Lead, manage, sell—the basic functions of living
by Miki SaxonThe point I was trying to make yesterday was lost in the example I used to make it, so I want to clarify.
I said that I had identified three universal functions, lead, manage and sell, that people at all levels DO in the course of daily life and asked readers if they agreed and to add others.
Having done this same exercise when working with clients I expected a different response, but as I said, I chose an example that doesn’t work in writing. Generally, communicate is suggested as an added function, but the focus was more often to disagree with lead and sell, since many staffers felt they couldn’t lead, since they weren’t managers, and the non-salespeople, especially engineers, were adamant that they not only didn’t, but couldn’t, sell.
The point is that these three functions have been swathed in enough mystiques that most people believe that they don’t do them, especially lead and sell, when, in fact, they do them daily.
You sell every time you convince someone to do what you want them to do and you lead every time you take the initiative instead of waiting for someone else to do it.
But people seem hesitant to use the language of sales or leadership to describe what they do unless they’re in that profession or already at a certain level in the organization and that holds them back from growing. We humans have a habit of assigning value to acts based, to some degree, on the language used to describe them.
I’m not suggesting that you use this language for bragging efforts, but you should use it inside your head when you’re analyzing what you did. For instance, if you’re an engineer who, after thoroughly researching the subject, presented a compelling argument to your boss for buying a new piece of software or equipment and it was purchased as a result, then you sold it; the same is true when your idea of a place for lunch or the movie to see is chosen-you sold it. Or as a junior member of a team you take the initiative to research something that you think will contribute to the success of the project, even though it’s not your responsibility, then you’re leading. As to managing, most people realize that to get anything done anywhere in their life requires various management skills, but they’re still hesitant to use the language.
On October third I quoted an interview Steve Roesler had with a long-time CEO who was “…quite adamant about building people through experiences and letting them-and the organization-determine their capabilities as a result.” The CEO said, “I realized early on that I didn’t learn anything about leading until I tried to lead something. Only after I examined what had just happened and my part in it did I learn anything. Books and workshops gave me a way to frame what I had learned as well as some language to go with it.”
And that’s what you want to do. Examine what you DO daily, including the little things, to determine when you led or sold or managed and then use the correct language when thinking about or discussing it.
