Grace Under Pressure: The Power of Decency in Leadership By Desiree Grace We’ve lost some great leaders in the electrical industry lately, people of real accomplishment and longevity. But what has me reflecting most is not just what they achieved, but how they did it. What stands out most is their decency . Leadership and decency are not mutually exclusive. You can be both a great leader and a decent human being. One of these leaders took the reins of a company after the founder retired. He grew the business, expanded into new sectors and geographies, and had a profound impact on the industry, the customers, the employees, and the communities where the business operated. He also had a personal impact. He was, as you would expect, highly intelligent. But more than that, he was polite, professional, and decent, with a dry sense of humor. Even in hard times, like during layoffs and pay cuts, he conducted himself with grace and a clear moral compass. Another leader comes to mind—a...

In today’s business landscape, acquisitions and mergers are commonplace, with new partnerships emerging almost weekly. Yet, unlike the fairytale endings we read as children, many of these mergers fall short of a “happily ever after.” Why? While financial and legal due diligence is often meticulously executed, the human element is overlooked. This gap in planning can prevent the successful merging of two organizations.  Key Human Elements in Mergers: Addressing Potential Barriers to Integration Several human factors are  critical to the success of a merger and should be thoroughly evaluated and strategically aligned before formalizing the partnership. Several come to mind, and they can all derail the integration of the individual organizations into a new whole if not thoroughly vetted and a plan put in place to address the inconsistencies. 1. Organizational Culture: Cultural alignment is essential. If the merging organizations’ cultures are incompatible, one party may dominate...

National Boss’s Day – an official holiday since 1958 – falls on the workday closest to October 16 th .  Back in 2015, I proposed the addition of another holiday, National Bring your Boss to Work Day.  With tongue firmly planted in cheek, I outlined why I felt sellers needed to get their bosses out of the office and in front of customers.   This message is even more important today than in the past.   For the enjoyment of our younger readers, we started our message off with a snapshot of an era when dinosaurs ruled the planet – circa 1978. It was the age of leisure suits and wingtips.  Sales offices were richly adorned in thickly shagged carpet and orange metallic furniture.  The computer, fax machine, Internet, smartphone, tablet, and text message were decades away.   The latest bit of sales technology centered on the auto-flip Rolodex.  Times were different; very different.  And to further amuse our younger readers, several ...

We are currently in the process of researching the top sales leadership duties of knowledge-based distributors.  We know that the assortment of responsibilities ranges from the mundane to strategic, with many of the activities divided between several people.  It is also important to note that both the size and the age of the company can change the number of tasks assigned to an individual, regardless of title.  As companies grow, so do the total number of leadership duties. As we sat down to prepare this list, it was quite small.  It has now grown to a lucky 13 list of major categories, which includes the following: 1. Direct Customer Interaction 2. Joint Calls with Team (i.e. coaching calls) 3. Sales (people) management ( i.e. reviews and training) 4. Sales (people) Strategy/Policy and Direction (i.e. number of calls required) 5. Pricing and other price guidelines 6. Analytics (i.e. customers who are profitable) 7. Supplier Relationships 8. Supplier Stra...

Recently, happenstance dealt me a blow. Late one night, I received this quote along with a rather detailed email from a friend who found themselves working for a newly appointed boss: Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power. Not that Abraham Lincoln was a distribution expert, but in this case, he had a great point. Allow me to share a few of the observations from the email and follow-up conversation. The long-term and well-liked company President had finally retired. His successor was unanimously selected by the company leadership and was, by all accounts, a team player with charm and charisma. Under the guidance and tutelage of the former boss, things progressed remarkably well. The leadership team and employees alike felt good about the new president. Then tragedy struck. The former boss, who had served as the Chairman of the Company, was struck with a mighty and fatal illness. The passing was unexpected and quick. Wit...