There was a moment during the Rebecca Fassio interview that gave me a sense of Deja Vu to the Liar’s Poker reading. At a certain point, she mentioned that for her ‘it’s not all about the money, it is about building a community.’ This brought me back to the moment in our book when Michael Lewis mentions that ‘it not being about the money is bullshit.’
Now, I know that Michael Lewis and Rebecca Fassio are in completely different lines of work. And I do not mean for this to imply that Rebecca is lying about her stance on money, but it brought up an interesting tension that I have been contemplating. For Rebecca Fassio, her goal is to build a community to allow money to flow easier. As someone that has been on the end of calls from the university asking for money, I do agree that it requires more relationship building. The times that I have made a donation were determined by the person I was talking to on the phone. If they made the effort to get to know me a little bit, I was willing to donate more money.
On the other side of the spectrum, Michael Lewis is purely motivated by money. He went to business school to make money. He chose a career that would allow him to make more money. He wrote a whole book that focuses on the pursuit of money. That being said, I can tell by the entertaining writing that Michael Lewis has a strong sense of humor (I haven’t finished yet, so no spoilers — haha). When I look at charismatic leadership, I see people that rise up very quickly. Dale Carnegie’s book How to Win Friends and Influence People explains the hot tips for being a great salesperson, and they revolved around relationship building. I also have a co-worker that rose up in status because of his charisma, because if it was based on work merit, he would not have been selected. At least for Michael Lewis, he learned that he might need to convince others that it is not all about the money to succeed.
I think charisma and the ability to build relationships is a way to get to the top quick. Preferably, it is important to get people to agree to giving money or getting “the job”/ promotion before giving anyone else too much time to think about it. Salespeople survive on this idea. It’s a method that I personally do not agree with, but I cannot deny the success and impact it has on the people around me. I just wonder if this kind of leadership is able to last long term? What are the downsides? John Paul mentions that most companies turn to a more technocratic leadership when it becomes much larger. Is it because charisma can only take us so far?
I think with leaders like Rebecca that truly care about the relationship, it thrives longer. I think for people that are motivated purely by money, it is hard to have that genuine appeal. At least in my case, I get turned away by people that are in the latter group. However, it then makes me wonder what we say about con artists? These are people, that are able to mask their true intention. So is everyone mentioned in my post to some extent a con artist? Are we all con artists to some extent? Is that what being a leader is? Or is that too cynical?
Comments:
Hi Connor! You sold us on our topic. Not at first, but in the long run. To my way of thinking, it was a matter of it being a good/fresh/middle-path type alternative, and really “sexy” in the way of identified with Hollywood, creative types, and big culture. Maybe sales success is partially linked to identifying appealing, flattering things for the buyer coming with the purchase — like being an early adopter or building out a brand. Seems like that’s always part of helping people realize why they must have what you are selling.
Like your cartoons! Funny! And with you as my friend, I feel I am more hip and thoughtful, plus connected, since I have an engineer acquaintance in Florida. So I’ve purchased your very unassuming and well developed and authentic brand, and I’m better for it. Like you, I ponder this leadership/sales equivalence and this is how it can be positively understood by me. I used to hate selling Girl Scout cookies, but didn’t realize that I was one of the most successful in the troop (largely because my mother said “Go try”); having tried, I have an appreciation for why salespeople are well compensated. Nothing doesn’t involve sales.
Me:
you’re great :). You always have the perspective I need, so I really appreciate it!
Now my question for you is, why did you dislike it? There could be a lot of answers for that. But I do agree with you about that appreciation of what salespeople do!
Classmate:
Great discussion! Being in sales, I feel a little compelled to jump in! To your point Connor, I was trained that sales are built on constructive, consultative and beneficial partnerships. But we all know know how it feels to be on end the of a ridiculous sales pitch. This is one of my complaints with Linked In. I am not even sure how many contacts I have anymore but in the past year, a significant number of them are just trying to pitch me on something.
In my experience and opinion, the most successful sales people are usually people that are in it to help add value to their customers. I once gained a huge client because my competitor loaded them up with unwanted product just to hit a quarterly number. This demonstrated the he cared more about his well being than the customer. The customer promptly threw him out. A successful salesperson has to have some caring and desire for his customers business. If not, his customers will soon see his true motives.
In the leadership classes I have taken so far, an overlapping skill that I consistently observe between successful leaders and sales people is excellent listening skills. Asking questions and thoroughly understanding the customer’s needs is critical.
I used to think that sales people needed to have a ton of charisma. But now, listening, drive, organization and integrity are skills that I think outweigh charisma.
Me:
Ah, this is an interesting addition to the mix Jim. Listening.
I have often said that everything comes down to communication, and listening is half the battle there. I would imagine that a good sales person needs to find a way to get someone to communicate. In your example, you already have a charged customer, but what about the side of sales where you are trying to find customers you do not know you have? Is that where charisma comes into play? Is charisma the act of getting people to open and spill their secrets so you can better support them?
