A conversation with bestselling author and speaker Kevin Brown.
By Pete Mercer
How has your perception of leadership changed over the years? Leadership is a buzzword that circulates online, through the keynote speaker circles, across multitudes of blogs – both professional and personal – and in hordes of books designed to help people discover what they might be missing in their approach to the concept of leadership. While the idea of a good leader (i.e., someone people want to follow) might seem pretty standard across the board, good leadership doesn’t look the same to everyone.
Repertoire Magazine recently sat down with Kevin Brown to discuss what leadership means in 2023 and how we can better dismantle it to the very basics of the idea. Brown is a motivational speaker and bestselling author of “Unleashing Your Hero,” where he redefines the idea of who a hero can be. He created the philosophy of The HERO Effect, which “separates world-class organizations and high-performance people from everybody else.” He’s used this idea to build a platform to help people realize and develop their potential as leaders. Brown breaks down the concept of leadership in 2023, how the “HERO Effect” plays a part, and pinpoints some great habits that any good leader should have.
What leadership looks like in 2023
According to Brown, leadership has always been tough, on both sides of the equation. “John Maxwell said that leadership is influence – nothing more, nothing less. I think that still rings true,” he said. “I think what we are seeing though is that there’s been a shortage, a scarcity, of real leadership. And I think the pandemic and everything that happened through that season of change really shined a light on the fact that there’s a shortage of real leaders.”
It’s hard to find good leaders, and it’s hard for good leaders to find their place. Good leadership requires equal parts charisma, compassion, vision and willingness to step into the arena. For Brown, one of the areas where leaders miss the mark is getting stuck on older paradigms that worked in the past but don’t fit today’s climate. Flexibility and agility are key here, because the world and the way we work is
constantly changing.
Even the recent push for remote work is hard to maintain as the world continues to shift in the wake of COVID. While we might have gained a more flexible work environment, we have certainly lost the potential for a deeper connection with our prospects and customers. Technology can’t replace culture, and it’s up to leaders to navigate a way forward.
“As leaders, we have to look for those touchpoints. Technology can only take us so far, even if it got us through a really painful season. But technology can’t solve everything, and it should never replace human connection. Especially in the sales arena – the essence of selling is building relationships with our customers.”
“The HERO Effect”
Brown’s philosophy of the “HERO Effect” is essentially being your best when it matters the most. He said, “The truth is, the great leaders are at their best when it matters the most. They cultivate that in their people.”
The HERO Effect is a great philosophy for people in positions of leadership because it can help them to create an exceptional experience for the people around them. Taking care of your people on your side of the sales equation will ensure that they are taking care of your organization and the customer on the other side of the equation.
Additionally, Brown argues that heroes have a different perspective on life. He said, “Heroes see life differently. They see life through the lens of optimism – they see what’s possible, not what’s probable. They see the industry, they see the landscape, they see the competition, but they process it differently.”
Because of that perspective, leaders have a unique opportunity to radically change an organization from the ground up. If your organization has a past that involves hurt and frustrated employees, that will eventually trickle down to your customer experience. It’s important for leaders to remember that when people leave their jobs, it’s not usually because of the organization – they are leaving bad leadership.
With a mantra like The HERO Effect, you can invest in your teams in a way that will not only make them want to stay, but also bring other great people in to support your organization. “Never treat the world outside your organization better than we treat the world inside the organization,” Brown said. “Everything we do in front of the customer is just an extension of the experience that we have inside the organization.”
Supporting one another
With all the ways that leadership has changed in the last few years, how can leaders best support their sales teams in 2023? For Brown, it comes down to valuing their teams. The value of the sales team is much greater than the numbers they bring in. With the support of a good leader, sales reps can bring in the numbers that your organization needs.
“The sales leader’s job is to clear the deck of all of the obstacles, all of the business interruptions that can affect sales performance. I don’t want my sales team spending all of their time doing reports. I don’t want my sales team trying to figure out and solve problems within the corporate construct. I want them out there being creative and solving problems for our customers.”
On the flip side of that equation, sales reps have a responsibility to support their leadership as well. It’s important for sales reps to be able to recruit high performers by becoming the mouthpiece of your organization. “The sales performers, the high producers, are the ones who have the ability to be a de facto leader on the team. You can lead from any position – it’s not about tenure and it’s not about the position. Leadership is a personal thing. You’re either a leader of one or a leader of none.”
Creating a winning culture requires the efforts of both sales reps and leadership. Supporting each other in these efforts is the best way to improve your company culture and exceed all your goals together.
Habits of great leaders
More often than not, your habits will define how effective you are as a leader. What are you committing your time to? Are you working to create better habits for yourself? Building better habits will help you to become a more effective leader for your team and your organization. Brown laid out three great habits that can help anyone to become a better person and a better leader:
Don’t stop learning. Leadership starts with self-mastery, and we have more information than we could ever need at the tips of our fingers. Invest in digital resources that will allow you to grow yourself, which will then help you to truly lead effectively. Platforms like YouTube, Masterclass, and Audible are great tools to help you grow as an individual and stay at the top of your game as a leader. Brown said, “We cannot give what we do not have. When we stop having something to offer our team, that’s when they leave us and find somewhere else to be edified.”
Take care of yourself. Self-care has become a trending buzzword in the last few years for a reason. Without the room to take care of yourself mentally, physically, psychologically, and spiritually, how can you expect to take care of a team of people? “Take care of yourself physically so that you’ve got the energy, stamina, and the clarity of mind to be able to do the things that high performance sales organization requires of its leaders.” Brown is the first to admit that he doesn’t have all the answers. “I make no bones about it: I have a physical coach, I have a spiritual coach, I have a mental coach. Life is really hard and it’s not getting any easier. In fact, it’s getting more complex – so taking care of yourself is really important.”
Stay relevant. Keep track of trends in the world and within your industry to stay relevant in a constantly changing world. Relevancy will help you to see the nuances in your own market, while helping to address the questions that your team might have about what your company is doing for your customers. Not only will it empower you to make better decisions for your customers and employees, but it will also give you a much-needed edge against your competitors.