Focus Magazine - Spring 2015 - 34

LEADERSHIP/MANAGEMENTDEVELOPMENT

Next-Generation Leadership
I By Ronda Robinson and Renee Kosor

Leadership must
be inclusive of
the skills people
need to self-lead.

S

ince the economic collapse of 2008,
multiple factors have created a marked
shi in the psychology of the salesforce:

* Increased regulations and reduced customer
access have stirred uncertainty and doubt
about how to maintain performance by even
the most skilled representatives.
* Pressures to perform in an environment of
constant change can result in feeling a lack
of control and lead to complacency.
* Employee retention is now a high priority
for both employees and organizations.
* e realities of downsizing, acquisitions and
mergers have severed the employee loyalty
bond, while new generation employees have
an inherently more free-agent-for-hire
mentality about work. e landscape has
changed.
Although a job is oen regarded purely as a
transaction in which people exchange work for
compensation, neuroscience reveals that the
brain experiences the workplace as a social
system. In this manner, behavior is governed by
an overarching principle of minimizing threat
and maximizing reward. In other words, the
brain uses similar
networks used for
primary survival
needs.
According to
research from Dr.
David Rock, when
salespeople
encounter threats
in the form of
potential layoﬀs,
significant change,
pay cuts or if they
simply feel
unrecognized,
they experience it
as a neural
impulse, as

34

powerful and painful as a physical blow. Most
people learn to temper or suppress their
reactions; they "suck it up," but they also limit
their commitment and engagement. ey
become purely transactional employees,
reluctant to give more of themselves and
reducing productivity. is presents enormous
challenges to managers.
Multiple studies show that the main reason
people stay in their current job or seek new
positions elsewhere is directly related to their
manager. With the environmental factors
having such a negative impact on both the sales
person and the company, it becomes
increasingly significant to provide solid
leadership. However, the traditional approach
to leading works best in the traditional work
environment ... which no longer exists.
Today, leadership must be inclusive of the
skills people need to self-lead, drive forward
from within and focus on the end goal without
being pushed oﬀ the path by unanticipated
roadblocks. Companies must remain
competitive, adhere to ever-changing
regulations and report profits at every quarter
while hiring the brightest talent, building
positive cultures and training the kinds of sales
professionals that agilely deflect the unstable
economy and focus on providing solutions to
their customers.
Next-generation leadership, a concept
comprised of four psychological elements, has
been proven to inoculate the brain against the
negativity of the new corporate landscape and
rejuvenate the drive, passion, and focus so
necessary for sales success today. Grounded in
positive psychology, these four elements
include:
* Self-confidence backed up with an inventory
of capabilities;
* Learned optimism evidenced through a
renewed view of the diﬀerence between a
problem and a challenge;

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Focus Magazine - Spring 2015

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