I had an unbelievable conversation recently with Bryan Flanagan, who is a business-training expert. In 2005 he founded the Flanagan Training Group where he designs and delivers training programs that improve team and individual productivity.
I was blown away by his perspective on teaching, the state of American businesses today and some of the key lessons from his most recent book, So You’re New to Sales.
-Brandon
--
To teach is to learn twice. Common sense isn’t a common practice.
Love this. Regardless of what you do or where you are in your career you should always be learning. That goes for teachers, too. Something that Bryan mentioned really stood to me- when he give a speech he tries to feed off the audience and, “I take more notes than they do.”
Management in American Businesses
Tom Landry once said, “A coach is someone who tells you what you don’t want to hear, who has you see what you don’t want to see, so you can be who you have always known you can be,” and that, “The secret to winning is constant, consistent management.”
Bryan noted that we’re so short-sighted that managers are killing the snakes closest to them. They aren’t looking long-range to grow the people around them. They’re looking at numbers instead of at the people that drive those numbers.
Mickey Mantle vs. Ted Williams
He drew an interesting comparison that I had never heard before.
Think about Mickey Mantle, a seemingly “natural” athlete, and Ted Williams, a natural in his own right, but someone who understood the “science” of hitting; a.k.a. a teacher.
When people talk about the greatest players in baseball history, certainly both are in the conversation, but so many people will think of Mantle first because of stats and his prolific home runs. But, when it comes to teaching, Williams was much better. When you’re seeking advice to get better as a sales person, seek advice from someone who can teach the skills, not just model the skills.
--
Take a listen to our conversation:
