The Most Important Activity Every Hour of Every Day#

Of everything a sales manager does, the most consequential is being a role model. You set the example, you set the standards, and you maintain those standards under pressure.

The rule: your salespeople only become better when you become better.

If you want salespeople who are more disciplined, more organized, and more punctual, you must raise the bar on yourself first.

The Day You Became a Manager, Your World Changed#

Before becoming a manager, you were part of the sales team — talking, socializing, identifying with peers. The moment you accepted the manager title, several things changed at once:

• Your primary loyalty is no longer to coworkers — it is to the managers and bosses who entrusted you with the role.
• Everyone is watching. Every glance, frown, or expressed opinion travels fast across the team.
• Nothing you do is neutral anymore. Every action and behavior — from the moment you walk in to the moment you leave — either raises or lowers the team’s motivation and loyalty.
• You now control their paychecks and futures. They are watching accordingly.

One of the marks of superior managers is awareness of how their own words and behaviors land on others. Failing to internalize this — and acting as if you are still “just one of the team” — is a common rookie trap.

The Three Timeless Questions#

To become a better role model, ask three questions in sequence:

1. What kind of country would my country be if everyone in it was just like me?#

A useful test for civic and personal integrity.

2. What kind of family would my family be if everyone in it was just like me?#

Honest answers reshape how you parent, partner, and live at home.

3. What kind of company would my company be if everyone in it was just like me?#

If you are honest, there is always room for improvement. Sometimes changing one key behavior can make a big difference in the performance of your sales team.

Identify One Characteristic to Change#

A top management coach to Fortune 1,000 executives found a recurring pattern: when the CEO or board hires him to fix a high-performing-but-problematic executive, the issue almost always reduces to one or two personality characteristics interfering with productivity. His coaching process focuses on developing or unlearning those one or two qualities over twelve months — and the impact on results is dramatic.

You cannot easily change your basic personality. But developing or unlearning a single quality can be enough to dramatically improve your effectiveness.

Ask for Input and Feedback#

If you do not know which behaviors to change, you need the courage to ask.

• Ask your key staff: “Is there anything I should start doing or stop doing that would make me a better sales manager?”
• Ask your spouse or children: “Is there anything I could do more of or less of to be a better family member?”

You will often be amazed at the answers — and what you do with them can transform your future.

Apply the Mirror Test to Your Own Habits#

Walk through these prompts honestly:

• How would your team perform if everyone managed time the way you do?
• How would they plan their days if they planned days the way you do?
• How would they interact with others if they treated colleagues the way you do?
• What would their habits of learning, punctuality, follow-up, and follow-through look like if cloned from yours?

If any answer makes you wince, that is your starting point.

Pick One Behavior to Change#

Don’t try to overhaul everything at once. Instead, pick one new habit to develop or one negative habit to remove.

One of the most negative behaviors in research on executives: interrupting continually when others are speaking.

When such managers run meetings, they cut people off mid-sentence. Fewer and fewer people speak. The executives end up monologuing, asking if there are any further questions, then closing — and wonder why they are unaware of what is really happening.

The fix is mundane and powerful:

• Ask good questions.
• Listen attentively.
• Make tentative suggestions.

These three habits alone can dramatically lift your effectiveness and the team’s performance.

Make Haste Slowly#

Shakespeare: “Make haste slowly.”

Lock in one new managerial habit at a time, even if it takes several months. If you develop just one or two genuinely good behaviors per year, the cumulative compounding effect over a career is transformational.

Action Exercises#

1. Ask one trusted person at work: “Is there anything I could do more of or less of that would make me a better sales manager?”
2. Pick one behavior to change or one habit to develop. Work on it persistently until it is locked in. Then pick the next.