The theme this week is based on a quote from Tony Robbins: Leaders anticipate, losers react.

I know some people won’t like hearing that. That if they are reactive by nature, they are a loser. But it’s true. It’s true in business and especially in sales. (And note – this is not about you as a person. No one is a ‘loser.’ This is about your actions.) And I don’t mean that you have to react every once in a while. I am referring to if that’s your normal, standard mode.

Reactive vs. Proactive Leadership

Reactive instead of proactive.

Always fighting fires that pop up.

Earning the title “Honorary Fire Fighter” doesn’t make you a good leader. It means you are reactive.

It probably also means you are playing checkers instead of chess. You are probably playing a small game, and only thinking one move ahead each time. Looking for something to jump over that will make you feel like you are winning a low-risk, low-reward game.

The Difference Between Leaders and Reactors

Leaders operate differently. They anticipate. They play chess.

Leaders look out as far as they can.

Do you know one attribute that makes a chess player great? They are playing all the possibilities and looking out 5 or more moves ahead. The move in front of them isn’t as important as what will come from that move, how their opponent will react, then what they will do, and so on.

Great leaders do the same thing. And since we are here to talk about sales leaders, that should be your mode as well – anticipating 5 moves ahead.

Reactive Sales Managers: A Common Issue

Unfortunately, a lot of sales managers (especially the closer they are to the front lines) are reactive. I see actions like these:

• When one of their team is not performing, they only realize it when they see the lagging indicator (lack of closed deals).
• They have to be instructed from higher up when to take action towards an underperforming salesperson.
• They only coach as a result of underperformance (versus helping find ways to get their team to do better and better).
• They don’t totally understand what makes a good day a good day.
• They don’t totally understand what led to a bad day.
• They usually point the finger at outside circumstances (marketing, weather, etc.) before being aware of where their team could do better.
• They react to staffing needs (usually because of pressure from higher up) instead of anticipating desired growth or filling in gaps that could appear (when they fire the salespeople that need to go).
• They don’t ask to fire a consistent underperformer; they must be told to let someone go.

Even as I type that list out, it makes me frustrated thinking about how many sales managers I have dealt with that are reactive. They lead like they sold – reactive.

And, if that describes you – that is okay. You are here now. You now have awareness. And with awareness, you can do something different.

What It Looks Like to Lead Proactively

Here is what playing chess looks like as a leader who anticipates (and this applies at every level within the organization, but for now let’s stay with the front-line sales manager, like we did in the above list):

• They have their pulse on the team’s interactions at all times, to anticipate what the final score of the day/week/month will be.
• They don’t need to be given a report to tell them how the team is doing, because they are constantly watching it.
• They anticipate what coaching will help each member of the team and then provide that coaching.
• They build or request training that will keep filling in the selling effectiveness gaps that they anticipate (because when you coach and train on one topic today, it will then lead to the next topic to master).
• They know who is struggling and whether they are in a slump or just on a downward spiral. They know if it’s a skill or will issue.
• They don’t wait until the end of the day to realize it was a bad day. They know by midway through the day (half-time) the path the day is on and what adjustments could help.
• They can tell their leadership team what happened, why, and what adjustments will be made (to win more or to recover after losses).
• They take responsibility for their team’s performance (or lack thereof) before blaming anything/one else.
• They collaborate with the right people to forecast staffing needs, focused on growth.
• They initiate consequences (PIPs) and recommendations to remove underperformers from the team.

Conclusion: Anticipation is Key to Leadership

Leaders anticipate.

If you can start to shift your focus to anticipating more, reacting less, and doing all you can to prevent fires from starting in the first place, you will break the cycle of the hamster wheel of fighting fires because you can’t figure out who keeps lighting them.