Churchill vs. Hitler as leaders

I listened to a lecture given by Winston Churchill's grand-daughter, Celia Sandys, on American History TV. Ms. Sandy's discussed the difference between her grandfather and Adolf Hitler. She said that when Hitler spoke he could convince his people that he could do anything and that when Churchill spoke he could convince the people of Britain that they could do anything. I think this is a mark of a really great leader, the power to make people believe in themselves.

Give them some "AD"vice

The numbers are important, sales are important but we shouldn't forget about what goes into our papers. A lot of reps put all of their efforts into selling the ad and very little into designing it. A well designed ad with a good headline, strong offers and an easy to read layout will certainly generate a better response for the advertiser. When they get a good response they are much more likely to continue advertising. As a manager it is in your best interest to look at you rep's layouts to make sure they are doing good work. Also look to see that your rep's instructions to the artist is clear and easy to understand. This will avoid mistakes in the ad. Of course make sure you publicly praise the reps who produce good layouts.

Make A Difference!

Thanks Jim Busch

Words for Leaders

"Don't ever be afraid to admit you were wrong. It's like saying you're wiser today than you were yesterday.--Robert Newell

No one, not even the best manager, is right 100% of the time. Trying to cover your mistakes, or worst, blaming them on someone else is the fastest way to lose the respect of your team as well as your credibility.

Make A Difference

Thanks Jim Busch

Words for Leaders

Growing up during the centennial of the Civil War I have had a life long fascination with the history of that great conflict. When I became a manager I studied the leadership styles of the generals and political leaders on both sides.

After years of fruitless struggle U. S. Grant took command and brought the war to a conclusion. Grant was not considered the smartest, best educated or most experienced general but he had one salient quality--He was totally focused on defeating his opponent and refused to retreat. When his predecessors were defeated by Robert E. Lee, they would turn back to lick their wounds and regroup. Grant continued to push forward until he ultimately won the war. Here is a quote from the general that expresses his philosophy:

"The art of war is simple enough. Find out where your enemy is, get at him as soon as you can, strike him as hard as you can and keep moving on."

Make A Difference!

Thanks Jim B.

The Dr. Phil Question

I was working with a rep today as she was trying to sell an upcoming special section. We were making the rounds of her territory and dropping off a collateral brochure for the product. Her plan was to "contact" all of her advertisers and prospect in this manner in hopes they would call her with an order. If she didn't get a response she might followup with a "Did you read the literature?" call. I asked her the question Dr. Phil made famous on his TV show--"How's that working for you?" I asked her how much business she had sold using this technique. She sheepishly admitted that she had sold virtually nothing this way. Reps often do something out of habit or because it is painless. This is the classic definition of insanity but the path of least resistance can be very tempting. Asking the Dr. Phil question can make reps realize that this isn't the way to get the job done.

Make A Defence!

Thanks Jim Busch

Words for Leaders

S.L.A. Marshall interviewed thousands of allied troops immediately after some of the largest battles of WWII. He produced one of the most comprehensive studies of leadership ever produced. Here is one of his conclusions:

"The art of leadership is the art of dealing with humanity, of working diligently on behalf of men, of being sympathetic with them, but equally, of insisting that they make a square facing toward their own problems."

This describes one of the keys of leadership--to hold people accountable for doing the job.

Make A Difference

Thanks Jim Busch

Follow up for results

As a manager, I always maintained a "meeting file" for each of my reps. I kept these files in a multi-pocketed expanding file. This file was always within reach so I could grab it whenever I talked to a rep. If I asked a rep about something or they made a commitment to do something, I noted this fact in the file. I used this information to ask follow up questions of my reps. This helped me to make sure they had acted on my instructions and lived up to their promises. It didn't take long for my reps to discover that they couldn't let something slide in hope that I would forget about it. It is important to keep the file current and discard notes once they are completed. This allows you very quickly review a reps activities.

Make A Difference

Thanks Jim Busch