All issues of Vision Research Briefing[1]
Sales signals 2010
2nd report - June
Salespeople spent 2009 on the frontlines of a battle for business. In Autumn, Krauthammer, with the Groupe ESC Clermont Graduate School of Management, asked them – in depth - about their experiences.
In 2010, we will publish the results - four reports into ‘the state of sales’.
In this second report, we ask:
- What behaviour do salespeople believe is necessary to move from the quick win to sustainable performance?
- To what extent do their views diverge from what thousands of observations have led us to conclude are ‘exemplary?
- And crucially, what standards do their managers encourage?
Read the summary or download the full report (PDF file).
Go to the first report
[1] Vision Research Briefing is a Krauthammer publication. Three times per year, we perform research into trends which capture the interest of our market. One of the issues is 'Krauthammer Observatory' an annual survey exploring employee expectations and experiences of management behaviour. The research - and the insights we present - are now continuously exposed to the press.
*To open the documents in pdf, Adobe Acrobat Reader must be installed on your computer. If you do not have it, click on the icon below and download it for free.
How do you become a 'born' manager?
We all know ‘born managers’ – people who, apparently effortlessly, facilitate us. Who seem stress-resistent yet dynamic and inspired. We also know how rare they are, and how difficult it is to put a finger on exactly how they do it.
Krauthammer Observatory is an annual research project. It makes the innate talent of so-called ‘born managers’ explicit – and replicable. You can find its topline findings below.
[1] Topline findings
2 burning platforms
For 3 years, we have been asking employees about the behaviour they seek and experience from their managers. And each year, 2 practices rank top of the list – in this order:
- 1. Help me see things differently, say 95% of employees.
- If they have difficulties in executing a task, their manager should analyse the problem together with them, helping them to look at it in a new light.
Obvious? Apparently not, since only 52% of managers generally take this approach. 25% make their own analysis and then present it to the employee for agreement. 12% dictate a course of action without any prior analysis or consultation, and 8% simply demand an immediate solution.
If one thing is in surplus in the current climate, it is task difficulty. And if only half of employees are getting constructive help, the quality and speed of their solutions, and possible feelings of isolation in a time when teaming up is vital, constitute a powerful call for change. -
- 2. Own up, say 88% of employees.
- If a manager has made a mistake, s/he should accept full responsibility – spontaneously.
Undeniable, especially now? Yet only 43% of employees – surveyed in May 2009 - say their manager spontaneously accepts full responsibility for mistakes. 22% of managers prefer to admit the “mistake has been made” – without assuming responsibility. 26% dismiss the importance of the mistake or justify themselves. And 7% shift the blame onto others.
Admitting mistakes is like a trip to the dentist. Act regularly and early, to avoid later loss of teeth, extensive repair work, and bills you find it difficult to pay. We trust the business analogy is crashingly obvious...
[2] About the Observatory project
If you are familiar with Krauthammer’s research - and especially if you are one of the highly-valued people who took the time to respond - you will know that Krauthammer Observatory is an annual exercise, conducted consistently over the past 3 years. We have been adjusting and refining en route, on the basis of what the statistics tell us. How easy do respondents find it to answer? Do we share our image regarding ‘exemplary’ behaviour? What patterns lie beneath?
Every year we move further towards our goal – an insightful - yet pragmatic model. One which will guide line managers day to day.
[3] To access the full report
To open the full report, please click here.
If you responded to the survey, and did NOT ask to be unsubscribed, you will automatically receive a copy – with our sincere thanks.
Scope
Krauthammer Observatory deals with pragmatic, observable behaviour. Behaviour which you as a business professional can recognise, identify with and practice.
Our focus is the direct relationship between manager and employee. How the manager regulates his or her own behaviour and the organisation’s ethics. How s/he considers the employee’s emotional needs and development. And how s/he secures the operational delivery of the employee.
27 areas are examined. Each is expressed as 4 questions, 4 levels of behaviour. From exemplary, to operational, penalising and finally, disqualifying. For each, employees are asked what behaviour they seek from their manager and what they generally experience.
Even if you do not manage people, use these indicators to constructively express your needs to your manager, and improve your relationships with other stakeholders.
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*To open the documents in pdf, Adobe Acrobat Reader must be installed on your computer. If you do not have it, click on the icon below and download it for free.
