August 28, 2025 • 25 mins
In this episode, we’re shining a spotlight on what it means to lead like a Talent Superhero and how prioritizing people fuels consistent performance.
Joining Matt is Allison Delagrange, a 2X Talent Superhero and Senior Consultant at The Center for Sales Strategy.
Allison shares incredible insights, including:
- How to be a collaborative leader, not a condescending one (Hint, hint: Instead of criticizing weaknesses, empower through strengths)
- How it pays to communicate with your existing team exactly WHY you are recruiting
- And, finally, how recruiting raw talent means hiring for impact: both in what they’ll bring to the team AND how you’ll help them grow
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Matt Sunshine (00:05):
Welcome to Improving Sales Performance, a
podcast highlighting tips andinsights aimed at helping sales
organizations realize, and maybeeven exceed, their goals.
Here we chat with thoughtleaders, experts and gurus who
have years of sales experiencefrom a wide range of industries.
I'm your host, Matt Sunshine,CEO at the Center for Sales
Strategy, a sales performanceconsulting company.
(00:27):
In this episode, we're shininga spotlight on what it means to
lead like a talent superhero andhow prioritizing people fuels
consistent performance.
Joining me is AllisonDelagrange, a two-time talent
(00:49):
superhero and senior consultantat the Center for Sales Strategy
.
Allison shares incredibleinsights, including how to be a
collaborative leader, not acondescending one, how it pays
to communicate with yourexisting team, exactly why you
are recruiting and, finally, howrecruiting raw talent means
(01:09):
hiring for impact, both in whatthey'll bring to the team and
how you'll help them grow.
Okay, Allison, I'm so excitedfor you to be here as a
(01:32):
consultant at the Center forSales Strategy, but even more
special as it relates to this asa two-time talent superhero.
I mean, there's not very manytwo-time talent superheroes, so
you're in rare air and we'rethrilled that you're here.
Thank you for being here.
Let me jump right in with thefirst question, From your
(01:52):
perspective as a two-time talentsuperhero award winner.
What are some of the thingsthat truly set talent-focused
managers apart from all theothers?
Allison Delagrange (02:06):
Yeah.
So first let me just say thisI'm so honored that I received
the award two times, but we haveto just put this out there.
I don't actually have magicalpowers.
The truth is that I just sharethe same belief that other
(02:27):
talent-focused managers have,and that's that fundamental idea
that people have strengths andnon-strengths, and it's
unchanging.
So if I'm a superhero, itreally is because CSS gave me
the cape in forms of the toolsto help draw people's natural
(02:48):
talent out.
So, that said, talent-focusedmanagers, we have a few things I
think that you would noticeabout us.
We believe that talent isspecial and rare, and so that
changes the way that we spendour time.
So a few things I would say.
One we're really focused onlong-term strategy and not
(03:10):
short-term tactics.
One of our CSS clients saysthis really well.
She says we hire for impact.
We're looking for people whoaren't just going to fill a seat
.
They're going to serve a veryspecific purpose in the
organization.
So there's that.
There's also, we're proactiveand not reactive.
(03:30):
Talent isn't easy to find, butyou want to have it on your team
, so you have to be disciplinedto always be looking for it so
you can set yourself up forsuccess.
And then the other thing Iwould say is we're collaborative
, not condescending.
So instead of coaching peoplein the context of weakness, we
(03:51):
guide them to maximize theirstrength.
So when we give them feedback,it's filtered through a
framework of something thatthey're hardwired to do.
Matt Sunshine (04:01):
Man, I love that there's so many.
I think everyone who'slistening should just like
rewind and listen to my answeragain.
That's loaded with great stuff.
You did use the word proactive,which actually brings me to my
next question.
So, as a talent focus managerput yourself in that mindset you
(04:21):
have the responsibility formanaging a team while also, at
the exact same time, proactivelyrecruiting.
Yeah, to me, and, I think, to alot of people listening, that
sounds like quite the jugglingact.
So how do you do both withouthaving one suffer at the expense
(04:44):
of the other?
Allison Delagrange (04:45):
Yeah, it's such a good question and you're
absolutely right, it is ajuggling act.
The first thing I would say ismake sure that you communicate
with your existing team aboutwhy you're recruiting.
There's a fair amount of bosswatching that happens.
So if you tell them up frontlisten, I'm going to have people
(05:07):
in here for interviews.
It's not necessarily becauseI'm trying to replace people.
It's because I believe thattalent is rare and I want you to
have top-notch teammates.
So communicate that up front.
The other part of it is it justcomes down to your calendar.
So when you're planning outyour week, make sure that you've
set aside the time forone-on-ones with your existing
(05:30):
staff.
Make sure that they have whatthey need, but then, just like
we tell sellers to set asidetime for prospecting, you've got
to set aside time forrecruitment.
You might have to move the time, but don't completely cancel it
.
Sure, yeah.
That is the time on yourcalendar.
Matt Sunshine (05:49):
Yeah, so you know .
You were talking about howyou're communicating with the
people, with your folks, andletting them know what you're
looking for and why you're doingit.
I read somewhere that A playerslike to be around other A
players and B players like to bearound C's and D players.
So if you want to keep your Aplayers, you need to surround
(06:10):
them with A players.
They bring it up in the gameright.
Allison Delagrange (06:15):
Yeah, absolutely.
Matt Sunshine (06:16):
All right, so let's talk about talent banks.
What routine or what sort ofrhythm would you recommend
keeping for keeping greatpotential hires in that kind of
that routine, in that orbit,even when you're not actively
hiring, because you recommendalways be recruiting but you're
(06:38):
not always hiring.
So how do you keep peopleinterested even when you're not
actually hiring?
Allison Delagrange (06:45):
Right.
So the idea of a talent bank ifsomebody's listening and
they're not familiar about whatthat means, it's essentially
you're building a bench ofpotential star players.
So when you do have an opening,you're not starting from
scratch.
So we want to keep in touchwith these people, because how
(07:06):
often do we get a notice?
That's, like you know, morethan two weeks, and then if
you're starting from scratch totry to find talent, you're not
setting yourself up for success.
So to build that talent bankagain, it's going to go back to
your calendar, setting asidetime in your week for these
activities, and it might bethings like asking your network
(07:29):
for referrals, going to jobfairs, continuing to conduct
interviews with interestedcandidates and just
communicating to them that ourcompany really is looking for
talent.
So we always want to beconnected with talented people.
Also, keep track of yourcandidates, and it doesn't have
to be something fancy.
(07:49):
It might just be an excel sheetthat you're revisiting
regularly, where you're keepingtrack of the candidates and the
interaction that you've had withthem.
If you find somebody really,really talented, consider
creating a place for them withinyour organization, because you
may not have that opportunityagain Otherwise.
(08:10):
Keep in touch with them kind oflike you would, a long-distance
friendship.
You know, you see what they'redoing on LinkedIn.
Be kind of a cheerleader forthem as you notice things are
happening and that way, when aposition does become available,
you've been in contact and it'sa quick phone call.
Matt Sunshine (08:30):
Yeah, I think that's excellent.
Yeah, I mean, again, there's somuch there.
But I think that analogy tolike an old friend and being
(08:50):
present in their social mediaand commenting and liking,
making sure they realize you'rethere when something happens in
their world, try to participate.
Or when something good happensin your world, make sure to
share I think those are some ofthose things All right.
So let's switch a little bitand let's talk about how does
coaching through a strengthslens you kind of through the
more traditional or more commonfix-it style management that we
(09:23):
sometimes see.
Allison Delagrange (09:25):
Yeah.
So the simple short answer isit's so much better when you
focus on the strengths, right?
I mean, think about it.
Do you want to work for amanager who's just always
harping on you for yourshortcomings, or do you want to
work with a coach whounderstands how you're wired and
can pull the best out of you?
(09:46):
So, to be clear, though, I'mnot talking about excusing bad
behavior.
That's a conversation for awhole different episode.
But what I mean is that if wecoach through a strength lens,
we've got keys to unlockpeople's full potential.
And I don't know that managersare constantly necessarily
(10:08):
looking for what people aredoing wrong, but I do think it
can be tempting to make somewrong assumptions, and that
might lead to more of aone-size-fits-all sort of
approach.
So I was thinking about thisexample.
One of the talents we talk abouthere at CSS is this talent of
(10:30):
competition, and it is what itsounds like People that have to
win, they have to beat everyoneelse, and it's easy to assume
that every salesperson is wiredthat way.
So we host contests, we put upa leader board, we're tracking
progress and we're seeing who'son top and who's at the bottom,
(10:51):
and some people that are wiredto be competitive.
They're in it to win it andthey love this.
But you might notice one ofyour top performers.
This just isn't really.
They're not getting into it andit's like what's happening.
The truth is, not every singlesalesperson is wired to be
(11:13):
competitive.
There's another talent that wetalk about, called Achiever, and
it might be that this person iswired more to be their best.
They're not looking at otherpeople's records, they're
looking at their own and tryingto top that.
So a strengths coach, insteadof saying why aren't you more
(11:34):
competitive?
And like trying to push that onthem, they would say, okay,
this person has their own goals,so we're going to get on the
same page with what those are.
We're going to set small stepsalong the way and we're going to
celebrate like crazy when youhit those goals.
So that's what I mean it's.
(11:54):
It's looking at somebody andhow they're wired and and and
using that to pull out the bestof them.
Matt Sunshine (12:03):
I love that, I love that, I love that, I love
that.
So let's, let's do a real lifescenario.
That happens all all the time.
A new role opens upunexpectedly.
Maybe you've been givenadditional headcount from a
corporate office, or maybesomeone on your team has left
(12:28):
because of a great reasonbecause their spouse got a
significant promotion that'sgoing to require them to move
halfway across the country, andso you're sad to see this person
leave, but you're thrilled fortheir family and they're leaving
right.
It's not always that someonegot fired or something negative.
(12:49):
Sometimes it happens that a newrole opens up unexpectedly.
What's your process forensuring that you make a great
hire, quickly but thoughtfully?
Allison Delagrange (13:05):
Yeah.
So hopefully, going back towhat we talked about a little
bit ago, you've got a talentbank, so you've got a bench to
pull from people that you couldcall and start that conversation
.
But if you haven't, I wouldstill say don't hit the panic
button when we get nervous aboutan opening, for whatever reason
(13:28):
.
Sometimes we make hastydecisions and hire someone to
fill a seat and we regret itlater.
Take a minute, no matter whatthe circumstance is, to just
pause and look at the new teamthat you have, what talent left
because of that person'sdeparture and what talent do you
(13:48):
have left.
That person's departure maymean some new opportunities with
your existing team where youmight be able to accelerate
growth even faster, because youmight.
It could be that realigningroles and tasks would be a
better fit with the existingtalent that you have.
So kind of, take inventory anddecide what you need.
(14:13):
We have a really great toolcalled the job spec and analysis
sheet.
You need.
We have a really great toolcalled the Job Spec and Analysis
Sheet and basically this isyour chance to put down on paper
what you're looking for, so thetalents that you need and then
also the experience and theskills.
So really think about it.
Don't just think about it,though.
Put it down on paper before youstart trying to fill that spot.
(14:36):
That way you avoid thepotential pitfall of just hiring
the person that seems like theymight be good and then
regretting it later.
So it's really a thoughtfulapproach about what do I need
for my team.
Matt Sunshine (14:53):
Yeah, I want to go back to something you said
earlier on a previous question.
I'd written myself a note and Iforgot to bring it up when we
were talking about the strengthlens versus the fix it style at
talent focused management.
One of the core concepts thatwe teach is this is the is the
(15:15):
ratio of positive feedback toconstructive feedback, and it's
a five to one ratio.
And that doesn't mean that youcan't say something constructive
to someone without giving themfive compliments.
It means that, generallyspeaking, over time you're
(15:36):
giving five, you're pointing outfive things that someone you're
recognizing, five things thatsomeone is doing well for every
one thing that you're trying tofix or improve.
Teach this at TFM and then weplay a video of a salesperson
(15:59):
doing a discovery meeting with aneeds analysis, with a prospect
, and we tell everybody in theroom after we have gone, after
we have made a big deal aboutthis five to one ratio, and then
after the video, which thevideo is not very long.
The video is like four minuteslong and we explained to
everyone this is not the entirediscovery meeting.
(16:19):
This is simply the first fourminutes of the discovery meeting
.
The discovery meeting isprobably a 30 or 40 minute
meeting.
We're just letting you watchthe first four minutes.
We'd love for you to, as youwatch this, write down some
notes on the feedback that youwould give to the salesperson.
(16:41):
Sure enough, nearly 90% of thepeople in the room were a grader
.
Their list of feedback is allthe things the person did wrong,
that the person did wrong.
You need to be talking that theperson did right, and we kind
of make everyone kind of chuckleabout that.
(17:02):
We're like didn't we just havea conversation about a five to
one?
I mean, couldn't you and I saythis because I think all of us
get into a habit of pointing outwhat isn't right instead of
getting in the habit of pointingout what is being done right?
(17:22):
And when you transition from astrengths focused, from the fix
it always being in fix it mode,you do start to point out the
specific things that someone didright.
And, by the way, how great doyou feel when someone, when you
do something, and someonenotices that you did it right
(17:43):
and gives you that littlecompliment of hey, great job, I
noticed the way you built thatproposal.
I really like those two slidesthat you have in the end of that
PowerPoint deck.
Those are, those are amazing.
I'd love for you to share itwith some other people, because
I think you just knocked the endof that PowerPoint deck.
Those are, those are amazing.
I'd love for you to share itwith some other people, because
I think you just knocked it outof the park You're going to.
That's the type of thing you gohome and you tell your family,
(18:04):
like I did so I just wanted toto get, to make sure we got to
that.
All right, yeah, yeah.
Next question has there ever,has there ever been a that you
know took a chance on someonewho didn't check all the boxes
(18:26):
but ended up being a home run?
Is there a little bit of that?
Sometimes you just got to takea chance just got to take a
chance.
Allison Delagrange (18:40):
Calculated risks, right.
So let's go back to what Italked about with that job spec
and analysis sheet, and if youhaven't seen the tool, that's
okay, because I'm going toexplain it to you.
Basically, on the left side ofthe page you're going to write
down this is what I have to havewhen it comes to the talents
have when it comes to thetalents, developed skills and
(19:01):
experience and this is what I'mnot compromising on the right
side is more of a nice to havewhen it comes to talent, skills
and experience.
So, as I'm thinking backthrough lots of interviews and
years of recruitment, I canthink of times when, yes, I
budged on the right side of thepage.
(19:23):
You know, maybe it usually hadto do with the experience side,
like, maybe I really would haveliked to have somebody that had
B2B sales experience come on myteam because it seems like they
could just get right in thereand pick up where maybe somebody
else left off.
But I ended up okay becausethis person had retail sales
(19:47):
experience and they had thenatural talent to do the job
really well.
I will say I cannot think of asingle time where I budged on
the left side on talent and itworked out well.
I can't think of any.
I wish I could say it'sdifferent, because you meet
(20:07):
somebody and you're like, oh mygosh, this person's great.
I know that they don't have thebest work intensity, but we can
get around it.
And then later on you're likethey just don't have enough
energy to do this job and Ican't change it.
Why did I settle?
Matt Sunshine (20:24):
Right.
And what really messes it upfor some people is that
sometimes you see short-termsuccess, Even if you hire
someone that doesn't have thetalent or they don't have what
you're looking for.
They don't meet what you'relooking for, but you take a
chance, you bring them in andthey do.
They get a win, right, Becauseof a previous relationship or
(20:46):
something like that.
They get a win.
And so then you want to go ohsee, but then again, are you
looking for people that are justgoing to make a, you know, a 90
day impression, or are youlooking for people that are just
going to make a 90-dayimpression or are you looking
for people that are going tomake a long-term impact?
And if you're looking for theimpact, you go with the talent,
All right.
Last question, Last questionsales leaders, sales managers
(21:19):
listing this who want to build,they desire, they are interested
in building out their own superteam.
They want to have the bestsales organization possible, and
they're not all clients of CSS.
So just bear that in mind.
They should be, but they're not.
They should be, but they're not.
(21:41):
That's okay, Right?
What's one small habit that amanager can adopt to start
becoming more talent focused intheir day-to-day leadership.
What would you recommend?
Allison Delagrange (21:47):
Yeah, so we were talking about this earlier.
We hire for impact, right.
So think about it's not justthe impact that that person is
going to have on ourorganization, but it's also the
impact that we as leaders get tohave on them to help them
realize their full potential andmaybe change their lives really
(22:11):
.
And one way we get to do thatis through feedback.
So that's what I wouldencourage people listening to
start incorporating into theirroutine, so to bring this to
life.
True confession um, there was atime in my life where I really
loved watching these talentshows whether it was singing or
(22:33):
dancing or some sort ofperformance where somebody gets
up there, does their thingbefore a panel of judges and
then they get feedback.
My favorite part was whensomeone's raw talent was shining
through and a judge would lookat them and say you have what it
(22:55):
takes to be a star, and youcould see the impact on the
person who was receiving themessage.
Their eyes light up, maybefilled with tears, they stand a
little bit straighter, and sothat's what we get to do as
coaches when we're talentfocused.
So take some time each day tonotice something about someone
(23:20):
that's showing their talent.
Maybe they always have two tothree great solutions for every
single problem.
Maybe they're the hardestworker in the room they show up
first and they leave last.
Maybe it's just that they havean awesome smile and they lift
the mood wherever they go.
Whatever it is, notice it andtake time to pull them aside and
(23:45):
speak to it, and then watchwhat happens next.
And that, right there is whattalent-focused management is all
about.
Matt Sunshine (23:54):
I love it.
That's awesome.
Allison, thank you so much forjoining us today and being our
guest.
You brought so much value.
I know that people are going tojust treasure every single
thing that you said and put itto use, which is just absolutely
awesome For everyone listening.
If you want to get a hold ofAllison, we will put her contact
(24:16):
information in the show notes.
Easiest way to do that is justto go to LinkedIn and connect
with her there and directmessage her there.
I know she's highly responsiveand we'll get back to you and
thank you everyone for listening.
We really appreciate it and welook forward to seeing you on
the next episode of ImprovingSales Performance.
This has been Improving SalesPerformance.
(24:39):
Thanks for listening.
If you like what you heard,join us every week by clicking
the subscribe button.
For more on the topics coveredin the show, visit our website,
thecenterforsalesstrategycom.
There you can find helpfulresources and content aimed at
improving your sales performance.
Welcome to Improving Sales Performance, a
podcast highlighting tips andinsights aimed at helping sales
organizations realize, and maybeeven exceed, their goals.
Here we chat with thoughtleaders, experts and gurus who
have years of sales experiencefrom a wide range of industries.
I'm your host, Matt Sunshine,CEO at the Center for Sales
Strategy, a sales performanceconsulting company.
(00:27):
In this episode, we're shininga spotlight on what it means to
lead like a talent superhero andhow prioritizing people fuels
consistent performance.
Joining me is AllisonDelagrange, a two-time talent
(00:49):
superhero and senior consultantat the Center for Sales Strategy
.
Allison shares incredibleinsights, including how to be a
collaborative leader, not acondescending one, how it pays
to communicate with yourexisting team, exactly why you
are recruiting and, finally, howrecruiting raw talent means
(01:09):
hiring for impact, both in whatthey'll bring to the team and
how you'll help them grow.
Okay, Allison, I'm so excitedfor you to be here as a
(01:32):
consultant at the Center forSales Strategy, but even more
special as it relates to this asa two-time talent superhero.
I mean, there's not very manytwo-time talent superheroes, so
you're in rare air and we'rethrilled that you're here.
Thank you for being here.
Let me jump right in with thefirst question, From your
(01:52):
perspective as a two-time talentsuperhero award winner.
What are some of the thingsthat truly set talent-focused
managers apart from all theothers?
Allison Delagrange (02:06):
Yeah.
So first let me just say thisI'm so honored that I received
the award two times, but we haveto just put this out there.
I don't actually have magicalpowers.
The truth is that I just sharethe same belief that other
(02:27):
talent-focused managers have,and that's that fundamental idea
that people have strengths andnon-strengths, and it's
unchanging.
So if I'm a superhero, itreally is because CSS gave me
the cape in forms of the toolsto help draw people's natural
(02:48):
talent out.
So, that said, talent-focusedmanagers, we have a few things I
think that you would noticeabout us.
We believe that talent isspecial and rare, and so that
changes the way that we spendour time.
So a few things I would say.
One we're really focused onlong-term strategy and not
(03:10):
short-term tactics.
One of our CSS clients saysthis really well.
She says we hire for impact.
We're looking for people whoaren't just going to fill a seat
.
They're going to serve a veryspecific purpose in the
organization.
So there's that.
There's also, we're proactiveand not reactive.
(03:30):
Talent isn't easy to find, butyou want to have it on your team
, so you have to be disciplinedto always be looking for it so
you can set yourself up forsuccess.
And then the other thing Iwould say is we're collaborative
, not condescending.
So instead of coaching peoplein the context of weakness, we
(03:51):
guide them to maximize theirstrength.
So when we give them feedback,it's filtered through a
framework of something thatthey're hardwired to do.
Matt Sunshine (04:01):
Man, I love that there's so many.
I think everyone who'slistening should just like
rewind and listen to my answeragain.
That's loaded with great stuff.
You did use the word proactive,which actually brings me to my
next question.
So, as a talent focus managerput yourself in that mindset you
(04:21):
have the responsibility formanaging a team while also, at
the exact same time, proactivelyrecruiting.
Yeah, to me, and, I think, to alot of people listening, that
sounds like quite the jugglingact.
So how do you do both withouthaving one suffer at the expense
(04:44):
of the other?
Allison Delagrange (04:45):
Yeah, it's such a good question and you're
absolutely right, it is ajuggling act.
The first thing I would say ismake sure that you communicate
with your existing team aboutwhy you're recruiting.
There's a fair amount of bosswatching that happens.
So if you tell them up frontlisten, I'm going to have people
(05:07):
in here for interviews.
It's not necessarily becauseI'm trying to replace people.
It's because I believe thattalent is rare and I want you to
have top-notch teammates.
So communicate that up front.
The other part of it is it justcomes down to your calendar.
So when you're planning outyour week, make sure that you've
set aside the time forone-on-ones with your existing
(05:30):
staff.
Make sure that they have whatthey need, but then, just like
we tell sellers to set asidetime for prospecting, you've got
to set aside time forrecruitment.
You might have to move the time, but don't completely cancel it
.
Sure, yeah.
That is the time on yourcalendar.
Matt Sunshine (05:49):
Yeah, so you know .
You were talking about howyou're communicating with the
people, with your folks, andletting them know what you're
looking for and why you're doingit.
I read somewhere that A playerslike to be around other A
players and B players like to bearound C's and D players.
So if you want to keep your Aplayers, you need to surround
(06:10):
them with A players.
They bring it up in the gameright.
Allison Delagrange (06:15):
Yeah, absolutely.
Matt Sunshine (06:16):
All right, so let's talk about talent banks.
What routine or what sort ofrhythm would you recommend
keeping for keeping greatpotential hires in that kind of
that routine, in that orbit,even when you're not actively
hiring, because you recommendalways be recruiting but you're
(06:38):
not always hiring.
So how do you keep peopleinterested even when you're not
actually hiring?
Allison Delagrange (06:45):
Right.
So the idea of a talent bank ifsomebody's listening and
they're not familiar about whatthat means, it's essentially
you're building a bench ofpotential star players.
So when you do have an opening,you're not starting from
scratch.
So we want to keep in touchwith these people, because how
(07:06):
often do we get a notice?
That's, like you know, morethan two weeks, and then if
you're starting from scratch totry to find talent, you're not
setting yourself up for success.
So to build that talent bankagain, it's going to go back to
your calendar, setting asidetime in your week for these
activities, and it might bethings like asking your network
(07:29):
for referrals, going to jobfairs, continuing to conduct
interviews with interestedcandidates and just
communicating to them that ourcompany really is looking for
talent.
So we always want to beconnected with talented people.
Also, keep track of yourcandidates, and it doesn't have
to be something fancy.
(07:49):
It might just be an excel sheetthat you're revisiting
regularly, where you're keepingtrack of the candidates and the
interaction that you've had withthem.
If you find somebody really,really talented, consider
creating a place for them withinyour organization, because you
may not have that opportunityagain Otherwise.
(08:10):
Keep in touch with them kind oflike you would, a long-distance
friendship.
You know, you see what they'redoing on LinkedIn.
Be kind of a cheerleader forthem as you notice things are
happening and that way, when aposition does become available,
you've been in contact and it'sa quick phone call.
Matt Sunshine (08:30):
Yeah, I think that's excellent.
Yeah, I mean, again, there's somuch there.
But I think that analogy tolike an old friend and being
(08:50):
present in their social mediaand commenting and liking,
making sure they realize you'rethere when something happens in
their world, try to participate.
Or when something good happensin your world, make sure to
share I think those are some ofthose things All right.
So let's switch a little bitand let's talk about how does
coaching through a strengthslens you kind of through the
more traditional or more commonfix-it style management that we
(09:23):
sometimes see.
Allison Delagrange (09:25):
Yeah.
So the simple short answer isit's so much better when you
focus on the strengths, right?
I mean, think about it.
Do you want to work for amanager who's just always
harping on you for yourshortcomings, or do you want to
work with a coach whounderstands how you're wired and
can pull the best out of you?
(09:46):
So, to be clear, though, I'mnot talking about excusing bad
behavior.
That's a conversation for awhole different episode.
But what I mean is that if wecoach through a strength lens,
we've got keys to unlockpeople's full potential.
And I don't know that managersare constantly necessarily
(10:08):
looking for what people aredoing wrong, but I do think it
can be tempting to make somewrong assumptions, and that
might lead to more of aone-size-fits-all sort of
approach.
So I was thinking about thisexample.
One of the talents we talk abouthere at CSS is this talent of
(10:30):
competition, and it is what itsounds like People that have to
win, they have to beat everyoneelse, and it's easy to assume
that every salesperson is wiredthat way.
So we host contests, we put upa leader board, we're tracking
progress and we're seeing who'son top and who's at the bottom,
(10:51):
and some people that are wiredto be competitive.
They're in it to win it andthey love this.
But you might notice one ofyour top performers.
This just isn't really.
They're not getting into it andit's like what's happening.
The truth is, not every singlesalesperson is wired to be
(11:13):
competitive.
There's another talent that wetalk about, called Achiever, and
it might be that this person iswired more to be their best.
They're not looking at otherpeople's records, they're
looking at their own and tryingto top that.
So a strengths coach, insteadof saying why aren't you more
(11:34):
competitive?
And like trying to push that onthem, they would say, okay,
this person has their own goals,so we're going to get on the
same page with what those are.
We're going to set small stepsalong the way and we're going to
celebrate like crazy when youhit those goals.
So that's what I mean it's.
(11:54):
It's looking at somebody andhow they're wired and and and
using that to pull out the bestof them.
Matt Sunshine (12:03):
I love that, I love that, I love that, I love
that.
So let's, let's do a real lifescenario.
That happens all all the time.
A new role opens upunexpectedly.
Maybe you've been givenadditional headcount from a
corporate office, or maybesomeone on your team has left
(12:28):
because of a great reasonbecause their spouse got a
significant promotion that'sgoing to require them to move
halfway across the country, andso you're sad to see this person
leave, but you're thrilled fortheir family and they're leaving
right.
It's not always that someonegot fired or something negative.
(12:49):
Sometimes it happens that a newrole opens up unexpectedly.
What's your process forensuring that you make a great
hire, quickly but thoughtfully?
Allison Delagrange (13:05):
Yeah.
So hopefully, going back towhat we talked about a little
bit ago, you've got a talentbank, so you've got a bench to
pull from people that you couldcall and start that conversation
.
But if you haven't, I wouldstill say don't hit the panic
button when we get nervous aboutan opening, for whatever reason
(13:28):
.
Sometimes we make hastydecisions and hire someone to
fill a seat and we regret itlater.
Take a minute, no matter whatthe circumstance is, to just
pause and look at the new teamthat you have, what talent left
because of that person'sdeparture and what talent do you
(13:48):
have left.
That person's departure maymean some new opportunities with
your existing team where youmight be able to accelerate
growth even faster, because youmight.
It could be that realigningroles and tasks would be a
better fit with the existingtalent that you have.
So kind of, take inventory anddecide what you need.
(14:13):
We have a really great toolcalled the job spec and analysis
sheet.
You need.
We have a really great toolcalled the Job Spec and Analysis
Sheet and basically this isyour chance to put down on paper
what you're looking for, so thetalents that you need and then
also the experience and theskills.
So really think about it.
Don't just think about it,though.
Put it down on paper before youstart trying to fill that spot.
(14:36):
That way you avoid thepotential pitfall of just hiring
the person that seems like theymight be good and then
regretting it later.
So it's really a thoughtfulapproach about what do I need
for my team.
Matt Sunshine (14:53):
Yeah, I want to go back to something you said
earlier on a previous question.
I'd written myself a note and Iforgot to bring it up when we
were talking about the strengthlens versus the fix it style at
talent focused management.
One of the core concepts thatwe teach is this is the is the
(15:15):
ratio of positive feedback toconstructive feedback, and it's
a five to one ratio.
And that doesn't mean that youcan't say something constructive
to someone without giving themfive compliments.
It means that, generallyspeaking, over time you're
(15:36):
giving five, you're pointing outfive things that someone you're
recognizing, five things thatsomeone is doing well for every
one thing that you're trying tofix or improve.
Teach this at TFM and then weplay a video of a salesperson
(15:59):
doing a discovery meeting with aneeds analysis, with a prospect
, and we tell everybody in theroom after we have gone, after
we have made a big deal aboutthis five to one ratio, and then
after the video, which thevideo is not very long.
The video is like four minuteslong and we explained to
everyone this is not the entirediscovery meeting.
(16:19):
This is simply the first fourminutes of the discovery meeting
.
The discovery meeting isprobably a 30 or 40 minute
meeting.
We're just letting you watchthe first four minutes.
We'd love for you to, as youwatch this, write down some
notes on the feedback that youwould give to the salesperson.
(16:41):
Sure enough, nearly 90% of thepeople in the room were a grader
.
Their list of feedback is allthe things the person did wrong,
that the person did wrong.
You need to be talking that theperson did right, and we kind
of make everyone kind of chuckleabout that.
(17:02):
We're like didn't we just havea conversation about a five to
one?
I mean, couldn't you and I saythis because I think all of us
get into a habit of pointing outwhat isn't right instead of
getting in the habit of pointingout what is being done right?
(17:22):
And when you transition from astrengths focused, from the fix
it always being in fix it mode,you do start to point out the
specific things that someone didright.
And, by the way, how great doyou feel when someone, when you
do something, and someonenotices that you did it right
(17:43):
and gives you that littlecompliment of hey, great job, I
noticed the way you built thatproposal.
I really like those two slidesthat you have in the end of that
PowerPoint deck.
Those are, those are amazing.
I'd love for you to share itwith some other people, because
I think you just knocked the endof that PowerPoint deck.
Those are, those are amazing.
I'd love for you to share itwith some other people, because
I think you just knocked it outof the park You're going to.
That's the type of thing you gohome and you tell your family,
(18:04):
like I did so I just wanted toto get, to make sure we got to
that.
All right, yeah, yeah.
Next question has there ever,has there ever been a that you
know took a chance on someonewho didn't check all the boxes
(18:26):
but ended up being a home run?
Is there a little bit of that?
Sometimes you just got to takea chance just got to take a
chance.
Allison Delagrange (18:40):
Calculated risks, right.
So let's go back to what Italked about with that job spec
and analysis sheet, and if youhaven't seen the tool, that's
okay, because I'm going toexplain it to you.
Basically, on the left side ofthe page you're going to write
down this is what I have to havewhen it comes to the talents
have when it comes to thetalents, developed skills and
(19:01):
experience and this is what I'mnot compromising on the right
side is more of a nice to havewhen it comes to talent, skills
and experience.
So, as I'm thinking backthrough lots of interviews and
years of recruitment, I canthink of times when, yes, I
budged on the right side of thepage.
(19:23):
You know, maybe it usually hadto do with the experience side,
like, maybe I really would haveliked to have somebody that had
B2B sales experience come on myteam because it seems like they
could just get right in thereand pick up where maybe somebody
else left off.
But I ended up okay becausethis person had retail sales
(19:47):
experience and they had thenatural talent to do the job
really well.
I will say I cannot think of asingle time where I budged on
the left side on talent and itworked out well.
I can't think of any.
I wish I could say it'sdifferent, because you meet
(20:07):
somebody and you're like, oh mygosh, this person's great.
I know that they don't have thebest work intensity, but we can
get around it.
And then later on you're likethey just don't have enough
energy to do this job and Ican't change it.
Why did I settle?
Matt Sunshine (20:24):
Right.
And what really messes it upfor some people is that
sometimes you see short-termsuccess, Even if you hire
someone that doesn't have thetalent or they don't have what
you're looking for.
They don't meet what you'relooking for, but you take a
chance, you bring them in andthey do.
They get a win, right, Becauseof a previous relationship or
(20:46):
something like that.
They get a win.
And so then you want to go ohsee, but then again, are you
looking for people that are justgoing to make a, you know, a 90
day impression, or are youlooking for people that are just
going to make a 90-dayimpression or are you looking
for people that are going tomake a long-term impact?
And if you're looking for theimpact, you go with the talent,
All right.
Last question, Last questionsales leaders, sales managers
(21:19):
listing this who want to build,they desire, they are interested
in building out their own superteam.
They want to have the bestsales organization possible, and
they're not all clients of CSS.
So just bear that in mind.
They should be, but they're not.
They should be, but they're not.
(21:41):
That's okay, Right?
What's one small habit that amanager can adopt to start
becoming more talent focused intheir day-to-day leadership.
What would you recommend?
Allison Delagrange (21:47):
Yeah, so we were talking about this earlier.
We hire for impact, right.
So think about it's not justthe impact that that person is
going to have on ourorganization, but it's also the
impact that we as leaders get tohave on them to help them
realize their full potential andmaybe change their lives really
(22:11):
.
And one way we get to do thatis through feedback.
So that's what I wouldencourage people listening to
start incorporating into theirroutine, so to bring this to
life.
True confession um, there was atime in my life where I really
loved watching these talentshows whether it was singing or
(22:33):
dancing or some sort ofperformance where somebody gets
up there, does their thingbefore a panel of judges and
then they get feedback.
My favorite part was whensomeone's raw talent was shining
through and a judge would lookat them and say you have what it
(22:55):
takes to be a star, and youcould see the impact on the
person who was receiving themessage.
Their eyes light up, maybefilled with tears, they stand a
little bit straighter, and sothat's what we get to do as
coaches when we're talentfocused.
So take some time each day tonotice something about someone
(23:20):
that's showing their talent.
Maybe they always have two tothree great solutions for every
single problem.
Maybe they're the hardestworker in the room they show up
first and they leave last.
Maybe it's just that they havean awesome smile and they lift
the mood wherever they go.
Whatever it is, notice it andtake time to pull them aside and
(23:45):
speak to it, and then watchwhat happens next.
And that, right there is whattalent-focused management is all
about.
Matt Sunshine (23:54):
I love it.
That's awesome.
Allison, thank you so much forjoining us today and being our
guest.
You brought so much value.
I know that people are going tojust treasure every single
thing that you said and put itto use, which is just absolutely
awesome For everyone listening.
If you want to get a hold ofAllison, we will put her contact
(24:16):
information in the show notes.
Easiest way to do that is justto go to LinkedIn and connect
with her there and directmessage her there.
I know she's highly responsiveand we'll get back to you and
thank you everyone for listening.
We really appreciate it and welook forward to seeing you on
the next episode of ImprovingSales Performance.
This has been Improving SalesPerformance.
(24:39):
Thanks for listening.
If you like what you heard,join us every week by clicking
the subscribe button.
For more on the topics coveredin the show, visit our website,
thecenterforsalesstrategycom.
There you can find helpfulresources and content aimed at
improving your sales performance.
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