Posts Tagged ‘turnover’

The Cost of Chaos

Posted by Jane Adamson on February 2nd, 2010

During the first week of the new year, when we tend to gaze optimistically at the road ahead, a headline from the Associated Press announced “Americans’ job satisfaction lowest in 22 years.”

The article then went on to say “That is the lowest level ever recorded by the Conference Board research group in over 22 years of studying the issue. If the job satisfaction trend is not reversed, economists say, it could stifle innovation and hurt America’s competitiveness and productivity. It also could make unhappy older workers less inclined to take the time to share their knowledge and skills with younger workers.”

Well, that got my attention! Of course there are many reasons for the decline, including the worst recession since the 1930s and the fact that downsizing has created more work and more demands on the workers who’ve survived the cuts. That doesn’t change the fact, however, that such a decline has somber implications for businesses, and executive teams need to address this issue in their organizations.

“Why can’t we hire a VP Sales who can deliver?”

Posted by Rick McPartlin on July 7th, 2009

Last month, Jane wrote “I’m lying awake worrying about sales,” which addressed three late-night revenue-related stresses many CEOs face, including “Is my sales manager doing a good job?” and “Is my star salesperson going to quit?” This month, I’m tackling a related issue — turnover in the VP Sales role.

A lot of CEOs share with me their frustration over this painful situation. “We need a sales leader who can build our team, lead us into the market and close business,” they say. “I’ve spent a million dollars hiring, firing, and starting over. How can I stop the churn and hire someone who will deliver?”

Here’s the problem: A great sales VP won’t accept a job where there is no revenue generation strategy, infrastructure or organizational alignment. Top people know that this chaos impedes their success, and they can spot issues a mile away.

Even if they do join a chaotic company, great sales leaders eventually find themselves in lose-lose situations at exactly the time you need their expertise most. They take the blame for organizational problems and leave you to start the vicious cycle again.