TheBottomlineNow

Business leadership often focuses on the strategy of the business. Working on the business, not in it. While owners and managers need to set a strategic course, it doesn’t excuse them from knowing how the strategy is executed.
In fact, not having a firm grasp on business execution is one of the most common leader deficiencies. This is largely apparent in the sales force. Many owners and managers had to prove their ability to develop business before taking on a leadership role. However, once they become leaders they largely disengage from a sales role. They make demands to hit numbers, but don’t actively participate in the business development process. Best-of-class business leaders are engaged with the sales force and have a clear understanding of how business development is executed.
If you’ve ever watched an episode of “Undercover Boss,” you understand how important it is to return to the trenches in business. The premise of the show is that the CEO of a major corporation disguises himself as a job candidate and returns to the field to do various jobs within the company to learn firsthand what’s really going on.
In one respect, the CEO discovers how great the people are, how hard they work, and the challenges they face in their daily lives. But that same CEO also gains a new perspective on all the little things that aren’t working well in the company.
To really learn what’s happening in the business, leaders must experience the good and the bad within the business. This rule isn’t only for major corporations. Sales reports and feedback given to owners and managers is often censored. While disguising and inserting yourself is an extreme best left to television, leaders can ingrain themselves in the execution of the sales team. Make sure you have direct access to the sales activity-reporting tool and use it. In this way, you can compile data on what is actually happening rather than having it filtered through others

Salespeople expect the CEO to understand their role, including its daily challenges. After all, salespeople create growth for the company. If the CEO doesn’t know or understand what the sales force is facing, how can he or she check to see if the team can execute to the vision for the company?

CEOs of medium and large businesses generally shift their role from producing (sales) for the business to strategy and operations. As a result, they can lose insight into their sales force and therefore, how revenue is generated. This encourages some salespeople to believe they know the business better than the owner or manager. This has two potential consequences: they either leave the company for a “better” opportunity or stay and begin hoarding account relationships while ignoring company directives and strategy.

Obviously, setting a strategy is part of the job, but firmly understanding how that strategy is executed is just as important. When leaders know how a strategy is executed, they will be in a position to make an objective analysis that helps with future strategic decisions.

It also gives them a firm grasp on the company because they clearly understand how the sales force operates and how revenue is generate