Top Down, Bottom Up
Success Academy® Trainer Mike Dolan has visited SGI™ companies, both big and small, from coastline to coastline. During his travels, he hears remarkable stories, encounters unique situations, and talks to inspiring people. Those happenings spur thoughts and ideas that he has shared for your benefit! Enjoy and allow them to motivate you!
That may sound like the “to-do” list for a summer road trip, but it’s actually what I’ve seen on my road trips that lead to success for clients, teams, and businesses. Let’s take a look.
Top Down
“Top Down” means that planning, execution, and management come from the owner and the management team. The structure has to flow from the top down, so team members have clear direction, clear understanding, and clear motives. Top Down does not mean, “The peasants are revolting! Throw the stones and boiling oil from the north tower!” Do not confuse “Top” with “Ivory Tower” management! Ivory Tower isolates you from your team, leads to disenchantment and revolt, creates churn in your employment practices, and will cost you clients.
On a recent onsite training trip, I watched the owner of the company LEAD his team through the training, participating in the entire process. On day two, as we started the role-play, the owner chose to LEAD his team by stepping up and going first, in front of the room. I’ve done some weekend training this year, and the owners were there in the room, working through the books with the team. How do you know if you have Top Down in your company? It’s really simple: Does your team light up when you enter the room, or when you leave it?
Bottom Up
“Bottom Up” means that the team is engaged, is goal-oriented, and works toward success because they have seen the leadership and direction from the top. Bottom Up does not mean, “There’s a breach in the wall! Down with the tyrant!” Do not confuse “Bottom” with “Palace Coup” workers! Palace Coup defies authority, disrupts good people, and loses clients.
On an onsite training a couple years ago, I had a “warehouse guy” sit in on training to sell club memberships. He left the meeting to deliver some paperwork to a recent customer and returned with a client, as he believed so strongly in the value of the club that he sold it on the spot. There are many, many stories like this, as team members see leadership flow from the top and they return it.
Top Down, Bottom Up: It’s All About Integration
When you have “Top Down, Bottom Up” as a culture in your company, your company is vertically integrated. What does it mean? No matter whom I speak to from your company, I get the same strong message that you are the right company for me. Horizontal integration, on the other hand, delivers a different message from everyone. This leads to lost clients, employees leaving and taking clients, Ivory Towers, and Palace Coups.
In my experience, the team leader who trains with the team achieves “Top Down, Bottom Up” integration and the winning culture. It’s just that simple; train with your team.