ceo spotlight Turn Groups into Teams
BILL MCDERMOTT
Bill McDermott is CEO of SAP. In this monthly Selling Power magazine column, he shares vital lessons about selling, success, and winning. Each column includes a short video featuring McDermott, so you learn from a role mod- el whose clarity of thought and passion for winning gen- erated extraordinary results. Check out Bill McDermott’s book, Winners Dream: A Journey from Corner Store to Corner Office.
So much of what I’ve learned about leadership is rooted in the lessons my father taught me when he coached the basketball teams I played on as a kid. The greatest lesson has a story. The night of our league’s championship game, my dad turned to me and said, “Bill, I know you love to score, but tonight I need you not to shoot. Just focus on defense.” His instructions confused me. I often scored up to twenty points a game! But Dad continued, “The only thing I need you to do tonight is stop that kid Chase.” Chase was on the other team and the top scorer in the league; plus, he was a good six inches taller than me – a giant compared to my lankier fifth-grade frame. “If Chase doesn’t make a single basket, we win the game,” ex- plained my dad. “Better yet, if he scores fewer than ten points, we win the game. But, if you try to outscore him, we will lose. Bill, tonight, you must sacrifice your own scoring to guard Chase so he doesn’t make any baskets. Can you do that for the team?”
As much as I loved scoring and feeling the adrena- line as the ball swooshed through the hoop, I agreed. I trusted my dad. Plus, as my coach, he’d already instilled in me this philosophy: “Winning is not about how many points one player scores, but about the team winning.” That’s why Dad had us practice passing the ball more than dribbling or shooting. Dad preached selflessness for the good of the group, and that none of us was as talented as all of us. For the rest of that night, I put my ego on hold and fol- lowed my dad’s guidance. In the end, Chase and I scored only four points each, and my team took home the trophy. My father’s philosophy resonated with me long after I left the court and well into my career.
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The idea that teams are about “we” – not “I” – isn’t easy to translate in sales, where it’s easy to feel like a solo prac- titioner, master of your own outcome. For my sales teams and me, however, Dad’s lesson translated into giving what I call discretionary effort on the job.
As a young salesperson, I was determined to be the number-one performer in the region. I worked hard, but took time to help my colleagues. If someone was having a tough day, I offered to help him close a new account. If someone else needed to be jolted out of a slump, I invited him to join me on my calls to boost his energy. It felt good to help my teammates; in turn, they supported me. When I became a sales manager, I found ways to scale this sharing mentality.
First, I defined success: our team would be the best in
our region. We would celebrate individual performance, yes, but reaching a group goal was a higher priority. Second, I identified my four most talented salespeople and anointed them mini-team leaders – each responsible for sharing their special skills with their mini-team. Third, whenever people hit or exceeded their sales goals, I insisted that they spend 10 percent of their time assisting coworkers who were missing their targets. Fourth, I put my own twist on a common sales technique known as “the blitz.” On a designated day, I picked the team member whose sales needed the biggest boost, and we all pounced on his territory. The mass effort generated new leads and business while lifting the blitz recipient’s sales and the team’s performance. No one felt picked on because people knew their blitz day could come. As a group, we gained ground on the sales teams against whom we competed, and all felt more inspired by the generosity shown and received. Turning a group of people into a team requires leaders
who create a foundation of selflessness and generosity. Here are some ideas that may help you: • Define success by collective, not individual, perfor- mance. Do performance measurements pit coworker against coworker or, instead, encourage teammates to help each other toward a shared goal? Do rewards emphasize team achievements, or are only individu- als celebrated? Do you believe that a sense of esprit de corps brings out better performance? Leaders are in a position to define success. The goals you choose will influence behaviors. So, make success not about how many points a single person scores, but about the team winning.
• Remember, none of us is as smart as all of us. Do you believe that – because you’re the boss – you have all the answers? That no one is as wise as you? Are you convinced you’re the team’s only teacher? While you, no doubt, have talent, don’t forget that those you manage also have skills worth sharing. When every
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