Before we discuss how to lead others, it's important to recognize that leadership begins with leading yourself. This concept, often called "self-leadership," is fundamental in sales, where individual performance is directly tied to success. As a sales professional, you’re responsible for managing your own time, priorities, and goals. You are also responsible for responding to challenges and setbacks.
In The Four Pillars of Sales, I introduced Honesty, Integrity, Knowledge, and Genuine Interest in people as the pillars that drove a successful sales career. The truth is those pillars also shape our lives, who we are, and who we are yet to become. The parallels for success within the pillars are the same in life and leadership. You must be honest with yourself if you are going to be truly honest with other people. Integrity is more than just doing the right thing when no one is looking; it embodies how you live your life, and in life, just as in leadership, becoming a lifelong learner through the constant search for knowledge will set you apart from anyone who merely lets their books gather dust on the shelves, or do not possess the desire to ask questions.
Before you can lead others, however, you must focus on yourself! The most successful salespeople practice self-leadership in three key ways:
1. Discipline: Sales is often a high-pressure environment with abundant distractions. Leaders know how to stay focused on the activities that drive results, even when the road gets tough. This requires discipline in managing time, focusing on high-value tasks, and sticking to the plan despite obstacles.
2. Accountability: Accountability is one of the most crucial aspects of self-leadership. It means taking ownership of both successes and failures. Great sales leaders don’t look for excuses or place blame; they evaluate what went wrong, learn from it, and move forward stronger.
3. Resilience: In sales, rejection is a given. Not every lead turns into a sale, and not every pitch is successful. Resilience—the ability to bounce back from failure—separates those who give up from those who become leaders. A true sales leader can look at a lost deal not as a defeat but as a learning opportunity.
By mastering these aspects of self-leadership, sales professionals position themselves to achieve their own goals and inspire and influence those around them. When your actions consistently demonstrate discipline, accountability, and resilience, others naturally look to you as a leader, regardless of your title.
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