Great Leaders need Great Coaches

Do you want to be a great leader? Include great mentors and coaches in your life. Having mentors and coaches that can sharpen your leadership skills is imperative in your growth. I had two great coaches, Pete Fasulo and Russell (Russ) Remy, early in my sales career. Their titles may have been trainers, but they were truly two of my best coaches, my Diamond Cutters. The lessons they taught me helped me as a manager and a leader.

Pete Fasulo was my very first sales coach. When I started my two-weeks of training as a telemarketer at Sprint, I had no idea what telecommunications entailed. Pete bounced into the training room with so much energy and a big smile on his face. He immediately captivated us, his trainees. He skillfully took a subject that is technical and at times boring and made it exciting to learn. Pete also taught us how to be successful at selling a product over the phone.

Here are a few pointers I got from Pete:

  1. Telemarketing sales is an art – Be polite, be confident not rude.
  2. Put a smile on your face – People can hear you smiling on the phone. I kept a mirror at my desk to remind me to smile before I dialed.
  3. Give them value – You’ve got to give them a reason to listen to you or they will hang up the phone.
  4. Learn to listen well – By listening to your potential client you will hear her objections; then, respond to each objection with your product knowledge.
  5. Don’t take it personal – If someone says no or hangs up the phone, shake it off. It is not a personal matter. Move to the next call. The more “No’s” you get, the closer you get to a “Yes.”

Pete’s instructions to us, helped me to realize that although sales is a numbers game (there is no magic in sales) being personable, being emphatic towards the client, belief in myself and the products and services I sell are parts of being a successful sales person. The first day I stepped onto the sales floor, I made a sale using Pete’s methods. In fact, his tutelage allowed me to be successful enough to get a promotion with a higher salary into another department!

While Pete was a bundle of energy, Russell Remy was a easy going trainer that had a quick sense of humor that disarmed you. Russ was my trainer when I started at MCI as a Customer Support Consultant. My duties included providing customer service to existing clients and up-selling them more products and services. I met with these clients mostly on a face to face basis. This required different skills than being a telemarketer.

Russ shared with the group the importance of learning good body language. Your body language says more than you thing. Good body language starts with how we behave in the sitting area while waiting to meet with the client. Russ demonstrated the proper way to shake hands with our clients. He videotaped our interaction with mock clients and then had us review the videos. Russ instructed us on what we did correctly and what we needed to improve upon. He also showed us how to read our clients’ body language.

Russ taught us about the products and services that we needed to master in order to be effective at our jobs. Russ included the LEAR (Listen, Explore, Acknowledge and Respond) method as a part of the training program.

This is what Russ taught us about the LEAR method:

  1. Listen – Don’t just walk into the client’s office and start speaking. Let him tell you about the company, his role in the company and the goals that he has to meet.
  2. Explore – Learn to ask probing questions and genuinely listen to your client. Ask permission to write the answers down before you start to write.
  3. Acknowledge – Let her know that you hear her. Repeat what she tells you. This will give her the opportunity to clarify any misunderstanding at this point.
  4. Respond – This is the time that you would share how your company’s products and/or services that meet the requirements of your client.

These are just a few of the beneficial information that helped me in my leadership roles. I believe one of the best take aways I got from Russ is to FOLLOW UP! While you are with the client ask for the next appointment. Strike while the iron is hot. When you get back to the office, follow up with an email – give a recap of the meeting. Often time, your client will welcome this. Not many people use follow up as a tool to help them gain and retain customers. This will give you a great edge against your competitors.

By adhering to Russ’s guidance, I went out and upgraded quite a number of my clients on a new product the company was offering. I did so well that I won a contest I didn’t even know the company was conducting. My mother called me at work wondering why MCI sent me a big SONY television. I asked my manager about it. She said I was the top Customer Service Consultant for the quarter. The TV was one of my rewards.

To say that I appreciate the lessons Pete Fasulo and Russell Remy taught me is beyond words. These coaches imprinted their knowledge and talents on me. After the training sessions ended, they continued to be accessible for me to ask questions. They were always pleasant and patient with me. In this week of Thanksgiving, I am truly thankful that they were a part of my development as a leader. Thank you Pete and Russell for being two of my best Diamond Cutters!

As mentioned above, great leaders need to include great mentors and coaches in their lives. If you have great mentors or coaches, appreciate them. Learn from them. Most importantly apply the lessons they teach you.

If you don’t have a mentor or coach, learn about finding great ones. Pick up a copy of my book Live a Diamond Life, A Life of Purpose: Diamond Cutters.

Live a Diamond Life, A Life of Purpose: Diamond Cutters

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Until next time, keep Living a Diamond Life with much gratitude on Invincible Monday!

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“You can’t make decisions based on fear and the possibility of what might happen.” ~ Michelle Obama

Making tough decisions is not easy. In one of my management positions in the corporate arena, I had to decide to let a direct report go. The company had changed the job requirements for that particular position. Training was provided to all the current employees to get them up to speed on their new responsibilities.

Yet this direct report was struggling in the position and falling behind on key projects. Although, we sat down and worked out a 90-day performance improvement plan (PIP), his performance did not improve. In fact, more clients were complaining at the end of the first 30 days of his PIP period.

His performance also affected his teammates. They had to shoulder more of the work due to his reduced output and inability to master the skills required to get the job done. It was stressful on the entire team. I knew I had no other choice but to release him from the position.

I informed the Human Resources representative of my intent. I informed her that the employee was a great person. He arrived at work on-time. He was very pleasant and respectful of others. She agreed with me that we would release him. We also agreed to include a note in his file that states he would be able to reapply for the position, should he improve his skills.

Making this tough decision was very difficult and stressful. I thought about the impact of this decision on him and his family. But I had to look at the big picture: his performance was affected the company’s clients, the image of the company and his teammates.

At the time I informed him of the decision, I told him that I admire him as person. This was a very difficult decision. I allowed him to share his thoughts and offer to write a recommendation letter for him based upon his current skills set.

As a leader, you will be faced with making tough decisions. Before you do here are some tips to help you:

1) Sit down and weigh the pros and cons of making this decision

2) Determine how will it affect others around you

3) Create a plan will you to keep moving forward towards your goals based on this decision

4) Identify and enlist the assistance of key people in carrying out your plan

It may be tough making difficult decisions, but it doesn’t have to be ugly. Do it with the proper ethic, be respectful of all involved and be honest. Good News: The former employee was able to find another job that he liked. We are still in contact with each other, today.

Here is to your success in leadership on Invincible Monday.

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Driving to one of my business meetings, I encountered a detour sign that took me a different way than I was used to taking to my destination. It forced me to reroute. This caused me some anxiety about getting lost and whether I would be late to my meeting. Then I started to notice the beautiful homes along this new route. There were also stately trees that formed a natural canopy over the road. Lovely flowers and shrubs spanned the neatly manicured lawns.

By the time I knew it, I was back on the way no longer detoured. I was able to get to my destination on-time with a new aspect about my detour. Along our journey to fulfilling our Diamond Life Purpose, we will encounter detours. They may be self-imposed or due to external circumstances. Here is some thoughts for handling these detours:

1) Don’t immediately go into panic mode.
2) Pay attention to what is going on around you.
3) See if there is something you can learn or admire about these detours.
4) Remember these are only detours.
5) Don’t lose site of your final destination…living your purpose.

My take away from this particular detour is that:

1) I learned a new way to get to my destination.
2) I love the views along the way.
3) Life detours will happen, but how I react to them determines my experiences.
4) I won’t give up moving towards living my Diamond Life!

Reflect on some of your detours as you travel in the direction of Living your Life of Purpose on Invincible Monday. What stands out? What lessons did you learn? Did you meet people that you appreciate from these detours? We all have one final destination in this physical life. The attitudes and views we take along life’s highways and by-ways, whether by detours or adherence, will determine how we Live a Diamond Life. Choose to have an open mind. Embrace the good while letting the bad fall by the wayside.

Singing “Life is a highway. I wanna ride it all night long!” by Rascal Flatts, and smiling on Invincible Monday.

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Self-Discipline.001

“We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.” ~ Jesse Owens

Self-discipline can be one of the hardest habits to form. Yet it is one of the keys to successful achieving one’s dreams. The word “discipline” derives from the Latin word “disciplina” meaning to teaching, learning. But “discipline” is more closely associated with punishment. Perhaps this association has made it hard for us to implement self-discipline in our lives. For to do so, may be viewed as punishing ourselves in our minds.

I’m working on changing my view of self-discipline from one of self-punishment to one of self-reward. In order to achieve my goals, as Jesse Owens’ quote points out, I need to practice self-discipline. It is far easier for me to put off writing an article, or to not make a phone call that opens doors to another speaking opportunity. But taking those easy route will get me no closer to achieving my dream of sharing my message with others.

Each time I am tempted to go the easy route by avoiding applying self-discipline in my life, I have to check myself. Why am I avoiding taking action that would help lead to my success? What pain am I avoiding? Is it real? What is the worse that could happen if I take action? What is the worse that would happen; if I don’t? A majority of the time, the answer is self-disciplining myself brings about positive outcomes.

My friends and associates, Check Yourself to ensure that you maintain your journey to success and being a great leader by applying self-discipline. It is  a major key to Living Your Diamond Life, Your Life of Purpose!

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Looking out the window this morning, I saw large black clouds hovering over the landscape. They seemed pregnant with water waiting to burst raindrops upon us. At first, I was discouraged because I had my heart set on an early morning bike ride. This is part of my exercise regime to get my Diamond week off to a great start on Invincible Monday.

Then, I thought: “I’m not going to let some clouds ruin the pleasure of riding my bike and keeping healthy!” I grabbed my helmet and wheeled the bike outside. As I peddled the miles away, I felt the breeze mixed in with a few sprinkles. It was exhilarating. After a forty-minute ride, I headed home with a sense of accomplishment. The clouds didn’t pour out their content on me during the ride.

If I had allowed the first sight of the clouds to deter me from achieving one of my goals this morning, I wouldn’t experience that winning feeling I had from my ride. The lesson for today is to not let perceived obstacles keep you from reaching your goals. Forget the Clouds. Ride through, around or over them! Be determine to come out on the winning side!

Start your week off with an Inspirational Invincible Monday!

Get your copy of Live a Diamond Life, Live a Life of Purpose: Diamond Cutters, today. Find out how my mentors and coaches helped me to be a better person, and how to apply these principles to your life.

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