From the time our cave-dwelling ancestors relied on each other to fight off sabretooth tigers, collaboration during tough times has been critical.
Through wars, terrorism, and economic crises, the power of working together, and of a shared mindset, has seen us through. But as sales leaders, it can be tough to turn to those around us. Often, the people most familiar with what we face work for our competitors. Simply by our nature, the pressures of competition, and the need to protect proprietary information, sales leaders have chosen to live on islands – islands that, given the current state of affairs, can seem even more lonely and isolating.
However, today, as you grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s never been more important to seek solace from peers who truly know what it is like to fill your shoes. That’s because the challenges we are facing are more universal than ever – and traversing through the darkness, and back into the light, will require a reliance on the time-tested power of collaboration like never before.
So can you beat back the tigers nipping at your heels by huddling with your peers and helping to lift each other?
You must!
Here’s why collaboration is vital for sales leaders in the era of COVID-19:
Connectivity: It’s a fundamental fact – with changes happening in the marketplace almost instantaneously, it’s easy to feel off-balance. As leaders, we rely on the instinct of being in control. But, the fact of the matter is, we never really were “IN” control – we just had enough history of observing patterns and acting upon those patterns to achieve desired results.
Well, this virus has completely upended all of our previously well-understood patterns. As a result, many sales executives are forced to acknowledge the truth – we really aren’t in control. That can be incredibly scary and off-putting. This is why participation in a community of like-minded people – who are all struggling to find context in the chaos – can be incredibly valuable, and grounding, when all order is out of order. Relying upon colleagues – particularly those experiencing the same things you are – can be incredibly helpful in getting through.
I often consider a Japanese proverb, which says, essentially, “none of us are on our own, are as smart as all of us together.” In these times, this has never been more true.
Preparing for the Future: Let’s take a trip back in time, when life was good – only a mere six weeks ago! In regular meetings of my own executive networking peer group, I found immense value in the fact that, if I were to experience a challenge at a particular point in time, each member of the group would have a perspective that ultimately provided immense value to me: Again, none of on our own, are as smart as all of us together!
Today, we are certain of one thing, and one thing only – the pandemic will eventually ebb, and we will have to be ready to face a changed marketplace. As we make our way through to whatever the New Normal looks like, the more heads we have working together, the better. The opportunity to bond with a peer group right now will forge battle-tested connections – seriously powerful relationships that will help us all get through to the other side of the crisis, in a beneficial way.
That’s why I’m pleased to share that my colleagues at The Brooks Group have recognized this need to collaborate and plan, and responded by developing and launching The Brooks Sales Leadership Forum, a weekly series of facilitated, live, virtual executive management sessions that serve as a war room for like-minded sales leaders who, like you, are seeking honest, personal connections.
Designed to foster collaboration, communication, and real-time problem solving that sales executives can employ right now to move their business forward, The Brooks Sales Leadership Forum will help you create your own battle plan to employ during, and after, the pandemic.
I’m happy to invite you to experience The Brooks Sales Leadership Forum, with my compliments, throughout the month of April.
Look, we, as humans, have always been social animals – no matter what the crisis, including the fate of our cave-dwelling ancestors. Finding an environment in which to be honest, vulnerable, and safe may be the best way you can gain at least a modicum of control, in times where little is in our grasp.
