10 Important Questions to Help Identify High Potential Sales Leaders ppt

10 Important Questions to Help Identify High Potential Sales Leaders

According to research from the Corporate Executive Board, 40% of internal job moves made by
people identified by their companies as "high potentials" end in failure. When hiring sales
leaders, many organizations make the mistake of looking simply at ability when assessing an
employee for a management job. Think of the hot-shot sales rep or the genius software engineer.
It is incredible how often high producing individuals get promoted into management jobs that
require a totally different mindset to be successful.
The reason these people fail often comes down to three critical factors: leadership behaviors,
aspiration and engagement. Aspiration entails whether the candidate really wants the position
and is willing to make the sacrifices it may require. Engagement involves the employee's
commitment to the company and its mission. In focusing on whether an employee potentially can
do a job, many organizations neglect the question, “Does he want to do this?"
Defining the characteristics can be a tricky proposition, particularly with young employees. The
characteristics people develop through training, experience and progress in their activity are not
necessarily apparent from who they are when they start. Moreover, many managers have beliefs
about leadership that look like something out of a movie - loud, aggressive, in-your-face types of
guys.
Organizations should develop sales leadership performance models based on a set of traits and
behaviors associated with success in the company and then measure employees on how well they
do relative to those traits. Organizations need to be sure they are assessing employees not just for
the present but for the future, looking at not only what has made people successful, but also what
is likely to be important and what shortages they have.
The 10 questions below, along with an effective assessment program, will help you more
effectively identify high potential sales managers:
1. Does this person have a proven track record for accomplishing impressive results – not
just meeting expectations?
2. Does this person take charge and make things happen? Or sit back and let things happen
before producing?
3. Does this person inspire confidence in his or her decision making?
4. Can this person lead through persuasion and influence? Can he or she serve as an

effective sounding board to others who are struggling with complex issues?
5. Do others trust this person to lead projects and teams, even though he or she doesn’t have
a leadership title?
6. Does this person have an understanding of how to separate “what” from “how”? An
awareness that establishing the destination before deciding on the mode of transportation
is essential?
7. Can this person keep a global perspective? Are priorities apparent, or does she or he
become mired in the details and tactics?
8. Do obstacles stop this person? Or do they represent challenges, not threats?
9. What success has this person had with multitasking?
10. How do unexpected changes affect this person’s performance?
Source : Profiles International


Visit or for more details