Copyright: jackf / 123RF Stock Photo
I just dropped off a conference call, and was I happy to hang up the phone. First of all, in my opinion conference calls can be a big waste of time if not conducted correctly. In addition, they are meant to provide direction and motivation for employees, not to criticize and deride their efforts. Which is exactly what this manager for one of my clients was doing during his call. He used almost 120 minutes to have each rep go through their numbers and explain why they weren't exceeding their quota by at least 10%. I have to say it was painful for me to listen to, and even more painful for the reps, some of whom were well over their quota.
Moreover, he was a new manager, so he would talk down to the reps, as if they didn't know how to manager their territories. Mind you, many of the reps had more experience than he did, but he felt oblige to offer his nuggets of wisdom on why they were "failing". Which leads to my reason for this post.
The number one thing a new manager should avoid is criticizing employees in front of the rest of the staff.
And yet, this new manager did exactly that to every rep on the team...even the top performing reps! You had better believe he is going to have a serious morale issue in about 15 minutes, Because those reps are going to start texting and calling each other and complaining about what a jerk they have for a new boss. They're going to post memes of him on the internet, and make him the butt of jokes at Happy Hour. They'll draw pictures of his face and throw darts at it. If he doesn't correct that pattern quickly, his team will start to flounder and not only will he have a morale issue, he might be out of a job.
I'm sorry, but business is not a team sport where you can scream at people and get away with it. That type of environment is for high school and even college sports. In professional sports, players will tolerate open criticism for a while, yet if you really piss them off, they'll get your ass fired. Just ask any manager in the English Premiere League, or any NFL football coach. You have to tread lightly when it comes to "dressing down" people.
It's okay to offer constructive criticism, but do it behind closed doors, and if you do it publicly, you had better be prepared for some repercussions. Unless of course, you want the person to quit...but that's a story for a different post.
Good luck and good selling!
SFTD
