Case #4 How to cope with hyper control and delegate sales?

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CLIENT

FoodTech Company. Launched in 2019. 60+ employees.

INLET CONDITIONS

“I need time to scale the business, but I’m torn instead. I want to be free from managing the Sales Team so that the Head of Sales can work independently and help the team achieve their OKRs” – were the first words of the CEO and the founder of the food company at the introductory Zoom meeting.

In fact, the sales department was managed by the Head of Sales, who accepted the role three months ago. He grew up in the company and became the best Sales manager with the help of the CEO, who later offered him a new role.

However, the CEO had to help the Sales Head in management as he was concerned that managers didn’t achieve their OKR.

CONTRACT

To delegate Sales to the Head in such a way that helps him to form a self-operating department and reach Sales OKR.

GETTING STARTED

There were conducted deep interviews with the CEO and Sales Head to better understand the current situation, as well as their readiness for change to be ready for change. The results of the interviews highlighted the growth points as a focus of the work. 

GROWTH POINTS

  • The owner delegated the Head of Sales duties and responsibilities, but not empowerment. It is impossible to handle responsibility without having empowerment.
  • The CEO continues to manage the sales team, controlling the entire process, including tracking and reporting every single manager.
  • The Head of Sales tries to build a good relationship with his team but faces the fact that he lost his influence. This makes him doubt his own strengths and leadership competencies.  
  • The relationship between the CEO and the Head of Sales is quite tense. There is a lack of dialogue and constructive interaction.
  • The executives unconsciously take out the stress on the Sales team, and this affects the implementation of OKRs.

DONE

  • At 1:1 sessions, the CEO discovered his craving for excessive control.
  • Reflecting, he concluded that involvement in all business processes and personal control over implementing tasks helps him reduce anxiety and gives him a sense of safety.
  • The owner realized that hyper-control is energy-draining and requires the mobilization of all his resources.
  • Together with the CEO, we sorted out the situations in which the patterns of unnecessary control were most often reproduced.
  • The owner assessed the risks and benefits of delegating sales management.
  • By analyzing cases, the CEO ensured the inefficiency of hyper-control as a management tool. He discovered consequences like lack of initiative, independence, and employees’ sense of responsibility.
  • For the first time, the CEO discovered that hyper-control affects relationships negatively because of which he lost the trust of the team.
  • During individual sessions, the Sales Head discovered his suppressed emotions and feelings regarding the fact that he lost his influence, and this makes him doubt his own strengths and leadership competencies.
  • The Head of Sales realized that he was stuck in a position of a person who was unheard, and not accepted, and it made him feel humiliated.  
  • During pair sessions, the CEO and Head of Sales reviewed their behavior patterns and the consequences of their tense relationships. They realized the existing way of interaction does not contribute to the achievement of the company’s goals. Instead, they could find a correlation between their tension and the failure at OKRs. 

OUTCOMES 9 MONTHS LATER

  • The CEO learned to notice and recognize his behavior patterns of hyper control, as well as those circumstances under which he can reproduce them.
  • He began to master the role of the observer, noticing his own actions, feelings, and behavior at a certain moment.
  • He learned practices to recognize and relieve anxiety.
  • The CEO analyzed the managerial competencies of the current Head of Sales.
  • CEO and Head of Sales defined areas of influence, empowerment, and their boundaries of responsibility in terms of the Sales Department.
  • In keeping with that, they divided all the tasks of the Sales Department into those that the Head of Sales will handle independently and those that will require agreement with the CEO until he reaches self-sufficiency.
  • They set up a transparent reporting and tracking system.
  • We developed an individual program of fast adaptation for the Head of Sales. 
  • The Head of Sales began to learn the practices of recognizing and transforming emotions. 
  • The CEO and Sales Head began to learn the skills of constructive contact and feedback. They established the practice of 1:1 meetings to learn to speak openly and frankly about their relationship.
  • In the Team’s presence, the CEO handed over the power to manage the department to Sales Head.
  • The sales team has agreed on the rules and regulations of interaction.

OUTCOMES 9 MONTHS LATER

  • The CEO learned to notice and recognize his behavior patterns of hyper control, as well as those circumstances under which he can reproduce them.
  • He began to master the role of the observer, noticing his own actions, feelings, and behavior at a certain moment.
  • He learned practices to recognize and relieve anxiety.
  • The CEO analyzed the managerial competencies of the current Head of Sales.
  • CEO and Head of Sales defined areas of influence, empowerment, and their boundaries of responsibility in terms of the Sales Department.
  • In keeping with that, they divided all the tasks of the Sales Department into those that the Head of Sales will handle independently and those that will require agreement with the CEO until he reaches self-sufficiency.
  • They set up a transparent reporting and tracking system.
  • We developed an individual program of fast adaptation for the Head of Sales. 
  • The Head of Sales began to learn the practices of recognizing and transforming emotions. 
  • The CEO and Head of Sales began to learn the skills of constructive contact and feedback. They established the practice of 1:1 meetings to learn to speak openly and frankly about their relationship.
  • In the Team’s presence, the CEO handed over the power to manage the department to the Head of Sales.
  • The sales team has agreed on the rules and regulations of interaction.