Winnie Anderson  Good for you, Winnie :) 

Chris Marr

March 10 at 02:39pm

Hey folks :) What’s the single biggest fear or concern you have about the future of your career, and what are you working on right now that’s helping solve for that?As always, I'm keen to hear what you're working on to advance and build your career. Jump into the comments with what's front of mind for you :) Chris. 

Chris Marr

February 22 at 12:09pm

Hey coaches! Let’s talk about how we’re growing, and if there’s something we need to change in our life to feel like we’re growing: Do you feel like you are being challenged in your work right now? Do you feel like you are growing? What’s something you could do that really challenges you? I'd love to hear from you in the comments :)Chris. 

Chris Marr

February 8 at 01:17pm

Chris Marr  thanks very much! I did add my super old work history elements just to make it easy for folks since they're doing me a favor. 

Winnie Anderson

February 1 at 03:06pm

Winnie Anderson  Love this! Thanks for sharing, Winnie! 

Chris Marr

January 18 at 01:25pm

Love this post and all of the issues you've raised here! Since I have a background in HR/OD (former HR director with a master's in HR and past certification as a SPHR) I could go on all day about this stuff. (Part of my HR career included recruiting for the Marketing division of a past employer.)I think job one is to get rid of the title of "salesperson". The whole point of a buyer-first approach to marketing is no one is selling. They're helping prospects make decisions...to find solutions and to help them choose the right solution for them.So that means the staff-formerly-known-as-salesperson should have a new title. I recommend "Solution Consultant" because that's actually what should be happening. They act as a consultant to the (qualified) potential buyer.That means that the compensation strategy likely needs to change in order to reward the right behavior. If a salesperson/solution consultant's personal revenue (aka "salary") is generated from commissions then you're rewarding "selling" behavior and not consulting behavior. I recommend a bonus pool and every employee is a recipient of a bonus at some level. Afterall, if you're attempting to build a true team environment, everyone is playing a role in the overall success of the business so everyone is working to either (directly or indirectly) attract, delight, or retain clients. Part of onboarding and ongoing employee communication needs to include helping team members understand the business' vision/mission and strategy...understand how all the departments work together to fulfill those things...and understand how they and their job (and those are two different things) support the achievement of success as the clients define it and as the business defines it.** I say that "they and their job" are two different things because helping the employee recognize they are NOT their job can help reduce defensiveness in receiving feedback.Support skill development including self-management. Part of this requires ongoing communication inside the organization. Help employees stay plugged in to how things are changing (especially with tech) and how those changes can/could impact the organization, its clients (remember we have to help staff stay focused on the overall work of attracting, delighting, and retaining clients) and how they can continue to evolve in their own abilities so they continue to stay valuable to the organization and to themselves. (Heaven forbid something should happen and there is a voluntary or involuntary separation but when folks realize they are NOT their jobs and they have transferable skills they can use elsewhere, they are more likely to be able to stay positive and land their next gig.)Performance Reviews need to change. With ongoing feedback, no one feels surprised. When great people are brought in, effectively onboarded, continuously communicated with, and given feedback in a safe environment with a coaching approach then improvement is seen as something that's ongoing. All humans want and need to reach their fullest potential. Managers need to hone their ability to provide feedback in a supportive way and everyone needs to see that working on their own self-management includes the ability to give and receive feedback in a healthy way. I could go on (maybe I'll come back and post more later) but I have to get back to work :-) Funny, because I've been thinking a lot lately about if and how to blend my HR-side with my brand strategy side.Happy to talk about this or be a resource for the conversation.

Chris Marr

January 11 at 09:29pm