There is a never-ending search for the “magic bullet” in sales: something sales organizations and salespeople can buy, practice, or even say to bypass all the hard work of earning their client’s business. The market continually dangles shiny objects in front of us, all 110% guaranteed to answer the challenges of acquiring clients and growing revenue. But history shows us that there is no magic bullet, and no substitute for hard work and good strategy.

Perhaps as a sales manager or sales executive, you have pondered the question, “Is it time to restructure my sales operation?” When you’re not getting the results you need from your sales team, it’s certainly tempting to consider restructuring how you’re going to market. How to Determine If You Should Restructure Your Sales Team Getting breakthrough performance from a new approach is very appealing

Change sucks. It requires one to step into the unknown. To twist and turn into a new transformed self, team or firm. To leave the safety of the known path. Lift anchor and sail into a foggy horizon with no guarantee of safe harbor. Difficult as it is … irrelevance is worse. Individuals, teams and companies that wish to transform must endure change. Successful change requires six steps

What the launch of ChatGPT can teach executives about leading in disruptive times. Measured in numbers, ChatGPT has no rival (yet): The chatbot became the fastest growing consumer app in history only two months after its launch, chalking up 100 million monthly active users in January 2023.

Brilliant leaders recognize that having all the answers isn’t the key to success. Instead, they use inquiry and collaboration to discover insights and create effective solutions. Acknowledging their limitations and seeking others’ input, they nurture an atmosphere of growth, curiosity, and joint problem-solving.

Out of the mouths of babes. It’s an expression used when someone young or inexperienced says something surprising for its wisdom. Wisdom like this, the idiom implies, is usually the stuff of those who’ve been around a long time, weathered the storms, climbed the hills and hierarchies. “Leader” is the word we often use to describe them. Age and seniority can be helpful, yet these have far less to do with actual wisdom and impact than two more potent and often overlooked factors: exposure and asking questions.

With the reality of change fatigue, mental health issues, collaboration overload and the demands of leading in a hybrid environment, today’s leader needs strategies to renew energy and avoid burnout. Here are four simple steps with strategies to take immediately. Before age 61 adults need a minimum of 7 hours sleep each night. Not getting enough sleep has been compared to alcohol impairment, with 24 hours wakefulness to be compared to a blood alcohol level at 0.10%.

Many executives make decisions alone and take credit for every win. Research by Yuan Zou and Ethan Rouen shows how leaders—and their companies—directly benefit when they engage and elevate colleagues. During a 2017 Amgen earnings call, CEO Robert Bradway began answering an analyst’s question, then turned to colleague Sean Harper and said, “Sean, I’ll let you talk about the specifics.”

Let me say first that I know what you’re going through, and I feel for you. The challenges these past two years have been great, and the messages ringing ceaselessly in your ear are deafening, even discouraging. Though there are many refrains, there’s that one that says, in a crisis, that you are the one who is supposed to have all the answers. I know how daunting that feels.

Increasingly, you hear the argument being made that CEOs need to allow their employees to do more — that is to say, to take part in the leadership process. The upshot? As the senior leader, it’s no longer about asking your team to blindly execute a job description or tasks you feed to them and judge them by, then wonder why they seem less than engaged.

(By Loyd Ford) The power in sales starts with what you believe. It’s in what your local sellers believe, too. To flip around the old saying, “If you believe it, you will sell it.” Every single person on your team wants to win. The difference between those sellers at the top of their game and those in the middle or dragging up the rear comes in what each one thinks actually produces winning for them.

Imagine you are tapped on the shoulder to lead an upcoming training program for a cohort of soon-to-be first-time managers in your organization. You’re probably flattered, excited and just a bit nervous. While you’ve been successful as a manager, it’s daunting to think about how you will translate your experiences into lessons these new managers can learn from and apply.

A recent discussion with a group of late millennial professionals led to some important insights about what the next generation wants to learn from their current leaders and what workplace experience they’re seeking. The group was remarkable in that they were all born in 1996, the last year of the millennial generation and have had life experiences that span major hallmarks of their generation and those of Gen Z.

If you’ve ever been in sales, you know first-hand that one of the most powerful ways to go from good to great is having a strong sales manager. The best sales managers are active listeners and innovative thinkers. They know how to inspire and motivate their teams. So, is there a secret that only these superstar managers know?

Nearly every sales organization will admit they could be better at planning. According to a study by Cascade Insights, more than 75% of sales leaders agree their planning efforts are problematic — and 90% of sales ops leaders confessed on LinkedIn they need to do sales planning faster and more frequently. Regardless of your revenue goals,