November 13, 2024

Broaden Your Sales Enablement Expertise: Performance Improvement Books to Read

Mike Kunkle

Today, I want to talk about a common but often overlooked issue: the tendency for many enablers to hold themselves back by not exploring the broader field of performance improvement.

And to be honest, it’s not just enablers who fall into this trap—many company leaders do too. By focusing narrowly, we risk missing powerful ways to drive organizational performance improvement that could help us reach our full potential.

Introduction

“Advice about how to figure out what’s right for you is 10X more valuable than being told what to do.”

Mike Kunkle

If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ve probably heard me say that enablement professionals tend to stay within their own small circles. We often operate in a “bubble,” and when we do step out of our individual workspaces, we usually gather with other enablement pros at conferences—another, slightly larger bubble—and tell each other what we’ve been doing.

This isn’t a criticism of these efforts; after all, conferences and peer-sharing can be valuable. But the reality is that many in our field are new, with only a few years of experience, and haven’t yet led cross-functional, multi-project initiatives that significantly impacted key business metrics.

If we’re going to step up, we need to think more broadly. That means adopting a holistic, metrics-driven approach that gains executive buy-in and produces measurable results.

Expanding Horizons: Why Broader Exposure Matters

So why does this happen? In large part, I believe that this issue largely stems from enablers not exposing themselves to the broader and richer world of performance improvement.

Too often, we run one-off initiatives that don’t address root performance issues, or we find ourselves reacting to requests rather than proactively driving change. Without a deep understanding of performance improvement, enablers risk remaining in this reactive mode instead of becoming strategic change agents.

What do I mean by a lack of exposure to the broad world of performance improvement? Consider these disciplines:

Performance Consulting
Human Performance Improvement (HPI)
Business Process Management (BPM)
Organization Development (OD)
Organization Behavior (OB)
Systems Thinking
Lean and Six Sigma
Change Management

These fields have been around far longer than sales enablement, and each can offer valuable insights.

Performance Consulting Books

I believe that Performance Consulting represents the highest and best possible future for sales enablement. It’s a perfect fit for what we do. Continuing with the theme of “How Many Books Have You Read on Performance Improvement,” here are some highly recommended books that delve in different aspects of Performance Consulting.

Performance Consulting: A Strategic Process to Improve, Measure, and Sustain Organizational Results by Dana Gaines Robinson, James C. Robinson, Jack J. Phillips, Patricia Pulliam Phillips
Serious Performance Consulting, by Geary A. Rummler
Improving Performance: How to Manage the White Space on the Organizational Chart by Geary A. Rummler and Alan P. Brache
Performance Consulting: Applying Performance Improvement in Human Resource Development, by William J. Rothwell
The Performance Consultant’s Fieldbook: Tools and Techniques for Improving Organizations and People by Judith Hale
Handbook of Human Performance Technology, 3rd Edition, James A. Pershing, editor
Exemplary Performance: Driving Business Results by Benchmarking Your Star Performers by Paul Elliott, Al Folsom
Performance Basics by Joe Willmore
Training Ain’t Performance by Harold D. Stolovitch, Erica J. Keeps
Human Competence: Engineering Worthy Performance by Thomas F. Gilbert
Human Performance Improvement: Building Practitioner Performance by William J. Rothwell, Carolyn K. Hohne, Stephen B. King
Analysis for Improving Performance: Tools for Diagnosing Organizations and Documenting Workplace Expertise by Richard A. Swanson
Return on Investment in Training and Performance Improvement Programs by Jack and Patti Phillips and Klaas Toes
Kirkpatrick’s Four Levels of Training Evaluation by James and Wendy Kirkpatrick
The New Mager Six-Pack by Robert Mager (and for one, with Peter Pipe)
Twenty different performance-related books by Guy W Wallace (the man’s been busy)

If you’re serious about improving sales performance, consider picking up one or two of these books to start, and work your way through the list. Each one will expand your thinking and give you a new set of tools to create a measurable impact.

Other Books

In addition to Performance Consulting, there are numerous other disciplines that can enhance your understanding of organizational dynamics and improve overall effectiveness. Below are some key texts across various fields, each offering valuable insights and strategies that can elevate your sales enablement efforts.

Organizational Development

Organization Development: The Process of Leading Organizational Change by Donald L. Anderson. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the theories and practices involved in organizational development.

Systems Thinking

The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of The Learning Organization by Peter M. Senge. A seminal work on systems thinking and how it can be applied to create learning organizations.

Lean and Six Sigma / Business Process Management

Lean Six Sigma: Combining Six Sigma Quality with Lean Production Speed by Michael L. George. This book explains how to integrate Lean and Six Sigma methodologies to improve performance.

Sales Process Excellence: Increase Customer Value, Accelerate Your Sales Funnel, Grow Your Business by Michael Webb. A guide for providing the foundations to integrate the art and science of sales.

Agile Methodology

Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time by Jeff Sutherland. A practical guide to implementing Scrum, an Agile framework, to enhance productivity and performance.

Continuous Improvement

Kaizen: The Key to Japan’s Competitive Success by Masaaki Imai. Comprehensive handbook of 16 Kaizen management practices that can be put to work.

Change Management

Leading Change by John P. Kotter. Kotter’s eight-step process for leading successful change initiatives is a must-read for anyone involved in change management.

Behavioral Management / Employee Engagement

Bringing Out the Best in People: How to Apply the Astonishing Power of Positive Reinforcement by Aubry Daniels. Daniels provides practical strategies for using positive reinforcement to enhance employee performance and motivation.

These books provide valuable insights across various disciplines, equipping you to integrate new methodologies into your enablement strategy. By expanding your knowledge base, you can drive more effective and sustainable results within your organization.

Create Your Personal Learning Plan

To truly excel in sales enablement, it’s essential to continuously expand your knowledge and skills across a range of disciplines. In addition to the book recommendations above, the resources listed below provide valuable insights and practical applications that can enhance your performance consulting capabilities and overall effectiveness in driving organizational change. By proactively exploring these areas, you’ll be well-equipped to drive performance improvement in your organization.

Closing Thoughts

Back in the early nineties, I set an ambitious goal for myself: read 50 business books a year for five years. It wasn’t easy, but it was doable. I kept at it, year after year, until I’d done it for a full decade.

You don’t have to be as extreme about it as I was. I was in my early thirties, eager to succeed, and driven to make a difference. But if you’re serious about making an impact, know that it’s within reach—I’ve done it, and you can, too.

Start by exploring the books and disciplines I’ve listed. Pick one or two areas you’re less familiar with and immerse yourself. Begin applying what you learn and consider working toward a certification in Performance Consulting to deepen your expertise.

You can read Mike’s original newsletter post here.

Mike Kunkle

As VP, Sales Effectiveness Services and a nationally recognized thought leader in sales improvement, Mike designs sales training courses, delivers workshops, and works with clients to implement sales effectiveness systems that dramatically improve results.

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