During my professional career I had to lead: numerous managers, supervisors and sales managers.
In one of the companies where I worked, I was in charge of 12 sales supervisors, two of them had 6 salespeople each, with similar potential, similar number of clients and with the same types of sales channels. The team of one of the supervisors performed excellently, the other with disastrous results.
The two supervisors had received the same training and my concern was already obsessive, I wanted both teams to perform the same, or at least similar.
All the recommendations, incentives, and goal setting weren't working for me. One day I called the unproductive supervisor and began to investigate the causes of lack of productivity, at one point I tried to talk about the potential of the two teams and he told me: “don't compare me with the other, if I had the other team, there yes you would know how I am as a team leader ”.
His words for me were a challenge, and I told him, then from the first day of next month you will take over your colleague's team, barbarian told me, I communicated to the other supervisor, who did not feel much enthusiasm for the change, But after talking to him about the benefits of meeting more vendors and customers from other regions, he agreed.
Time passed and that day of the month arrived, I made the changes, and by averaging the month I observed a decrease in the performance of the productive team and an increase in the sales of the ineffective team, the month closed with similar figures, the efficient supervisor had managed to reverse the tendency of the unproductive team, on the other hand, the production generated by the other supervisor's team, was taking a nosedive. So for three months I tolerated the situation, hoping for a positive change in the results.
Unfortunately, the sales volumes were not achieved, I called the supervisor and asked him what was happening with the new team, he told me that the situation in that area had changed a lot and he was doing the best he could, so I told him, there is the problem, you do the best you can and we need much more, I changed my supervisor and the solution arrived, without having to change any salesperson.
I have been able to observe that a professional supervisor: makes them do, while an amateur, does not lead, does not motivate, over-controls or under-controls, according to their sympathy or antipathy for their subordinate.
A good leader must detect the strengths and weaknesses of each member of his team and know how to determine the tasks that can generate synergy (increase production, in a good work environment).
The greatest virtue of a leader must be to detect differentiating skills, that is, knowing how to find the most suitable worker to carry out the task and who also has a positive attitude.
At this time, the leader must know how to put together highly competent work teams, know their people, the reasons that each one of them generate action and know how to form groups to generate synergy.
An excellent leader must know how to identify the strengths of each one. You must plan the work that you will entrust to the most suitable employee to be successful in achieving the objectives.
The leader has to evaluate them, train them and assign them progressively, tasks of greater responsibility, ensuring that some or all surpass their position, and remembering that proverb that says: “the father, teacher or boss, who was not surpassed by his son, student or employee, failed in his role. "
A great leader is one who knows how to transform an employee: "draft horse, rebellious child or dry branch, into star employee".
If you are in charge of a team, be generous, pass on everything you know, but also learn something more every day, the growth of your subordinates must be permanent, make them progress and you will progress with them.
Train, motivate, delegate and do not be afraid of the progress of your people, they will make you grow to where you never imagined.
