That we live in a time of relentless and pervasive change is no longer news to anyone. There is one important implication of this situation that continues to be a challenge. That is that our employees need to continually change their behavior to adapt to the world around them.
My work of helping companies develop more effective sales organizations always involves making changes in the company. And sooner or later, that means that some of the employees must make significant changes in the ways that they think about, and do, their jobs.
This is particularly true of the sales people, who must decide to change their behavior and to implement the best practices that I teach. Beyond that, ultimately, helping people change is the work of every executive, manager, consultant and trainer.
What is it that empowers some people to change smoothly and effortlessly, while getting others to modify their behavior seems like moving a mountain? What is the fundamental building block for individuals that, more than anything else, equips them to successfully implement change?
It is something that is becoming increasingly rare—a motivating sense of personal responsibility. That is, a deep and imbiding belief that one is responsible for one’s own behavior as well as the consequences of that behavior.
That seems so basic and common sense, yet I am constantly amazed by how few people actually exhibit it. Over and over in my work in developing sales people and their managers, I’m struck by how many people fail to accept responsibility for their own success or lack of it.
It’s far more popular to be a victim. We have all shook our heads sadly over some newspaper account of someone who commits some act of irresponsibility, and then successfully sues someone else. In our litigious world, being a victim often pays. That is an unfortunate consequence of an unhealthy belief.
As long as we view ourselves as victims, we’re unable to change ourselves or our circumstances and achieve better results. It is not our fault that we’re not doing better, we tell ourselves. Someone else caused it. And because it’s someone else’s doing, the power to fix it and make it better is with someone else. We’re powerless to fix it.
While few people admit it, or even realize it consciously, this victim attitude—the direct opposite of personal responsibility—is very common and embraced to some degree by most of us.
This is especially true of sales people, who could always do better if only something were different—something that someone else controls. If only we had lower prices, our quality was better, the boss was more understanding, customer service was more responsive—you know the litany because you’ve chanted it.
Your struggle to bring about significant change in your organization will depend on the depth to which your employees embrace their responsibility to make personal changes. Your efforts to improve the productivity of your sales force will ultimately depend on the degree to which your sales force accepts personal responsibility to make the changes in behavior that will improve their results.
Can you instill a sense of personal responsibility if it is lacking?
This is one of those aspects of character that is always easier to hire then to instill. In other words, if you hire people who already have a sense of personal responsibility, your job will be much easier.
However, if some of your current employees lack this characteristic in sufficient quantity, it is not hopeless. By understanding the importance of this quality of character, and regularly making it a part of your conversations, you can raise the awareness of this fundamental building block for implementing change. Talk about it, write about it and preach it in company meetings in the hope that many of your employees will see the light, in the same way that I did.
Dave Kahle (
info@davekahle.com)
is a consultant and trainer to help clients increase their sales and improve their sales productivity.
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