A difficult manager can still be one of the best teachers you ever have.
Most reps will work for at least one manager they find hard to like. Some spend that time counting the days. Others quietly leave with a skill they use for the rest of their career.
How to be the second kind:
- 1. Notice the friction, and admit it shows.
- 2. Separate style from skill. How he speaks is one thing. What he can do is another.
- 3. Watch him in the room with the toughest doctor on your list.
- 4. Name the skill. "He handles objections better than I do. I want that."
- 5. Ask for it directly. "Can you show me how you handled that objection?"
- 6. Practise it alone, on your next call, in your own words.
- 7. Leave the style. Keep your own respect and calm with everyone.
- 8. Pass it on one day, without the edge.
Step five surprises most reps. A direct, respectful request for his expertise often changes the relationship more than months of keeping your distance.
Take the skill, leave the style.
“You do not have to like a manager to learn from him.”
Lesson 6 of 11 in Step 9: Growing your career, with the full guide and a checklist for this week.