Play With The Toy

A guy I’ve a lot of time for within one of my customers recently got promoted to be a’top the sales department. His description of how life differs at various rungs will resonate with many people I’m sure.

He was a successful rep, selling for several years on his own patch as an Account Manager. Then with a reshuffle of territories, an extra Region was created, requiring a new Regional Manager. He got the vote. Yet he felt, although a decent step up, he was really only a glorified Account Manager. And now, many more years later, the old sales head departed leaving a vacancy for the head man. Each Regional Manager was interviewed, and although I’m not too certain, I think he was the only one that truly wanted the role. And he got it.

So here he is, surveying his new responsibilities. And he said he was really enjoying it, because for the first time, he was allowed to “play with the toy”. He had loads of ideas for how to move forward and for the first time was given leeway to formulate his plans and then enact them. He was thoroughly enjoying life and seemed to relish being able to see the wood from the trees.

I bet for anyone in sales, being able to occasionally play with the toy makes a welcome respite from process-driven management and relentless target–orientation. A welcome reward for success and perhaps fitting motivation for personal endeavour.