Turbo Leadership Systems^™

Double the size of your sales force.

Sharon told our Leadership Development LAB:

"Tom, my supervisor, and I had been talking about the morale in our office and began brainstorming ideas to 'spark' our office staff's enthusiasm. I suggested we try a new and different incentive for them.

"We wanted them to get out and see what the salespeople and drivers are faced with every day as they make sales and service calls, so we derived a retail sales incentive program for them. After deciding on the specifics of the program, Tom and I presented it to the General Manager, who approved it heartily.

"I told the office staff my ideas and we formed teams to go out to present our products and small store promotions to small retail accounts that were not presently buying our products. Maxine and I went out first because I had some sure ways to get the team's adrenalin going and bolster their belief that we could do it.

"When we came back with four placements the first day, everyone was really excited. As each team went out on sales calls, the excitement grew and the challenge to win the competition grew as well. After two weeks, we had placed 35 new products in previously inactive accounts.

"The whole company was buzzing about our successes, and our inside office teamelated - morale was at an all-time high. Tom and I overcame the obstacles to

make our goal a reality. We still laugh about how scared we were and about our professional sales pitches!

"The lesson I learned from this experience is the way to build the morale of our team is not to lessen the challenge or add more work. Instead, add more opportunity and diversity to the job challenges we face."

This is sometimes called "job enhancement" and it is always empowering. A great way to get things done and enrich jobs is to employ Leadership Principle #10 - Stimulate Competition. Money alone does not bring good people together, nor does it hold them together. It is the game itself, the competition to excel, the chance to prove their worth, and the opportunity to win that bring and hold a team together. That's what makes foot races, hog calling contests, and pie eating contests - the desire to excel and the desire for a feeling of importance.

Now my challenge to you is give your team new, creative challenges to meet. Up the challenge (not the workload), a challenge that allows for personal growth. This challenge will motive your team as they find ways to create solutions to troubling problems. Enrich the work of your team by building in a contest. Be sure there are ways to have immediate wins. When the wins come, celebrate your successes. Celebration provides the afterburner effect that will turbo charge your team.