Partners in EXCELLENCE - Making a Difference
Leadership
True leadership lies in guiding others to success. In ensuring that everyone is performing at their best, doing the work they are pledged to do and doing it well. —Bill Owens
Leadership is critical to success, whether self-leadership or organizational leadership. Too often, we confuse leadership and management. Both have their place, but leadership enables organizations to achieve.
We provide a variety of programs to support the development of leaders. Whether it is their role in the organization and how to perform. Developing/implementing strategies, setting performance goals and dealing with performance challenges. Or managing performance and maximizing engagement. Or coaching and developing people in their teams.
Our programs and consulting can be offered at the organizational level, working with people in developing a strong leadership capability within the organization.
We also work at the individual level, serving as coaches or mentors to individuals, maximizing their ability to lead and helping them to move forward in their careers.
Leadership Posts
Speaking About PIPs……..
Yeah, yeah, I know you are thinking, “What a downer Dave! Can’t you write about something more inspiring like plummeting win rates….?” I don’t know if it’s the time of year, you know a kind of “out with the bad” mindset, or a reflection of something else, but I’ve been involved in a number of […]
“Activities Don’t Drive Strategy!”
Brandon Fluharty made a brilliant observation: Activities Don’t Drive Strategy! While no leader sets out to have activities drive strategy (at least I hope they don’t), too often we get distracted and activities take center stage. Stated differently, we stop seeing the forest and focus on the trees. Activities are the things we do to […]
Reflecting On “Founder Mode”
Since Paul Graham’s fascinating article on Founder Mode, I’ve been reading/rereading his article and listening to Brian Chesky talk about his re-wiring of AirBnB. I’ve also been wary of way too many pundits jumping on the bandwagon with their thoughts about Founder Mode as the miracle cure to our business woes. (Let me be clear, […]
Pushy Vs. Pushing, A Matter Of Context
Sellers are too Pushy! Customers always seem to move more slowly than sellers want. They wander, waste time that sellers don’t have. Sellers are anxious to move things forward! Get the meeting, get the demo, get the order! Sellers have always been known for being pushy, we as sellers recognize it, we high five each […]
“Getting Out Of The Building……”
Steve Blank has a concept he calls, “Getting out of the building.” Tom Peters has written about a similar concept, MBWA–Management By Walking Around. These are similar approaches focused on how we really get to know and understand our customers, it’s seeing them in their “natural habitats.” Much of my career has been built on […]
The “CEO Card……”
I’ve been reading a number of articles about how win rates skyrocket when you get a very senior exec or founder involved in a sales opportunity. Sometimes opening a deal, sometimes in the final stages of a deal. These experts expound on how to get these exalted people involved in deals to drive executives involved […]
Control Disguised As Coaching
Often, when I talk to managers, they tell me how much time they spend coaching. They tell me stories of meeting, weekly, with their people, doing reviews, pipeline discussions, activity discussions—-all sorts of “coaching meetings.” They say, “Dave, coaching is important and we are spending a lot of time coaching…..” I often ask, “How’s it […]
Do Your People Look Forward To Meeting With You?
If you are a manager, sit down, swallow hard, ask yourself this question: “Do your people actually look forward to meeting with you?” Perhaps ask yourself, “Do you look forward to meeting with your manager?” Alternatively, “Do they look forward to taking you on a customer call?” If you and your people are like 70% […]
What Is Coaching?
The term “coaching” has become a catch all word for all sorts of performance improvement practices. When one enters a conversation about “coaching,” it’s often confusing, we may be talking about apples and oranges–both are important, but they are very different. We engage coaches for a variety of different purposes: Personal development for improving our […]
What Happens When We Stop Talking To Each Other?
This morning, going through my social feeds, I happened on this pronouncement: “If any of my friends are supporting, [Insert the other party’s candidates], please unfriend me. You are entitled to your opinions, but I have no desire to engage with you…..” While this was the most pronounced articulation, I see too much of the […]
Leadership Testimonials
"After reading the Sales Manager Survival Guide and being impressed with David’s expert understanding of sales and relevance to our industry, we engaged David directly for a Sales Manager coaching program. The content was excellent and David’s engagement with our managers was outstanding. I highly recommend David and Partners In Excellence if you want to take your sales to the next level. " Brad Colledge, Executive General Manager
“I was asked to take the role of managing a sales organization. Having no prior sales experience, the task seemed quite daunting. Thankfully, David Brock was there to give me direction and encouragement. Yes, David helped me understand the sales process; however, more importantly, David provided me with firm, but supportive critique that has proved invaluable to me. David never soft-pedaled his approach with me. Instead, he spoke to me as an executive, and expected me to live up to the call. In addition to direction, David provided me with the encouraging words that I needed to believe in myself, and that I could be successful in my new role. “ Scott Dixon, Managing Director
“Dave sets himself apart in the industry with his ruthless focus on preparation and sales discipline. Dave's mentorship and coaching is designed to ensure I focus on the most qualified opportunities, bring exceptional value to each customer interaction, and win more deals. He has been an indispensable mentor and transformational influence.” Mary Grogan Strain, Business Development Manager
“Dave Brock literally wrote the book on sales management! Dave provides critical insights that are thought-provoking and directional. Better yet, Dave not only provides a different perspective, but he also has the ability to work with clients to build solutions that positively impacts sellers and coaches alike.” Jim Wood, Vice President of Sales
One of the greatest gifts a coach can give to a coachee is to help them think more accurately about themselves, about their challenges, and about the various ways they go about solving those challenges. But Dave’s gift is something more. So much so that Dave’s helped me to fundamentally shift the way I think to begin with. This process has resulted not only in increased performance, but in a continual learning process that hasn’t stopped since our first coaching session. It’s an honor to call him my coach and a privilege to continually learn from him, even on the days between our coaching sessions! - Nate Tutas
When I was about to move into my first sales management role I reached out to Dave after I had read his book that really resonated with me. It was fantastic to have Dave as a coach and sounding board during those first months and it really put me on the right track to succeed in the sales management role and also set the foundation for me to progress from that. Didrik Moe, EMEA General Manager