Can Leadership and Training Tools Increase Sales and Productivity?

Regardless of a country’s current economic state, every business owner expects top sales and productivity from employees.  A strong sales staff or highly productive employee base is a direct sign of strong leadership and well-chosen employees.  Or is it? There are many leadership and training tools available but you also need a reliable system of measuring improvements and spotting weaknesses within a business. So can a tool or evaluation determine a person’s ability to lead or generate sales?

Companies using pre-employment assessment and leadership tools have an overall increase in sales and productivity according to a recent study.  Assessment data improves employee and organisational performance by providing valuable insights before hiring, and employee development afterwards.  Fortune 500 companies have long used such tools and more recently, smaller companies are discovering the benefits as well.  The proper predictive data and tools can help with the following:

•  Finding the right person for the role
•  Motivation and team performance
•  Retain key personnel
•  Develop cohesive leadership teams
•  Create an exceptional and motivating work environment
•  Increased sales and productivity

It is more important than ever to hire the right employee.  Even when you have numerous heads to choose from and feel that any one of twenty would do fine, you should take the time to evaluate the individual skill sets and behavioural style.  A good person in the wrong role at work will lead to decreased sales and productivity.   For instance, a passive, agreeable and pleasing person may not be aggressive enough to be strong in a fast paced tough, sales environment.  Hiring mistakes mean dissatisfied employees and extra cost in employee turnover.  A study conducted in November 2012 indicates that the extra cost can be as high as 90% to 200% of an individual salary.  Predictive, data-driven hiring tools diminish those extra costs.

A boss/sales coach can and should be able to identify the needs and driving factors of their employees.  For example, a take-charge individual with assertive tendencies will not be happy or productive without a challenging or lead role in the workplace.  The lead role may be self-direction, managing others or project management.  As the supervisor, you need to recognise the natural leadership desire as a skill and direct it properly for the mutual benefit of the company and the employee. According to Tony High, Director of Predictive Insight, if a natural leader feels constrained or unappreciated, he or she can become aggressive, disruptive or simply stop caring about workplace performance, altogether.  Rather than trying to control or squash the behaviour, discover what motivating factors exist and how to channel it in a mutually beneficial way for both the company and the employee.

It is natural for people to want to work in a pleasing environment and one where they feel appreciated.  However, honing in on a persons’ natural talent can be tricky without proper tools or assessments.   Leadership and training tools help recognise motivational factors and incorporate them for a better overall performance. Not only will the individual be happier and more productive but the company, as a whole, will benefit from properly placed employees.