Most people never give it a thought, that they are leading others every day. However, there is not a minute goes by that someone, is not looking at your actions and duplicating them, right or wrong. This is why it is so important we set the right examples of leadership.

This is why as the leader, you need to continually focus on what’s best for the team you are leading. Here are a seven simple principles you can implement to keep your balance and to lead your sales organization in the right direction.

Establish a Crusade

One of the most basic human needs is to belong to something bigger than ourselves. As the leader, you have to establish the crusade, paint the big picture, or as John Maxwell states it “Establish a Vision.”

No matter what you call it, it has to inspire others to buy-in and share it with the world. It is this simple principle, which causes people to come to the aid of those in Haiti, fight for the freedom of others, and dive into freezing water to rescue a drowning child. Or stay with Primerica and Herbalife in the 1980s when they were just getting started.

Every successful company I’ve researched, was built on a crusade of changing the way people live in one way or another. Every successful team leader I have interviewed, inspired their troops with a crusade of changing their small part of the world. What is your crusade? How are you inspiring your team?

Get Rid of Your EGO

Dogmatic, egotistical leaders who lead with a tyrannical attitude went out the window years ago. If you are still seeing this as leadership, then you may need to start an organized crime family instead of a sales organization or direct selling company.

Leader’s today lead from the heart. They are humble, yet confident. They focus on what is best to fulfill the crusade, not their pocket books or ego. They are driven to leave a legacy, not to be seen as the hero of every accomplishment. They sacrifice their own short-term gains, for what is best for the long-term growth of the company or team.

The great leaders never focus on their ego, they focus on building up those leaders around them. They are fast to take responsibility for the loses and give credit to the team for the wins. They are passionately ambitious, but their ambition is focused on the growth of the company and team, not on personal gain.

Putting the Team First

For the Founder and CEOs who read this, you have a double and maybe a triple responsibility, depending on if you are running a publicly traded company. You are serving your employees, shareholders and the sales force. However, if the company crusade is powerful, and you are living by the crusade you have established, then this should come as second nature.

To serve the corporate team and/or your shareholders, your main focus should be on serving those who answer to your directly. By your example, they will duplicate and start to serve those who answer to them. If you have someone on your team who does not live by these principles, then you will need to help them find a new career with a new company, where they may fit better.

You also want to get out from behind your desk, and go sit with your frontline team members. Take time to visit customer service, listen to the situations your team is going through, answer a few of the calls, and show the team, you are there to serve them, not the other way around.

When it comes to the sales force, field leaders must remember, if it were not for the folks at the bottom of the compensation structure, there would not be a top of the structure. Each team member is a potential leader, until they prove otherwise. Take time each day to call people on the sale team who are consistently producing sales or growing their respective teams, thank them for their hard work, and ask them how you can serve them.

Founders and CEOs make yourself available to your top leaders on a regular basis. If they know you are there for them, and you continue to appreciate and build the relationship, they will not go looking for greener pastures.

Take Full Responsibility

We all want to take credit for the successes of the team. However, great leaders know the successes have more to do with the team, than it does them personal. Give the team credit all the time for the successes. When a marketing campaign increases monthly volume by $1 million dollars, give the team credit. When a new product, becomes a category leader, give the team credit. When a field leader leaves the company for a new challenge, you take full responsibility. Don’t blame the leader who left, realize you are the head honcho, and you are responsible.

This does not mean you caused it personally. We all know some folks are just more mixed up than we are, and will let their ego get in the way of good judgment. However, if we slow down and give it some thought, most of the time we saw the signs, and ignored them. They stopped taking our calls, they stopped calling to share the wins, and started making excuses for why they could not make the field leadership calls.

Be the Leader of the Pack

The leader always sets the example. If you see a weakness on the team, and want something to change, then lead the change. The lead dog sets the courses, since you are the lead dog, make the changes you expect and the whole team, corporate and field will follow.

John Maxwell calls this “The Law of the Picture – People Do What People See.” When you as the leader set the example, live out the big picture, and the team sees you are living the crusade, they will step up and follow your example.

One of the best examples of this in Direct Sales is when Bill and Robin Shaw bought and merged Entertaining at Home and Southern Living at Home together. Because they set the example and embraced all of the consultants as one big family, the field leaders of both companies welcomed each other as one big family. This action flowed through both companies down to the newest reps.

Take a Gut Check

Some call it a reality check, I call it a gut check. Each leader must acknowledge the reality of their situation. You can’t close your eyes and pretend it will go away. Step back and get a clear vision of the current picture. If the company or team is growing great, if attrition is eating into cash flow, and commissions are climbing through the roof, then it’s time to call an emergency meeting with the top leaders inside the corporate office and in the field.

Trust me, sticking your head in the ground, will not change their problem, it just makes your butt a better target for those who are gunning for you. The greatest leaders are those who talk about the situation. Look, other people are already talking about it, when you as the leader acknowledge the reality of the situation, then you allow others to help you find a solution.

When the leader is authentic and transparent, not ignoring situations at hand, they gain influence and leverage with their team and people will rally around them to help find an answer. People love an underdog, and will do more for others than themselves. I have yet to find a lone ranger who accomplished anything. Take a gut check and call in the troops.

Never Give Up

If you know without a shadow of doubt, the crusade you have set out on is right for the world, right for the team, right for you and your family. Then you never give up seeing it come to past. No matter how rocky the road gets, no matter how many dull negative dissolution crybabies who come calling telling you to give it up. You dig deep inside and keep moving forward.

When the team sees you are willing to take the hits head on, and are not backing down, they will know you are true to your word, believe what you preach, and will follow you to the gets of hell.

Art Williams the founder of Primierca is the best example of someone who believed in the crusade so deeply, he was willing to stake his whole future on it. He fought for the rights on the average American and his team. In the end, he won the fight. Today Primerica is the leading financial solution for more Middle Americans than any other company, and they pay their field force over $655 million dollars a year. Never underestimate the heart of a winner!

The catalyst for this post today, is because this last month I had the privilege of being introduced to a true Servant Leader. Not because he told me he was one, but because his team proved he was one.

As a matter of fact, according to his team, his wonderful wife is the other half of this Servant Leadership story.

Garrett & Sylvia McGrath

After talking with Garrett I decided to write this article.

The Three Characteristics of Servant Leaders:

1. They are Consensus Driven – True Servant Leaders, fully understand what Abrham Lincoln understood. That in order to bring unitity to any organization, you have to first surround yourself with people who will make up for your weaknesses. Servant Leaders understand there are no lone rangers. They create what Seth Godin calls a “Tribe.”

2. They Walk In Humility – In other words, they would rather talk about their team’s success, than they would to toot their own horn all the time. When Garrett and I spoke this last month, it seemed that every other setence he was talking about the success of one of his team members. From the small successes to the big ones. Servant Leaders live and die by their team’s success.

3. They Are Risk Takers – I am not talking about the typical risk taking that all leaders are willing to do. I am talking about the risk they take on those others have said are not worth it. They don’t care about the lack of pedigree, education, sir name or past occupation. All they care about, is the heart of the one they are mentoring. When they find people who are 100% commited on reaching their Chazown (Life Purpose), then they take the risk and in most cases, will mentor a person to reach beyond even what they thought was possible.

Now you know first hand the Three Characteristics you should be working to master. They are also the Characteristics you should be looking for in a Sponsor if you are looking to launch your Network Marketing Career, or are moving to a new company.

Never Give Up,

Troy Dooly

I had the privilege to sit around and listen to Seth last week at the Catalyst Conference, as he shared about his new book “Tribes”, but this week he wrote a great post on the #1 marketing strategy being Leadership.

As most of you know who have read my blogs, leadership is a cornerstone in my life. So take a second and read what the world’s #1 marketer Seth Godin has to say about Leadership and Marketing.

Seth Godin’s Blog Post – Leadership Is Now The Strongest Marketing Strategy

Never Give Up,

Troy Dooly
The Mavrick Leader

I have been receiving John’s training through the club and conferences for close to a decade now, and of all the training I have ever received this is truly the best.

In the past John as had trainers like:

Tim Sanders – Former Yahoo Chief Solutions Offcier
Jim Collins – Author of Good To Great
Seth Godin – Internet Marketer and author of the Purple Cow
Dave Ramsey – Fox Business Channel & Dave Ramsey Radio Show
And a boatload more.

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This week I was reading a blog article by Jeff Madsen on building a network marketing business the new way .vs old way. Personally I do not believe there is a old .vs new, there is just right and wrong when it comes to building your mlm business.

See the basis of network marketing has never changed – It is all about Building Relationships!

It doesn’t matter if you lead with your business opportunity, or your one of a kind catagory creating products, then  only way you will attract your prospect into your business is to build a relationship with them.

Now for some using the internet is how they look for new connects, while others work their local market. Both ways are the right way for the right person. However, both ways can also be the wrong ways if the person is not confident in their approach.

As a coach to some of the most successful home based CEOs today, I can tell you there is only ONE corrent way to find, launch and grow a successful home-based business.

And that is by finding a business that will be the vehicle for you to fulfill your true life passion. Most of the time this will be something you have always been interested in.

In my personal case, my life passion is serving others, and wathcing them fulfill their dreams and goals. So I have invest most of my adult life training, equipping and mentoring people who have “Heart.” People who deep down inside know they were created to BE SOMEBODY!

If you were to research and read about the Forbes Richest 400 Entreprenuers you will find they all have 7 keys to their success in common, and none of these seven keys have anything to do with MONEY!

Money is always the byproduct of fulfilling your life passion.

So, today ask yourself this one question – What is the one thing in this world, you would do for free, because you love it so much?  Now go find a business that will act as the vehicle for you to fulfill this passion.

By the way, if you want to find out what the “7 Traits Of The Forbes Super Rich” are, then read my article here.

Never Give Up,

Troy Dooly

The Rainmaker