Humble Teams Win More Often

Believing and acting like “it’s not about me.”

What do you get when you put a bunch of high performing sales leaders in a room together? You will find success for sure—but will it be paired with Humility? Too many times, when we get all the egos in one room, we need extra space!

For twenty years, I was privileged to work with high-powered, successful sales leaders. Our success fueled our egos. But there was one problem. Our egos also set us up for failure.

When I think back to the great sales leaders I worked with, the top of the list were the ones who could handle success with a grain of salt. They never thought too much of themselves or their accomplishments. They knew their sales success could ebb and flow. Such level-headed insight gave these leaders healthy perspective which led to consistent success, with numerous highs and very few lows. Humility safeguarded them from fluctuating between hero-to-zero.

How did they remain consistently on top? They exercised Humility and shared their best ideas. In a competitive sales world, where one region was often compared to another region—some people thought it made sense to not share strategies. I had been part of one leadership team in which the leaders held back their best ideas and strategies. They didn’t share with their peers. They were only in it for themselves. The result? One or two of them would win each year and everyone else strategized how to beat them the next year. While they achieved success in one round—they failed to see what they were missing out on in the long run.

In comparison, I was part of another team where I watched some of the most successful sales leaders in the company openly share their ideas. They did not see each other as competition. They viewed each other as resources for wisdom and creativity. They believed it was their role to make other leaders better. They understood that by sharing their best ideas, everyone would benefit.