Have you ever noticed that in every team sport you watch or attend, the teams have a team captain(s)? Whether you realize it or not, your sales team has a captain(s). At the very least, you have individuals that your team as a whole will follow.
Who are the leaders on your current team? We know you as the Sales Manager are the team leader by title, but who is leading the team in a “team captain” type of role? The leader(s) can make or break your long-term goals. Leadership is a quality, not a title. Who on your team has risen to this status with the team? Who does the team follow on opinions and actions? This person(s) is key to helping reinforce the actions you need for team success. You may need assistance, beyond your observation, from ancillary support departments to help you identify who the sales team follows when they need to follow someone. Who wields influence the most? Two easy tests to identify who the team follows. First, the next time you have bad news to roll out, who does the team look at for their reaction? A second method is who does your team go to for advice or help when you are out of the office? This will require eyes in the office when you are not there.
If you are unsure that the current leader is a good role model, then hold off on addressing this until the right person can be brought in from recruiting. Keep in mind, that you can have a “good enough right now” leader if the short-term goal is in their grasp. Later, you can encourage that leader to relinquish leadership to a more capable leader or co-lead with a new or rising member. If you have ever watched a sports team that had a team captain with a negative attitude, how did that team perform? My experience is this kind of team typically fails to make the playoffs or just loses, and the season ends.
If they are the right leader, you will need to openly identify this person(s) with the team and directly with this individual. The team needs to know that you support this unofficial title and that you trust this individual in the role. Don’t be surprised by a rep being modest in being identified as the leader and even resisting this title. If based on what you have observed, you believe this is the good right-hand person for you to tap, encourage this person to embrace this role. Explain how important they are to you and the team to be successful. Get the team’s agreement, that this is the underlying leader.
If you have never openly had team captains, it is time to get on board with the idea. They exist whether you give them power or not. Don’t stick your head in the stand. Control the conversation. Remove the negative “leader” if you have one. Support the positive leader if they can be a solid right-hand person for you.
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