Navigating Coaching and Career Growth in Remote Work
You know you are successful. You're making your number, and your manager recognizes it. So why do you feel unmotivated? Why is most of the feedback negative? Why do you feel you are being passed up for promotion? Or maybe, you just don't know what that next step is?
I'm troubled when I hear this from colleagues, peers, and team members. I'm further troubled by recent articles, such as one in the WSJ on January 11, 2024, saying how remote work may be reducing chances for promotion. I look at all the wonderful and accessible advice from the likes of Simon Sinek and Adam Grant. But still, I can't help but wonder what is really going on here.
I don’t have the definitive answer. I’ll leave that to more capable and smarter individuals. But, I can observe changes in how we are working, subtle challenges that we need to be more cognizant of. I think feedback and coaching is one of those challenges.
You see, remote work has made the observation of our success and challenges more difficult. We all celebrate the wins, but we don't necessarily observe how the win came about. It’s like only getting the final score and not watching the game. Promotion is about quality over quantity. One should be promoted based on how they complete responsibilities, not just because they've been doing it for a long time. Further, positive feedback requires one to observe what you are doing and how you are accomplishing the task. Sure, the outcome can tell you a lot about experience and skill, but the outcome alone is not sufficient to provide true constructive feedback.
We all need to create moments of observation and moments to articulate how and why we are accomplishing objectives. I encourage the following:
Individual Contributors
Own your development - Seek out and demand feedback. Don’t be passive waiting for it. It’s on you to be proactive and plan it. This is your responsibility, not just your boss’s.
Lean into feedback - Don’t perceive feedback as a ‘gotcha.’ Approach coaching from your superior as if you were paying for it. Tell them what information you value most.
Articulate the how and why - Share the why and how you are accomplishing an objective, not just the what. Remember showing your work on a math exam? Same concept. Your coach can't commend what you’re doing right if you don’t show, or explain, your work.
Ask independent questions - Don’t just ask for the answer or give a ton of detail, forcing your coach to figure it out. That’s the dependent approach. Be proactive. Where possible, state a request, not just a question. Show what you’ve already done to explore the challenge. Shape and deliver your own perspective and answer. Do this first, and you’ll be amazed by the difference in response.
Get closer to leadership - Seek out opportunities to be in proximity to your leadership. Have them join your sales call for executive alignment. Find opportunities to be in the same room, physically or virtually. Leverage your SKO and QBRs as 1:1 coaching sessions.
Leaders
Observe - Create more opportunities to observe your team in action. If ride-alongs were a victim of COVID, bring them back. Get out there. Don’t wait for the QBRs and SKOs.
Encourage ownership - Make sure your team knows you are there to provide coaching, among a ton of other responsibilities. You will do your best to create coaching opportunities, but you need their help.
Leverage enablement - If you have an enablement team, get their professional help. Not everything is one-size-fits-all. Pair them with team members to create personal development plans. They can show your team members how to own their development.
I know what you're thinking. I thought this was MEDDIC Mondays. It is. For this week, we felt it important to hit on a topic that seems to be affecting sales professionals up and down the entire revenue organization. We hope this little bit of advice will help sales professionals and leaders feel more empowered and motivated heading into 2024.
MEDDIC offers a structured approach to identifying and addressing technical and business pain points. Understanding the difference and connecting these pains empowers presales professionals to offer compelling solutions and drive successful sales engagements.
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