Leadership Defined

Leadership is an interesting concept for a front line inside sales manager. It is almost easier to talk about what it’s not than to define what it is.

• It’s not positional power
• Or being a tyrant
• And certainly isn’t micro-managing tasks.

Merriam Webster gives one Leadership definition as “the power or ability to lead other people,” which isn’t very helpful unless you dive into their definitions of lead:

1a:  to guide on a way especially by going in advance
1b:  to direct on a course or in a direction
1c:  to serve as a channel for
2:  to go through:  live

These first definitions serve as general instructions on how to lead, but may not give enough for an inside sales manager to use in creating a personal leadership definition. The 3a meanings seem to offer a bit more in terms of specific ideas.

3a (1):  to direct the operations, activity, or performance of
3a (2):  to have charge of
3a (3):  to ask (a witness) a question in a way that suggests what the answer should be:  to ask (a witness) a leading question
3b has a feeling of being as much about inside salespeople and winning as it does leading people.
3b (1):  to go at the head of
3b (2):  to be first in or among
3b (3):  to have a margin over

Pieces of the next few definitions may be helpful, others will have nothing to do with your goal of defining inside sales leadership. It is up to you to decide what is helpful.

4:  to bring to some conclusion or condition
5:  to begin play with
6a:  to aim in front of (a moving object)
6b:  to pass a ball or puck just in front of (a moving teammate)

This wealth of definition choices immediately explains why many times it is easier to define leadership by what it’s not rather than what it is.

Every person–on your team, within your organization, a prospect or customer, even your vendor partners – has their own definition of leadership.

Step 1 to becoming a leader is to be able to articulate what leadership IS to you rather than defining leadership by what it is not.

A simple definition will clarify what is meant by leadership with every action you decide to take, for your team, for your organization. 

The UpYourTeleSales definition combines Merriam Webster’s 1b:  to direct on a course or in a direction, with 3a (1):  to direct the operations, activity, or performance of a group of people.

Leadership = to set a direction and keep the operations, activity, and performance of the team on course.

This doesn’t take away from the importance of Step 1: you still need to think about what leadership means to you, as well as how you will articulate your leadership definition to the people you work with.

The definition you set as your leadership intention will impact the actions you take. To be viewed as a leader both inside and outside your team, you will need to embody the characteristics you’ve defined. You have to walk the walk.