Fire The Disruptives

Whilst having little interest in the travails of The World's Biggest Football Club™, the recent arrival of new part-owners could be quite the ride.

The investor's man-on-the-ground being none other than Mr Marginal Gains, cycling supremo and serial minter of Olympic Gold, Sir Dave Brailsford.

One aspect of his thinking has resurfaced by association. Principally as he learnt it from the team's long retired legendary trophy collector, Sir Alex Ferguson.

With scribes keen to suggest it ought again become a stamp of the regime from here.

To cite one of many descriptions, said pillar being;

'Get rid of the disruptive influences, get rid of people who aren't working in the same direction as you'.

You infer that these two points are different flavours of the same dish. If someone had moved off the same page as you, and you felt they were no longer your kind of person, then you must act. Which means showing them the door.

I've had this tricky conversation with Sales leaders myself.

A top performer avoids following any suggested altered path, never shares and always moans.

They can hold sway over a key client or sector relationship too.

No attempt at even slight integration seems to work.

And despite often healthy financial contribution, the net effect feels a real energy drain on the whole enterprise.

The airtime gradually given over to the situation eventually swells to smother, impede, and generally fail to attain, the required progress.

Whilst to cohere should not be confused with having latitude to challenge and express yourself slightly differently, there's definitely a line that generally needs to be followed as one [insert your preferred collective noun].

When execs are crafting Strategy I've often shed light on the knowing adage, 'culture eats strategy for breakfast'.

And invariably, the instance of someone disruptive in this way is a manifestation of this.

Those not fully aligned will curtail your overall ambitions.

If you recognise this picture within your selling effort, you now know what to do. The sooner the better.