Our founder, David Sandler, passed away many years ago. One secret to his success? He had a great habit of coaching employees. When he met with them, he would ask them, "How is your 'I' side?"
If you don't know what "I" - the letter I - means at Sandler, it is short for "identity."
How do you feel on the inside today?
How is your self-esteem? Your confidence?
When we are emotionally weak, it's hard for us to be able to develop skills and tactics necessary to do the job effectively. If a sales manager meets with a salesperson and immediately asks, "Let me talk with you about the tactics of what you could be doing better..." without asking about their I-Side, they may not really know which issue to address. We could end up in a conversation about tactics but the reality is there's something going on personally with that individual that's preventing them from focusing on the technique that they need in order to succeed. And as a result, as David Sandler used to say, "We're working on the wrong end of the problem." Start your coaching sessions with asking, "How is your...?"
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