Lessons From Your Favorite Street
Every morning my daughter comes up to me with the remote control and says Elmo, Elmo, Elmo. this is an 18-month-old language, meaning she wants to watch Sesame Street. (Yes, I turn it on every time for her. Call me a bad Dad if you want, really I am a pushover for her.
I found myself caught up in an episode the other day. The characters were trying to figure out how tall Big Bird was, and they were measuring him with blocks. They ran out of blocks and were distraught. The adult on the show said, “What do we do when we have a problem?”
All of the characters responded in unison: “I wonder, what if, let’s try.”
I couldn’t believe how genius that was. My wife couldn’t believe I had never heard that on the show before. And it got me thinking about how it related to sales and everyday life.
What Kind of Team Do You Have?
Person A:
People who come to you with all of their problems, expecting you to fix them.
Person B:
People who come to you with issues they and the team have, and a solution to fix it.
What Kind of Manager Are You?
Person A:
When someone comes to you with an idea, you don’t think anything of it because you didn’t come up with it.
Person B:
You listen, talk it out and implement it to see if it can help the problem. In other words- “I wonder, what if, let’s try.”
What Kind of Manager Are You?
I have been in all of the categories above. I would approach managers with problems before thinking through solutions. I would laugh at suggestions people had early in my career because how could they possibly have a better idea than me?
It took me a while to realize this was hurting me as a leader.
As time went on, I realized that it made for a better culture to listen and understand people’s problems and solutions. One of my biggest tips as a sales leader is to recognize strong ideas both privately and in front of others. Making your team members feel confident builds a stronger team.
Take a lesson from Sesame Street, implement this into your sales culture, and watch your team grow! Want to discuss how to apply this to your business? Contact me today for a free 30 minute consultation, where I will provide real life tips and tricks.
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