Focus Magazine - Spring 2014 - 5

FROM THE PRESIDENT
John Sjovall

Coaching for Success

You will be
much more
successful if you

had a recent opportunity to sit with one of
Daiichi Sankyo's field representatives during
a training internship. The rep (let's use the
name Pat) asked me for some pearls, something
that had helped me in my career, that Pat could
take back to the field to use in the future,
possibly as a trainer or even a district manager.
Coaching jumped immediately to mind, as it's
always an interesting topic for me and we are
always coaching especially as a trainer or field
manager.
There are numerous models and types of
coaching to choose from. You have distance
coaching, performance coaching, behavioral
coaching and a wide variety of home-grown
coaching models that organizations leverage.

them to get better doing it their way, the
coaching will stick and be more lasting.
A perfect example of this was when I was a
regional trainer.

Great Amazement

I have had quite a number of opportunities to
coach - and be coached - in my professional
career. It all started early, when in February 1996
I arrived at Fort Hood, Texas, and was given
responsibility as a new 2nd lieutenant of a 16person M1 tank platoon.
I look back and wish I knew then what I
know now about coaching and leadership, as I
would have been a much better platoon leader.

Great Expectations

approach the
exercise with
the other person
in mind.

I was out on a field ride with one of our
successful reps (who we'll call Jo) and Jo had a
very different way of presenting patient profiles
to their physicians. I was dumbstruck and a little
uncomfortable at first, when Jo walked the
profile across the desk, and in a made-up voice
of the patient, would ask the doctor how they
would treat the patient's symptoms.
To my amazement, the physicians responded
to Jo's style and it worked for them. I knew I
never would approach it this way, but it worked
for her.
When I worked with other reps who had
similar personalities, this patient profile
presentation technique worked for many of them
too. Jo was eventually promoted to a district
manager and struggled to be successful. Why?
Reps were constantly coached to be successful in
the way that worked for Jo, and unfortunately it
wasn't their style. They were uncomfortable, and
the outcomes didn't last.

Great Approach

Great Experiences

The pearl I had learned over the years and
relayed to Pat was the importance of state of
mind in coaching. Specifically that you have to
look at empowering someone's unique
strengths.
I can coach a person to do it exactly my way
and they may even do it when I am there, but it
may not work for their personality type in the
long run. If I identify the reps' strengths and help

So remember, no matter what model you are
using - what type of coaching you are doing -
you will be much more successful if you
approach the exercise with a person's unique
strengths in mind. Always ask yourself, "How
can I help the other person be better in who they
are." I

John Sjovall is president of SPBT and executive director, sales training & development, at Daiichi Sankyo.
Email John at jsjovall@dsi.com.

FOCUS | SPRING 2014 | www.spbt.org

http://www.spbt.org

Focus Magazine - Spring 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Focus Magazine - Spring 2014