If Openness was the #1 Sales Success Trait, what is number two?

Guessing you know the answer – because you already read this week’s Selling Effectiveness article about it [https://go.sellingeffectiveness.com/LI.11.4.AM].

Curiosity is in that second spot. And like I went through in the blog linked above, the reason Curiosity – to me – is not number one is because you must be Open to then fully embrace Curiosity.

Assessing Your Curiosity Level as a Leader

Now the question is: How Curious are you as a leader?

Or are you in the “I know it all – that’s why I got promoted” mode?

Are you still curious about the business? The market? The industry? People? Your team? Your customers? Human behavior?

I have seen this be a trait that will stall for a lot of people. Especially if they have been in a sales role with the same company for a while. In the same way I referenced in last week’s article [https://go.sellingeffectiveness.com/LI.10.29.PM], that what got a leader into that role can become their formula, almost like Grandma’s Secret Pie recipe or that winning BBQ Competition recipe – “if it works, why change it?’

But sales and leadership are not a pie or BBQ recipe. It must constantly shift and evolve, as we have discussed so many times before. Markets, consumer buying preferences, the economy, politics, competition – it all creates various levels of pressure that require evolving if you want to survive.

So, what go you here…won’t get you there. That’s a tough one for humans because we love our comfort zone. And your comfort zone as a leader is what you got you to your leadership position.

Rebuilding Curiosity as a Leader

First focus on your Openness level.

Then build back your Curiosity. Like you had as a new salesperson with your company. When everything was new and exciting. And you wanted to learn all you could.

The most successful salespeople AND leaders I have ever met are always learning. They are always Curious. This doesn’t mean you have to be reading books all the time, but you have to be Curious as a leader.

In particular, be Curious about:

• Your team.
• What makes each of them tick?
• What interests them?
• What is their WHY?
• What motivates them?
• What’s their biggest fear? (with work/business)
• What is their Love Language?
• Game Player type?
• Personality/Behavior type?
• Astrological symbol?
• Enneagram number?
• Anything…everything to do with THEM as a person
• Your prospects. Each one is a new, different human, so don’t assume they ‘all want the same thing.’
• Your company. It’s goals, plans, challenges.
• The industry. What is changing. How it’s evolving.
• Regulations. If that applies to your industry.

The Results of Leading with Curiosity

If you just opened your mind to those categories above, and got into an excited, deeply Curious mode, instead of either staying in your comfort zone or going through the motions, then you will see much different results with you and your team’s performance. 



But what if you’re not Curious about those things, or you don’t think that being Curious is important or matters to success?

Then I would say based on experience that your effectiveness as a leader will be limited. You will peak and then probably point the finger at outside factors as to why you and your team aren’t doing better. I would suggest that you do some inner work to determine if you care enough to build your Openness and Curiosity.

If the answer is still no – those mindsets don’t matter to you and you don’t value them – then I would say it’s time for you to leave your leadership/sales role before it becomes obvious to your leadership that you aren’t going the same direction they are, and they need you to go.

Conclusion

Note – there is a chance that your leadership also doesn’t value those traits. If that is the case, then you are most likely on a ship that no one realizes is sinking. If – from the top down – Openness and Curiosity aren’t a priority, then the organization will lose. Might not be today, or tomorrow, or this year. But at some point another organization will take your market share, your customers, and your good employees.