behavior

GenX and GenY: Tips for working with each other on the same team

kirk_wakefield 2013, Lead, Sales Management, Sell, Tickets , , , , , , , , 0 Comment
GenX and GenY: Tips for working with each other on the same team
by Brian Erenrich – September 2013

Co-authored with David Quill.

At times it feels as if Generation X and Y have declared “war” on one another. Yet, instead of looking at the negatives (highlighted below), we need to focus on the positives and how we can collaborate.

So let’s look at the good, the bad, the ugly. But let’s also examine the opportunity for great teams to achieve great results with in the sport business industry.

Gen x vs. Gen Y

Generation X (born 1965-1981)

  • Enjoy projects with deadlines and little supervision (freedom)
  • Resilient
  • Critical thinking
  • Career first then work-life balance and money
  • Sales presentation: one speech with no feedback

Generation Y (born 1982-2000)

  • Narcissistic, entitled
  • Enjoy working on projects that involve multi-tasking and technology (engagement)
  • Education vs. experience
  • Impact now
  • Money and work-life balance then career
  • Sales presentation: work the room (many small conversations telling a story)

Similar values

  1. Intrinsic: interesting work, learning opportunities, being challenged
  2. Extrinsic: pay, promotions, status
  3. Altruistic: helping others, contributing to society
  4. Leisure: vacation time, work life balance
  5. Social: interacting with others, making friends

Advice for Gen X dealing with Gen Y (Gen Y Perspective):

  • Be patient! We want all the answers now but we don’t need them. Challenge us by asking questions to our questions.
  • Mentor us! We need to be guided. We think we have the answers but we really do not. Learning from you, will helps us in the long run.
  • Teach us how to perform tasks independently.

Advice for Gen Y (Gen Y Perspective):

  • Slow down, take notice of your surroundings instead of your 3 screens (cell phone, computer, TV)
  • Spend more time getting to know others face to face opposed to text and email
  • Concentrate on the journey not the end result or money
  • Be patient with others and yourself, in business there is little instant gratification, not everybody moves at your speed

When it comes to the values of both generations there are many similarities.  To succeed in sport business we need to work together and adapt.

With both generations bringing so much value from the old business world and new business world it only makes sense that collaboration is a must.

Learning from each other will not only enhance the work place but the sport business as a whole.

How to build trust in relationship selling

kirk_wakefield 2013, Integrity, Lead, Sales Management, Sell, Tickets , , , , , , , , 0 Comment
How to build trust in relationship selling
by Dan Rockwell – July 2013

All successful relationships require trust

Good salespeople build relationships because organizational success depends on it. If trust is something “they” do, you are the problem.

Research shows three important consequences related to trust and performance.

  1. Overall business performance for organizations is higher when salespeople trust their managers.1 
  2. Individual sales performance is better among salespeople who engender high trust.2 
  3. Employee retention is higher in organizations with high manager-employee trust because the quality of life in the workplace is better.3

How do sales managers and salespeople build strong, resilient relationships?

You learn to behave

Stephen M.R. Covey, says, “Relationship trust is all about behavior … consistent behavior.” (From: “The Speed of Trust.” Today, seven years after publishing, it’s still #2 in Business-Life, Ethics, on Amazon.)

Covey explains 13 behaviors common to high-trust individuals:

  1. Talk straight. Let people know where you stand. Use simple language.
  2. Demonstrate respect. Genuinely care and show it.
  3. Create transparency. Tell the truth in a way that can be verified. Err on the side of disclosure.
  4. Right Wrongs. Apologize quickly. Make restitution where possible.
  5. Show loyalty. Give credit freely. Speak about people as if they were present.
  6. Deliver results. Don’t overpromise and underdeliver. Don’t make excuses.
  7. Get better. Thank feedback and act on it.
  8. Confront reality. Take issues head on, even the “undiscussibles.”
  9. Clarify expectations. Disclose, reveal, discuss, validate, renegotiate if needed, don’t violate, expectations.
  10. Practice accountability. Take responsibility for results. Be clear on how you’ll communicate.
  11. Listen first. Don’t assume you know what matters most to others.
  12. Keep commitments. Make commitments carefully. Don’t break confidences.
  13. Extend trust. Extend trust abundantly to those who have earned it. Extend trust conditionally to those who are earning it.

Do you want to move up?

Axel Köster
Axel Köster

Axel Köster, General Manager for the Manhattan Group, recruits executives and managers for premium properties such as the Peninsula, Regent, Hilton and others around the world.

“No matter what the industry,” Axel shares “at the top level of any successful organization you must have someone you can truly trust. If you want to move up in your organization, the most important thing you can do is build a reputation for trustworthiness.”

The bottom line is success in relationships and relationship selling depends on your trustworthiness. And so does the trajectory of your career.

Getting started

How do we improve trust? By being intentional about it. Make a copy of Covey’s 13 behaviors. Put it in front of you at work. Find a peer who wants to do the same thing. Keep each other accountable. Practice being happy.

Bill Yates
Bill Yates

Bill Yates, Senior Associate & Partner at the Sports Advisory Group, adds, “Provide solutions to their problems and you’ll be rewarded with trust.”

Continue building trust with colleagues and clients and whether you move up the career ladder or not, at least you’ll be one of the happy ones.

 

Sources

  1. “Making things happen through challenging goals: Leader proactivity, trust, and business-unit performance,” Crosley, Cooper & Wernsing (2013), Journal of Applied Psychology.
  2. “The interrelationships of empathy, trust, and conflict and their impact on sales performance,” Plank & Reid (2010), Journal of Marketing Management.
  3. “Trust your teammates or bosses? Differential effects of trust on transactive memory, job satisfaction, and performance.” Gockel, Robertson & Brauner (2013), Employee Relations.

Leading: Popping the Self-Delusion Bubble

kirk_wakefield Integrity, Lead, S3 , , , , , , 0 Comment
Leading: Popping the Self-Delusion Bubble
by Dan Rockwell – February 2013

Waking up

I woke up this morning disturbed at the subtlety of self-delusion. The trouble with delusion is illusion.

What do you call someone who believes they’re:

  1. Supportive but demanding, instead.
  2. Humble but in reality, arrogant.
  3. Listening when they’re talking.
  4. Able to do everything “right” while others fall short.
  5. Informed when they don’t know.

You call them deluded leaders.

Deluded leaders falsely believe intentions automatically translate into behaviors. You intend to be supportive so you must be supportive, right?

Deluded leaders believe they’ve mastered the things they tell others to do. Consider the pursuit of excellence, for example. Are you always improving the work of others but doing things the same yourself?

On excellence

[dropshadowbox align=”right” effect=”lifted-both” width=”250px” height=”” background_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”1″ border_color=”#dddddd” ]

Mike Mahoney
Mike Mahoney

“When you get feedback on your performance remember that it is business, not personal, so don’t get defensive. It is hard for people to bring up negative things so appreciate they cared enough to help you correct your behavior and make the necessary adjustments.”
[/dropshadowbox]
How do you respond to:

  1. Suggestions about your behavior?
  2. Criticism about the way you handle tough conversations?
  3. Improvements suggested by underlings that impact you personally?

Excellence is the gradual result of always striving for better. Can you name one thing you’re striving to improve in your leadership? Can you name three things you’re doing to improve it? Do those under you know and participate? Or, are you deceived by intention.

You pursue excellence for others but not for yourself. The discomfort others feel in telling you the truth says you aren’t approachable. When was the last time you invited someone to speak into your frailties?

Get real

Leaders serve.

You’re not special, better than, or more important. Thinking you are deludes you.

[dropshadowbox align=”center” effect=”curled” width=”450px” height=”” background_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”1″ border_color=”#dddddd” ]

  1. Conform to them rather than demanding they conform to you.
  2. Focus on them; stop expecting them to focus on you.
  3. Their success is your success.
  4. Fuel their passions not yours.
  5. Serve them; they don’t serve you.[/dropshadowbox]

Leaders who don’t serve rely on authority and coercion. They pressure rather than enable. Saying and telling aren’t serving.

I don’t know how you feel. But, I feel better. I needed that reminder and I bet you did, too.

Discuss with your team

How can leaders address the self-delusion issue?