As I stated in my initial posting, all of my observations and writings are birthed from consulting laboratory, and this subject is no exception.

“In so many companies there is this Us-Them mentality between sales and marketing and operations. “You have the people who sell the product, and you have everyone else. The communication channel is very tough to keep open between the two groups. There’s a great divide that is often magnified by misperceptions.”

“For example, one of my clients has a Director of Operations that was perceived as being cold and harsh and unyielding by sales. She got peeved if reports weren’t turned in on time or if policies were sidestepped. She was high on Deliberative talents, meaning she liked to plan ahead, she was vigilant, and she always tried to anticipate potential minefields and avoid them. Seen in the right light, those are great traits for the person who is responsible for getting the customer the right product in the right timeframe and at the right price.”

From the perspective of the Director, the sales people were soft, always wanting to bend the rules and make exceptions. To her, they were disrespectful about her requirements and deadlines and rules. “Again, viewed in another light, you could see that many of those sales folks were high on Empathy talents”. “They’re able to see things through the eyes of the client, they anticipate needs, they draw clients into deeper relationships with the company.”

“Sales are dialed into what the client needs. Operations are a master of delivering quality and creating a profit. Having a common language about how individuals on each side of the divide help achieve the ultimate goal is very beneficial. It shifts perception and bridges the gap between the two functions.”

Utilizing The Strengths Finder 2.0 is a practical approach to aligning teams, departments and organizations.

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