Ethical Sales Leadership: Purpose (4 of 5)

In the previous posting, I listed some guidelines for leaders and sales teams committed to doing business and selling ethically. Transformational Leadership

As I read these guidelines, I’m thinking, “Easy enough, isn’t it?”

But according to Objective Management Group (OMG), in an assessment of over 500,000 people, the need for approval is the second most powerful and most common weakness affecting the way we do business and how we lead. It’s the belief that we must get approval from the significant people in our lives, including bosses and clients. Shockingly, it affects 45% of us in leadership and sales.

This blind spot has a disastrous impact on our ability to respond wisely and ethically to the myriad of critical leadership decisions. We end up making decisions based on the approval of others versus doing what’s right and earning their respect.

For example, according to author Daryl Green, some of the telltale signs that you are allowing your need for approval to negatively influence your capacity to lead in an ethical way are:

Twisting critical information so people won’t be upset with you
Taking personal credit for group accomplishments
Not focusing on the common good of the organization
Failing to get to the root of a situation for fear that you’ll hear bad news
Fearful of taking personal accountability for the behaviors & results of your teams

Dr. Bill Lawrence of Leader Formation International examines the broad impact of the Need for Approval blind spot on leadership. He writes that this blind spot causes people to forfeit the purpose of the organization for fleeting things like position, people, and peace. Long-term respect is traded for short-term results.

How do you handle your need for approval? Where might it be impacting your purpose, your team’s purpose or your company’s purpose?

And what about those on your teams? Are there situations where they might need strengthening to be more energized by respect than approval?

Sales Growth Question: Where are some other places where the need for approval blind spot might be hiding?

Sales Growth Lesson: Focus on the purpose.