Better results come when you’re Modeling Not Managing

This post is especially for the individual who has already built a good size team of people in their Relationship Marketing business. Of course even the newer folks can gain some insight from this as well.

If you have a team of people you will relate to this. How many times have you found yourself really frustrated with people on your team because they are not doing the things that you know are critical for their success?

Perhaps they are not attending team meetings. Or they are not listening to the weekly training calls. Perhaps they are innovating instead of duplicating. Does this sound familiar?

Most of us have come from traditional businesses where as an employee we would have to do the things that were required or we would get reprimanded or worse fired.  Right now, some of you might even have that power to do the reprimanding as you are in management or perhaps you are the owner of your own company.

Now you find yourself in the Relationship Marketing business and you are frustrated because people on your team need a good taking too.

Well here’s the problem….

This is NOT traditional business.  And if you try to “manage” people on your team you will end up having a lot of people upset at you or even worse……… QUIT.

The truth is, people already have a boss at work and they don’t want another one in there off hours. It’s important to remember that this is a volunteer opportunity.

People can opt out as quickly as they opted in.

I have witnessed time and time again the leader who is trying to hit a personal goal and so they begin calling their key people to have a goal setting session. They get commitments from their team and then begin applying the pressure on a weekly basis. For the downline, it starts to feel like the sales meetings, or strategy meetings that they would love to avoid at their primary job.  Is this striking a cord?

So what is the answer?

Stop managing your team and start modeling.

Managing will only frustrate you and make people want to avoid you. Modeling is YOU doing the things that YOU can control and setting a good example.  And here is another tip. Don’t make people feel guilty or feel bad for not doing the proper actions. Let me be frank. If you are doing that, REFRAIN as It will not motivate people; in fact quite the opposite.

Though it may be going against every fiber in your body, you need to encourage people when they are not doing the proper activities. Sarcasm does not motivate anyone.

Modeling is what a true leader does.  It keeps you in a leadership role leading by example not managing.

When you are setting the example and doing the activities (Modeling) that you wish others to do, the ones who are  ready  will duplicate you without your having to manage them.  The challenge is really you self managing yourself and staying in the modeling mode all the while waiting patiently for those leaders to show up.