Sales Teams, Bees, and the Clifton StrengthFinder
Beginning last month, I began hosting a monthly incubator for early stage entrepreneurs, and I had the pleasure of welcoming Chad Seegmiller from Modern Monk Consulting.
After I noticed his baseball cap embroidered with a bee logo, Seegmiller wove a buzzworthy tale about Sales Teams, Bees, and the Clifton StrengthFinder. He sat down with me and explained why bees are so inspirational to him, and how learning his own strengths redirected him in his professional life.
Seegmiller’s Journey of Discovery:
Seegmiller's journey of discovery began approximately eight years ago, after a decade in financial sales and a 17-year banking career.
"I wanted to transition myself professionally, and I wasn't sure what was next. That's when I came across the Clifton Strengths assessment, said Seegmiller." I started learning about the four different domains of strength - relationship building, strategy, influence, and executing. Once I understood these domains and where my strengths fell, it began to change my career trajectory. I had always been knocking on the door of leadership. I had developed myself over the years and was waiting for the right moment. When I went through my strengths assessment, I realized that my high strategy and high influence could fit well into leadership roles."
The Missing Piece: A Common Language:
Seegmiller shared a pivotal moment with me that marked a turning point in his professional journey. Accepting a leadership position in the bank, he encountered a significant challenge in the form of an underperforming team.
"I took a promotion into a leadership position in the bank, and after a couple of years, I found myself tasked with turning around an underperforming business line. As I analyzed the challenges, I realized that a lack of a common language and aligned goals were hindering the team's performance. I read the book 'The Culture Code' by Daniel Coyle, which explored successful teams and the power of a common language. That's when it clicked for me - Clifton Strengths could be that missing piece we needed within our organization. I got certified as a Clifton Strengths consultant and started applying the methodology to the team I was leading. It worked like magic, and I knew I had found something powerful."
The Value of Clifton Strengths:
Seegmiller acknowledges that any assessment with a common language could probably work, but he personally appreciates Clifton Strengths for its individual customization.
"We started incorporating Gallup's measurement tools, and we found that when we aligned employees' strengths with their roles, there was a noticeable increase in discretionary effort and overall performance. But the strength finder itself is not the key,” said Seegmiller. “It's about finding an assessment that creates a common language within the organization. What I love about Clifton Strengths is its customizability to the individual. It helps us understand our unique strengths and how to utilize them. When we put all the team's strengths on a grid, we can assess the team's performance and identify gaps. For example, if a team is high in executing but low in strategy, we can leverage individuals with strategy strengths to facilitate strategic thinking and decision-making."
Repurposing People:
The Clifton Strengths assessment is a powerful tool for repurposing people professionally by helping them understand and utilize their strengths effectively. Seegmiller tell us its important to note that the order of your strengths does not determine capability.
“It's about understanding how to use your strengths effectively,” said Seegmiller. “For instance, in a sales team, one person may excel in strategy while another thrives in influence. Both approaches can lead to success in sales. We also need to distinguish between weaknesses and areas where individuals lack strengths. Those two things are not the same, because if someone in a customer-facing role lacks relationship-building strengths, it's important to assess whether they feel energized by their work. If not, we can explore alternative roles that better align with their strengths and skills."
The Culture Code’s Hive Mentality
“Getting back to the bees, I first heard of this hive mind from The Culture Code book. It really struck me, and I started reading books about bees, and doing a deep dive into understanding how they work. I started seeing all these correlations with the Clifton StrengthFinder, and as you can see I’m pretty serious about combining them into my work.”
Daniel Coyle, in his book "The Culture Code," refers to the "hive mind" as the optimal state of a team or group, where members collaborate seamlessly and act like a single entity, producing results that are greater than the sum of their individual capabilities. It’s about creating a team that is focused on achieving their goals and working together to achieve them.
Seegmiller believes that successful sales teams can learn a great deal from observing bees. Just like the efficient hive mind of bees, effective sales teams rally around shared goals, work collaboratively and communicate seamlessly. By embracing a culture of continuous improvement, they can optimize performance, increase efficiency and maximize collective impact. Bees' division of labour based on individual strengths can also be a guiding principle for sales teams, ensuring team members are assigned roles that optimize their unique skill sets.
Sales teams must also embrace adaptability, resilience, accountability, and support to tackle the varied challenges that arise. Like bees, sales teams must take ownership of their tasks, hold themselves accountable for meeting targets, and support one another when teams face adversity. In addition to embracing a proactive approach to change, a supportive environment encourages resiliency, enhances team cohesion, and motivates individuals to perform at their best. Effective sales teams will also continuously fine-tune their processes, review strategies, and refine techniques to stay competitive and enhance performance.
EO Ignitor
What initially seemed like a simple accessory—a hat adorned with a bee—unexpectedly transformed into a spirited conversation. It exemplifies how small, seemingly insignificant things can ignite connections and open the door to shared experiences.
This is why the work we are doing with EO Ignitor and our incubator days are so important. EO Ignitor is an accelerator program that helps entrepreneurs grow their businesses by providing mentorship, resources, and support. At our Incubator days, established entrepreneurs join our new entrepreneurs to share ideas, network, and help. These events are often filled with small moments of serendipity that can lead to meaningful connections and collaborations.
Modern Monk Consulting
Gallup research underscores the remarkable impact of embracing the Clifton Strengths model for teams:
20% increase in Engagement
19% Increase in Sales
29% Increase in Profits
72% Lower Turnover (in high turnover organizations)
Reach out to Chad Seegmiller from Modern Monk Consulting for help!
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