stress of dealing with this particular individual. The sales managers ranked
each account executive on a scale of one to ten with onebeing the easiest
to work with and tenbeing the most difficult. The purpose of this exercise
was to see if an account executive’s critical mass rating correlated with the
stress level related to managing this person.
Once we gathered this information, we presented all the criteria we
had compiled on critical mass for sales success. Each manager intuitively
agreed with the categories that were developed. We then asked the man-
agers to fill out a Critical Mass Report Card(see Figure 5.1) for each account
executive he or she managed. They were to rank each person subjectively
on the four categories of critical mass on a grade-point type scale. An A
equaled a 4.0, a Bequaled a 3.0, etc.
The correlation we found was instructive but not surprising. In short,
we found that the person who scored as average in critical mass was twice
Applied Critical Mass 45FIGURE 5.1Critical Mass Report Card
Directions:Grade yourself (or your employees) in the four components of critical mass.
(4 is the highest—1 is the lowest). Add totals for each component and divide by 5 to find
out your Critical Mass GPA.Competitive Drive Grade Achievementality Grade- Resourceful? 4 3 2 1 1. Does their homework? 4 3 2 1
- Loves to win / Hates to lose? 4 3 2 1 2. Desires to earn? 4 3 2 1
- Deals well with pressure? 4 3 2 1 3. Stays focused? 4 3 2 1
- Self-confident? 4 3 2 1 4. Goal oriented? 4 3 2 1
- Resilient? 4 3 2 1 5. Takes responsibility for actions 4 3 2 1
(doesn’t make excuses)?
Add total then divide by 5 _______ Add total then divide by 5 _______Teachability Grade Wit Grade- Desires to learn? 4 3 2 1 1. Has self-deprecating sense 4 3 2 1
- Desires to improve? 4 3 2 1 of humor?
- Teaches others? 4 3 2 1 2. Thinks on their feet 4 3 2 1
- Learns from errors? 4 3 2 1 (spontaneous wit)? 4 3 2 1
- Is aware of knowledge 4 3 2 1 3. Diffuses tension? 4 3 2 1
needed for self-improvement? 4.Responds constructively to 4 3 2 1
conflict? - Adjusts to difficult personalities? 4 3 2 1
Add total then divide by 5 _______ Add total then divide by 5 _______