True Leadership: A Lifelong Expedition
True leadership requires great vision. Our North Texas Sales Manager wraps up the year with a final word on his journey to discover the meaning of true leadership and gives us a glimpse into the months ahead.
This year, I embarked on an expedition to find the true meaning of leadership. 2017 was incredible—full of growth, learning, and success for me and my district. As we started the year, the bar was set very high for the North Texas team and despite the standards being raised, my team exceeded all expectations of what we hoped to accomplish in 2017.
The success of my team throughout the past twelve months made my leadership journey one I will never forget. Despite kicking off 2017 just seven months after the Gladwin acquisition, our team quickly formed an inseparable bond. We surpassed all our key growth goals—a true testimony to our strong sales team and passionate technicians in the market.
Every time I meet with the rest of the team members in our region, I am amazed by the them and realize I still have so much left to learn. Reflecting on the themes of the year, I don’t think I could have summarized it into one phrase until recently at a regional meeting.
At the meeting, I had the opportunity to spend one-on-one time with our Vice President/General Manager Michelle and hear about her vision for the region. Her passion was inspiring and will be an important influence for my district’s plan going into the new year.
During our conversation, Michelle asked me an interesting question: “What are you most proud of about 2017?”
I am most proud of the culture we have created in our district. My team’s “hearts beat as one” when it comes to taking care of each other. We make decisions based on the needs of the team, not by reaction, and by keeping everything in perspective. This culture shift has been a major key to our success this year.
In a presentation at the meeting, one team member said, “Only with a team facing the same direction with a common set of goals clearly defined, could you lead a team in success.” This phrase summarized our year and put the transition that took place for us during 2017 into perspective and set a standard to make sure my team is facing the same direction to continue success into 2018.
Looking ahead with great enthusiasm, my district is ready to launch into the new year and get stronger as we continue to build our team. As always, retention and growth, along with focus on key product lines will be at the top of our list of things we need to accomplish next year.
After spending 2017 searching for the true meaning of leadership, I truly believe great leadership is a lifelong journey. It is something that not only changes me and my role as a Sales Manager, but also changes me personally and impacts the lives of our team along the way. My team will continue to “see through the eyes of a lion”, spotting success, then going out to attack our goals. We are ready to send up a roar of success in 2018.