Leading Growth

7Accountability

WHY DO SOME sales organizations produce growth year after year while similarly situated competitors wallow in stagnation, often for years on end? Both those that grow and those that stall have smart and motivated professionals leading their sales teams. Both offer products or services that clients need and buy. So, what makes the difference? In my experience, it comes down to one thing: accountability.

You already know that it's difficult to grow without a detailed vision of better results and a better future. That vision must be supported by accountability. But not just any accountability: consistent accountability built on a positive culture, one that expects everyone to do what is required of them and to keep their commitments. Do not mistake it for a negative culture, where leaders use threats, pressure, and other forms of coercive force to, ahem, motivate their sales force.

I once saw a new CEO chastise his sales leaders and his sales force, wasting an opportunity to create a positive culture. But he poisoned the room by criticizing both the sales force and their leaders, even cursing at them for poor results he believed were their fault. In a single afternoon, he created a negative culture and caused several leaders to look for a way out of the company. Soon after his tirade, the company's industry melted down, reducing their already meager revenue and increasing the leader's desperation. But by then the sales team knew where he stood, so when he needed ...