Got Diva Sales Reps? - How to Manage Difficult High Performers
Managing a difficult high performer is like raising a rebellious teen
Edited by Christina KrenekI’m sure at some point in our lives we have all been forced to deal with that difficult person – whether they’re the always-negative type, the stubborn and superior know-it-all, the passive-aggressive one, or the hostile and argumentative bully – we know who they are. And in sales, it’s fairly common that these difficult personalities are also the top performers.
For sales managers, dealing with these difficult high performers is a challenge and it takes some tweaking in your management style, but it can be done!
In looking at how to deal with difficult high performers and identifying some best practices of managing these difficult personalities, Profiles International conducted the study: How to Manage Jerks, Prima Donnas, Divas, and Hotheads. Some popular responses from participants were:
- Today’s workplaces are definitely overrun with “prima donnas” and “divas.”
- We just seem to live with our difficult personalities.
- Sometimes we don’t understand when difficult behavior slips into the realm of unmanageable behavior.
- What I see to be the most common tendency is that the difficult high performer is usually left alone and their bosses are reluctant to address their being difficult for fear of losing the person.
In the survey, sales and operations were the most common places to find these difficult high performers. They are making the top sales and benefiting your organization in that aspect, but their difficult personalities are also bringing negative attributes to the workplace.
When managing a sales team, it is a natural instinct to manage individuals the way you would want to be managed based on your personality and values. But when you find yourself trying to manage a more difficult individual that way, it doesn't work because they are different than you.
Think of it like raising a rebellious teenager. The parents and the teen are at different stages in their lives where they behave and value things differently. So parents have to find ways to relate to their child’s perspective to make an impact. The same goes for managing difficult high performers: to effectively manage them, you must alter your management approach to match their motives.
Watch as Deiric McCann, Sr. International VP at Profiles International, explains how employee assessments and solutions help achieve this.
http://videos.sorensonmedia.com/f5ad43a3V15e0i43f4nba0en4aad49f4f4c3/POST%3A++Deiric+McCann%3A+How+Assessments+Help+Manage+Difficult+High+Performers/4b1c985e-0cb7-11e1-86a6-12313804de72
It’s all about knowing and understanding your sales employees. Once you know how a difficult individual differs from you, then you can adapt your behavior towards them accordingly, manage effectively and get results!
