Sales is exciting, though exhausting, as a business function. Becoming a Sales Leader takes Field experience, management savvy, strategic thinking and smart decision making. As I observe Sales Leaders across the globe, I am discovering that there are multiple possibilities and perspectives that they can leverage to become well-rounded Sales Leaders. While I focus this article on the Sales function, you would notice that these perspectives are still relevant for leaders in other disciplines as well.
Allow me to share six perspectives of the next generation Sales Leader – I have generously adopted and adapted these perspectives from the works of well-renowned author, Philippe Rosinski. In this article, I will cover the Physical Perspective, while the other perspectives will be covered in the subsequent weeks – these are the managerial, psychological, cultural, political and spiritual perspectives.
“It is a sin to sacrifice health for any other form of happiness” – the biggest opportunity for Sales leaders, is for them to invest into being at their physical best. I have seen many sales leaders sacrifice their health at the altar of commitment – they wrongly interpret, that their commitment to their jobs come first, and push their bodies through unnatural pressures to showcase their commitment – smoking, drinking, working late hours, sacrificing sleep, caffeine addiction are all fuel for their commitment. It is only when heart attack strikes that they realize their immense personal cost and loss – ironically, their organization has already left them behind, and has moved on with their new fearless leader.
Can you get smarter? – Of course, you can!! Change happens twice – once in your head, and the next in reality. The first switch that you need to throw in your head is the fact that your physical health is not a choice, but a necessity. It should like your values – unshaken and uncompromised. Once that first switch is thrown, the next one to throw is to move from shallow, lazy thinking about fitness to simple, sophisticated and comprehensive ways of achieving your physical best. “Let me add more fruits and vegetables to my diet”; “I will cycle for 15 minutes, three times a week”; “whenever I get some time, I will go for a run” – are all examples of lazy thinking – while they may sound like some activity, they are not enough.
Your approach to your physical best should include your awareness and choices around food/diet/nutrition, and around your fitness. Your fitness should be thought through the multiple, interconnected dimensions of strength, endurance, flexibility, breath and balance. Research has shown that your physical fitness has a tremendous impact on your energy, cognitive skills and job output. Personally, I have observed that the practice of Yoga covers all elements of fitness – you would need to discover your own physical panacea.
The biggest chasm for human progress is the chasm between awareness and action – most of you would be aware of the need for your physical well-being; sadly, very few of us take action. If our bodies are the only elements that stay with us for life, let us take the first step to shape it up, so that it serves us well, for the multiple decades that we have left.
The physical perspective is just not about discovering your physical best – as a Leader, you need to coach others to discover their physical best as well. Some of the questions I ask my coachees are:
- How would you describe yourself at your physical best?
- If you were at your physical best, how much more can you achieve?
- How would you articulate the gap to your physical best?
- How would you resolve your choices that prevent you from getting to be at your best?
- If your Leadership Team is at their physical best, how much more can all of you achieve?
It is my hope that this article has kindled in you the need and necessity for you to discover and achieve your physical best. Build your own awareness, take control of your choices, and live to be your best – you owe it to yourself; more importantly, to the others who depend on you. Let your physical best transform the world around you!!
