Lee Distad recently wrote of the perils and tribulations of Rockstar Salespeople, who he described as spoiled, overpaid high performers that behave badly and whose drama ultimately overshadows their production.

Every sales manager has shared his pain and I’m sure many heads nodded in agreement. Nobody likes the impact of a diva or prima donna on his team.

Unfortunately, Lee’s recommended alternative to troublesome Rockstars are ‘strong utility players’ who will show up for work ‘day in, day out’ and ‘work hard to better themselves and their production.’

As a longtime sales manager, I wholeheartedly disagree.

In my experience it is Superstars, not the utility players, who win championships. While journeymen make valuable contributions, winning in both sport and business is almost always the product of a handful of very special individuals with exceptional skills, knowledge, drive and results.

“Moneyball” and its utility player fundamentals is a proven recipe for mediocrity — as is building a sales team with people valued most for simply showing up, trying hard and avoiding rocking the sales manager’s boat.

There is no question Superstars are more difficult to manage — perhaps because they are usually more creative, more passionate, more intelligent, more intuitive and/or simply more driven than most. The sales manager’s challenge is what every pro sports coach faces; how to best harness, channel, maximize and perpetuate that Superstar’s performance, results and impact on others.

No single approach consistently works best but if we, as sales managers, are unimaginative, indecisive, uninvolved or just plain lazy we will, one way or the other, inevitably lose our Superstars. Proven causes include limiting upside opportunities, setting mediocre expectations and thresholds and failing to tangibly recognize their superior talents and potential with tailored programs, incentives or perks.

Managed well, the Superstar will become the foundation of a winning team. They will inspire, motivate and lead their teammates to equally exceptional performances. They will also attract other Superstars, including Superstar Clients, making both themselves and their employers a lot of money.

Lee very sagely warns against creating Rockstars whose high performance is accompanied by chaos, anarchy and discord. I concur — but suggest sales managers would be very well served to learn to recognize exceptional potential, manage it accordingly and, in the process, build new Superstars.

Brock McGinnis, CTS, is the longtime sales manager at Westbury National, one of Canada’s largest commercial AV integrators and professional audio contractors. He has little patience for mediocrity and less for compromise, but inexplicably remains a Maple Leafs fan. Reach him at brock.m@westbury.com or on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/brockmcginnis