Salespeople often fall into a rhythm of easing off as the year-end approaches, especially in Japan, where the fiscal year ends in March. This period, leading up to the holiday break, can see a decline in productivity that equates to 8% of the year. To maximize sales, it’s essential to maintain focus and activity through December.

One effective strategy is to reach out to existing customers. Even if they are currently utilizing some of our solutions, there are often additional products or services they may not yet have considered. To identify these opportunities, create an Opportunity Matrix, listing available solutions at the top and clients on the side. Use check marks to denote what clients are currently purchasing and mark potential sales chances as A, B, or C for follow-up discussions.

December is also an ideal time for prospecting, particularly by reconnecting with “orphans”—clients with whom you previously had a relationship but have since lost contact. Various factors, such as changes in personnel or economic conditions, may have caused these clients to drift away. Use this time to reach out, even if meetings may not occur until January.

Another crucial action is to identify look-alike targets—companies in the same industry as current clients that would likely have similar needs. Instead of random calls, conduct targeted outreach to these potential clients, leveraging existing industry knowledge to craft compelling opening conversations.

Finding the right decision-makers can be challenging, particularly in Japan, where information is not always readily available. Annual reports can provide insights into key personnel, while social media platforms like LinkedIn might also help, though penetration in Japan is relatively low. Utilize your network for referrals, and if necessary, refine your credibility statement to get past gatekeepers and reach decision-makers directly.

When communicating with potential clients, emphasize your experience with their competitors to strengthen your credibility. Present a general statement about your services, back it up with evidence of successful collaborations with similar companies, and assert your authority to command a direct connection to the decision-maker.

Ultimately, the goal is to expand the sales pipeline and maintain momentum through December, setting up meetings for the new year. In Japan, December, known as "shiwasu," signifies a busy time when teachers are on the move. Similarly, salespeople should stay active and focused as the year closes, ensuring a strong finish and a robust start to the new year.

Leaders often rely on “automatic trust,” stemming from their authority, to gain compliance from team members. However, achieving genuine, “earned trust” is crucial for fostering motivation and commitment within a team. Unlike automatic trust, earned trust develops through consistent, authentic interactions where leaders show integrity in both “talking the talk” and “walking the walk.” Without earned trust, delegation becomes risky, as leaders may feel their team won’t reliably handle tasks, which hampers time management and the team’s growth. Conversely, when trust is high, team members willingly give discretionary effort, displaying greater creativity, dedication, and initiative.

Building and maintaining earned trust requires time and steady effort. Leaders may inadvertently undermine trust by losing their temper, rejecting ideas without consideration, or failing to follow through on promises. Moreover, insufficient communication—where leaders focus on issuing orders instead of explaining, listening, or seeking input—can erode trust. Effective communication involves explaining the purpose of tasks, listening to team concerns, and fostering mutual understanding.

A significant challenge in cultivating trust is finding the time for these trust-building interactions amidst a busy schedule. Leaders who don’t delegate effectively often have less time to engage meaningfully with their team, leading to a vicious cycle of mistrust and lack of delegation. To break this loop, leaders must prioritize one-on-one time with team members, understanding their motivations, interests, fears, and goals. These personal insights allow leaders to align delegated tasks with individual career paths and developmental needs, building a sense of purpose and accountability within the team.

For successful delegation, it’s essential that leaders approach each task with their team member’s growth in mind, involving them in planning and monitoring progress. This process demands dedicated time, which may be easily deprioritized due to competing obligations, but committing to these conversations ultimately pays off by strengthening trust.

In sum, building trust is an ongoing process that requires leaders to change their mindset, habits, and time allocation. Rather than repeating the same experience annually, leaders must continually work to strengthen relationships with their team. Earned trust not only requires effort but is invaluable in elevating team cohesion, individual motivation, and collective success. Consistent attention to these trust-building efforts results in a lasting foundation of trust within the team.

Action Steps:

1. Recognize the difference between position-based and earned trust.
2. Develop delegation skills that foster growth.
3. Reflect on whether genuine communication is occurring.
4. Dedicate time to knowing your team deeply.

There is an abundance of definitions on what is charismatic leadership? The definition proffered during a recent webinar was uncontroversial and acceptable: emotional and intellectual engagement, inspiration to go the extra mile – all quite reasonable elements. Somehow that left me feeling vaguely unfulfilled.

Reflecting on charismatic leaders, what was it about them that made them so attractive? Of course they were highly skilled, experienced and professional. Yet their technical knowledge wasn’t the distinguishing feature, because hosts of uncharismatic leaders are equally skilled. Great communicators, they capture the key points, are concise, insightful, engaging. No shortage of would-be charismatic leaders with this resume but no cigar. Optimistic, positive, high energy, fast paced, dynamic – yes all good points, but there was still something missing.

I think the missing piece of the puzzle here is the way charismatic leaders make us feel when we are with them. I have heard that in his prime Bill Clinton would speak with you and make you feel like you were the only person in the room, despite being one person in a massive crowd.

What are some relevant behaviours we can adopt to make us more charismatic?

Begin with praise and honest appreciation. This must be genuine and linked to actual behavior, not vagaries. There isn’t a lot of praise and appreciation floating around in the business everyday, because a lot of leaders are Driver personality styles, who prioritise task completion over building people. We can be different – we can look for the good, the strengths in our people and play to those rather than lurking around the cubicles with our super fault-finder nuclear harpoon at the ready. If we find fault, call attention to it indirectly. We should also use encouragement and make the fault seem easy to correct. Let them save face, don’t create a barrier by lambasting them. Give the other person a fine reputation to live up to. This means seeing people at their best and treating them that way rather than the opposite.

We can ask questions, instead of giving direct orders. Socrates was on to the power of this approach centuries ago, but the typical boss today is still an order dispensing machine. When we tell, we own the task - when we ask, our people own it. We all own the world we help to create, so be the boss who gets help creating that world. Make them feel happy about doing the thing you suggest.

Is this easy – no, but if our behavior is the driver then we need to persistently and permanently change our approach.