This week I begin a five-part series on compliance as seen through the lens of Winnie the Pooh and the characters who live in the Hundred Acre Woods: Pooh, Eeyore, Tigger, Kanga & Roo, and Piglet. This episode begins with Tigger and the sales function’s role in compliance.
Tigger first appears in the House at Pooh Corner when he arrives at Pooh’s doorstep in the middle of the night. Tigger takes up residence with Kanga and Roo. He becomes great friends with Roo, and Kanga treats him like she does her son. Tigger seems to have boundless energy, often too much energy for some of the other denizens of the Hundred Acre Wood. Rabbit, who is constantly exasperated by Tigger’s constant bouncing; Eeyore, who is once bounced into the river by Tigger; and, finally, there is Pooh’s good friend Piglet, who always seems a little nervous about the new, large, bouncy animal in the Hundred Acre Wood.
Tigger seems like the epitome of a top salesperson. He is very confident, has quite an ego, and has a high opinion of himself. He always seems to have great energy and optimism, and though always well-meaning, he can also be mischievous, and his actions have sometimes led to chaos and trouble for himself and his friends. Tigger often undertakes tasks with gusto, only to realize they are not as easy as he had originally imagined. Tigger, unique as ever, refers to himself not as a tiger but as a “Tigger”, and when he introduces himself, he announces the proper way to spell his name, and that is “T-I-double-Guh-Er”, which spells “Tigger”.
Tigger seems like a great way to think about sales incentives from the compliance perspective. Much like Tigger, most sales folks have their hearts in the right place, even if their actions cause trouble for themselves and others.
At the end of the day, Tigger is good-hearted, even if his over-exuberance can sometimes lead to misadventures. If you properly incentivize your sales team, you will hopefully keep their over-exuberance into being simply good-hearted as well.
Join me tomorrow when I consider Kanga, Roo and the Compliance Ombudsman.
