You just don't get it. What we have seen in our district is a complete lack of leadership from the top down. The blame lies mostly with Tracy, Ray, and Valeant--yes. Their lack of communication and disregard for all things Sprout hurt this launch and the morale. But where have Paal and Brady been when we received zero communication and things were obviously not turning out as promised for the sales team? Even if they had no answers, it would have been nice to hear from them--you know, to LEAD and MOTIVATE us. You hired a team of managers who had zero management experience and from what I can tell, received zero coaching from anyone after throwing them into the "deep end" when they had no idea how to "swim." No joining of conference calls from higher ups to check in on their leadership. No one was ever even copied on emails from our manager to prove transparency or to see how thy were leading. And believe me, some of the emails we received were nasty and condescending. I barely even knew Brady and Paal existed other than my manager spoke about them as if they were some kind of Messiahs.
This entire experience would not have been as stress filled and awful if our manager would have had an ounce of leadership qualities. You can't motivate a team of highly tenured representatives through condescending and belittling tactics in the name of transparency. You don't make threats when the numbers aren't where you want them. You strategize, communicate, and discuss how we are going to work together to change the situation. You don't openly get annoyed at questions and make people feel stupid for asking. Because your team will then no longer come to you with ANY questions- good or silly ones. And then we were chastised for not "communicating" as much as other districts. Well, many were afraid to say anything or felt there was no point at all because our manager was so stubborn. Most of all, a good manager makes you feel like he or she understands your perspective and your style and adjusts their coaching to fit what you need to become the best YOU in the current environment- volatile or stable.
Just because you have been a stellar rep, does not mean you will be a good manager. Good leaders possess certain qualities--but they also work to hone their skills and become the best leader they can. Because they ultimately understand that when people feel respected and valued, they do everything they can to put their manager in the best light. When they feel disrespected by not only the manager, but also the entire COMPANY, the good ones tune them out and do the bare minimum until they can get their a$$es out of there.
It's a shame, too, because this product could have been great. And there were some great reps selling it. Yes, there were lack of resources. But ultimately what held it back was poor morale from a lack of LEADERSHIP on all fronts and the inability of Valeant and Sprout to work together.
Best of luck to everyone out there. May the reps find a company who respects them and may most of the managers go back to being reps where they obviously kicked butt. It isn't so bad being one of us--unless you get a manager like one of you.