I dedicate the blog today to Larry Michael of The Rummel Agency, the best insurance agency in Michigan! Larry epitomizes the inclusive leadership style I write about today.

Amy Gallo of The Harvard Business Review said: You can have the smartest people in the room, the best plan, and great execution, but the success or failure of that plan depends on the quality of the interactions of the people involved.

I recently watched a business suffer double-digit losses, year over year because brilliant people were not on the same page with Ms. Gallo. The two fastest horses, pulling in opposite directions, will lose a wagon race to two donkeys pulling a cart together.

How we do this is the key. Listening and asking questions can guide a process better and more smoothly than giving orders can. Being insistent and inflexible is a sign of insecurity. One can be open to other ideas, weigh them with sincerity, look for merit, and still come back to one's point of view.

I look at it this way'; I don’t always agree, but I will be agreeable.

This doesn't mean that I accept your way over mine. Nor does it mean I lack a backbone or am a pushover. It means I deliver differences, corrections, and admonitions in a timely, truthful, and gentle manner with helpfulness, not self-righteousness, as my impetus.

Dismissiveness, snarky comments, and obdurate postures, combined with literal and figurative eye-rolling, were at the root of this double-digit loss I mentioned.

Please take my word for it. These were smart business people who, unfortunately, were not very smart "people" people.

Let me repeat it:

Businesspeople must learn the communication secrets that create rapport, better relationships, and long-term loyalty with customers, coworkers and at every chance they get to connect.

This skill set, this ability to help others to see your point of view, is under-taught and under-valued by many. Yet, it will do more for business development, customer loyalty, and employee retention than any other skill set you may acquire.

Had these folks hired a coach or taken the time to read Amy Gallo and a host of others like her, their pockets would be heavier and their hearts lighter than they are today.

Own Your Sales Gene…