I have a client who sells cars. He is a master at this. He told me about the process. I watched him go through all of the intricate detail of the sales process with his team. He knows the process inside-out. He often illustrates the dynamics of closing a sale. Buying a car is a massive purchase, second only perhaps to a house. Customers are understandably cautious. The good sales person knows how to shepherd the hesitant through the process without pushing them. He told me about ‘the dance’. He lifted his arms and stepped lightly around a car to illustrate the point as he showed points of value, ready to hear the concerns from the customer. For a moment I was caught between two worlds.
The visionary leader uses drama to engage constituencies. Through narrative they bring their vision to life. This is a gift. A gift they have nurtured refined and improved. They bring the power of metaphor to their everyday world. They engage their teams and their clients in the present situation by embracing their past and creating a view of the future. As pointed out by David Richo, metaphor is from Greek. Meta – carry, phor – over. In Latin the words are: Trans – fer. And transference is the process in which we bring our unfinished work from the past into our intimate relationships in the present. We look for attention, acceptance, appreciation, affection and allowing. Visionary leaders embrace all of these elements as they weave their magic.
But how do they weave this spell? According to Peter Brook, director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, the magic in theatre is created through endless rehearsal, the performance and the attendance of the audience. He used the dynamic words from the French describe the three components: ‘Repetition’, “Representation’ and ‘Assistance’.
Repetition
Success comes from deep knowledge of the topic. Sir Lawrence Olivier practiced his lines until his tongue muscles said them effortlessly. My client knows the sales process thoroughly. He knows all of the features of each car he sells. He has studied both in great depth. As Steven Pressfield points it, he has claimed this territory, this territory that can only be taken, alone, by hard work. He is working now on the territory of leading his team. His task is to inspire his sales team to embrace this quest so each one of them can experience the exhilaration that happens when this territory begins to give back what they have put in.
Representation
Each day the team shows up to sell cars. They roll up their sleeves and get stuck in. On the phone, in preparing their information and when the customer walks into the show-room, they do their show. If they have done the work to prepare they have more success than if they have not. But they perform. And when the customer leaves, they log the experience as another repetition. They learn from it. My client gathers them around. They go over the events. They pick out what worked and what didn’t.
Assistance
The team engages their audience. Each have a leadership role. Herein lies a paradox. Anyone who has been on stage will tell you about how some audiences bring out their best performance while others seem quite dead. They are as affected by the audience as the audience is affected by them. J Richard Hackman describes the same effect in ‘Leading Teams’. The leaders and the people being led all have a role in making their relationship work. So part of their work as they build their team and to develop the right target market.
When the leader and the team get this right everybody wins
The magic
All the world may be stage but really, you are not in the theatre, even if you happen to be in the theatre business as you read this note. You are dealing with real people, facing real circumstances. Holding this thought in your repetition allows you to bring this reality into your representation. The flow you create engages your assistance. The magic
