be a strength. In encouraging all to have the freedom to best serve the clients. In creating a space that empowers, energizes, and generates better, more profitable results. Which if we’re honest is the key. If this newfound focus didn’t increase profit, it wouldn’t be sustainable.

In support of these leaders and their mission, here are three ideas to concentrate on this human side of sales:

1.     Catch the team doing something right. Contrary to what we know to be effective and what we may even believe we’re doing; the focus is often still on what’s not working. The sale they didn’t make. The missed opportunity. The miscommunication. Like when a parent sees a report card that has A, A, B, A, D…it’s tempting to ask first, “What happened there?”

2.     Allow and embrace their unique humanness. It can be more difficult to lead a diverse team because they will require you to adapt to best support them. But trust me, embracing various perspectives, ideas, and even ways of achieving the result leads to peak performance.

3.     It’s ok to capitalize on the natural human propensity to strive to be better and serve bigger. Yes, when people feel honored and encouraged, they will thrive. Their thriving will contribute to your team and company purpose. It will encourage collaboration, enable them to better support the clients, innovate, and everyone benefits!

DISSENT: I have received this valid feedback from leaders, and it must be addressed. They ask- Why is it all about the employees now? What happened to employees doing what their told??

First of all, it is 100% reasonable to ask this. It can appear as if the distribution of power has shifted. And it may feel like that shift means leadership isn’t in control anymore. Here’s the thing. The company may not have the ‘control’ it is accustomed to. But releasing your attachment to what was- to a perception of control that had an undercurrent of discord- is the path to a new future. We don’t want to go back to what was. We may believe that we do. But the way forward is to embrace the mindset and tools that work for our new world.

To find humanity in the workplace. And know that it serves our clients, our company, and the world better…is the path!

And here’s a newsflash. Your people, while perhaps not as malleable, have unlimited potential and more inclination to serve and grow in this new environment.

Cheers to conscious leadership. To meaningful connection. To thriving employees. To happy clients. To more profit. To innovative solutions. To hope. To a recognition that finding humanity is the pathway forward.

Inviting you to further conversation on this. Connect here with your questions or schedule a call HERE for a deeper dive.