Leadership & sales management skills involve understanding the mechanics of group dynamics and influencing groups (which is different from influencing individuals).

"We don't recruit to make it work. We recruit because it works." -Michael Thomas
"Go Wide, Field Train and Develop Productive Advisors." -Michael Thomas
"I would rather earn 1% of the efforts of 100 people, than earn 100% of the efforts of one person."
"Would you like to build a dual passive income? We've built a mature override system on top of the finest residual product: securities".
"No one man does anything by himself, it takes a bunch of passionate, hard working, smart people." -Dana White, President of the UFC
Our guiding Management Philosophy can be summed up in three words: Pushing Up People.

What Type of Business do you Want?¶

1: Do you want to sell the french fries or own the franchise? Do you want want to be the stallion or do you want to own the stable?¶

2: Do you want to sell financial services Amway-style?¶

3: Do you want to become a professional Financial Advisor and then build a strong team of professional advisors?"¶

Cash-Flow Quadrant¶

This section is based upon the book Cashflow Quadrant book by Robert T. Kiyosaki.

Watch Cashflow Quadrant VIDEO

Employee¶

Has a job: Income based upon position not the person.
Employer dictates all aspects of employment.
Trading time for money. Can't have both at the same time.

Self-Employed¶

Owns a job: Dentist, doctor, lawyer, hair stylist, real estate agent, sales person.
Is own boss, some tax benefits.
Trading time for money.
No true freedom.

Business Owner¶

Owns a system: Has others working for him/her, marketing, manufacturing, etc.
Unlimited income potential.
Greater Freedom and Security.
Separates income from effort. Earns Income while away from the business.

Investor¶

Has money working for him/her.
Enjoys complete freedom and lives the dream.

Sales vs Sales Management¶

Sales Person / Advisor¶

Highest income per sale, but little security.

Earn commissions.
Self-employed
This is where you have the most control, and the most "output" relative to your "input".
Advisors in this state-of-mind are focused on their commission %, and how to sell easy and fast.
High immediate income, but very little long-term security.
If you stay at this stage you will be doomed to chasing sales. Always looking for next sale.
Limited to personal ability and time.
Solo, follower.
Change people’s finances.
Small income.

Sales Management¶

Earn less per sale, but on many more sales.

Earns overrides, passive income.
Self-running business.
Your income is based upon how well the Advisors whom you've trained perform.
Less immediate income, but you diversify your income over many Advisors.
You give up some control, but ironically, have more income and more security. Consistent Income. Total freedom & security
You must want your Team to win, not just yourself.
Unlimited expansion, simultaneous production.
Leader of people.
Change people’s lives.
Big income.

The Profit Percentage¶

Commission Rate + Override Rate = Profit Percentage <--- This is your most important metric

Watch Why Build an Override Business (Profit Percentage) VIDEO

Why Build AUM (Advisors Under Management)?¶

Watch Why Build AUM (Advisors Under Management) VIDEO

It's the common denominator to all big income earners.
It's the fastest way to build a passive and residual income. Trails take much longer. Plus, you get to override the passive income of your team mates!
It's the only way to earn overrides! Stabilizes your income via diversification; less stress and more security.
True security. “Pistons of a car engine.”
No one (else) "runs" you or your business - no matter how “big” they are.
No "leg" should be more than 50% of your hierarchy.
Help Advisors build their careers (example: 3 earn $100k; 8 earn $50k).
Big income potential because it is scalable and not limited by "time".
Override-income increases your free time and thus freedom, and your work load decreases.
Builds a Business that Works Instead of You.
Win every trip, every contest, every promotion, and gets lots of recognition.
Solves most of your business problems. People problems, credibility problems, leadership problems, “my-people-don't-listen-to-me-anymore problems” etc.
Most importantly it gives you "hope". Every Advisor you have, is another active "lottery" ticket!

Making the Transition to a Passive & Override Income¶

Watch Transition to a Passive & Residual Income VIDEO

Disclosures¶

This training module covers both residual and passive income. If you are not currently developing advisors this doesn't apply to you.
The suggestions given in this post are very general. There are numerous circumstances and situations where you would deviate from these recommendations. That's fine.
Always do what's best for the client. This supersedes all other considerations.

Two Sources¶

"Passive" and "residual" income comes from two different sources:

Residual: securities monthly drafts, 12-1 fees, variable annuity trails, c-shares, fee-based etc. It means getting paid over and over again for working one time.
Passive: overrides from your Advisors.

Two Dilemmas¶

Two dilemmas in building a passive and residual income:

Writing your securities business with more trails means less up-front income, and a possible delay in promotions, contests and recognition (watch & ring).
Hiring and training Advisors takes time and energy away from personal production, and vice versa.

Two Axioms to Consider in your Transition¶

Increase your securities commission level quickly (meaning, you write more "up-front" business than "residual").
You'll earn more income on your personal production going forward.
You'll create a healthy spread between you and your Advisors.
In recruiting, training and management, it is valuable to "make a name for yourself" and build credibility. Examples:
1. Winning contests .
2. Breaking records.
3. Creating a legacy and history you can refer to when recruiting and training.

Transition: Phase One¶

Focus primarily on personal production and building your client base. But still personally recruit steadily.
Write most of your mutual funds as a-shares, and your variable annuities with the most upfront commission. Do this until you have earned:
the 50% securities levels (or higher).
the Watch (or the Ring).

Transition: Phase Two¶

You have at least a 50% securities commission rate, a healthy spread between you and those you're training.
Focus largely on hiring and training Advisors.

Consider writing some/most of your mutual funds as c-shares, and some/most of your variable annuities higher-trails payout.

Transition: Phase Three¶

You are are at least at a 60% securities contract
Focus primarily (maybe exclusively) on hiring and training Advisors. You are building long-term override/passive income.
The only time your code number goes on business is when field training an Advisor or the occasional referral.

You write all of your mutual funds as c-shares, and your variable annuities higher-trails payout.

Six Mindsets to Building a Salesforce¶

Distribution Center
Think of each productive Advisor as an "outlet" such as a franchise, or a distribution point, such as a vending machine.
Principles of Growth
Law of Averages. Not everyone will be a superstar; nor will everyone you recruit stay on your team forever. Law of Averages only work in the LONG TERM. When you begin your recruiting journey your ratios will be low. Your ratios will come back as your base shop matures, usually in six to 12 months.
Law of Large Numbers. By learning to use the Law of Large Numbers, you can overcome the Law of Averages.
New Blood
Realize that you can only get so much out of the people you have. You can't change 'em.
Most people have found their place in the basehsop. Only they can change themselves. NOT you.
Instead of trying to motivate your people, go recruit motivated people and put them in our system.
The only way you an get to the next level is to recruit more people.
Reward Recruiting
What Gets Rewarded, Gets Done.
What are your recognizing? Your people won't recruit if that is not what you are rewarding.
It must become part of your “Team's Culture”.
Once you start your recruiting blitz, it must be talked about constantly. It can't be a temporary fix. Never let up. It's all about momentum.
Lead By Example
Go Wide & Field Train.
You should either be field training a stud, or in hot pursuit of a stud.
Focus on 2 - 5 new directs to find the stud (one month). When you find your stud, “move in with him and WORK”.
Nothing fires up your baseshop like a new stud! One of only two external things that can motivate your team is a NEW STUD.
Manage Activity
Manage Your Team's Activity, not their Results.
Track and manage activity, reward results.
Specifically, track and recognize six “activities”:
Client Conversations .
Monday Kick-Off Meeting Guests.
Recruiting Interviews.
Dinner Seminar Guests.
Any close or recruit.
Full-Timers should have 10 activities per week.

Train or Pursue (Go Wide & Field Train)¶

Watch Train or Pursue VIDEO

"Go wide" by consistently hiring new directs. Though it is possible for a company or culture to become a "mass recuiting, multi-level marketing machine (bad)", it is very difficult for any one person to have too many direct Advisors.
Field train them until they're fully-licensed, independent, and making money (at a minimum are paying their securities fees via residual income)..
Though "recruiting" is not a requirement for your Advisors, from your perspective keep the two following tips in mind:
A recruit is not a recruit until he has a recruit.
A leg is not "locked" until it is four deep. Always go "deep" before going "wide" (even better, do both!).
They have the most impact on your business. You usually have the highest "spread" via your directs.
You have the most influence over your directs.
Work hard to find the next "Hero" of your business. It may be your next recruit, or it may be the 10^th. Work with the "average" ones, while prospecting for the Champion.
Never have more than 50% of hierarchy come from one leg (or better yet 33%).
It is easier to run a large team, than a small one.
Your "people problems" are in inverse proportion to the number of people on your team. The larger the team, the less problems; the smaller the team, the more problems.
You will solve almost every problem... people problems, production problems, motivation problems... with MORE GREENIES!
There is tremendous security and stability in large numbers. Your business becomes predictable.
A small team makes a good leader look worse than he/she really is. A large team makes a leader look better than he/she really is.
"One is too small a number to achieve greatness."

You should either be training a Champion or in hot pursuit of a Champion.

Directs & Depth¶

Directs = profitability, more producers with a higher spread. Width allows you to "control" your team. If you are "narrow" then your team controls you!
Depth = security, lock-in your directs. Four deep is true security.
You can go deep only after you go wide. "You can't have grandchildren without children."
You can control the planter but not the plant. So go plant!
Get lots of directs fast. Super Builder = 25 Directs in 12 months.

Taprooting¶

Taprooting is from the plant world. In relation to our business, it refers to two things:

Managing that team from the "bottom up".
Building a Team of Advisors "deep" until you find a Leader.

Create a Surge¶

Sometimes, to get your business to the next level you need to create a surge. This is a series of massive activities that is beyond your "normal" level of performance.
The idea is to collapse time-frames, and accomplish in a short time what usually requires a longer time.
A surge should last from one week to four weeks. Anything less than a week is just a "quick sprint", and a high intensity level of over a month is by definition not a surge.
During this period of high intensity and focus you should keep tabs on your Advisors on regular basis. Do this twice as often as you regularly do (or even more frequently). Give yourself permission to be a little more intense and inquisitive about their activity. However, when the surge is over, make sure to reel back the intensity and return to "business as usual".

Recognition¶

It doesn’t take a lot of money to recognize people…a little goes a long way.
“I CAN GO 2 MONTHS ON A GOOD COMPLIMENT” -Mark Twain
“THE ONLY THING BETTER THAN SEX AND MONEY IS PRAISE AND RECOGNITION” -Mary Kay
"MAKE ME FEEL SPECIAL... MAKE ME FEEL IMPORTANT… MAKE ME FEEL LIKE A STUD…" -Art Williams
Start every meeting with praising the Team.

"The best investment you'll ever make is in people." -Bob Turley

What Gets Rewarded, Gets Done

Develop a consistent recognition program for your baseshop.

Recognition only works if it is consistent. You should do it at every meeting.

Your people have to know that when they do something they will be recognized…..without exception!

Contests¶

Train habits of activity by having short contets, even weekly.
Run All-Can-Win Contests.
Top Producer award.
Break a Team Base Shop Record.

Recognition¶

Friendly competition in a humble spirit.
When the team loses, its YOUR fault. When the team wins, GIVE ALL the credit.
Recognize producers at EVERY meeting.
Thank You Notes.
Google+ posts whenever anyone produces.
Have an updated Leaders Board (Google Spreadsheet).
Build-up Uplines in front of their downlines & clients.

Bask People With Your Light¶

Have a goal of raising people's self-esteem when they are around you. They should feel better about themselves after they talk with you, than before.
When they have a bad appointment, always delay giving advice until the next day. Instead, make them feel good about what they did do.
Be a magnet. Have a goal of getting people like you and trust you.
Like a cat that moves around the house to follow the sun's warm touch, you must emit a glow that basks your people and keeps them calm, warm and comfortable.
Don't treat people equally, treat them fairly. Broadcast your energy to those who deserve it, not those who need or want it.
Always be positive. Always, always, always. Be consistent. Be emotionally stable. Be the same all the time - predictable.
Don’t gossip and belittle yourself. "Those that gossip to you, gossip about you."
Don’t say anything bad about a teammate. Take the negatives up, and positive down!
Don’t dump any crap on your team. Everything either affects people positively or negatively. If you don’t like something, take it up rather than down!
Never, never, never criticize in public. Praise in public, criticize in private.
Sometimes, you need to promote someone bigger than yourself. Bring in "bigger" leaders. "You can't be a prophet in your own land."
Make things fun! Get good speakers. Make things light, learn a few jokes!
Never be a dictator. Don't ever become unapproachable. Always give credit, publicly, for their ideas. The team must want to follow your system.

Build People, Not Income¶

You win with people. Not systems, products or image.
If you want to build a residual income from a large hierarchy, your focus must be on your Advisors, not on your short-term income (within reason).
Let the "people-first" principle be the basis of all your business decisions.
Focus on their success, not yours.
Spend time, energy, resources, even money to help them and push them up. Give to your people and invest in them.
Resist "splitting" sales when Field Training, unless absolutely necessary.
Give away recruits and sales; if justifiable and defensible (don't "give away the farm").
Give up recognition.
Sometimes help them with licensing, attending events etc.
If in doubt, error in their favor, not yours.
Don't "hold people back" for promotions - better to promote 10 minutes too soon, than one minute too late.
Have the courage to be a "strong" coach, even if it makes you unpopular in the short-term.
This is the price for leadership. Do this and your success while come in time, and be much sweeter for it.
People will pay a big price to work for themselves and not have a boss.
Build personal relationships with people. Get to know spouse and kids.
Look for good quality people. People that have good values.

Give, Give, Give and Build it From the Bottom-Up¶

Remember, as a leader you want to give, give, give, give - this applies more to recognition than money. If your team wins, they did it; if the team loses, it's your fault.
Very rarely take credit for any downline sales/recruits - it's always, "they did it all!!!". I encourage you to consider the same, though it will take away from your recognition! Welcome to leadership.
One other caveat to this philosophy is that to someone looking from the outside it will appear that you're not producing a lot of revenue personally, because they don't "see" leader's involvement by looking at the Leader's Board.
Give, give, give (but don't "give away").
Be patient with others, but impatient with yourself.

You Can't Motivate People¶

So what can you do? Four things:

Remind them of their goals. Draw them a visual how what their business will look like in their future.
Sell them on their self-efficacy (ability) to reach those goals (or learn how). Raise their self-esteem and their belief in themselves. Be specific, don't just give them generica platitudes.
Constantly keep them going for something. Challenge them (see below). Put targets in their "view finder"
Promotions
Financial Advisor Curriculum.
[High-Performance Professional Levels
Contests.
[Income awards]

Give them examples of other Advisors' success, and encourage healthy competition with their peers. [Leader's Board] and recognition in the TH Community.

Throw down a challenge¶

Charles Schwab, president of U.S. Steel and the highest-paid executive of his time, understood how to motivate men. When one of his mills wasn't producing its quota, he went to the mill manager and addressed him personally:

"How is it, that a man as capable as you can't make this mill turn out what it should?"

"I don't know." the man replied, "I've coaxed the men; I've pushed them; I've sworn and cussed; I've threatened them with damnation and being fired. But nothing works. They just won't produce."

"Give me a piece of chalk," Schwab said. Then, turning to the nearest man: "How many heats did your shift make today?"

"Six."

Without another word, Schwab chalked a big figure six on the floor, and walked away. When the night shift came in, they saw the '6' and asked what it meant. 'The big boss was in here today,' the day men said. 'He asked us how many heats we made, and we told him six. He chalked it on the floor.'

The next morning Schwab walked through the mill again. The night shift had rubbed out '6,' and replaced it with a big '7.'

When the day shift reported for work the next morning, they saw a big '7' chalked on the floor. So the night shift thought they were better than the day shift, did they? Well, they would show the nightshift a thing or two. They pitched in with enthusiasm and when they quit that night, they left behind them an enormous, swaggering '10.' Things were stepping up...

If you're looking to motivate those around you, throw down a challenge.

80/20 Rule¶

The Pareto Principle

Spend 80% of your time one-on-one with the top 20% of the people. Spend 20% of your time in a group-meetings of the bottom 80% of the people.

Put the Wrong People on the Bench¶

Don’t Fire Them…. Just Ignore Them!
Spend your time with those who are DOING IT and WANT IT!
Holding back recognition and time is the best way to handle the wrong people.

Do all of the above with respect and no malice.

Build Relationships¶

Build strong personal relations with your people (especially your directs and studs)
New and old people need the encouragement from their RVP's.
Remember that everyone is not a good as you at charging his or her batteries

Win!¶

The most important factor in Team Building is to WIN!
"Winning" doesn't mean you are always "number one", but it does mean you (and your Team) are "having success" in these important categories:
Personal production.
Personal recruiting.
Personal income.
Team production.
Team recruiting.
Developing successful Advisors and Branches.
Nothing builds credibility like success.
Winning makes you seem "better" than you really are, and not winning makes you appear worse than you really are.
A good team can make the coach look good, but a bad coach can't make the team look good.
Success begets success. It is the tide that raises all the boats. It creates an upward spiral of winning, and attracts reps like a magnet.

Clients¶

Always have a recent client example showing how we helped the client. Talk about and show we developed the case-design.

Recruits¶

Find a "rabbit". Always be looking for someone in your team Shop who is DOING IT! The newer and greener, the better.

"Don't play politics, don't play games, just build it big enough so they can't ignore you." -Michael Thomas

"All Good Things go to Those who Build a Big Organization." -Michael Thomas

Resources, Systems & Culture¶

To build a successful team you must have a system of resources, tools, and communication. You should create and maintain an environment where Advisors have what they need: resources, training materials, scripts, presentations, applications, structures, and tools for their business.

Culture, Environment & Team Spirit¶

Remember, everyone is a volunteer.
Everyone wants to be somebody. Treat them based on who they want to be, not who they are now.
They don't owe you anything.
They join an environment and a feeling, they don't just join a paycheck.
Don’t set quotas, people will produce when they're "ready".
Don’t use fear tactics, we're all scared anyway!
Let your people know they’re not working for you. You, in fact, work for them.
Don’t play games.
Don’t back-stab.
Don’t play politics.
If in doubt, error in their favor.
Recruit to the Team.
Create a bond with fellow Teammates.
Give people a "home".
Create a Team identity.
Then, help them build their own Team identity.

What NOT to Do in Building Your Team¶

The Biggest Obstacle in Building Your Team: Your Ego

19 Ways of Guaranteed Failure in Our Business¶

Be selfish.
Have lousy work ethic.
Be laid-back and comfortable.
Be negative, gripe and complain.
Talk about and second-guess leadership.
Set low standards. Give false recognition.
Have coffee and "chew fat" all the time.
Be a marriage counselor, psychologist and banker for your people.
Don't love this business, the excitement, the people, the competition, the trophies etc.
Don't be willing to pay the price. Quit.
Don't tell your people it's hard work.
Don't stay plugged-in to your upline.
Don't attend meetings, be late.
Don't be positive or expectant.
Don't have sense of urgency.
Don't be 100% committed.
Don't be a team player.
Don't be coachable.
Don't be fanatical.

Team Building Game-Plan¶

Step #1: One Recruiting Conversation Per Week¶

This video references the importance of recruiting if you desire to grow a team. Not everyone wants to build a team and that is OK, however, if you indeed choose to build a team follow R1. This concept is similar to HPP Master Game Plan of Prospecting 1 a day for clients.

Schedule at least 1 recruiting interview each week. If you miss a week make it up next week. A minimum of 4 per month.
Recruiting interviews are only for the purpose of sharing the our opportunity. This is not a five minute conversation at a coffee shop. The meeting’s sole purpose is to explain the details of the opportunity that we present to part-time or full-time individuals.
The recruiting interview could result from a personal connection with a family member or friend. It may result from a business meeting or networking group you are a part of. It may result from a current client that is looking for another career. Everyone is a possible recruit...now go talk with them.
Be consistent. It’s important to be habit forming with regards to the process. It’s like working out. If you work-out consistently you will reap the benefits. However, if you wait until the end of the year, work out once and expect results you will be let-down.

Not everyone is a fit for us and that is OK. If building a team is your goal then sticking to the process of a legitimate recruiting interview each week will result in growing your team.

Step 2: Hire One RR Per Month¶

“Every month hire at least one new associate direct to you. Continue to do this until you have reached 20 registered reps direct to you.”

If you desire to build a business, not everyone does, your goal is to hire at least one new associate a month that is direct to you.
It is recommended that if you are building a business build it relatively big. Some desire to have a “mom and pop” business hiring just a few, and that is ok. However, the recommendation is to guild to at least twenty to build a business where you can truly reap the benefits of a team.
As you build the business of twenty you may be mentoring #12 while you continue to train and teach #3. Also, #6 and #10 may drop off along the way. This is the business of growing a team. Keep being professionally persistent until you reach 20.
Statistically speaking for every RR you have direct you’ll receive $500 to $1,000 per month in overrides. Therefore, with 20 a minimum of $10,000 to the direct per month in overrides...this income is very diversified.

Ultimately, a long term goal would be $500,000 a year in both P2 and R2 categories.

Step 3: Rinse & Repeat Until $500k¶

Keep producing "[10/1] until you've accomplished the following:
Have a minimum of $25,000 of annual recurring revenue. This will pay all of your business expenses. You'll also earn the [Mont Blanc pen].
Earn $100,000 in annual overrides (passive income). This does not including any personal production.

You can stop producing personally and focus 100% on developing one direct Advisor per month and building your downline team until you earn at least $500,000. You're done, enjoy.

Art Williams' Keys to Building Great Teams¶

John Wooden¶

John Wooden's ratios of working with your team

7% Compliments.
7% Express displeasure.
76% Informational.

From the book "The Talent Code".

“We thought we knew what coaching was,” Gallimore said. “Our expectations were completely wrong. Completely. All the stuff I’d associated with coaching — there was none of it.”

Wooden ran an intense whirligig of five- to fifteen-minute drills, issuing a rapid-fire stream of words all the while. The interesting part was the content of those words. As their sub-sequent article, “Basketball’s John Wooden: What a Coach Can Teach a Teacher,” put it, Wooden’s “teaching utterances or comments were short, punctuated, and numerous. There were no lectures, no extended harangues...he rarely spoke longer than twenty seconds.

Here are some of Wooden’s more long-winded “speeches”:

“Take the ball softly; you’re receiving a pass, not intercept-
ing it.”
“Do some dribbling between shots.”
“Crisp passes, really snap them. Good, Richard—that’s
just what I want.”
“Hard, driving, quick steps.”

Gallimore and Tharp were confused. They’d expected to find a basketball Moses intoning sermons from the mount, yet this man resembled a busy telegraph operator. They felt slightly deflated. This was great coaching?

MMA Coach Greg Jackson¶

When you say the word 'supercamp', Jackson's MMA is the first team to come to mind.

The biggest key to our success is my individual approach with each fighter. Some people respond really well to me yelling at them, and some people respond better to me asking them nicely. I think it comes down to being very cognizant of an individual approach for every single fighter.

Picture UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones sitting on his stool between rounds, his back against the Octagon. Now, besides Jones, what other individual do you picture in that scenario? Odds are good that the first person that comes to mind is Jones' coach Greg Jackson. It's also very likely that in your head you hear Jackson telling Jones to calm down and control his breath in a tone that has become Jackson's trademark.

"Greg Jackson is more the guy that's going to talk to you to make sure you have the right attitude going into the fight, make sure that you believe that you're going to win, he's more of an attitude guy, which is very important - to have a winning attitude."

Once Jackson has Jones calmed down, that's when Winkeljohn or Jackson will begin dispensing between round advice, "Winkeljohn will tell you what to do, or if it's a ground fight Greg will start telling you what to do. But every time it always starts with Greg re-centering us and keep from that panic feeling from kicking in."- Jon Jones

"After you move your head, blast double," Jackson tells Jordan, who's breathing deeply. "Get him down."

As he says this, he's calm; Jackson is slowing things down, deadening the moment's urgency and reducing the fight to a series of concepts.

"*When any fighter has to start thinking about more than two things, they're done*," he says.

Google’s Quest to Build a Better Boss¶

Watch Master Coaching VIDEO

Source: NY Times article.

Google wanted to build a better boss so they analyzed more than 100 variables from 10,000 observations about managers, performance reviews, feedback surveys and more than 400 pages of interview notes. They called it Project Oxygen

8 Good Behaviors¶

Be a good coach "= Provide specific, constructive feedback, balancing the negative and the positive. = Have regular one-on-ones, presenting solutions to problems tailored to your employees’ specific strengths.
Empower your team and don’t micromanage «= Balance giving freedom to your employees, while still being available for advice. Make “stretch” assignments to help the team tackle big problems.
Express interest in team members’ success and personal well-being = Get to know your employees as people, with lives outside of work, = Make new members of your team feel welcome and help ease their transition.
Don't be a sissy: Be productive and results-oriented "= Focus on what employees want the team to achieve and how they can help achieve it. "Help the team prioritize work and use seniority to remove roadblocks.
Be a good communicator and listen to your team = Communication is two-way: you both listen and share information.
Hold all-hands meetings and be straightforward about the messages and goals of the team. Help the team connect the dots. = Encourage open dialogue and listen to the issues and concems of your employees.
Help your employees with career development
Have a clear vision and strategy for the team "Even in the midst of turmoil, keep the team focused on goals and strategy. = Involve the team in setting and evolving the team’s vision and making progress toward it.
Have key technical skills so you can help advise the team
Roll up your sleeves and conduct work side by side with the team, when needed. ® Understand the specific challenges of the work.

Ranking The Results¶

Google ranked those eight directives by importance. And this is where Project Oxygen gets interesting. They found that technical expertise — the ability, say, to write computer code in your sleep — ranked dead last. What employees valued most were:

Even-keeled bosses who made time for one-on-one meetings.
Who helped people puzzle through problems by asking questions, not dictating answers.
And who took an interest in employees’ lives and careers.
Much more important is just making that connection and being accessible.
Give clear and direct feedback to the people you supervise.

Why People Leave¶

People typically leave a company for one of three reasons, or a combination of them.

They don’t feel a connection to the mission of the company, or sense that their work matters.
They don’t really like or respect their co-workers.
The third is they have a terrible boss — and this was the biggest variable.

Managers had a much greater impact on employees’ performance and how they felt about their job than any other factor. So the biggest controllable factor that we could see was the quality of the manager.

Three Pitfalls of Managers¶

Have trouble making a transition to the team

® Sometimes, fantastic individual contributors are promoted to managers without the necessary skills to lead people.

= People hired from outside the organization don't always understand the unique aspects of managing at Google.

Lack a consistent approach to performance management and career development

® Don't help employees understand how these work at Google and doesn’t coach them on their options to develop and stretch.

" Not proactive, waits for the employee to come to them.

Spend too little time managing and communicating: Source: Google

# Build Leadership Credibility for Yourself

Watch Build Leadership Credibility for Yourself VIDEO

Read Robert Greene's TDL 06-13 - Lead from the Front PDF

Credibility is the one ability you can't give yourself (at least not directly). It is however, critically important - it is the "secret sauce" that makes coaching, training and mentoring much more effective. The more credibility you have, the more likely your team will be to listen to you and follow you advice. Though you can't directly increase it, there are four indirect actions you can take.

### Do It First

"Two-Word Definition of Leadership: 'Follow Me'" -CMDR Roy Boehm, founder of the Navy Seals. He served in three wars, WWII, Korea, Vietnam with Special operations. Earned 26 Military Awards.

You must personally produce first.
You must recruit first.
You must create independent advisors first.
You must learn the products, systems, structure first.
You must learn the sales skills, scripts, presentations first.
You must attend all the meetings, events an get-togethers (arrive early, leave late).
You must be the "power source" they can bring their "intimidating" prospects to.
You are the leader, act like one.

Success¶

Nothing builds credibility like winning and success (and the public recognition of it).

Win personally:
Get your name on the [Leader's Board] and get mentioned in the AFC.

Visible = Credible. Be a permanent fixture in all public forums.

Be active in [AdvisorFirst Community] Make posts, comments, "+1", ask questions, and most importantly answer questions.
[Monday Training Class]. Presenting will dramatically increase your credibility.
[Business Briefing](
Get in some training videos for the modules in the Knowledge Base.
Attend, and ideally speak at X-Factor.
Regional Meetings, such as SoCal Annual Regional Event (SCARE).i=wuid:gx:6851ea921e463e58). MAKE MONEY!
Win [monthly contests ]
Win one of the [AdvisorFirst Polos]
Break an [AdvisorFirst Group Record]
Earn your [promotions].
When you win any of the above make sure to post it on AFC. You are in charge of your own self-promotion.
Build a winning team:
Go wide. Have many, many direct Advisors.

The more successful Advisors you have who are accomplishing the above, the better. Their success builds your credibility.

Visibility¶

Visible = Credible. Be a permanent fixture in all public forums.

Be active in AdvisorFirst Community. Make posts, comments, "+1", ask questions, and most importantly answer questions.
[Monday Training Class]( Presenting will dramatically increase your credibility.
[Business Briefing]
Get in some training videos for the modules in the Knowledge Base.
Attend, and ideally speak at X-Factor.
Regional Meetings, such as SoCal Annual Regional Event (SCARE).

Often Wrong, Never in Doubt¶

This Principle is based upon the book Often Wrong, Never In Doubt, by Donny Deutsch.

Know where you are going. Take the people who will follow. Don't worry about the rest. You can't push a rope.
Even if you are scared, unsure, and anxious, don't show it, just do it. People need your confidence and conviction. They "borrow" it from you.
Make the tough decisions. Even in the midst of dissension, follow your "true north". Listen to your team, but have a plan and be firm. They are following you, not the other way around.
Choose: Celebrity or Results. It's not a popularity contest. You can either win or you can be popular, but often you can't be both at the same time.
Your people will sometimes talk about you, and sometimes they won't listen to you, and often they will disagree. You can never do everything right and you will always do something wrong. Accept it; it's the price for Leadership!
Want everyone to like you, but don’t need everyone to like you. You need to be able to call a shot, without worrying what people think about you.

Eliminate I, my, me and mine from your vocabulary. Use we, ours, us. Accept 100% total responsibility. If the Team loses it’s not team’s fault, it’s your fault. When the team wins, it’s because of them, not you! Give the team all your credit, and take all the blame when things go wrong even if its not your fault.

Four Phases of Managing Your Team (ATBI)¶

Attract
Train
Build
Inspire

Rely on your experience, intuition, wisdom and common sense to determine which phase to apply to your Advisors.

Phase 1: Attract¶

Attraction starts with [prospecting]
It is, however, more than merely "sparking an interest". You must literally attract them to you, your goals, your vision, the people, the environment, the money etc.
Most importantly, you attract them to the realization of their goals.
You must continuously [Sell the Dream]

Phase 2: Train¶

"The more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in the field."
Teaching and training is an integral part of our business. Always share knowledge.
The [Pyramid of Kaizen]
Technical / Business Knowledge.
[People Skills]
Psychology Skills.
Learn what to teach and when. Often, less experienced leaders over-explain and "data-dump" on their new trainees. Be cognizant of this.
Look for opportunities, or create them, that improve the competency of your team.
Bring in product wholesalers.
One-on-one coaching.
Saturday Training Class, Manager's Meetings, Big Events etc.
Have lunch and dinner with your team after your meetings.
Encourage teammates to help each other, and facilitate the connections.

Phase 3: Build¶

Help your constituents build their Client Base and/or their Saleforce.
Help them; sometimes do it for them; never take it away from them.
If in doubt, "give away" clients, prospects and new associates.
Often ask (gently), "When are you going to build your Team?". Or, "Are you growing your Salesforce?"
Remind them that freedom comes from overrides, not commissions. "[Build a business, not an income.]

Phase 4: Inspire¶

You've attracted them. You've trained them. You've helped them build a Team. Now, INSPIRE them.
Continuously re-sell the them their dream. Remind them what their goals are.
Push them Up. Edify them. Encourage them. Build their [self-esteem]suri=wuid:gx:7b67e19d8dffe00c):
Self-efficacy (the ability to improve oneself).
Self-worth. It's worth it; and they're worthy of success.
Encourage them to be always be going for something:
[Promotions]
[Contests](
Recognition.
[Records](

ATBI is all you can do as a manager. There isn't much more you can do for your people.