About a year ago, when Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy took center stage to endorse Barack Obama for president, he said, “It’s time again for a new generation of leadership.” Clearly, this was an extremely moving moment coming from the brother of former President John F. Kennedy. But what did that statement really mean? Senator Kennedy also used words and phrases like “hopes,” “the American dream,” and “lift our spirits and make us believe again.” Today’s great leaders create change you can believe in. For Obama, who went on to win the Democratic nomination and now sits as the 44th president of the United States, his new brand of leadership sparked a passion in his supporters and urged them to believe they can be more than they are. are. As Senator Kennedy said, “Obama will be a president who refuses to get caught up in the past.”
Whether you’re an Obama fan or not, you should at least appreciate his ability to arouse followers.
So what are your followers saying about you?
Day in and day out, successful VARs struggle with whether or not to be a manager or a leader. Managers have the ability to manipulate resources to perform known work and react to a recognized environment or situation using already existing processes and formulas. Successful leaders look beyond the familiarity of everyday life to create change their followers can believe in. With everything you have in mind to keep your business running during these tough economic times, how do you find the time to be a leader instead of a manager? How do you invoke inspiration and light the fire in your followers, instead of “being the boss”?
First of all, not everyone will be a great leader. Leaders are very good at stirring up people’s emotions and being the catalyst for change, but sometimes they are a bit self-absorbed. They are also the delegates, not the task masters. Good managers can take an existing system and keep the wheels on the wagon rolling, but they find it hard to imagine the future. Take a look at who you are and your personal and professional traits. How do your customers and your sales team see you? Are they excited after a team meeting because you put five innovative new ideas on the table that they can’t wait to implement? Do they feel safe knowing they have a stable and reliable manager behind the wheel and are they okay with being one of the cogs? Who are you?
Manager
personality style – Rational, a problem solver. Managers look for problems to solve, then examine the team’s infrastructure to determine how to solve the problem and who will contribute. Persistent and tough, managers are analytical and intelligent thinkers.
Approaching a Goal – Managers generally meet objectives out of necessity based on the existing culture of a team or organization. They are reactive to current issues instead of looking at the big picture.
To work – Creating strategies and coordinating and balancing the day-to-day tasks that make the operation work are some of the conceptions of a manager about work. They are good at compromise and tolerate boring things because they don’t like risk.
play with others – Managers focus on how to get things done in a controlled, rational, and linear way, working with others, sometimes in a manipulative way. They are personally separated from the team. They keep the task at hand very professional.
Leader
personality style – Listen to a great leader speak and you will hear the passion in his voice. This is because leaders are simply passionate about what they believe in and easily envision a purpose. They are clearly bold and imaginative. They see the future through their own eyes and then share it with others.
Approaching a Goal – Leaders shape ideas. They do not react to current situations, but rise to the challenges that arise as a result. The leader creates a vision that has the ability to change the way people think about what is needed and gain buy-in for that vision.
To work – If a longstanding problem has not been solved, leaders open the door to new approaches and options that move away from traditional systems. They take their team and raise expectations, encouraging them to take risks and offering them a sense of excitement about something different.
play with others – A speech by a great leader arouses emotion due to the empathy and charisma of the individual. They focus on understanding how decisions will affect each individual on the team. Because of the spectacle of human relationships leaders have with others, those relationships and the work that results from them can sometimes get disorganized.
How will you lead your tribe of followers? Will you manage or lead? Do you have what it takes to affect change within your sales team? Can you give them a clear vision and empower them to take the risks necessary to try out innovative new ways of talking and selling your products? Whether we are individuals from a nation or team or customers of a big VAR, we all want to feel inspired.
In 2009, inspiring your team and being a visionary in this industry is key to survival. He must anticipate changing trends due to the economy and not be afraid to take risks. Acting as a manager and running the status quo is not enough. Using old management styles and systems will send your customers to your competitors. Your clients are looking for someone they can trust to get them through these difficult times and to have a vision of what it might be like on the other side. Offer him peace of mind. But at the same time, really give them (both your team and your clients) something to be excited about.
