Ensuring your focus remains on these fundamental pillars can be the difference between good leadership and exceptional OOH leadership.

Enhancing the efficacy of your OOH sales team often requires more than just overseeing from the office. When you accompany them on sales calls, you're presented with an invaluable opportunity to see their skills and challenges in real-time. This first hand insight often reveals a more nuanced view than what's relayed during regular sales reviews. This isn’t to suggest that your team isn't honest; rather, personal interpretations can sometimes offer a colored view of events. By witnessing their interactions firsthand, you can pin point areas for growth and offer tailored support.

A bloated ego creates vulnerability for manipulation by others. If we subconsciously seek positive affirmation, it can render us predictable and susceptible to being led into decisions that harm ourselves, our team, and our organization.When we believe we’re the sole architects of our success, it can lead to being more rude,selfish behaviors, and a propensity to interrupt others. This attitude is particularly evident when faced with criticism or setbacks. An overgrown ego can obstruct our ability to learn from mistakes and hamper our appreciation of llessons derived from failure.Perhaps most damaging is that a large ego constantly searches for information that aligns with its beliefs. Essentially, an inflated ego can cause a strong confirmation bias. Consequently, we may lose perspective and find ourselves in a leadership bubble, where we only perceive and hear what we want, losing touch with the people we lead and ultimately our clients and land leaseholders.

‍We believe that early investment in active listening and development will prevent the need for continuous crisis intervention, aligning with Emerson's law: "To get more, give more." If you aspire to have a high-performing, self-reliant team, intentional listening and development are imperative. Otherwise, you risk perpetuating a cycle of constant intervention, forever echoing, "Up, up, and away. This is a job for Superman."

As a leader in the OOH industry, it is essential to evaluate the health of your sales organization by addressing these key questions. By focusing on pipeline health, developing remote selling skills, and safeguarding key customer relationships, you can navigate the uncertainties of the 2023 economy and maintain momentum for a successful year.

As a leader, are you effectively coaching your team? It's intriguing to come across leaders who claim, "I have highly experienced individuals who know how to perform well. I prefer to stay out of their way. If I have to get heavily involved, then I need different people." While this mindset is not uncommon, I've always found it somewhat puzzling. Americans have a strong inclination for sports and often idolize athletes in baseball, football, basketball, golf, and more. Isn't it odd that even the greatest athletes—Babe Ruth, Tom Brady, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods—never went a day in their entire careers without someone coaching them to reach their peak and stay there? Yet, our experienced team members supposedly know what to do and don't require coaching; we should simply stay out of their way.

There are certain foundational aspects that must be in place if your OOH company is going to be as highly effective, efficient and as profitable as it can be. One of those things, in my opinion, is to have a culture of accountability. In our 40+ years of running media companies, training, coaching and providing executive coaching we have NEVER seen a company realize its full potential without a culture of accountability.

Many of our OOH clients have heard me tell the story of one of my great mentors I’ve had in my career. I still talk to him several times a year… and have for the last 40+ years! He had such a deep and profound effect on me that it would be impossible to overestimate his value in my life…professionally and personally.

There are certain foundational aspects that must be in place if your OOH company is going to be as highly effective, efficient and as profitable as it can be. One of those things, in my opinion, is to have a culture of accountability. In our 40+ years of running media companies, training, coaching and providing executive coaching we have NEVER seen a company realize its full potential without a culture of accountability.

A fallacy that many leaders buy into is that to be fair and equitable to the people who are part of my team, I need to treat each of them exactly the same. It’s understandable…most of us have heard some form of that most of our lives. I would beg to differ.