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Interested in enhancing your leadership skills or improving your organization’s leadership practices? I invite you to explore the insights and guidance that Doug Thorpe offers.

Leadership and Accountability: A Conversation with Mark Anthony

In a recent episode of my podcast, “Leadership Powered by Common Sense,” I had the pleasure of hosting Mark Anthony, a successful entrepreneur with a wealth of knowledge on leadership and accountability. Mark’s journey began in his childhood, selling army men for profit, and evolved into starting a company in college. His experiences taught him the importance of accountability and setting measurable goals, not just in terms of sales numbers, but also the drivers that make those sales happen.

The Importance of Tracking Performance

Mark believes that by focusing on measurable steps, such as outbound phone calls and appointments, leaders can predict the success of their business. He also emphasizes the importance of tracking performance and inspecting what you expect. This resonated with my own experience in the banking industry, where we had a disciplined approach to budgeting and planning. We would track our numbers monthly to ensure we stayed on track and made necessary adjustments. Both Mark and I stress the importance of regular follow-up and tracking to ensure a successful quarter and year.

Starting the New Year Strong

Mark and I also discussed the importance of starting the new year strong and having clear expectations for your team. We emphasized the need to plan and communicate early, so that everyone knows what is expected of them and can hit the ground running on January 1st. We mentioned the example of Google, where employees have flexibility in their work hours as long as they meet their goals and show progress towards the end game. This highlights the shift in mindset among workers towards wanting more flexibility and autonomy in how they work.

Empowering Your Team

We shared two important questions that leaders can ask their team members to ensure clarity and alignment: “What does success look like to you?” and “How do you define delivering it?” We stressed the importance of empowering your team to define and deliver on their own understanding of success, which increases accountability and allows leaders to focus on running the business. We also mentioned the example of a plumbing company called High Five Plumbing, where the owner has implemented mandatory training sessions on customer service and set high standards for conduct and appearance.

The Importance of Customer Experience and Employee Training

Mark and I discussed the importance of customer experience and employee training in creating a successful business. We highlighted the significance of setting high standards for customer service and ensuring that employees are trained and reinforced in these standards on a regular basis. Mark shared his experience of implementing a “lunch and learn” program in his companies, where different team members would take turns teaching best practices from their departments. This not only deepened their knowledge and skills but also fostered camaraderie and support among different departments.

Involving Employees in Decision-Making

We also discussed the importance of involving employees in decision-making processes, such as creating a dress code policy, as it increases buy-in and accountability. I shared a story from my banking days where I formed a personnel committee to determine the dress code for their department, and the employees came up with a more restrictive and professional standard than I would have expected. This approach relieved me of the burden of making the decision and ensured that the employees were fully committed to upholding the policy.

Conclusion

The episode concluded with Mark sharing his contact information for those interested in learning more about his work in helping businesses achieve seven-figure growth and profits. I thanked Mark for his insights and invited listeners to check out the video version of the episode on my YouTube channel.

If you’re interested in learning more about the coaching and advisory services I offer, you can visit my website at dougthorpe.com. I look forward to helping you enhance your leadership skills and achieve your goals.

Link https://salestraininganddevelopment.com/index.html

Guest Bio:

Mark Anthony has performed trainings on 6 of the 7 continents. His training style puts a strong emphasis on interactive instruction, and is 100% customized to each client based on their industry, their obstacles, and their goals. His customer service and sales training programs have benefited such companies as Michael Page International (international recruiting), Prudential Douglass Elliman (real estate), Electri-Cord International and Power Cabling (OEM Manufacturing), and Northwestern Mutual Life (insurance) as well as countless others.

Some public institutions that has has trained include The Power Authority of Kenya, National Bank of Singapore, EuroMoney, Conoco Phillips, Sicorski Aircraft, Team-One Personel, Triangle Construction, USS BOWFIN, USMMA, US National Guard, US Small Business Administration, Chamber of Commerce of Guyana, and more.

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Small business owners will hit an invisible wall that can stall the growth of the company. The key reason there is a wall is that owners need to shift from manager to leader. The question is, how to do that?

Doug Thorpe. Doug is a coach for CEOs and Senior Leadership Teams with 30 years of leadership experience. He is the president & CEO of Doug Thorpe Group. Doug is also a podcast host.

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