Integrity is choosing courage over comfort; choosing what is right over what is fun, or easy, and choosing to practice our values rather than simply professing them. Brene’ Brown

As we all know, at this time, more than ever, we need strong, capable and reliable leadership in every facet of our lives. And thus, I would ask you to think about what characteristics you are looking for in your sales leader(s). While you might not be looking for new personnel at the moment, this is an issue that deserves your ongoing consideration to ensure the long-term viability of your business.

Don’t be tempted to hire or promote individuals just because they are articulate, knowledgeable, and technically competent at functional responsibilities. Of course, these capabilities are very important, but there is more – much more that you’re looking for. These things are those critical intangibles, much of which cannot be taught.

Your leaders must have integrity, spiritual and emotional stamina, as well as being competitively driven to win. They must possess the attitude and passion to excite, uplift, inspire and support those around them on both an individual level and as a team. The ideal candidate will possess a deep-seated desire for overachieving and has a track record demonstrating the ability to lead teams to exceed expectations. This is a person who is a model for strong collaborative skills and an individual who does not fold in the face of adversity.

After all, is said and done, the real difference between mere competence and excellence for the team depends upon the atmosphere created by leadership. And thus, the selection and/or development of strong, inspirational leaders is a critical success factor to the winning culture.

The individual(s) we are looking for must be ambitious and have very high standards, benchmarking their achievements against the best in class. The ideal candidate will exude confidence (not arrogance), with high expectations not only for himself but for those around them; they will set the standard for excellence, inciting peak performance for the entire team. Our sales leader will inspire all of us through their high achievement orientation, consistently positive mindset and, most importantly, their actions. To be clear, these actions I am speaking of are those associated with their personal work ethic and how they handle adversity. This leader will diligently prepare themself and the team to be capable of doing all the right things in the right way. This means creating and enhancing those habits and skills that will provide the best chance at winning.

When you employ sales leaders with these characteristics, superior results will inevitably happen. This a blueprint for success that produces consistently outstanding results in good times and, more importantly, in challenging ones.