B2B Leadership Podcast

In this episode, host Nils Vinje welcomes back Maranda Dziekonski for a wide-ranging discussion on leadership practices and challenges currently facing the tech industry.

They tackle the impact of the current economic uncertainty on hiring, discuss how layoffs are affecting organizations, and give insights into key program cuts in the industry.

Nils and Maranda also delve into the long-term implications of leadership decisions and the importance of investing in DE&I and Learning and Development programs.

Have a listen and get equipped for leading in uncertain times.

Podcast highlights:

1:50 - Current State of the Tech Sector and Its Challenges

2:52 - Hiring Side: An Insider's Perspective

4:00 - Impact of Layoffs on the Tech Industry

5:42 - Overwhelming Process of Handling a High Volume of Applicants

10:33 - Importance of Fairness in the Hiring Process

11:27 - Consequences of Cutting Key Programs in Organizations

23:23 - Importance of Continuous Learning and Development

31:06 - Long-Term Impact of Current Decisions on Organizations

Connect with Maranda at https://www.linkedin.com/in/marandaanndziekonski/

This episode is brought to you by the Leadership MBA.

The Leadership MBA is a 12-week comprehensive program that will give you all the practical tools you need to turn your leadership challenges into success.

The product of more than a decade of leadership coaching Managers, Directors, and VPs at companies like Apple and Oracle, the Leadership MBA will show you exactly how to crack the leadership code through a proven step-by-step process.

Click here to download the Leadership MBA Program Guide

In this episode, host Nils Vinje interviews guest David Karp, the Chief Customer Officer at DISQO.

They discuss the journey and transition from a VP role to the C-suite, the professional mindset and approach needed at the executive level, and the importance of fostering a constant learning attitude and authentic connections across all departments.

David emphasizes the significance of being customer-oriented, nurturing one's curiosity, and maintaining a customer-centric lens as a Chief Customer Officer.

Furthermore, he shares insights about his journey, personal anecdotes, and the valuable lesson of focusing on helping others succeed.

Podcast highlights:

0:22 - David's Background

2:38 - Creating Value for Customers and the Business

5:54 - Power of Asking the Right Questions

8:46 - Transitioning from VP to CCO

12:56 - The Journey to Customer-Centric Leadership

19:28 - Working on the Business vs. In the Business

32:35 - David’s advice to himself

Connect with David at https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidalankarp/

This episode is brought to you by the Leadership MBA.

The Leadership MBA is a 12-week comprehensive program that will give you all the practical tools you need to become a true leader and the CEO of your career.

The product of nearly 2 decades of leadership coaching Managers, Directors, and VPs at companies like Apple and Oracle, the Leadership MBA will show you exactly how to crack the leadership code through a proven step-by-step process.

Click here to download the Leadership MBA Program Guide

Ever wondered if your career could be more than just a path directed by others?

In this episode, Nils Vinje discusses leadership development with guest Derek Squires.

They delve into Derek's background, his career progression, and lessons learned from investing in himself as a leader.

Derek shares how embracing the idea of being the CEO of his career has enhanced his clarity, confidence, and ability to tackle any challenge.

He also shares his experience in the Leadership MBA program and how it has increased his productivity and brought him tangible results in his work.

Ready to take charge of your career trajectory?

Join the conversation now and discover how investing in yourself can lead to a more empowered, confident, and successful professional journey.

Elevate your skills, tackle challenges head-on, and become the CEO of your own career.

Podcast highlights:

0:47 - Derek’s Background

4:58 - The Need for a Leadership Framework

12:40 - The Impact of Improved Productivity

14:13 - Becoming the CEO of Your Career

19:54 - Taking Control of Your Career

21:52 - Power of Self-Investment

24:21 - ROI of Self-Investment

30:44 - The Continuous Journey of Self-Investment

35:55 - Embracing the CEO Mindset

Connect with Derek at https://www.linkedin.com/in/derek-squires/

This episode is brought to you by the Leadership MBA.

The Leadership MBA is a 12-week comprehensive program that will give you all the practical tools you need to become a true leader and the CEO of your career.

The product of nearly 2 decades of leadership coaching Managers, Directors, and VPs at companies like Apple and Oracle, the Leadership MBA will show you exactly how to crack the leadership code through a proven step-by-step process.

Click here to download the Leadership MBA Program Guide

In this episode, Nils Vinje welcomes returning guest Catherine Blackmore to discuss diverse topics around leadership development, especially focusing on women leaders.

They delve into the concept of personal leadership, the prevalence of the 'inner critic' that tends to impede individuals' progress, explaining that this is seen more in women.

In addition, they reflect on biases in the workplace which often create hurdles for women.

Tune in for a lively discussion on self-confidence, strategic acumen, and personal branding, all keys to fostering a sense of belonging in the workplace.

Discover how to navigate career challenges and the power of asking for help.

Don't miss this empowering episode!

Hit play now and level up your leadership game!

Podcast highlights:

1:02 - The Notion of Employee Success

4:56 - Understanding Personal Leadership and Team Leadership

11:30 - The Role of Mentorship and Sponsorship in Leadership

19:45 - Addressing the Inner Critic in Leadership

28:23 -The Misconception of ‘Working Harder’ for Success

30:59 - The Evolution of Employee-Employer Relationships

36:34 - Overcoming Inner Critic

46:26 - Working Harder is Not the Answer

Connect with Catherine at https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherineblackmore/

Check the "Mastering Your Inner Critic" book here 

Check out these TED Talks mentioned in the show: 

The career advice you probably didn't get by Susan Colantuono 

Your body language may shape who you are by Amy Cuddy

This episode is brought to you by the Leadership MBA.

The Leadership MBA is a 12-week comprehensive program that will give you all the practical tools you need to become a true leader and the CEO of your career.

The product of nearly 2 decades of leadership coaching Managers, Directors, and VPs at companies like Apple and Oracle, the Leadership MBA will show you exactly how to crack the leadership code through a proven step-by-step process.

Click here to download the Leadership MBA Program Guide

Ever wondered if your nightly drink is more costly than it seems? 

In this episode, James Swanwick, founder of Alcohol-Free Lifestyle, returns to discuss with Nils how a healthier relationship with alcohol can lead to income growth, career advancement, and a boosted mindset.

Plus, they delve into the hidden costs, both financial and personal, that often go unnoticed.

Get insights from the man behind the revolutionary Project 90, boasting a staggering 98% success rate in reducing drinking.

Discover the five pillars of the program and how it's transforming lives.

Ready to make a change?

Join now in challenging societal norms around alcohol. 

Elevate your clarity, focus, and career potential by embracing sobriety.

Podcast highlights:

0:00 - Introduction: The Misconceptions of Quitting Alcohol

5:40 - The Socially Acceptable Drinker: A Hidden Problem

8:49 - The Cost of Drinking: Health, Wealth, and Relationships

20:44 - The Cost of Alcohol Consumption

22:54 - The University Study on Alcohol Consumption

24:27 - The Results of the Study

30:06 - The Importance of Investment in Change

39:13 - The Alcohol Freedom Formula

Connect with James at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesswanwick/

Learn more about Alcohol-Free Lifestyle at https://alcoholfreelifestyle.com/homepage

Explore the free guide, the Alcohol Freedom Formula, at https://alcoholfreelifestyle.com/nils

This episode is brought to you by the Leadership MBA.

The Leadership MBA is a 12-week comprehensive program that will give you all the practical tools you need to become a true leader and the CEO of your career.

The product of nearly 2 decades of leadership coaching Managers, Directors, and VPs at companies like Apple and Oracle, the Leadership MBA will show you exactly how to crack the leadership code through a proven step-by-step process.

Click here to download the Leadership MBA Program Guide

In this episode, Nils talks to Chris Tazewell, about the concept of 'Leadership without a Title', discarding the notion that recognition solely comes from high positions.

They discuss how investments in oneself and relationships with others are two key elements in successful leadership.

Chris also shares his experience organizing a leadership summit, highlighting the value of identifying opportunities, recommending improvements, and expanding one's perspective.

They converse about the importance of engaging in problem-solving, using challenges as a platform for growth, and being open to learning more.

Insights into how to excel in stressful situations, the need for impact, influence, and inspiration in leadership, and the benefits of adapting to changing roles and environments are also shared.

Chris encourages emerging leaders to seek opportunities that result in change and personal growth. 

Tune in to gain valuable insights that challenge conventional notions of leadership and inspire a fresh approach to making a meaningful impact in your professional journey.

Podcast highlights:

0:20 - Take action, get rewarded - Chris shares how he became a guest on the podcast.

2:30 - Concept of leadership without a title - Chris explains why this topic is important.

4:04 - Organizing a leadership summit - Chris shares how he and his co-president organized a leadership summit, including the initial idea, pitching it to the CEO, and the outcome.

10:19 - Leadership transition challenges - Nils and Chris talk about the difficulties of transitioning from an individual contributor to a leader and the ongoing struggle to shift focus from oneself to the team.

14:34 - Identifying trends and problem-solving - How to surface issues and trends in a team or organization, and take responsibility for finding solutions and presenting them to the team or leadership?

21:14 - Investing in yourself - Nils emphasizes the importance of investing in oneself and shares personal experiences of how investing in his own development led to career growth and success.

25:05 - Importance of relationships - Chris discusses the significance of building and maintaining relationships in leadership, highlighting the need to collaborate, influence, and motivate others to achieve common goals.

30:32 - Power of asking questions - Chris highlights the value of asking questions and empowering others to find solutions.

Connect with Chris athttps://www.linkedin.com/in/christazewell/

This episode is brought to you by the Leadership MBA.

The Leadership MBA is a 12-week comprehensive program that will give you all the practical tools you need to become a true leader and the CEO of your career.

The product of nearly 2 decades of leadership coaching Managers, Directors, and VPs at companies like Apple and Oracle, the Leadership MBA will show you exactly how to crack the leadership code through a proven step-by-step process.

Click here to download the Leadership MBA Program Guide

In this special milestone episode, Nils takes a reflective dive into the journey that has shaped both his podcast and business.

Gain insights into the importance of adopting a long-term view in life and discover how Nils diversified his consulting business after the pandemic.

Explore the strategies and principles from his latest book, "The 30-Day Leadership Playbook," and delve into the four pillars of leadership embedded in his impactful training programs. 

Uncover the transformative experience offered by the 12-week Leadership MBA program designed to empower leaders at every level.

Don't miss this celebratory episode packed with wisdom, insights, and a vision for the future of leadership!

Podcast highlights:

1:05 - Evolution of business and podcast - Nils reflects on the evolution of his business from customer success consulting to writing a book and running training programs.

2:08 - Challenges during the Pandemic - Nils discusses how his consulting business disappeared during the pandemic and the need to find new opportunities to sustain their business.

8:20 - Creating the Leadership MBA - Nils explains the transition from a membership model to the creation of the Leadership MBA, a 12-week live training program for leaders.

18:15 - Bird’s eye view - Nils shares how his podcast helps him understand the paths leaders took to reach their current positions.

20:00 - Becoming the CEO of your career - Nils emphasizes the importance of taking control of one's career, making decisions, and not relying on others to dictate growth and development.

21:52 - The power of being resourceful - Nils highlights the value of resourcefulness in acquiring skills and opportunities, regardless of financial constraints, to add more value to oneself and others.

This episode is brought to you by the Leadership MBA.

The Leadership MBA is a 12-week comprehensive program that will give you all the practical tools you need to become a true leader and the CEO of your career.

The product of nearly 2 decades of leadership coaching Managers, Directors, and VPs at companies like Apple and Oracle, the Leadership MBA will show you exactly how to crack the leadership code through a proven step-by-step process.

Click here to download the Leadership MBA Program Guide

Ever wondered about the core elements of effective leadership?

In this episode, Nils Vinje hosts Eddie Christian, founder, and CEO of Athfluency Consulting Group.

Eddie shares his leadership style, emphasizing trust, transparency, and a clear vision that binds a successful team.

Explore the dynamics of internal and external customer relationships and the crucial role of alignment for enhanced customer experiences.

Tune in for valuable insights on supporting teams through challenges, creating a safe space for expression, and the pivotal role of one-on-one meetings in fostering a supportive workplace!

Podcast highlights:

0:21 - Eddie’s background - Eddie shares what Athfluency Consulting Group is about.

3:31 - Building an army - What is one of the most important things critical to inspire a team or for a leader to consider and think about to inspire their team?

5:00 - Internal vs External customers - What are the differences and similarities between working with internal and external customers in a customer success role?

9:54 - Building a vision - Eddie shares the importance of starting with a clear vision and breaking down individual contributions to achieve the goal.

15:25 - Gaining confidence - Eddie talks about encouraging team members to have confidence in their expertise and knowledge, even when communicating with higher-level executives.

19:01 - Building a supportive team - Why is it crucial to genuinely support your team in challenging situations, and what kind of influence does such support have on their motivation and loyalty?

26:42 - Carving out time for one-on-ones- Eddie shares advice on prioritizing regular one-on-one meetings with team members to address their concerns, unblock obstacles, and show genuine care and support.

29:50 - Creating a safe space for venting - Why is it important to create an environment where team members feel comfortable expressing their frustrations and concerns, free from the worry of judgment or repercussions?

Connect with Eddie at https://www.linkedin.com/in/eddie-christian/

This episode is brought to you by the Leadership MBA.

The Leadership MBA is a 12-week comprehensive program that will give you all the practical tools you need to become a true leader and the CEO of your career.

The product of nearly 2 decades of leadership coaching Managers, Directors, and VPs at companies like Apple and Oracle, the Leadership MBA will show you exactly how to crack the leadership code through a proven step-by-step process.

Click here to download the Leadership MBA Program Guide

In this episode, Nils welcomes guest Ian Campbell, author of "The Value Sale," to discuss selling value and quantifying ROI in sales.

They explore the concept of value and benefits using the example of selling alligators and delve into different levels of benefits.

Ian emphasizes the importance of grounding benefits in numbers, focusing on the top two benefits, and reframing the conversation to make it more relatable and impactful.

They also discuss the value equation in leadership development and the significance of focusing on payback rather than ROI when selling a product or service.

Tune in for more transformative discussions and redefine your approach to strategic selling today!

Podcast highlights:

0:44 - The alligator story - Ian shares an absurd example of selling alligators and how the value of the opportunity can change perception.

3:42 - Different levels of benefits - Ian explains the concept of first-order, second-order, third-order, and fourth-order benefits and how they vary in credibility and variability.

11:00 - Avoiding the fourth-order benefit -  Ian advises against discussing fourth-order benefits as they can weaken the business case and recommends focusing on fewer, stronger benefits.

15:29 - Grounding benefits in quantifiable numbers - How does quantifying benefits in sales conversations help in upselling and building customer references?

18:44 - The significance of financial reasons for CFOs -  Ian highlights the importance of presenting financial reasons to CFOs when selling a SaaS product and how it helps in defending the decision and gaining internal support.

20:58 - Value equation for leadership development - How to approach and communicate the value of leadership development, even though it may be considered a third-order benefit?

27:15 - Using a range instead of a benchmark - Ian shares the benefits of using a range instead of a single benchmark number to avoid pushback and allow for individualized discussions about productivity increase.

31:17 - Payback period -  Ian discusses the significance of covering costs within a specific timeframe and the psychological impact it has on decision-making.

33:27 - Three real benefits for customers - Ian explains the three main benefits a customer can expect and how to determine which benefit is most relevant in a given situation.

Connect with Ian at https://www.linkedin.com/in/iancampbellnucleusresearch/

Check out his book “The Value Sale” at https://www.thevaluesale.com/

Learn more about Nucleus Research at https://nucleusresearch.com/

This episode is brought to you by the Leadership MBA.

The Leadership MBA is a 12-week comprehensive program that will give you all the practical tools you need to become a true leader and the CEO of your career.

The product of nearly 2 decades of leadership coaching Managers, Directors, and VPs at companies like Apple and Oracle, the Leadership MBA will show you exactly how to crack the leadership code through a proven step-by-step process.

Click here to download the Leadership MBA Program Guide

In this episode, Nils and Kristin O'Neill dive into the intricacies of leading remote and hybrid teams in our evolving work landscape.

They explore the challenges posed by the pandemic and strategies for effective leadership in these environments.

Kristin shares her expertise in managing remote teams, emphasizing productivity and employee engagement.

The discussion delves into vital aspects of remote leadership, including onboarding, ongoing engagement, clear communication, and meticulous documentation for streamlined team operations.

Tune in for valuable insights on navigating the complexities of leading teams in today's changing world of work.

Podcast highlights:

1:23 - Transition to remote work - Kristin discusses the difficulties she faced and her personal journey during the initial phases of transitioning to remote work.

4:24 - Fundamentals of leadership - Kristin shares her opinion on the fundamentals of leadership in a hybrid environment.

7:31 - Comparing the two worlds - Does leading remote or hybrid teams take more effort than in-person teams?

12:12 - Onboarding in a remote world - What are some of the key things that leaders should think about as they go into onboarding employees in a remote or hybrid environment where you're not going to be with them all the time?

14:05 - Setting expectations - How important is setting clear expectations for onboarding employees in hybrid or remote environments?

18:02 - Buddy system - Kristin discusses the buddy system she built to ensure daily connections between her team members in a hybrid or remote setting.

25:48 - Ongoing employee engagement - What are some of the key things leaders should be thinking about when it comes to ongoing employee engagement in a hybrid or remote environment?

30:53 - Consistency and flexibility - Kristin elaborates on the importance of consistency and flexibility in leading a hybrid team. 

32:22 - Engaging remote teams for innovation - What are some of the other elements of running a team that are going to take more effort, but are going to produce greater results in the long run in a hybrid or remote environment?

35:22 - The power of documentation - Kristin explains why having clear documentation and systems in place in remote or hybrid environments is important.

Connect with Kristin at https://www.linkedin.com/in/knoneill/

This episode is brought to you by the Leadership MBA.

The Leadership MBA is a 12-week comprehensive program that will give you all the practical tools you need to become a true leader and the CEO of your career.

The product of nearly 2 decades of leadership coaching Managers, Directors, and VPs at companies like Apple and Oracle, the Leadership MBA will show you exactly how to crack the leadership code through a proven step-by-step process.

Click here to download the Leadership MBA Program Guide

In this episode, Nils Vinje and Cameron Marijosius continue their discussion on emotional intelligence.

They delve deeper into the pillars of emotional intelligence, focusing on motivation, empathy, and social skills.

They share personal stories and insights related to motivation in the workplace, emphasizing the importance of having a positive attitude and being connected to one's work.

They explore the concept of empathy, discussing the ability to understand others' emotions and dynamics.

They also talk about social skills, highlighting the importance of self-awareness, self-regulation, and empathy in social interactions.

Tune in and seize the opportunity to enhance your emotional intelligence.

Podcast highlights:

1:07 - Motivation and its importance - Cameron discusses the meaning of motivation in the context of emotional intelligence and its significance in the workplace.

2:10 - Overcoming hurdles - How does Cameron overcome her struggles with motivation?

5:24 - Recognizing lost connection and taking action - Cameron shares the importance of recognizing when motivation is lost and taking the necessary steps to find a new path that aligns with one's values and goals.

8:49 - Pillar number four: Empathy - Cameron explains the meaning of empathy in the context of emotional intelligence.

13:03 - Power of empathy - Why is it important to strive for understanding and empathizing with the world of others?

17:36 - Social skills and behavior - Cameron discusses the misconception around social skills and the importance of behavior and actions in social interactions.

22:24 - Creating a positive social contract - Cameron shares the importance of establishing a social contract when starting a new team or working with a group of people.

28:26 - Building trust and open communication - How does establishing a foundation of trust and open communication from the outset contribute to fostering more meaningful conversations and facilitating the handling of difficult discussions?

Connect with Cameron at https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameron-marijosius

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy.

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy, you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

#Leadership #B2BLeadership #BusinessLeader

In this episode, Nils and Cameron explore the profound impact of emotional intelligence on leadership.

They share their personal experiences with emotional intelligence and how it has influenced their leadership roles.

They emphasize the importance of self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills in building emotional intelligence.

They also debunk common misconceptions about emotional intelligence and highlight its practicality and relevance in leadership.

Tune in and elevate your leadership game and unlock the power of emotional intelligence.

Podcast highlights:

1:50 - Discovering emotional intelligence - Cameron talks about how she learned about emotional intelligence through her career.

6:00 - Impact of emotional intelligence - Cameron discusses the impact of emotional intelligence on her self-perception and leadership style, including feedback from her team and the need to adapt in different situations.

11:25 - Common misperceptions of emotional intelligence - What are some of the most common misperceptions around emotional intelligence?

15:35 - Five pillars of emotional intelligence - What are the five pillars of emotional intelligence?

16:05 - Self-awareness - How important is self-awareness in emotional intelligence?

19:43 - Reacting vs responding-  Cameron explains the importance of pausing and choosing how to react in different situations.

22:52 - Heartbreaking experience - Cameron shares a personal example of a challenging situation that highlights the importance of self-regulation and emotional intelligence in leadership.

31:37 - Take a pause - How does pausing before responding to a conversation help in making better decisions and reducing defensive reactions?

Connect with Cameron at https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameron-marijosius

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy.

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy, you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

#Leadership #B2BLeadership #BusinessLeader

In this episode, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje interviews Nadia Carta, Head of Data Transformation at Google.

Nadia is a powerhouse of inspiration, known for her ability to spark zeal in others.

In our conversation, Nadia shared three key lessons from her 14-year tenure at Google: curiosity, authenticity, and aiming for big things. She believes that curiosity opens doors to new environments and genuine connections.

Authenticity and vulnerability, she says, are the building blocks of trust. And aiming for the impossible? That's what drives her to tackle challenging projects.

But it's not all about success. Nadia opened up about a recent experience of not getting a role she had prepared for. Despite the initial disappointment, she used this as an opportunity for self-reflection and growth. This led her to launch the "Spark Your Zeal" movement, write a book, and start her own podcast on leadership.

Nadia's story is a testament to the power of resilience and the beauty of turning setbacks into stepping stones. She believes that by fully putting herself out there, she is giving others permission to do the same. This approach to business, which she calls "business with grace," focuses not only on numbers and plans, but also on building a next generation of humans who find fulfillment in meaningful work.

We also discussed the importance of being the CEO of your own career and taking charge of personal growth and development. Nadia emphasized the value of having a coach and engaging in daily practices like journaling and mindfulness meditation for self-awareness.

I hope Nadia's story inspires you as much as it inspired me. Remember, in life, there are only three answers: yes, not yet, and something better is coming. So, keep sparking your zeal and pursuing your dreams!

Podcast Highlights:

3:41 - Lessons learned from 14 years at Google

Nadia reflects on her 14-year tenure at Google, highlighting the importance of curiosity, authenticity, vulnerability, and aiming for big things in her leadership style.

8:19 - Dealing with rejection and learning from it

Nadia shares her experience of not getting a role she had prepared for, discussing the initial disappointment and the lessons she learned from the experience.

10:36 - The power of "something better"

Nadia reflects on her rejection in a job interview and how it led her to discover the concept of "something better" in life.

13:35 - The gift of rejection

Nadia explains how the rejection she faced allowed her to pause, ask herself tough questions, and give birth to her biggest dreams.

20:31 - The importance of putting oneself out there

Nadia shares how putting herself out there fully has given others permission to bring themselves more and has created a sense of belonging and thriving in the corporate world.

21:49 - Business with grace and creating an inclusive environment

Nadia discusses how she inspires her clients by not only focusing on tech and ads, but also on building a better future and creating a next generation of humans who fulfill themselves while doing meaningful work.

24:12 - Being the CEO of your career and leading oneself first

Neil and Nadia talk about the importance of being in charge of one's career, figuring things out, and leading oneself first in order to have a meaningful life and make a positive impact on the world.

30:29 - The importance of having a coach

Having a coach can provide external perspective and keep you honest with yourself.

31:51 - The power of journaling and mindfulness meditation

Journaling and mindfulness meditation can bring awareness and help align with your true desires.

Connect withNadia on Linkedin.

In this episode, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje interviews Spencer Polk, a member of the B2B Leaders Academy.

They discuss Spencer's experience in the academy and his previous management training. 

Spencer shares his dissatisfaction with a two-day seminar he attended and highlights how the academy's self-directed and collaborative approach changed the game.

They also discuss the importance of progress in learning and skill development, the concept of being the CEO of one's own career, and Spencer's growth in confidence through the academy.

If self-doubt is holding you back, Spencer highly recommends the B2B Leaders Academy for personal growth.

Tune in to this episode and get inspired to overcome your challenges and embrace your leadership potential.

Podcast highlights:

1:16 - Spencer’s background - Spencer explains his role and shares his experience with traditional management training.

2:53 - Self-directed approach - Spencer shares his experience coming into the academy and what he saw as being different and how it worked for him.

5:32 - Mastermind sessions - What value did Spencer get out of these weekly mastermind sessions inside the academy?

9:03 - Progress is key - How important is progress in staying committed and not quitting?

12:47 - Being the CEO of your career - This mindset changed Spencer’s perspective toward his career.

17:36 - What’s next for Spencer - Spencer shares taking a proactive approach to his career development.

20:42 - Advice to others - What advice would Spencer share with others if they were on the fence thinking about joining the B2B Leaders Academy but not 100% sure if this might be right for them?

Connect with Spencer at https://ca.linkedin.com/in/spencer-polk-099b5720

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy.

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy, you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

#Leadership #B2BLeadership #BusinessLeader

Have you ever felt lost in your career or personal life?

In this episode, Nils shares his experience of taking a detour in life and how it changed his perspective.

After a failed career as a sales rep, he decided to explore his interest in woodworking and became an apprentice for a craftsman.

He learned the lesson of taking detours and how it can lead to unexpected opportunities and personal growth.

If you're feeling stuck or unsure of your path, take a detour and explore your interests.

You never know where it might lead you.

Join Nils in this episode of the B2B Leadership Podcast and learn the lesson of taking detours in life.

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy.

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy, you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

#Leadership #B2BLeadership #BusinessLeader

Do you want to foster a culture of collaboration in your workplace?

In this episode, Nils Vinje and Christine Lavery discuss six tips for creating a collaborative environment.

They emphasize the importance of creating a psychologically safe environment, having clear roles and responsibilities, being able to compromise, aligning goals, setting clear expectations, and focusing on relationships.

By following these tips, organizations can create an environment where everyone feels valued and included, and where collaboration is the norm rather than the exception.

Listen to this episode to learn more about fostering a culture of collaboration in your workplace.

Podcast highlights:

2:04 - Psychological safety - Christine explains the importance of creating an environment of psychological safety to foster collaboration.

6:21 - Clear roles and responsibilities - Why is this so important in fostering collaboration?

9:46 - Compromise - Christine talks about how it can be challenging to truly be good at compromising.

14:40 - Alignment of goals - If you want to drive productivity and efficiency, and the getting to the end result, it comes down to this.

19:48 - Expectation setting - Christine shares the importance of setting clear goals and expectations to achieve greater collaboration in the workplace.

25:10 - Focus on relationships - How building relationships with everyone in the organization, regardless of their background, personality, or objectives can foster a culture of collaboration?

Connect with Christine at https://www.linkedin.com/in/christine-lavery/

Learn more about AgentSync at https://agentsync.io/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy.

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy, you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

#Leadership #B2BLeadership #BusinessLeader

Have you ever felt like you were in the wrong job?

In this episode, leadership coach, Nils Vinje shares a valuable lesson he learned from his experience as a Xerox sales rep.

He emphasizes the importance of checking for alignment in one's work and being honest with oneself about whether the work is truly fulfilling and aligned with one's values and strengths.

Nils learned that no matter how bad your brain wants something, if it doesn't align with who you are or who you want to become, it's not going to work.

Tune in to hear more about Nils' personal experience and his successful career as a leadership coach and consultant after this difficult job, which is aligned with who he is as a person.

Remember to continuously check for alignment and ask for help.

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy.

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy, you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

#Leadership #B2BLeadership #BusinessLeader

Are you a leader struggling to adapt your leadership style to your employees?

In this episode, leadership coach, Nils interviews Dustin Tysick, host of the B2B Revenue Leaders Podcast and VP of Revenue at Testimonial Hero, about the importance of coaching and adapting to different personalities and processing styles.

Dustin suggests using tools like the Myers-Briggs test to understand employees' personality types and adapt leadership styles accordingly.

Overall, Dustin stresses the importance of self-awareness and understanding the strengths and weaknesses of team members in order to build a successful and engaged team.

Tune in to learn how to create a productive and efficient work environment by giving employees ownership and aligning their work with their strengths.

Podcast highlights:

0:50 - Dustin’s background - Dustin shares a little bit about his podcast and the company he works for.

4:21 - Reading the room - How important is it to take a pause and read the room, especially in emotionally charged situations?

6:05 - Self-awareness - Dustin shares tips on how leaders can take a pause.

8:07 - Meetings and preparation - Dustin explains why it’s important to have a meeting agenda and how should you prepare for it.

15:29 - Understanding employee functioning - What strategies does Dustin use to understand how their employees function and operate in different environments?

17:28 - Assessments for self-awareness - What are the benefits of assessments like Myers-Briggs and StrengthsFinder in providing language to describe natural talents and acknowledging weaknesses?

24:29 - Guardrails and freedom - How leaders can provide structure and guardrails for their employees to operate creatively within, leading to engagement and ownership.

28:36 - Getting specific on employee goals - Dustin discusses the importance of asking specific questions about what employees like and don't like about their roles, and how this can help leaders understand where to invest in their growth.

Connect with Dustin at https://www.linkedin.com/in/dustintysick/

Learn more about B2B Revenue Leaders Podcast at https://www.testimonialhero.com/b2b-revenue-leaders-podcast

Learn more about Testimonial Hero at https://www.testimonialhero.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy.

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy, you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

#Leadership #B2BLeadership #BusinessLeader

Do you struggle with self-belief as a leader?

In this episode, Nils Vinje shares a personal story about his early days as a leadership coach and the importance of believing in oneself.

He recalls working with a photography business owner who was going through a rough patch in her personal life and business.

Despite Nils' initial lack of confidence, he developed a 12-week program for her based on their discussions.

Nils emphasizes the significance of setting clear intentions and visualizing the desired outcome. 

He highlights that even though the coaching journey can be uncertain and challenging, having self-belief and a clear destination in mind are essential.

It is important to believe in yourself in order for others to believe in you.

Remember, while the journey may get messy, having a destination and the right set of tools can help you reach any destination.

Nils' story serves as a reminder that self-belief is crucial for leadership success.

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy.

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy, you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

#Leadership #B2BLeadership #BusinessLeader

Do you want to inspire and empower your team?

In this episode, Nils Vinje and Sara Barnes share valuable insights on how to do it effectively.

One of the most important lessons is to recognize and celebrate employees' strengths.

By observing and identifying what truly inspires and energizes them, leaders can help their team members achieve their full potential.

Tune in to learn more about these strategies and how to implement them in your organization.

Podcast highlights:

1:11 - Empowering employees - Sara shares a couple of things on how to empower employees.

7:19 - Balancing long-term and immediate needs - When it comes to inspiring your team, why is it important to take a long-term view while balancing immediate needs?

9:55 - Fostering a culture of innovation - How does this makes employees feel valued?

12:28 - Building a team identity - How important is building a foundation for a team to operate off of?

19:47 - Psychology and tactics - This is so important but often overlooked.

20:35 - Fostering a collaborative environment - One of the things Sara learned early on working with Nils.

25:04 - What's in it for me? - WIIFM. Everyone's favorite radio station.

29:36 - Promoting continuous growth and learning - Sara shares the importance of observing employees and recognizing their strengths to empower them and provide growth opportunities.

31:13 - StrengthsFinder assessment - The language to describe what you're naturally talented to do.

Connect with Sara at https://www.linkedin.com/in/saracbarnes/

Learn more about Verifiable at https://verifiable.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy.

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy, you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

#Leadership #B2BLeadership #BusinessLeader

Are you truly driven and passionate about leadership?

In this episode, Nils Vinje shares his personal experience of discovering his passion for coaching and how it helped him become a more effective leader.

When you are truly driven and passionate about something, you are willing to do whatever it takes.

Nils' story shows that investing in yourself and acquiring new skills can lead to discovering your passion and becoming a more effective leader.

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy.

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy, you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

#Leadership #B2BLeadership #BusinessLeader

In this episode, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje talks to Paul Piazza, VP of Customer Success at Webex Events, about how to handle difficult conversations in a leadership role. They discuss the value of difficult conversations in building relationships and achieving growth, both personally and professionally.

Podcast highlights:

0:28 - Early ties at Gainsight - Paul shared how he met Nils.

2:37 - Importance of difficult conversations - How can difficult conversations lead to growth and realization?

4:00 - Listening and asking questions - Not having the answers is far more valuable than having the answers.

7:36 - Difficult conversations categories - What are some general categories of situations where a difficult conversation was warranted that leaders should be aware of and should be looking at?

9:20 - Emotional side of difficult conversations - Paul shared some advice for someone dealing with fear and hesitation in addressing a behavior they've observed, despite having other pressing matters.

13:06 - Surfacing up the why - The first step that a leader needs to go through in being able to get to the successful outcome that they ultimately want to achieve.

16:36 - Setting up the game plan - Paul shared the importance of outlining a game plan for a successful outcome in difficult conversations.

19:10 - Setting up milestones - How important is it to establish milestones for executing agreed-upon plans in difficult conversations?

24:07 - Learning from adjustments - Paul shared the benefits of being flexible and allowing people to try new things, even if they don't execute the plan perfectly.

Connect with Paul at https://www.linkedin.com/in/successforlife/

Learn more about WebEx Events at https://socio.events/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy. The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy, you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

#Leadership #B2BLeadership #BusinessLeader

In this episode, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje shares his personal experience of taking time off to acquire new skills and how it helped him get promoted.

He discusses how he convinced his boss to let him take time off for leadership coach training and how he used the tools he learned to add more value to his organization.

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy.

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy, you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

#Leadership #B2BLeadership #BusinessLeader

In this episode, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje speaks with Beth Ladd, VP of Innovation at the American Supply Association about fears that individuals face at different stages of their leadership careers.

Podcast highlights:

0:55 - Human-centered design - Beth explains what human-centered design is and how it is used to solve problems.

3:31 - Early-stage career fear - What are some common fears that individuals in the early stages of their careers often experience?

6:08 - Imposter syndrome throughout career - Beth shares her perspective on this.

10:43 - Fear of change -  Beth talks about this fear that can arise in mid-career.

15:52 - Dealing with cynicism later in career - How cynicism can be detrimental to innovation and growth within a team.

22:43 - Differences in fear between genders - How men and women approach fear differently in their careers.

27:38 - Leadership and giving back - Beth talks about the importance of giving back and how some people never reach a point where they want to offer help to others.

33:33 - Getting to know yourself - Beth shares the importance of getting to know oneself and one's peers, and provides tools and frameworks to help young professionals in this process.

Learn more about American Supply Association at https://www.asa.net/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy, you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

#Leadership #B2BLeadership #BusinessLeader

I learned a very powerful leadership lesson long before I became a people leader.

It was my senior year in college and I was ready to be done with school and start working in the professional world.

I already had a job lined up that I would start at the end of the summer so things were good.

However, I had to give a presentation in one of my classes that represented a big part of my final grade and that was a challenge.

It was a challenge because I was extremely nervous and anxious about presenting in front of the class.

I had done some presentations as part of projects in other classes but it wasn’t something I was comfortable with.

I was mediocre at best on the outside.

But inside, I was a mess.

In the days and weeks leading up to the presentation, I scripted everything I was going to say and rehearsed it over and over again to get ready.

Despite all my practice, I was still terrified.

When it was my turn to present, there was one mindset shift I made that changed everything and allowed me to feel calm and confident.

Want to know what I did to overcome presentation anxiety?

Tune in to find out.

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy.

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy, you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to ⁠b2bleadersacademy.com⁠ and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

#Leadership #B2BLeadership #BusinessLeader

In this episode, best-selling author and leadership coach, Nils Vinje, shares 5 essential steps to prepare for moving from an individual contributor to a manager.

Podcast highlights:

1:39 - The most difficult shift - Why shifting from an IC role to a manager is one of the most difficult shifts?

5:06 - Importance of acquiring skills in advance - How acquiring the skills needed before getting into the next role can set you up for success?

8:25 - Five things to success - Nils shares the skillset that continues to be one of the most powerful and impactful tools in his leadership toolbox.

9:43 - Building relationships - Why is building relationships across the organization important to be recommended for a leadership position?

13:05 - Demonstrating initiative - There's no better way to prove that you are ready for the next role than by doing this.

16:55 - Expanding knowledge - How can this set you apart from others?

20:02 - Seeking feedback - How to ask for it in order to take actionable steps towards improvement.

22:29 - Summary of five things to get promoted to manager - Put these into action and it will help you prepare for your promotion to manager.

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy, you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

#Leadership #B2BLeadership #BusinessLeader

On this episode, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje explains how you can get promoted to the VP level and the specific strategies, tricks and skill sets you'll need to focus on along the way.

Podcast highlights:

0:47 - Quick testimonials - How have leaders benefitted from the B2B Leaders Academy?

2:02 - Hesitation and fear - Are you comparing yourself to other leaders?

6:22 - Build and demonstrate your expertise - What does this process look like?

8:36 - Demonstrating leadership skills - This is what the core of B2B Leaders Academy is all about.

9:23 - Communicate your goals and aspirations - If you want a promotion, you have to make it clear.

10:33 - Seek feedback and be open to criticism - We all have improvements to make.

14:23 - Time management - What systems can you implement as a VP to master your time?

20:27 - Skip levels - What does this mean, and why is it necessary to understand before landing a VP role?

22:14 - Leading with communication - How can you communicate your team's value outside of your team?

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy, you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

#Leadership #B2BLeadership #BusinessLeader

On this episode, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje speaks withDon Schmincke, Strategic Growth Advisor, Author and Keynote Speaker atSchmincke Research Alliance.

What started with a story about being shot off an aircraft carrier evolved into a discussion about the 4 common myths that every leader should challenge.

Podcast highlights:

0:31 - Being shot off an aircraft carrier - Don explains the backstory behind this wild event.

2:12 - Ineffective leadership strategies - Why is the implementation of leadership strategies from books so low?

6:04 - Leadership myths - Don shares why leadership behaviors often don't change.

10:17 - Sticking with a plan - Don dispels another common leadership myth.

14:33 - Prioritizing problems over plans - Advice for how leaders can shift their thinking on this idea.

18:23 - Being the CEO of your career - Don shares his thoughts on why individuals are responsible for their own success.

22:06 - The myth of happy employees - Why employees should focus on winning more than on happiness.

25:37 - "I don't have enough time" - Don dispels this leadership myth.

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy, you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

#Leadership #B2BLeadership #BusinessLeader

Employees leave bosses, not companies!

The hard costs associated with an employee leaving are generally 1.5 - 2X the employee’s salary.

The costs associated with lost time, opportunities, and productivity are much greater.

When it comes down to it, you better be thinking about how to retain your best employees.

On this episode, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje explains how leaders can retain their best employees by focusing on four key areas of growth.

Podcast highlights:

0:11 - First job out of undergrad - From excitement to resentment in a couple of months.

4:00 - Gallup poll results - This research measures the cost of psychological detachment.

6:42 - Four key areas of growth - Focus on these areas to keep your employees engaged.

11:52 - Leadership environment - What role does environment play in retaining your best employees?

16:16 - Employee compensation - It's not always the most important thing to focus on, but many people think it is.

20:03 - Employee recognition - Recognize and reward the performance that you want to see more of.

22:30 - A short recap of the four key areas of growth - These engagement strategies will help you retain your best employees.

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy, you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

#Leadership #B2BLeadership #BusinessLeader

“There’s a belief that there aren’t that many black men in senior leadership roles in corporate America… and it’s true!”

That’s how Jewel Edward Love, Jr, Founder and Executive Coach at Black Executive Men started our conversation on this episode of the B2B Leadership Podcast.

From there, we discussed the Three S’s - Salary, Seniority, and Satisfaction…

And that led to a powerful conversation about how to think about the role you play and the impact you have as a leader.

Podcast highlights:

0:23 - Jewel's background - Jewel explains his role at Black Executive Men and the role the company serves.

6:11 - Have you experienced therapy? - Jewel asks Nils for his personal take on the benefits of therapy.

9:20 - Salary, seniority, satisfaction - Jewel takes a deep dive on the 3 S's.

13:04 - Impact and oversight - What are the vast majority of people overlooking?

16:06 - Unlocking your best ability - Jewel explains his process for helping people understand their most valuable skill.

28:22 - Strengthsfinder assessment results -  Jewel shares his feedback on the assessment.

32:59 - Proven system - How does using a framework enable Jewel to help shape his clients?

45:59 - Connect with Jewel - Jewel leaves additional information for listeners to get in touch.

Learn more about Black Executive Men athttps://blackexecutivemen.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy
The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

#Leadership #B2BLeadership #BusinessLeader

Have you ever seen the series Seal Team?

You get to see what it’s like inside of one of the most elite teams in the world - the Navy Seals.

The way they prepare, train, think, and operate is on a different level than everyone else.

Even among the Navy Seals, there is Bravo Team who is the elite of the elite. They are the center of the show.

There are many parallels between the Navy Seals and leadership.

What I like to focus on is the element of being an Elite Leader.

On this episode of the B2B Leadership podcast, I lay out a vision for what an Elite Leader is and how to become one.

Podcast highlights:

0:11 - Defining elite - What is the dictionary definition of elite?

3:30 - Parallels between Navy SEALS and leadership -  What do these two verticals have in common?

5:15 - Leading yourself - the first of four pillars of leadership is explained.

9:52 - Aligning with your natural strengths - How do elite leaders create high-performing teams?

12:02 - Leading others - How does an inclusive team identity strengthen a team?

15:34 - Leading with communication - How do you communicate your value and your team's value beyond just the team?

18:23 - Leading with metrics - How measuring specific metrics can drive personal and team performance?

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

#Leadership #B2BLeadership #BusinessLeader

There is one thing your team wants more than anything else…

And, it doesn’t require any monetary investment…

It’s Feedback!

The reality is that most leaders do not give enough feedback or enough of the right kind of feedback.

My hypothesis on why this happens is that leaders don’t have a reliable system to give their team members the feedback they want and deserve.

On this episode, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje discusses common myths about giving feedback as a leader. 

He provides a simple feedback formula for asking the right questions to help your team grow.

Follow these 3 steps, and you will be consistently giving the high-quality actionable feedback your team is craving.

Podcast highlights:

1:19 - The importance of feedback - Just how important is giving feedback?

5:05 - Common misconception about giving feedback - Avoid taking this approach.

10:55 - A three-step feedback made simple - This system will show you exactly how to give the most effective feedback possible.

11:43 - "Here's what I observed..." - Preparation before you give feedback is more important than anything.

14:22 - "Here's the impact that had..." - Most people have no idea what the impact of their actions really are.

16:50 - Negative or corrective feedback - Why is it so important to ask a question during this part of your feedback?

18:58 - A common feedback myth to dispel - Sometimes empty feedback is worse than none at all.

22:19 - Putting the Feedback Makeover into action - Members of the B2B Leaders Academy were blown away by this process.

Get FREE access to the 5-Minute Feedback Makeover atwww.b2bleadersacademy.com/feedback

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy, you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

#Leadership #B2BLeadership #BusinessLeader

“Alcohol’s reputation is crumbling…”

And I agree!

That quote is from James Swanwick, Founder and CEO ofAlcohol-Free Lifestyle, my guest on this episode of the B2B Leadership podcast.

In January, I shared the transformation journey I’ve been on in my relationship with alcohol publicly for the first time.

The response and support blew me away.

I heard so many inspiring stories and received so many messages of appreciation for sharing my story.

Having this conversation with James reinforced every decision I’ve made for the last 15 months regarding alcohol.

Regardless of where you are right now, you’re going to get a lot out of this episode.

Podcast highlights:

0:34 - James' background - James explains his role at Alcohol-Free Lifestyle.

3:57 - Socially acceptable drinking - How can you approach drinking environments differently?

8:32 - The results of eliminating alcohol - James shares his experience of quitting alcohol, along with those of others in his program.

14:27 - Attractively packaged poison - James expands his thoughts on what this means.

18:14 - A history of alcohol - How big a role do family history and genes play in drinking alcohol?

24:14 - Making the change - James outlines the incredible changes you can see by quitting alcohol for just 90 days.

35:07 - The Alcohol-Free Lifestyle Program - Learn more and connect with James.

Download a FREE Step-By-Step Guide To Get Power Over Alcohol In 30 Days Or Less!

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy, you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

#Leadership #B2BLeadership #BusinessLeader

When you get promoted from manager to Director level, the game changes…

You are now going to be responsible for the performance of multiple teams…

And, you will also be managing managers as well…

How do you get yourself ready for this promotion?

How do you end up as the #1 choice for Director when the time comes in your company…

Or, how do you positing yourself as the best possible candidate while interviewing?

On this episode, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje discusses the roadmap you can follow in order to get promoted from a manager-level to a director-level position.

Podcast highlights:

0:42 - Previous podcast story - This previous episode of the podcast provides a great example of how to get promoted to a director position.

2:09 - Using a roadmap - The easiest way to identify the skills you need to grow.

4:24 - The four pillars - This framework is the backbone of the B2B Leaders Academy.

5:28 - Leading yourself - The more you grow, the more stress you will take on.

9:37 - Leading others - How do you engage and interact with your team?

13:35 - Managing managers - How does managing managers differ from managing individual contributors?

16:13 - Leading with communication - How do you communicate your team's value outside your immediate team?

20:36 - Leading with metrics - As you grow, the importance of metrics starts to increase.

#Leadership #B2BLeadership #BusinessLeader

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

In a leadership position, what you say matters…

Not just some of the time, all of the time.

One statement can have the power to completely change someone’s day, week, month, year, or career.

It is for this reason that any leadership position needs to be treated with the highest level of respect.

On this episode, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje speaks withPatrick Mirza, Director of Content Marketing and Publications atWorldatWork.

Patrick was on the receiving end of one statement that left him feeling discouraged and hollow.

This conversation opened up a discussion about the importance of giving effective feedback.

Podcast highlights:

0:16 - Patrick's background - Patrick explains his role at WorldatWork.

1:28 - Inclusive leadership - How does this play a role in receiving benefits at work?

4:25 - First leadership position - Patrick’s first job out of college.

5:28 - Managing freelancers - What challenges did Patrick face while he was managing freelancers?

7:33 - In-house and freelancer overlap - How did Patrick's management with freelancers differ from managing a salaried team?

10:48 - Shielding freelancers from management - How was Patrick able to manage pressure from management?

17:21 - Freelancer vs. employee - How has Patrick's leadership evolved after these different experiences?

19:35 - You don't own the company - Patrick explains how one phrase from management discouraged him.

27:05 - Feedback using facts, not emotion - Patrick shares his thoughts on this philosophy.

34:00 - Patrick's advice to himself - What advice would Patrick give his younger self?

Learn more about WorldatWork athttps://worldatwork.org/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.b2bleadersacademy.com/

#Leadership #B2BLeadership #BusinessLeader

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

For nearly the first 10 years of my professional career, I was not promoted…

I did an average job and received an average amount of recognition for my contributions.

In every role, I waited for my boss and my company to tell me what to do…

I thought I was doing the right thing…

Then, everything changed…

When I invested in myself and began to deliver more value to my organizations, I understood what a promotion really means.

From that point on, earning promotions was the result of applying a specific formula.

This formula allowed me to go from an individual contributor to a Vice President in 30 months!

This formula is something I have shared with my private coaching clients and members of the B2B Leaders Academy.

In this episode of the B2B Leadership Podcast, I’m going to share my formula with you.

This episode is full of behind-the-scenes tips, tricks and strategies to help you land your next promotion.

Podcast highlights:

0:39 - Defining a promotion - What is the clearest, simplest definition of a promotion?

1:09 - Promoted while taking time off - Does this sound counterintuitive? Listen to the story for context.

8:04 - Transitioning from IC to manager - What series of events led to receiving a promotion?

12:27 - Adding additional value over time - When thinking about promotions, how much value are you adding?

17:20 - Being the CEO of your career - What steps can you take to take control of your own career?

22:01 - Your promotion plan blueprint - This set of tactics is designed to aid your leadership progress

27:04 - The Return on Leadership Skills - How much are you willing to invest now to set up your future?

33:58 - Putting the control in your hands - You are the single source for where you're going to go in your career.

#Leadership #B2BLeadership #BusinessLeader

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

How do you transition from a completely non-technical field to a successful leader inside a SaaS business?

That’s what best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje sat down with Simon Cundall, Head of Customer Experience at CampMinder to find out.

Discover the pivotal moments in Simon’s career as he reveals his path to leadership in an industry he loves.

Podcast highlights:

0:19 - Simon's background - Simon explains his role at CampMinder.

1:18 - Summer camp software - How summer camps have evolved with the use of software?

6:27 - First leadership position - How Simon fell into sports leadership.

8:33 - Navigating unfamiliar territory - How Simon managed his new camp counselor position?

13:17 - From the camp world to the tech world - Simon explains how he made the transition.

19:03 - The organization's vision - Was Simon's path to leadership intentional or suggested by another leader?

21:35 - Integrating systems - Simon's approach to integrating systems.

26:55 - Repeatable processes - Advice for leaders who need to create processes in their companies.

31:31 - Evolving customer success roles - How has Simon's approach to leadership shifted?

37:03 - Simon's advice to himself - Advice that Simon would give to his younger self.

Learn more about CampMinder athttps://campminder.com/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.b2bleadersacademy.com/

#Leadership #B2BLeadership #BusinessLeader

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy, you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

On this episode, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje discusses how to choose a leadership coach and why you would hire a leadership coach in the first place.

Podcast highlights:

0:55 - Speeding up success - The mindset that goes into why you would hire a coach.

2:19 - The stigma around coaching - Why do people only think coaching is for executives?

4:45 - What exactly is leadership coaching? - The term “coaching” has been twisted in a lot of different ways.

8:44 - What leadership coaching isn't - What ideas should NOT be used to define leadership coaching?

11:17 - Coaching qualifications - What are the criteria for a qualified leadership coach?

13:22 - Coaching reputation - Does your coach have a good reputation?

21:53 - Going through the process of coaching - Has your coach been through a coaching program themselves?

26:01 - Four pillars of leadership - What four pillars do you need to master to become an elite leader?

29:22 - Types of leadership coaching programs - What types of programs are available?

36:31 - Live workshops - How does this intimate setting impact the coaching experience?

#Leadership #B2BLeadership #BusinessLeader

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

A leader’s job is to do everything possible to make sure the people that work for them are successful.

Success means different things to different people…

And success might come in their current role, another role in the same company, or another role in a completely different company.

Taking this approach builds a lot of trust.

But, not every leader thinks or operates this way.

In my opinion, this is one of the best strategies to build trust and a long-term relationship.

In this episode, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje speaks withSam Gurdus, Senior Director of Customer Success at Mezmo about creating new opportunities for others.

To find out how to do it, tune in to this episode.

Podcast highlights:

0:19 - Sam's background - Sam explains his role at Mezmo.

3:29 - Amazing success story - Sam talks about joining an organization that exited at $3.2 billion.

8:52 - First leadership position - Sam began his journey as an individual contributor.

11:14 - The advertising space - Did Sam have an innate passion for this space or was it just a requirement of his role?

16:39 - Empowering your team - What would Sam do with people who weren't quite ready to grow yet?

20:57 - Setting up checkpoints - When should you check in with your team to make sure you're still aligned on the same goals?

27:40 - Being the CEO of your own career - What does Sam think about this philosophy?

35:35 - Sam's advice to himself - What advice would Sam give his younger self?

Learn more about Mezmo athttps://www.mezmo.com/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.B2BLeadersAcademy.com/

#Leadership #B2BLeadership #BusinessLeader

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

What you say as a leader may not be what is received by the person you are speaking to.

Sometimes, things said with good intentions can have negative consequences.

This is why communication skills and emotional intelligence need to be at the top of every leader’s list.

In this episode, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje speaks withMelissa Benua, Senior Director of Engineering atmParticle.

Melissa went through a conversation with her boss early in her career that demotivated her despite the fact that what her boss said was intended as a compliment.

There are always two sides to every conversation and if you are a leader who only thinks about your side, you’re going to run into trouble.

Tune in to this episode to find out how Melissa overcame this challenge with her manager and went on to become an amazing leader.

Podcast highlights:

0:19 - Melissa's background - Melissa explains her role at mParticle.

1:17 - Solving specific problems - What does mParticle do better than anyone else?

2:44 - First leadership position - Melissa got her start at Microsoft.

6:17 - Sticking with your values - How did Melissa respond to demoralizing feedback from management?

9:43 - Company No. 2 - How did Melissa's leadership journey progress with a new company?

12:37 - Lack of alignment - Melissa gives an example of how her leadership ideas didn't match with the company she worked within.

17:19 - Reflecting on past experiences - Is there anything Melissa would have done differently in her previous roles?

21:44 - Working for mParticle - What was her first impression of joining mParticle compared to her previous companies?

27:34 - Setting expectations early on - How did setting early expectations positively impact Melissa's role within mParticle?

30:06 - Staying aligned with expectations - How was Melissa able to stay on the same page as her organization after returning from maternity leave?

34:56 - Melissa's advice to herself - What advice would Melissa give her younger self?

Learn more about mParticle athttps://www.mparticle.com/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.B2BLeadersAcademy.com/

#Leadership #B2BLeadership #BusinessLeader

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

One of your greatest leadership secrets has been with you for your entire life.

It was celebrated when you first started to use it and then it just became “normal”...

It is something you use each and every single day, but you probably don’t think about it very much…

It is your VOICE!

In this episode, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje speaks withJohn Henny about how leaders can tap into the incredible potential they have in their voice.

John is an all-star vocal coach and has experience working with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars.

Tune in to this episode to discover an entirely new side to your voice and how big of an impact your voice has in leadership.

Podcast highlights:

1:59 - Tuning and using your voice - What role does your voice play in leadership and communication?

5:06 - Engaging tone of voice - What is it that makes pitch and range more engaging to listeners?

7:02 - Speaking with intention - John explains the different types of intentions and why intention is important.

9:17 - How to approach intention - Should intention be thought of as a whole or in segments?

14:28 - A voice with no tone - What are the ramifications of not paying attention to your voice?

16:24 - Vocal health awareness- Why is it that only a small percentage of the population understands tonality?

17:59 - Taking better care of your voice - John shares the common pitfalls of losing your voice.

22:57 - A healthy balance - How to balance taking care of your voice and having fun, without going overboard?

24:20 - A mature voice - What role does age play in your voice?

28:53 - Vocal coaching in groups - John details what it's like to get involved with a company or organization.

32:37 - Working with John - How to get in touch.

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.B2BLeadersAcademy.com/

#Leadership #B2BLeadership #BusinessLeader

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

Confidence and trust are at the heart of great leadership.

These two elements build great relationships with employees, employers, customers, partners, etc. whether the relationship is personal or professional in nature.

While we see countless examples in the media where confidence and trust have been broken, there is always an opportunity to do the right thing and lead in a way that builds confidence and trust.

In this episode of the B2B Leadership podcast, I spoke with Mark Stouse, Chairman and CEO at Proof Analytics.

Mark has experienced the world that is possible when confidence and trust are at the center and when they are not (you have to hear the backstory on this).

He and his team at Proof Analytics are champions of the truth with their clients, employees, and partners.

The level of trust built has earned them incredible customer renewal and expansion rates.

Podcast highlights:

0:20 -Mark's background - Mark explains his role at Proof Analytics.

1:39 - Proof Analytics’ target audience - Mark explains the type of marketing organizations he works with.

3:58 - First leadership position - Mark considers his journey to be a very long and winding road.

7:05 - Good and bad leadership - What has Mark learned from experiencing varying qualities of leadership?

13:50 Exiting politics and finding a new role - Mark had an epiphany and decided he wanted a career change.

17:23 - Proof Analytics’ culture - What kind of people did Mark want to surround himself with?

22:07 - Managing customer and team expectations - As a CEO, how does Mark toe the line of keeping both sides happy?

30:36 - Actions speak louder than words - Mark asks potential customers specific questions before working with them.

39:48 - Mark's advice to himself - What advice would Mark give his younger self?

Learn more about Proof Analytics athttps://www.proofanalytics.ai/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.b2bleadersacademy.com/

#Leadership #B2bleadership #BusinessLeader

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

Have you ever wondered why people don’t meet your expectations?

Maybe the reason is that you didn’t set the expectation properly or maybe the other person didn’t know it existed at all!

Expectations are misset all the time and it causes real frustration and trouble for leaders and their teams.

On this episode, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje speaks withFrancois Dellea, Senior Director of Engineering atArchipelago, about managing expectations and relationships as a leader.

Podcast highlights:

0:21 - Francois's background - Francois explains his role at Archipelago

3:52 - First leadership position - Francois's first leadership role happened by mistake.

5:00 - Shifting into leadership - What had to change for Francois to adjust to his leadership role?

8:16 - From IC to leader - What tools did Francois need to take on a new leadership role?

12:28 - Tailoring leadership to different people - Francois shares advice on how to get more out of team conversations.

18:17 - Managing expectations down the chain - How would Francois approach this kind of communication?

25:09 - Keeping everyone on the same page - How does Francois set and agree on expectations with his team?

30:42 - Francois's advice to himself - What advice would Francois give his younger self?

Connect with Francois Dellea:https://www.linkedin.com/in/francois-dellea/

Learn more about Archipelago athttps://www.onarchipelago.com/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.30dayleadership.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

#Leadership #B2bleadership #BusinessLeader

Jake Jorgovan, Founder and CEO ofContent Allies faced a big challenge when it came to developing leaders in his organization.

He bought them books, gave them tips, spent time with them during 1:1s covering leadership topics. It was draining and not the highest and best use of their time together.

Jake knew something had to change but was skeptical about “leadership coaching” programs based on his past experiences.

He enrolled 4 team members into the B2B Leaders Academy and within a few short months those 4 people were all promoted!

On top of that awesome achievement, Jake was able to save time every week because he knew his leaders were getting the very best when it comes to leadership development.

Now when Jake meets with his team, the time spent is significantly more productive as the conversations are now at a strategic level.

Jake’s leaders are building incredible leadership skills through the B2B Leaders Academy every month and this opens up a whole new set of topics to discuss with them that were never possible before.

Jake recognized that he did not have to be the one to do everything and that’s when he went from a skeptic to a thriving success story with the B2B Leaders Academy.

Podcast highlights:

0:29 - Jake's background - Jake explains his role at Content Allies.

1:55 Firsthand leadership experience - What problem is Jake looking to solve when it comes to leadership?

4:16 - Supporting growth with leadership - How did Jake leverage leadership resources like B2B Leaders Academy to scale?

5:54 - Addressing skepticism - why was Jake initially skeptical about joining the B2B Leaders Academy?

8:33 - "I don't have time for this" - How did Jake find the time to implement leadership coaching?

12:08 - Turnkey leadership process - How has B2B Leaders Academy helped Jake focus on other tasks?

14:29 - Proven results - How does Jake feel about his previous skepticism around leadership development?

17:38 - Overall business improvement - Jake explains how the A players on his team have really stepped up as leaders.

23:27 - Following the system for results - How does Jake feel about team members leveling up without his involvement?

28:33 -Advice for other CEOs - Jake shares advice for other CEOs who might also have some early skepticism about coaching programs.

Learn more about Content Allies athttps://contentallies.com/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.B2BLeadersAcademy.com

#Leadership #B2bleadership #BusinessLeader

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

What’s the point of A/B testing your leadership?

The point is to get valuable data to inform decisions that will help you improve.

This is the same thing that expert marketers do to bring awareness of a product to a target audience.

In this episode, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje speaks withCan Ozdoruk, VP of Marketing atNetomi.

Can has an incredible ability to break down the complex world of OKRs into simple steps that have allowed him and his team to consistently hit 90% of their targets every quarter.

Want to know how he does it?

Tune in to find out.

Podcast highlights:

0:21 - Can's background - Can explains his role at Netomi.

6:50 - First leadership position - Can got his leadership start in engineering.

8:39 - Managing a team for the first time - How did Can navigate the transition from going to individual contributor to being responsible for a team?

10:20 - The engineering world vs the marketing world - Can explains the parallels between the two industries.

12:26 - Explaining OKRs - How long has Can made OKRs a success inside his organization?

20:05 - Consistent OKR goals- How does Can make sure that OKRs become part of the fabric of the team?

23:41 - Managing team coordination - How does Can stay close to the team members who are several layers removed from him?

30:13 -Can's advice to himself - What advice would Can give his younger self?

Learn more about Netomi athttps://www.netomi.com/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.30dayleadership.com/

#Leadership #B2bleadership #BusinessLeader

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

A lot of people get into leadership roles by accident.

Someone excels as an individual contributor and then is offered the opportunity to lead the team.

What happens when the star performer takes over the team?

It can be an incredible move and produce amazing results.

Or, it can end in failure with relationships destroyed.

What’s the difference between these two outcomes?

The difference comes down to leadership skills.

Leadership skills are not something you are born with, despite what some may think.

They are skills that are learned and developed over time.

In this episode, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje speaks withSarah E. Brown, Vice President of Marketing atSastrify and author of Lead Upwardsabout leadership roles, coaching, ownership, and much, much, more.

Podcast highlights:

0:20 - Sarah's background - Sarah explains her role at Sastrify.

2:50 - “Lead Upwards”- Who is Sarah's book for?

4:25 - Sarah's first executive role - What inspired Sarah to hire an executive coach?

8:18 - Fast tracking your leadership development - Sarah shares advice on how to accelerate your leadership career.

18:06 - Expanding access to leadership training - Sarah unpacks how organizations can benefit from giving leadership training to more individual contributors.

22:24 - Putting people first - Most organizations champion people first but don't actually invest in them. Sarah shares her thoughts on that.

24:54 - Investing in your own leadership skills - How much of investing is on you versus your organization?

31:23 - Taking control of your life - How big of a role does the mindset of being the CEO of your career really play?

Learn more about Sastrify athttps://www.sastrify.com/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.30dayleadership.com/

#Leadership #B2bleadership #BusinessLeader

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

If you were to leave your position as a leader tomorrow, what would happen?

Would everything continue running as normal because you built repeatable systems that are designed to run without you?

Or would everything fall apart because the systems you have in place rely on you running them?

This is a really important area where I spend a lot of time working with leaders in the B2B Leaders Academy.

In this episode, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje speaks withAusten Asadorian, Senior Vice President of Sales atSevenRooms.

Before getting into the tech world, Austen ran restaurants for the Hillstone group and learned the incredible power of systems that can run without you.

Tune in to this episode to get all the juicy details.

Podcast highlights:

0:41 - Austen's background - Austen explains his role at SevenRooms.

1:24 - Guest management software - How is SevenRooms different from a generic reservation system?

5:46 - First leadership position - Austen got his start in the restaurant industry.

8:25 - Battlefield promotion - How did Austen transition into managing a restaurant?

11:18 - Balancing criticism - How does Austen approach positive and negative feedback?

15:02 - From restaurant manager to the tech world - Austen explains how he got his foot in the door on the tech side of things.

20:35 - The restaurant/showroom commonalities - What are the parallels between running a restaurant and running a showroom?

24:22 - Working yourself out of your own job - Austen gives his response to the statement made by Nils.

27:09 - Finding the gaps - How does Austen feel about actively seeking challenges?

29:33 - The tough decision to move on - Austen left Peloton before it became a household name.

36:16 -Austen's advice to himself- What advice would Austen give his younger self?

Learn more about SevenRooms athttps://sevenrooms.com/en/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.30dayleadership.com/

#Leadership #B2bleadership #BusinessLeader

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

Doing the work as a leader is not enough!!

You must market your leadership.

You must tell the story of you, your team, and your accomplishments.

If you don’t, nobody will truly know what you do.

In this episode, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje speaks withAnu Shukla, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman atBotco.ai.

We discussed how leaders need to market themselves to be heard, seen, and recognized.

Anu has been recognized as one of the top B2B Marketers in the world.

Buckle up and get your notepad ready for this episode!

Podcast highlights:

0:24 - Anu's background - Anu explains her role at Botco.ai.

1:14 - The speed of marketing - How does this idea play into Botco.ai's automation?

7:18 - First leadership position - Anu got her start in leadership after graduating with an MBA in Ohio then immediately heading over to California.

11:49 - Navigating gray areas - How Anu learned skills that weren't a part of her background.

14:33 - Making yourself available - Anu tells a story about when she went back to Ohio.

19:14 -Anu's startup advice - Anu shares the most impactful stories and advice for individuals who are early in their journey.

26:30 - Sharing your story and results - Anu shares advice for how leaders can share their stories without feeling like they're bragging.

30:24 - Anu's advice to herself - What advice would Anu give her younger self?

Learn more about Botco.ai athttps://botco.ai/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.B2BLeadersAcademy.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

#Leadership #B2bleadership #BusinessLeader

You will fail, but quitting is a decision…

This is a really important distinction that my guest,Luke Hansen, Founder & CEO ofCompanyCam, made during this episode of the B2B Leadership Podcast.

When everyone else looks like they have everything perfectly put together, where does your focus as a leader need to be?

Tune in to find out!

Podcast highlights:

0:21 - Luke's background - Luke explains his role at CompanyCam.

6:04 - The possibility of building a product - How did Luke's responsibilities change after he raised $30 million?

10:58 - People over products - Was there a pivotal moment when Luke realized companies were more about people than products?

14:13 - Failure vs quitting - Luke highlights the distinctions between failure and quitting.

22:36 - Empowering people inside the organization - How does Luke inspire his team to carry on the work he's passionate about?

31:31 - Most important assets - Luke explains what the foundation of good leadership includes.

34:44 - Luke's advice to himself - What advice would Luke give his younger self?

Learn more about CompanyCam athttps://companycam.com/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.30dayleadership.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

#Leadership #B2bleadership #BusinessLeader

If you are a leader and you are the center of your team, you’re doing it wrong.

Many leaders think that this is the right place to be, after all I am the “leader” right?

The simple answer is no.

If it’s your team, your ideas, your direction, it’s a “you” show.

In this episode, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje speaks withJerome Placido, Sr. Director of Engineering atCoursedog about how to take the emphasis off of you and put in on your team.

When you get this strategy right, the whole team dynamic changes.

Podcast highlights:

0:19 - Jerome's background - Jerome explains his role at Coursedog.

2:07 - First leadership position - Jerome wasn't looking for leadership when the opportunity presented itself.

3:55 - Shifting career gears - What was Jerome's experience like pivoting his focus towards being a manager?

6:14 - Navigating the shift - How did Jerome navigate the transition from an engineer to a people leader?

8:44 - Managing your former peers - What advice would Jerome give to individuals who have to evolve relationships with the peers they now manage?

12:28 - Building Team Awesome - How does Jerome make his work environment a team effort that isn't about him?

15:18 - Engineer culture - Jerome explains how typical engineers work and how to include them in company culture.

17:45 - Measuring ROI - How does Jerome quantify ROI for tasks that aren't necessarily quantified?

22:25 - Creating an efficient team - Jerome explains why an organization should never rely on a leader to function.

28:16 - Color coding your calendar - How can you keep yourself up to date with company updates without filling up your entire calendar?

31:49 - Jerome's advice to himself - What advice would Jerome give his younger self?

Connect with Jerome Placido:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerome-placido/

Learn more about Coursedog athttps://www.coursedog.com/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.30dayleadership.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy, you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

#Leadership #B2bleadership #BusinessLeader

If you have a surface-level relationship with your employees, you’re going to get a low level of engagement.

If you have a relationship built on top of a strong foundation of mutual respect and trust, you’re going to get a drastically different level of engagement.

The best part is that as a leader, it’s your choice.

Nobody is going to tell you what to do, you have to decide which type of relationship you want and ultimately which level of engagement you want from your team.

In this episode, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje speaks withKatie Pocklington, Director of Customer Success atOpal about this very important leadership topic and much, much, more.

Podcast highlights:

0:22 -Katie's background - Katie explains her role at Opal.

2:33 - Marking processes - Is Opal designed for companies that need a templated process or a custom process?

5:06 - First leadership position - Katie got her start in leadership with Nike.

7:53 - The impact of a good manager - How did Katie's manager have such an important impact on her?

13:15 - Taking on responsibility - Katie explains a situation that pulled her out of her comfort zone.

16:14 - Different levels of responsibility - How does responsibility change when it comes from somebody who supports you?

22:08 - Taking maternity leave - What made Katie decide to part ways with a successful career?

27:46 - Taking a step back with Opal - Katie knew the transition to Opal would be hard, but what motivated her to try something new?

32:44 - Reigniting your passion - What advice would Katie give to people who are looking for a new way to challenge themselves?

37:30 - Katie's advice to herself - What advice would Katie give her younger self?

Learn more about Opal athttps://workwithopal.com/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

http://b2bleadersacademy.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy, you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

#Leadership #B2bleadership #BusinessLeader

Shoeb Mogal, Director of Engineering atNewStore, Inc, has been on a fascinating ride from co-founder to engineer to Director of Engineering.

In his first round as a leader, he wasn’t successful even though he had the full support of his peers.

He made a decision to become great at leadership and set a course based on continuous improvement.

He invested in himself and the rest is history.

Podcast highlights:

0:18 - Shoeb's background - Shoeb explains his role at NewStore, Inc.

3:07 - The endless aisle experience - How does this experience benefit consumers?

5:55 - First leadership position - Shoeb's first position wasn't intentional.

7:22 - Navigating an unknown environment - How did Shoeb adjust to his leadership role?

11:57 - The source of great leaders- Are great leaders born or are they made?

14:43 - From being an engineer to managing them - How did Shoeb adjust to the role change and how does he see things differently?

18:45 - The necessity of diversity - Shoeb explains how he finds new candidates from different backgrounds.

24:16 - The skill of problem-solving - How does Shoeb assess the skill of problem-solving beyond traditional means?

26:59 - Shoeb's advice to himself - What advice would Shoeb give his younger self?

Connect with Shoeb Mogal:https://www.linkedin.com/in/shoebmogal/

Learn more about NewStore, Inc. athttps://www.newstore.com/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.b2bleadersacademy.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

#Leadership #B2bleadership #BusinessLeader

If you are not continuously improving and expanding your leadership skillset, you introduce risk…

As a leader, it’s easy to feel accustomed to what happens day-to-day.

On one side there is benefit to following a routine…

On the other side, you will introduce risk.

Sean Fleming was at this exact point when he joined as VP of Customer Engagement at Zendrive.

What did Sean do?

He joined the first group ever in the B2B Leaders Academy.

One of the most important things Sean had to do after joining Zendrive was to market his leadership and build relationships with other leaders who were also new to the organization.

Sean’s ability to effectively market his leadership and build cross-functional relationships increased as a result of his participation in the B2B Leaders Academy.

Podcast highlights:

0:20 - Sean's background - Sean explains his role at Zendrive.

1:40 - Target audience - What are the types of people Zendrive's solution is geared towards?

4:46 -First leadership position - Sean got his start in the consulting industry.

9:09 - From electrical engineering to consulting - Was everybody supportive of Sean's transition?

14:40 - Leadership development process - What leadership principles stuck out to Sean in the early days?

19:48 - Exiting the consulting industry - What took Sean out of the consulting world?

21:30 - "It's not about me" - How is an environment focused on personal development different from an environment focused on a product?

24:42 - Continued self-development - How does Sean keep a baseline of self-development in an environment where it's less prioritized?

29:26 - B2B Leaders Academy - What were some of the key takeaways that Sean had from the early B2B Leaders Academy program?

32:26 - Sean's advice to himself - What advice would Sean give his younger self?

Connect with Sean Fleming:https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanmichaelfleming/

Learn more about Zendrive athttps://www.zendrive.com/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://b2bleadersacademy.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

#Leadership #B2bleadership #BusinessLeader

Getting promoted to a Director level position in a B2B Business requires the element of building trust.

But, it’s not just about building trust with your team, or your direct manager…

It’s also about building trust cross-functionally.

In this episode of the B2B Leadership podcast,Yaswanth Reddy, Senior Director of Customer Success atBidgely, and best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje dig into the topic of building trust and much, much, more.

Podcast highlights:

0:27 - Yaswanth's background - Yaswanth explains his role at Bidgely.

2:07 - Better end-user experiences - How can customers have better interactions with utility companies?

3:13 - First leadership position - Yaswanth comes from a consulting background.

5:26 -  Establishing trust - Yaswanth explains how building trust helped him get promoted to a director position.

9:23 - Defining cross-functional trust - How does this differ from regular trust and what are the best practices?

12:20 - The superpower of asking "why?" - Yaswanth explains what asking "why?" means to him.

16:41 - Defining outcomes - What does it take to define an outcome before jumping into doing the work?

23:15 - A career transition - Yaswanth explains his progression into his director role and why he had to take a step back into an IC role to get there.

31:03 - Yaswanth's advice to himself - What advice would Yaswanth give his younger self?

Connect with Yaswanth Reddy:https://www.linkedin.com/in/yaswanthreddy/

Learn more about Bidgely athttps://www.bidgely.com/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://b2bleadersacademy.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

#Leadership #B2bleadership #BusinessLeader

Being a Director in a B2B business is no easy task…

In a startup, you are responsible for everything in your department…

Strategy, execution, personnel, project and client management, etc.

In a larger organization, you are primarily responsible for the performance of your team as the organization has systems, teams, and people in place to take care of everything else…

In both situations, it’s on you to collaborate and work effectively with other parts of the company to get things done.

Many people over the years have asked me about whether they should work for a startup or a more established company.

In this episode of the B2B Leadership podcast, Melissa Brown, Director of Client Strategy atAttentive, and I break down the differences between the two…

You will see how leadership coaching has enabled Melissa to accelerate her growth and thrive as a Director in a startup and established company.

Podcast highlights:

0:25 - Melissa's background - Melissa explains her role at Attentive.

1:03 - Optimized leadership - What was Melissa's perspective like when she was a Director of Customer Success?

4:03 -  External coaching resources - How did Melissa leverage Nil's coaching resources to improve her role in her organization?

7:54 - Building confidence - Melissa details how the coaching program allowed her to build trust with her team and feel confident with her ideas.

15:10 - Balancing giving advice with asking questions - How does Melissa find solutions for problems she doesn't have an answer for?

25:05 - Moving into a larger organization - Melissa explains the concepts she was able to carry over from a smaller company into a much larger company.

34:25 - How true leadership looks - Melissa explains true leadership using a gardening metaphor.

40:21 - Previous experiences through a leadership lens - Why is leadership the same in every type of environment?

Connect with Melissa Brown:https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissamb/

Learn more about Attentive athttps://www.attentive.com/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.b2bleadersacademy.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

#Leadership #B2bleadership #BusinessLeader

In this episode, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje speaks with Tony Fisher, VP and Senior Director of Customer Success, and SaaS Director at Centercode.

Podcast highlights:

0:25 - Tony's background - Tony explains his role at Centercode.

2:24 - Platform and process combination - Tony explains a concept not seen often in the CS world.

6:00 - First leadership position - Tony's leadership position was an organic growth into his role.

8:04 - Organic growth principles - What has helped Tony through the tough days of the journey?

12:10 -Wearing multiple hats - Tony elaborates on which roles he focuses on and how he prioritizes where to spend his time.

18:32 - The handoff process - How does Tony transition from IC to leader, both mentally and tactically?

24:06 - Unified core values - How does Tony foster an environment where his team is comfortable bringing new ideas to the table and pushing back on other ideas?

30:03 - Tony's advice to himself - What advice would Tony give his younger self?

Connect with Tony Fisher: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonyfisher42/

Learn more about Centercode athttps://www.centercode.com/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.b2bleadersacademy.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

“Stop negotiating against yourself.”

This is the advice that Nicole Baxby, VP of Global Customer Success at Featurespace, shared with me when I asked how to handle looking at a role that you aren’t 100% qualified for.

The context of this question was regarding the women that Nicole mentors but I think this statement applies to every leader…

Stop negotiating against yourself.

Instead, focus on what you already bring to the table and what you have the capacity to bring in the future.

Then, negotiate on your behalf.

If you do this, being “unqualified” for a role, promotion, raise, etc. becomes a non-issue.

Podcast highlights:

0:26 - Nicole's background - Nicole explains her role at Featurespace.

1:03 - Financial crimes- What constitutes a financial crime?

3:16 - First leadership position - Nicole packed her bags and moved to the UK.

6:06 - Going in blindly - How much did Nicole actually know about her first leadership role?

10:13 - Change of heart - How did Nicole turn an executive from being a detractor to a lifelong mentor?

14:23 - Seizing rare opportunities - Nicole shares advice for women who don't feel qualified for specific positions.

18:47 - The great resignation - How does Nicole retain talent at Featurespace?

22:41 - Extracting ambitions from your team - Nicole shares advice for how other leaders can help their teams grow and develop.

29:24 - Nicole's career journey - What does the future hold for Nicole?

30:49 - Nicole's advice to herself - What advice would Nicole give her younger self?

33:09 - Building a network - How does Nicole find time to cultivate business relationships?

Connect with Nicole Baxby:https://www.linkedin.com/company/featurespace/

Learn more about Featurespace athttps://www.featurespace.com/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.b2bleadersacademy.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

In your role as a leader, at whatever level you are at today, acquiring the skills to add more value is your responsibility.

Cort Irish, VP of Marketing & Communications at Claritas, and I talked about this and how important it is to take control.

The best part is there are opportunities all around you both inside and outside of your organization.

The takeaway here is that it is your responsibility to grow as a leader.

It is not your company’s responsibility to grow you as a leader.

Podcast highlights:

0:20 -Cort's background - Cort explains his role at Claritas and the market Claritas serves.

1:13 - Finding the best audience - What does that ultimately mean?

5:20 - First leadership position - Cort got his start in the marketing industry 20 years ago.

9:00 - Core, situational leadership - What leadership traits are required for success in general scenarios?

15:27 - Staying on top of the industry - Who is responsible for learning the ins and outs of an industry—the company or the individual?

18:25 - Investing in leadership training - How do companies and individuals play a role in staying informed?

28:17 - Cort's advice to himself - What advice would Cort give his younger self?

Connect with Cort Irish:https://www.linkedin.com/in/cort-irish-82444615/

Learn more about Claritas athttps://claritas.com/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.b2bleadersacademy.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

In this episode, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje speaks with Colleen Barraclough, Vice President of Operations - North American at DaXtra Technologies.

Podcast highlights:

0:21- Colleen's background - Colleen explains her role at DaXtra Technologies.

1:13 - VP of Operations - What does this title involve?

2:14 -First leadership position - DaXtra Technologies is Colleen's first leadership role. How did she land it?

4:27 - Nuggets of leadership advice - What experiences shaped Colleen's leadership beliefs?

6:02 - Talker by nature - Colleen shares advice for talkers who stand to benefit from listening.

8:33 - The question/answer balance - How does Colleen determine which questions to answer directly versus using the discovery process?

15:13 - First female executive at DaXtra - What has Colleen's experience been like?

18:18 - Speaking up as a female - How did Colleen get the courage to speak up when her voice felt minimized around male colleagues?

20:52 - The power of the VP title - How would Colleen describe her relationship with her colleagues today?

23:07 - DaXtra culture - What is at the core of the organization's beliefs?

24:40- Colleen's advice to herself - What advice would Colleen give her younger self?

Connect with Colleen Barraclough:https://www.linkedin.com/in/colleenbarraclough/

Learn more about DaXtra Technologies athttps://www.daxtra.com/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.b2bleadersacademy.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

It’s conceptually simple to say “yes” to opportunities but it’s not necessarily easy.

For David Tishgart, VP of Marketing at data.world, saying “yes” has led to opportunities he never could have imagined.

Each yes required a leap of faith but it has served him well.

Find out the power of saying yes and taking more risks as a leader in this episode of the B2B Leadership Podcast.

Podcast highlights:

0:24 - David's background - David explains his role atdata.world.

1:30 - Simplified data analysis - David provides a use case example thatdata.world focuses on.

4:32 - Horizontal marketing - What challenges happen as a result of being spread across a lot of different disciplines?

9:05 - First leadership position - David got his start over a decade ago at Dell.

13:42 - The risk-taking persona - How did David's willingness to take risks evolve with his leadership growth?

17:27 - A major transition - How did David adjust to the challenges of being in a wildly new leadership role?

23:18 - Taking a step back - How has narrowing focus down to very specific tasks benefited David?

32:56 - An open opportunity - David received a phone call while he was at Costco that led to some new opportunities.

38:57 - David's advice to himself - What advice would David give his younger self?

Connect with David Tishgart:https://www.linkedin.com/in/dtishgart/

Learn more aboutdata.world athttps://data.world/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.b2bleadersacademy.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

When I first met Christine Lavery, I knew she was driven and I was immediately impressed.

Over the next year and a half, we partnered together to build her CS organization and her leadership skills.

The culmination of everything was an increase of 8 points in GRR and a significant promotion from Director to VP.

As a leadership coach, the clients that engage, take action, and get results are what you live for.

Christine does all of that and then some.

It is no surprise why she is now VP of Customer Success at Typeform and excelling in her career.

Podcast highlights:

0:30 - Christine's background - Christine explains her role today as well as in her previous organization before transitioning to Typeform.

3:29 - Fast-moving growth - What was going on inside of Christine's business that prompted a massive transformation?

5:17 - Working with Nils - Christine gives a rundown of the creation of her Customer Success Bootcamp.

7:56 - Guided workshops - How did Christine use frameworks in her workshop to guide the process?

12:38 - Beefed-up CSM presence - How many CSMs did Christine's organization grow to in a 15-month period?

13:43 - Managing fast growth - How did Christine manage such an exceptional level of growth in a short period?

18:36 - Expectation management - Every CS leader has eventually been asked a similar set of questions.

22:09 - Typeform opportunity - What pushed Christine to go to the next level in her career?

24:36 - Leadership coaching program - Christine shares key learnings she took away from the coaching program created by Nils.

32:10 - First-time VP - How did Christine feel about her new leadership role and how did she combat any feelings of imposter syndrome?

34:16 - Classifying and solving problems - How does Christine approach problems now versus how she did in the past?

38:07 - The mindset around problems - What does Christine think about problems, in general?

44:28 - B2B Leaders Academy - What can Christine share about the program based on her experience? #BeLikeChristine

Connect with Christine Lavery:https://www.linkedin.com/in/christine-lavery/

Learn more about Typeform athttps://www.typeform.com/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.b2bleadersacademy.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

Jackie Ferguson is one of those people that you hope to meet during your career. She is deeply passionate about her work, making a difference, helping leaders and companies create a more inclusive environment, and so much more…

In this episode of the B2B Leadership podcast, Jackie and I dug into how inclusive language plays a critical role in leadership.

I took away some incredible insights and I think you will too.

Podcast highlights:

0:31 - What is The Diversity Movement? -  Jackie explains her role and mission at The Diversity Movement

1:25 - High-level view - In Jackie's experience, where do most organizations fall in terms of their diversity journey?

3:03 - Jackie's backstory - Jackie details the experiences that brought her to where she is today.

7:50 -The power of words - Jackie gives additional insight into how leaders can use communication to develop trust.

11:47 - Progress, not perfection - Should you explicitly tell your team that you're working on using more inclusive language?

16:29 - Inadvertent offensive language - How can leaders be more aware of the types of words they're using around different people?

22:49 - Ladies and Gentlemen - How should leaders approach using more inclusive language?

25:32 - Mr. and Mrs. - Jackie outlines the evolution of inclusive alternatives to use in place of commonly used colloquial phrases.

30:25 - Invisible illnesses - Jackie explains what this means and how to properly address specific situations.

33:29 - Normal person - What makes this phrase less inclusive than you might think, and what are better alternatives to use?

40:48 - Where to learn more - Jackie offers free resources and a place to connect with her.

Connect with Jackie Ferguson:https://www.linkedin.com/in/thejackieferguson/

Learn more about The Diversity Movement athttps://thediversitymovement.com/

Get a copy of the Inclusive Language Handbook: https://theinclusivelanguagehandbook.com/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.30dayleadership.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

In this episode of the B2B Leadership podcast, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje speaks with Jennie MacDougall, Director of Engineering at Reprise.

Podcast highlights:

0:25- Jennie's background - Jennie explains her role at Reprise.

2:57 - First leadership position - Jennie explains her first position as a "wild ride."

5:09 - Incredibly fast growth stage - How did Jennie navigate through the chaos of irregularly large growth in her role?

7:09 - A pivotal lesson - How did Jennie come to the realization that she didn't need to have all the answers?

10:44 - Controlling the chaos - Jennie elaborates on how she thrives in an environment of controlled chaos.

12:55 - The advantage of awareness - How does knowing your environment will be chaotic shape a leadership perspective, as opposed to the chaos being a sudden surprise?

15:21 - The engineering side of things - What does Jennie enjoy most about this type of work?

17:11 - Empowering your team - How does Jennie approach her team to help their career paths?

20:40 - The career lattice - How does this compare to a career ladder?

25:58 - Being the CEO of your own career - Jennie gives her thoughts on this phrase that Nils often uses.

28:23- Jennie's advice to herself - What advice would Jennie give her younger self?

Connect with Jennie MacDougall:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniemac/

Learn more about Reprise athttps://www.reprise.com/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.30dayleadership.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

In this episode of the B2B Leadership podcast, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje speaks with Ryan Browne, Vice President of Customer Success at Kenect.

Podcast highlights:

0:25 - Ryan's background - Ryan explains his role at Kenect.

3:03 - Tech and SaaS in Utah - How has technology evolved over the years in Utah?

4:40 - First leadership position - Ryan's opportunity began when his boss decided to resign and he was thrust into a leadership situation.

7:58 - Old vs new leadership mindset- How did Ryan's team react to his initial style of leadership?

10:00 - Understanding your role - What prompted Ryan to better develop his leadership skills?

14:44 - The emphasis on observation - What should you be paying attention to when you're learning leadership?

17:05 - Creating a safe environment - How does Ryan create a space where people have an opportunity to grow their skills?

24:17 - The classic statement- "People don't leave companies, they leave bosses." What does Ryan think of this?

25:19 - Continued growth - What does Ryan do to keep pushing himself as a leader?

28:51 - Major milestones - Was there a pivotal moment in Ryan's career that inspired him to invest more into leadership?

35:49 - Ryan's advice to himself - What advice would Ryan give his younger self?

Connect with Ryan Browne:https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanabrowne/

Learn more about Kenect athttps://www.kenect.com/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.30dayleadership.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

In this episode of the B2B Leadership podcast, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje speaks with Kathy Sucich, Vice President of Marketing at Dimensional Insight.

Podcast highlights:

0:25 - Kathy's background - Kathy explains her role at Dimensional Insight.

2:54 - First leadership position - Kathy has a long career in the communications industry.

4:44 - The broadcast journalism world - What type of leadership lessons did Kathy learn from this industry?

8:23 - Leaving the professional world - Kathy transitioned into focused family time before coming back into the workforce. How did the time away from work benefit her?

11:28 - Starting a family - Kathy had worked at a PR agency for nine years, but when did kids start coming into the picture?

13:54 - A new work environment - Taking on work from home with kids around presents uniquely difficult blurred lines.

16:28 - From freelance to part time - How seamless was Kathy's transition into a new role and schedule?

19:24 - Organizational advice - Kathy provides valuable advice in a couple of areas.

24:14 - Environments for high-level output - What type of environments does Kathy create as a VP?

29:58 -Kathy's advice to herself - What advice would Kathy give her younger self?

Connect with Kathy Sucich:https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathysucich/

Learn more about Dimensional Insight athttps://www.dimins.com/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.30dayleadership.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

In this episode of the B2B Leadership podcast, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje speaks with Craig Blum, Vice President of Customer Success at Midaxo.

Podcast highlights:

0:26 - Craig's background - Craig explains his role at Midaxo.

2:46 - Merging of companies and ideas - What did Craig gain from the company merger that he wishes he had access to before?

5:29 - First leadership position - Craig started out of college as a software engineer.

8:22 - From code to customers - What prompted Craig to move to a more customer-facing role?

11:57 - Navigating team building - How did team building change when Craig had a team of people doing the work alongside him?

15:14 - The discovery process - Craig outlines the things that helped him most with his transition from IC to VP.

19:39 - Taking a step back - What were the circumstances around Craig going from VP and stepping backward to Senior Director?

24:47 - Journey back to VP - What was consistent across all the experiences Craig went through that got him back into a VP position?

31:16 - Keeping a leadership perspective - What did Craig keep front of mind while undergoing a big company shift?

36:14 - Craig's advice to himself - What advice would Craig give his younger self?

Connect with Craig Blum:https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigblum/

Learn more about Midaxo athttps://www.midaxo.com/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.30dayleadership.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

In this episode of the B2B Leadership podcast, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje speaks with Siobhan Alexander, Director of Customer Success at Catalyst Software.

Podcast highlights:

0:25 -Siobhan's background - Siobhan explains her role at Catalyst Software.

1:34 - Leadership pressure - How does Siobhan think about leadership, from not only a content perspective but a practice perspective?

2:52 - First leadership position - Siobhan got her first management role in college.

5:34 - Incredible customer experience- How did Siobhan foster this environment managing a team of 25?

7:22 - From retail to tech - How did Siobhan make the transition?

10:11 - Teaching in Russia - Siobhan explains what led her to jump on a plane into the unknown.

15:26 - Transition from B2B to SaaS - What motivated Siobhan to branch out into something new?

18:50 - The loss of a boss - Siobhan explains the grief of joining an organization for a boss who left shortly after.

21:34 - Building internal relationships - What was the reception like from the departments who had no clue what customer success was?

25:00 - Customer Success thesis - Siobhan outlines the work from her master's program in Russia.

31:34 - Different background, same vision - What does leadership from Siobhan's team look like in an environment that fully believes in customer success?

36:23 - Siobhan's advice to herself - What advice would Siobhan give her younger self?

Connect with Siobhan Alexander:https://www.linkedin.com/in/siobhan-alexander-63a65052/

Learn more about Catalyst Software athttps://catalyst.io/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.30dayleadership.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

You will never have as great of a potential impact on someone else’s life as you will when you are a people leader.

The reason for this is that as a people leader, you have the ability to positively OR negatively influence the lives of the people that work for you.

The key thing is that it is a choice.

In this episode of the B2B Leadership podcast, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje speaks with Sloane Kolt, Director of Customer Success at DataRails to discuss this and much, much, more…

Podcast highlights:

0:26 - Sloane's background - Sloane explains her role at DataRails and what FP&A entails.

3:02 - Empowering finance functions - How does DataRails provide strategic guidance to customers?

8:15 - The spectrum of preparedness - Sloane has seen both good and bad examples of how finance should be done.

9:47 - Finance in modern times - What's the end goal for more modern finance companies to position their initiatives?

14:24 - Single most important piece of advice - What advice would Sloane give to make financing as big a win as possible for everybody involved?

16:24 - First leadership position - Sloane considers her journey to be a very strange one.

20:22 - Random areas of experience - How do unexpected experiences translate into Sloane's leadership today?

27:27 - Impactful leadership - Do you want to instill them with fear or with deep gratitude?

35:28 - Bored with work - There are better options than just sticking it out.

39:03 - Sloane's advice to herself - What advice would Sloane give her younger self?

Connect with Sloane Kolt:https://www.linkedin.com/in/sloanekolt/

Learn more about DataRails athttps://www.datarails.com/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.30dayleadership.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

Growing your leadership skills is not something you do in a vacuum…

If you’re pushing yourself to become a better leader, you will run into questions that you can not answer…

Acknowledging that you don’t know how to handle a situation is a real gift because it forces you to ask questions and find someone who has been through the challenge you are facing…

In this episode of the B2B Leadership Podcast, Mike Egan, Vice President of Customer Success and Integrations at BenchSci, and best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje talked about the ins and outs of internal and external sounding boards - what they are, why they’re important, and how to get started.

Podcast highlights:

0:20 - Mike's background - Mike explains his role at BenchSci.

1:12 - Accelerated clinical trials - How are scientists able to run more effective experiments?

2:41 -First leadership position - Mike worked his way up the company ladder for several years.

4:48 -Taking a leap of faith - What convinced Mike to move to a startup and make a career change?

7:58 -Navigating new challenges- How did Mike adjust to managing a team for the first time?

9:36 - Meaningful relationship-building - It's an even bigger challenge managing somebody who wanted your position.

12:16 - Guidance from previous executives - Sometimes what we're exposed to shapes how we show up.

15:58 - Building an external sounding board - What advice does Mike offer for getting started with this?

18:56 - Reciprocating value in relationships - What would Mike advise people to lead with when making connections with other leaders?

22:29 - A memorable promotion - Mike gives the backstory on a previous company he worked for.

29:57 - Mike's advice to himself - What advice would Mike give his younger self?

Connect with Mike Egan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeegan/

Learn more about BenchSci at https://www.benchsci.com/

Learn more about your own leadership style at: https://www.30dayleadership.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

“What if I changed how I ran my 1:1s…”

“What if I changed how I coached my team…”

“What if I changed how I dealt with imposter syndrome…”

“What if…”

These are two of the most powerful words in leadership…

My guest this week lives by the philosophy that everything can be tested if we ask the question “what if…”

Listen in to my inspiring conversation with David 'DJ' Oragui, Director of Strategic Projects & GTM at Oyster®

Podcast highlights:

0:25 - DJ's background - DJ explains his role at Oyster®.

4:21 - First leadership position - A lot of DJ's leadership skills were self-taught.

7:54 - Digital marketing apprentice - DJ explains what he learned in this role.

10:36 - Left without a manager - What happened after DJ's manager decided to leave him in charge of everything?

13:18 - Succeeding as an apprentice - What key things allowed DJ to be successful in this environment?

14:48 - Behaving like a CEO - DJ expands on what this concept means.

19:03 - Passion projects - DJ explains the array of passion projects he's run over the past decade.

24:25 - The parallels of testing - What do testing ideas and managing people have in common?

30:26 - David's advice to himself - What advice would David give his younger self?

Connect with David 'DJ' Oragui:https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-oragui/

Learn more about Oyster athttps://app.oysterhr.com/

Learn more about your own leadership style at: https://www.30dayleadership.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy, you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

Being a great leader is not just about having great ideas or having a title, it’s about providing the space for the right ideas to emerge and come to life.

This involves giving your team and people from different parts of the organization the opportunity to share their ideas.

In this episode of the B2B Leadership podcast, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje speaks with Rupal Nishar, Vice President of Customer Success at Netomi.

Podcast highlights:

0:28 - Rupal's background - Rupal explains her role at Netomi.

2:09 - First leadership position - Rupal's start into leadership came as a surprise to her.

4:50 - From joining the team to running the team - What enabled Rupal to rise to this position so quickly?

10:20 - Leadership regardless of role - Rupal shares advice about how you can put this principle into practice

13:53 - Being your weird self - How does being yourself benefit the organization you work with?

16:53 - Celebrating failure - Rupal shares how to make failure an empowering thing inside a team.

20:21 - From failing fast to evolving - How can these actions be done efficiently?

21:37 - It takes a village - How has support from Rupal's peers helped her evolve her career?

25:25 - Cultivating relationships over time - At what point did Rupal realize that she needed support to grow?

28:43 - Responsibility for outcomes - Rupal explains what this means from a leadership perspective.

33:34 - Rupal's advice to herself - What advice would Rupal give her younger self?

Connect with Rupal Nishar:https://www.linkedin.com/in/rupalnishar/

Learn more about Netomi athttps://www.netomi.com/

Learn more about your own leadership style at: https://www.30dayleadership.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy, you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

In this episode of the B2B Leadership podcast, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje breaks down the most important lessons he learned in overcoming imposter syndrome as a B2B leader. When you learn how to overcome imposter syndrome every time it comes up, you’ll never let it stop you again.

Podcast highlights:

0:24 - Defining imposter syndrome - Nils provides a simple definition and example.

1:49 - Recognizing imposter syndrome - Nils explains where the core of this feeling comes from.

8:07 - Control what you put into your brain - How does this embody a healthy lifestyle?

12:16 - Believe more in yourself than anyone else - Nils explains why every leader should take this mindset to heart.

18:41 - Invest in yourself - Nils explains why this should be done, no matter the cost.

24:47 - Become the CEO of your career - This lesson is the underpinning of all the other lessons.

29:42 - Recap of the five steps - Nils summarizes the five steps to overcome imposter syndrome as a B2B leader.

Connect with Nils Vinje: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nilsvinje/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.30dayleadership.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

Good and bad examples of leadership are around us all the time…

But, how often do you step back and recognize them for being examples?

Sometimes we get so caught up in the moment of what’s going on in our day-to-day lives that we simply do what we see…

In this episode of the B2B Leadership Podcast, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje sits down with Bill Staikos to find out his sources of inspiration for leadership and how he has evolved from his first leadership position to Senior Vice President of Industry Solutions at Medallia.

Podcast highlights:

1:22 - Bill's background - Bill explains his role at Medallia.

2:51 - Medallia's growth - What major changes have happened with Medallia over the years?

5:40 - First leadership position - Bill got his start almost 20 years ago.

7:58 - Exhibiting leadership - Where did Bill's leadership come from? What was his "why" at the time?

12:20 - Broader and more strategic leadership - Bill elaborates on lessons from his first leadership position.

18:36 -Building rapport and trust - How does Bill ensure that his team is successful?

20:22 - Employee ownership - What do employees need to be doing to pull their weight during a path to success?

26:01 - Understanding your organization's brand - How does Bill recommend going about this process?

28:51 - Third party feedback - Is there ever a situation where the individual gathering the feedback is not the one asking the interview questions?

30:20 - Bill's advice to himself - What advice would Bill give his younger self?

Connect with Bill Staikos:https://www.linkedin.com/in/becustomerled/

Learn more about Medallia athttps://www.medallia.com/

Learn more about your own leadership style at: https://www.30dayleadership.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

In this episode of the B2B Leadership podcast, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje discusses his experience of working with hundreds of B2B leaders and talks about what's working well right now in terms of building a more productive team. All this rolled into 5 simple steps.

Podcast highlights:

0:47 - Confusion across the team - Why this advice from Steve Jobs might not work for you.

1:26 - Set expectations - The first of five steps to a more productive team.

5:08 - Drive accountability - If your expectations are vague, how can you drive accountability?

7:18 -Coach your team - Here, Nils clears up some common misconceptions about coaches.

9:40 -Measure your team -As Peter Drucker famously said, “What gets measured gets managed.”

11:43 - Communicate the value of your team - Communication is a broad term. What type of communication is Nils referring to here?

16:02 - Recap of the 5 steps - Nils quickly summarizes the 5 steps to a more productive team.

Learn more about your own leadership style at: https://www.30dayleadership.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

Curiosity is at the heart of great leaders because…

If you’re always curious, you will always ask a question…

If you always ask a question, you will always get a response…

Which leads to more curiosity and more questions…

Arash Tadayon, VP of Engineering at Trainual, and I had an interesting conversation about this topic in this week’s episode of the B2B Leadership Podcast…

Find out how Arash has used curiosity to fuel his entrepreneurial and leadership career.

Podcast highlights:

0:19 - Arash's background - Arash explains his role at Trainual.

1:02 - Approaching the problem differently - How does Trainual differ from Google Docs?

1:56 - Where it all began - How did Arash land his first leadership position?

3:08 -  Running first business into the ground - What events led to that outcome?

4:33 - Surviving tough times - What were the circumstances that pulled Arash through growing pains?

6:00 - Next steps of discovery - What happened after Arash's first company ended?

7:41 - New environment, same skills - What was the parallel between skills that Arash brought from his first company to the next?

10:58 - Self-auditing for success - What does Arash's annual self-audit consist of?

13:10 - General entrepreneurship - How does this skill set align with everybody?

14:29 - The entrepreneurial mindset - Arash advises on how anybody can adopt an entrepreneurial mindset.

17:28 - The concept of grit - Is this something you're just born with or can it be developed?

21:09 - Celebrating failures - How is this idea handled inside of an organization?

23:06 - Identifying entrepreneurial mindset - How does Arash identify these traits during a hiring process?

25:48 - Purposefully vague questions - What types of questions does Arash ask?

28:04 - Arash's advice to himself - What advice would Arash give his younger self?

Connect with Arash Tadayon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arashtadayon/

Learn more about Trainual at https://trainual.com/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.30dayleadership.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

In this episode of the B2B Leadership podcast, I spoke with Joseph Schmitt, Vice President of Customer Success at UpKeep Maintenance Management.

Podcast highlights:

0:21 - Joe’s background - Joe explains his role at UpKeep Maintenance Management.

2:08 - First leadership position - What led to Joe’s promotion into a leadership position?

4:05 -A well-oiled leadership machine - What is a leadership environment like when everything is already dialed in?

7:26 - Key foundational principles - Joe looks to bring these key principles to an organization.

9:52 - Quantitative and qualitative measures - What qualitative measures are being looked at from a leadership perspective?

12:50 - Unified expectations - Do a team's expectations evolve over time or are they standard guardrails of how to operate?

17:06 - Mindset shift - How did going from an individual contributor to a leader change Joe’s perspective?

20:44 - Autonomy versus neglect - How do you strike a balance in this area?

27:09 - Joe’s advice to himself- What advice would Joe give his younger self?

Connect with Joe Schmitt:https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephschmitt/

Learn more about UpKeep Maintenance Management athttps://www.upkeep.com/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.30dayleadership.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

In this episode of the B2B Leadership podcast, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje speaks with Maranda Dziekonski, Chief Customer Officer at Swiftly.

Podcast highlights:

0:55 - Maranda's background - Maranda explains her role at Swiftly.

2:51 - Keeping perspective - How does Maranda advise people to handle the minutiae of day-to-day work?

7:44 - A trip back in time - How did Maranda get into her first leadership position?

10:49 - Environmental exposure - How big of an influence did Maranda's environment play in her early leadership?

15:14 - Introduction to the working world- How did Maranda transition from taking care of her family to going to work?

22:04 - Maranda's son - Did he ever attend any of Maranda's classes when she was in school?

26:38 - From Michigan to San Francisco - How did the transition across the country and into the tech scene happen?

32:25 - Getting buy-in - Buy-in is critical to have early on before driving big change.

37:23 - Maranda's advice to herself - What advice would Maranda give to her younger self?

Connect with Maranda Dziekonski:https://www.linkedin.com/in/marandaanndziekonski/

Learn more about Swiftly athttps://www.goswift.ly/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.30dayleadership.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

In this episode of the B2B Leadership podcast, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje speaks with Sean MacPherson, Vice President of Customer Success & Experience at Alyce.

Podcast highlights:

0:21 -Sean's background - Sean explains his role at Alyce.

1:12 - Company culture - What are the biggest areas of focus at Alyce?

3:17 - A trip back in time - How did Sean get into his first leadership position?

4:33 - Prioritizing the team over self - When did Sean discover that he liked helping others more than himself?

7:25 - Helping others over time - How did Sean's idea of teamwork evolve periodically?

10:09 - The 5 to 9 and 9 to 5 parallels - How does Sean's track and field coaching correlate with his career?

14:07 - Adjusting to the big leagues - What do you do when you go from being the best in your field to the worst?

17:19 - 8-week focus time - How is that timeframe managed to get to each milestone?

20:30 - Breaking down tasks - How should a breakdown be structured to measure your progress?

24:23 - A process that sticks- What advice would Sean give somebody who lacks the strategy to implement bite-sized processes?

27:10 - Working backward - Why is it easier to start at the end of a goal and work your way back?

29:54 - Creating goals without structure - Do you focus on yourself? Do you try to influence other parts of the team? Where do you start?

34:19 - Sean's advice to himself - What advice would Sean give to his younger self?

Connect with Sean MacPherson:https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanmacpherson/

Learn more about Alyce athttps://www.alyce.com/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.30dayleadership.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

In this episode of the B2B Leadership podcast, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje speaks with Kristi Faltorusso, VP of Customer Success at ClientSuccess.

Podcast highlights:

0:27 -Kristi's background - Kristi explains her role at ClientSuccess.

2:04 - A trip back in time - How did Kristi get into her first leadership position?

6:52 - Proactive problem solving - Kristi learned a key piece of advice at the ripe old age of 24.

9:08 - First leadership position - How did Kristi navigate to the point where she was leading a team of 15 people?

14:04 - The customer success world - Did Kristi enter the customer success world in a leadership position or as an individual contributor?

17:24 - Defining your brand- What are some of the most important elements of doing this from a leadership perspective?

19:23 - Navigating gray area - How was Kristi able to develop and implement a vision for her brand?

27:15 - Stories that stick - How do you go about telling your story with authenticity?

28:35 - Small tasks, big impact - How do you remain authentic when the work you're doing isn't significant?

30:29 - The art of storytelling - How does the storytelling element come into the picture when you're developing content?

34:50 - Social media overwhelm - What advice would Kristi give the listeners about sharing their voice?

38:27 - B2B Leaders Academy early adopter - What is it about Nil's program that gave Kristi the confidence to share the resources with her team?

42:37 - Kristi's advice to herself - What advice would Kristi give her younger self?

Connect with Kristi Faltorusso:https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristiserrano/

Learn more about ClientSuccess athttps://www.clientsuccess.com/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.30dayleadership.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

In this episode of the B2B Leadership podcast, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje speaks with Jose Palomino, Founder and CEO at Value Prop Interactive.

Podcast highlights:

0:25 - Jose's background - Jose explains his role at Value Prop Interactive.

1:40 - The basics of Value Prop - How does this work at an organizational and leadership level?

8:27 - Aptitude with no affection - You might be good at something and not perceive it as a strength at all.

11:04 -Maximizing their strength - How should a leader think about who their audience really is?

15:29 - Square peg, round hole - Jose explains the concept of putting the right people in the right positions.

17:09 - Juggling work with impact - How should a leader help people balance their jobs with what they want to be known for?

23:28 - Bringing tremendous organization - Leaders should be known for solving a specific set of problems.

29:46 - Jose's advice to himself - What advice would Jose give his younger self?

31:59 - Connect with Jose - Where can people find out more about Jose or connect with him?

Connect with Jose Palomino:https://www.linkedin.com/in/josepalomino/

Learn more about Value Prop Interactive athttps://www.valueprop.com/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.30dayleadership.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

In this episode of the B2B Leadership podcast, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje speaks with Ashish Jha, VP of Engineering at VComply.

Podcast highlights:

0:21 - Ashish's background - Ashish explains his role at VComply.

1:15 - A typical case of VComply - What does a typical work project look like?

2:23 - Intro into leadership - How did Ashish get into his first official leadership role?

3:52 - Early stage company - How did Ashish approach his work as an intern in his early years?

6:58 - Leadership transition - Ashish explains the shift from working in a startup environment to a more established environment.

9:04 - Change of pace - Ashish explains the change of pace he experienced with exposure to more resources.

10:21 - Startup vs big org - Which of these does Ashish prefer?

11:55 - Leadership lessons - What key takeaways did Ashish get from working within a big organization?

13:33 - Nurturing your team - What has Ashish done to help his team level up over a long period of time?

18:05 - Back to VComply - Why was it important for Ashish to join them as VP of Engineering?

21:41 - A lot of problems - How does Ashish go about identifying which problems to solve?

24:09 - Priority list - How often does Ashish take a step back to audit his priority list?

25:37 - Weekly reflection time - How long does Ashish give himself to plan?

27:22 - Growth areas - What advice does Ashish have for where your attention should be focused?

28:24 - Ashish's advice to himself - What advice would Ashish give his younger self?

Connect with Ashish Jha: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsashishjha/

Learn more about VComply at https://www.v-comply.com/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.30dayleadership.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

In this episode of the B2B Leadership podcast, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje speaks with Kan Huang, Director and Head of Strategy at Social Wave.

Podcast highlights:

0:24 - Kan's background - Kan explains his role at Social Wave and how he got into his first leadership position.

2:53 - Mixing different disciplines - How did Kan navigate multiple skills over the course of a decade?

4:54 - EQ in Kan's role - Kan explains in detail why having EQ is highly important.

8:14 - How Social Wave started - Nils was taken aback by Kan's story.

11:03 - Must-have leadership lessons - These lessons allowed Kan to grow from 0 to 7 figures in 18 months!

17:30 How to effectively market leadership - Where should people initially start?

21:08 - Sea of sameness - How can this be avoided within an organization?

24:45 - The audience aspect of marketing - How should leaders look at audiences in their market versus in their organization?

26:47 - Positioning and differentiation - How can you best position yourself as a leader for whatever role you want?

31:48 - Internal and external branding - What is the best approach to start branding yourself on social media?

36:04 - Long-term goals - Any type of marketing requires a long time frame to accumulate useful data.

39:56 - Get in touch with Kan - Want to know more about the work that Kan does with other companies?

Connect with Kan Huang: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kan-huang-b7054514/

Learn more about Social Wave at https://socialwave.com.au/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.30dayleadership.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

In this episode of the  B2B Leadership podcast, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje speaks with Chad Estes, VP Customer Success at SaaSOptics & Chargify.

Podcast highlights:

0:20 - Chad's background - Chad explains his role at SaaSOptics.

2:22 - Chad's first leadership position - He was in B2B SaaS before it was called SaaS.

5:02 - Shifting to a new department - How did Chad pivot from product management to services?

6:30 - Chad's second hire - It ended up teaching him a very important lesson.

10:02 - New, improved framework - Chad shares how previous failures helped shape new ideas.

13:54 - Lessons learned in a VP role - New leadership being brought in played a role in these lessons.

19:00 - New, unexpected leadership - What did Chad learn from his previous situation, suddenly dealing with his new leadership role?

24:52 - Navigating two merging companies - What key leadership traits are important for dealing with two different companies that come together?

28:40 - Chad's advice to himself - What advice would Chad give his younger self?

Connect with Chad Estes: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chadestes75/

Learn more about  SaaSOptics at https://saasoptics.com/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.30dayleadership.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

In this episode of The B2B Leadership Podcast, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje speaks with Adam Nathan, Director of Solutions Engineering at CoEnterprise.

Podcast highlights:

0:19 - Adam Nathan's background - Adam explains his role at CoEnterprise.

2:41 - Understanding different perspectives - How can empathy play a role in uniting separate channels?

4:04 -  A Michael Jackson video - What leadership lessons did 19-year-old Adam learn on set?

10:45 - A defining moment - Adam got another defining leadership moment within a software project.

16:45 - The black moment of death - How did anticipating this moment for every project change Adam's perspective?

19:56 - Version 1 to version 7 - What got Adam through the fear of initial inexperience?

24:14 - Leadership journey - What elements have to be in place within an organization?

28:20 - Adam's advice to himself - What advice would Adam give his younger self?

Connect with Adam Nathan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adambnathan/

Learn more about CoEnterprise at https://www.coenterprise.com/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.30dayleadership.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy, you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

Wayne McCulloch is a model of amazing leadership. In Wayne’s second appearance on the B2B Leadership Podcast, we dove into exactly what a C-Level executive does when joining a publicly traded company. You’ll get to hear a masterclass on executive leadership.

All leaders have to place bets, especially those new to an organization.

In order to ensure the future success of his organization, Wayne made his first major bet on his people leaders. He put every single people leader in his org into the B2B Leaders Academy.

You’ll hear directly from Wayne on why this was the most important investment to make in his first few months with WalkMe.

Podcast highlights:

0:51 - Wayne's new role - Wayne has taken on a new role as Chief Customer Officer at WalkMe since his previous appearance on the podcast.

6:11 - WalkMe’s need for a CCO - How did that discovery come about?

10:08 - Brand interaction - How did Wayne show up on day 1 already positioned to make a big impact?

21:20 - Collective information sharing -  How did Wayne drive a 5-week program with 31 work groups and 177 people globally to solve problems without having a single meeting?

26:49 - Making bets - What was the first significant bet Wayne made with regards to his new organization?

29:01 - Using research to create believers - What is the exponential impact of great people leaders?

29:36 - Ineffective leadership programs - What no longer works when it comes to leadership development and what do you need to enable today’s leaders?

33:03 - Nils Vinje’s flagship program - What is the B2B Leaders Academy?

34:40 - Shifting the leadership budget - How did Wayne secure a significant budget to invest in his people leaders?

38:46 - Aligning leadership development ideas - What advice would Wayne give someone who wants to get budget approval to invest in a program like the B2B Leaders Academy?

Connect with Wayne McCulloch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/waynemcculloch/

Learn more about WalkMe at  https://www.walkme.com/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.30dayleadership.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy, you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

In this episode of the B2B Leadership podcast, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje speaks with Eric Valasek, Senior Director of Engineering at Nauto.

Podcast highlights:

0:19 - Eric's background - Eric explains his role at Nauto.

3:05 - First leadership position - How did Eric transition from an individual contributor to a leader?

8:25 - Freedom to fail - How is that environment fostered within a team?

12:37 - Bottlenecks - How do they apply to Eric on the engineering and leadership side of things?

14:38 - Identifying bottlenecks - What tools and strategies are used for this?

19:00 - Technical and personal parallels - How are personal bottlenecks handled differently than technical ones?

26:47 - Important leadership qualities - What does Eric look for in a team member?

31:40 - One-on-one meetings - There's one important question that gets asked every time.

34:32 - Eric's advice to himself - What advice would Eric give his younger self?

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.30dayleadership.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

In this episode of the B2B Leadership podcast, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje speaks with Julia Blachman, Head of Global Human Resources at IRONSCALES.

Podcast highlights:

0:23 - Julia's background - Julia explains her role at IRONSCALES.

4:48 - Building a company identity - Julia calls her team "scalers" instead of employees.

10:31 - Your role as an HR leader - Julia lives by this philosophy.

11:11 - Decisions vs approvals - What's the difference between the two within an organization?

16:36 - Focus on opportunities - What does this mean in the context of leadership?

19:15 - Important leadership characteristics - What does Julia look for in a candidate?

27:05 - Julia's advice to herself - What advice would Julia give her younger self?

Connect with Julia Blachman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-blachman-b0152267/

Learn more about IRONSCALES at https://ironscales.com/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.30dayleadership.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

In this episode of the B2B Leadership podcast, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje speaks with Shailesh Mangal, VP of Engineering at Roambee Corporation.

Podcast highlights:

0:23 - Shailesh's background - Shailesh explains his role at Roambee Corporation.

1:09 - Use cases for the Roambee Corporation solution - What type of industry do they work within?

3:15 - First leadership position - Shailesh has always been part of the startup ecosystem.

6:45 - Core leadership philosophies - What has Shailesh learned through his experiences?

10:50 -Work fulfillment - What needs to happen from a work standpoint to avoid burnout?

15:13 - Advice to build fulfillment - A large number in the professional world probably don't feel too fulfilled with their jobs.

17:57 - Keeping the big picture in mind - How do you juggle keeping the big picture together with appreciating the smaller things?

21:17 - Integrating strategy - Keeping sight of moving forward while also letting go of old processes can be challenging.

24:10 - OKRs within OKRs - How does Shailesh remind individuals of how important small tasks are to bigger-picture goals?

27:32 - Recognizing leadership characteristics - What qualities is Shailesh looking for in an individual?

31:15 - Shailesh's advice to himself - What advice would Shailesh give his younger self?

Connect with Shailesh Mangal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaileshmangal/

Learn more about Roambee Corporation at https://www.roambee.com/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.30dayleadership.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

In this episode of The B2B Leadership podcast, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje speaks with Keri Keeling, Global Head, Customer Success Innovation & Intelligence at VMware.

Podcast highlights:

0:23 - Keri's background - Keri explains her role at VMware.

1:39 - Keri's first leadership position - Keri takes a trip down memory lane to explain where it all started.

5:18 - A successful transition into leadership - How did Keri successfully navigate her way into a leadership role, starting with nothing?

7:05 - Building your own baseline -  Keri realized that company structure was necessary, even if she had to build it herself.

14:37 - Professional communicator - What does it mean to be careful with your words, and how can you best take this approach?

21:42 - Key leadership characteristics - What leadership traits stand out to Keri among the leaders she has observed?

27:00 - "Hire great people and get out of their way" - Keri shares her interpretation of this quote.

32:29 - Keri's advice to herself - What advice would Keri give to her younger self?

Connect with Keri Keeling: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerikeeling/

Learn more about VMware at https://www.vmware.com/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.30dayleadership.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy, you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

In this episode of theB2B Leadershippodcast, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje speaks with Erika Cuadrado, Vice President and director of Marketing at Gregory & Appel.

Podcast highlights:

0:21 - Erika's background - Erika explains her role at Gregory & Appel.

1:47 - Experiences outside Erika's current role - The leadership experiences that prepared Erika for the role she's currently in.

7:01 - Leadership position advice - Erika provides advice for seeing things from a different point of view within an organization.

8:58 - The importance of experimenting - How does experimenting look from a leadership perspective, as opposed to a marketing perspective?

12:35 - Leadership checklist - What are the most important qualities and characteristics that embody an ideal leader?

15:15 - Reframing integrity - How would Erika recommend other leaders think about the concept of integrity?

17:50 - Building from a foundation of integrity - What other leadership skills get built on top of this foundation?

23:25 - Erika's advice to herself - What advice would Erika give her younger self?

Connect with Erika Cuadrado: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erikacuadrado/

Learn more about Gregory & Appel at https://www.gregoryappel.com/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.30dayleadership.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

In this episode of The B2B Leadership Podcast, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje speaks with Mike Wolber, Chief Revenue Officer at Rent Dynamics.

Podcast highlights:

0:19 - Mike's background - Mike explains his role at Rent Dynamics.

2:59 - First leadership position - What was the trajectory that landed Mike his first leadership role?

4:18 - Capitalizing on the position - Mike considers it the "best and most accidental timing ever."

5:37 - Internal evangelist - How did Mike unify the pre-sales and post-sales side of the business?

7:51 - Identifying holes - How did Mike approach a solution to fixing smaller issues based on a bigger picture vision?

10:29 - Core leadership principles - How did Mike navigate that growth both personally and with the team?

12:35 - From good to great - Mike shares advice for leaders, regardless of their roles.

14:14 - Professional love language - Mike elaborates on why he talks about this regularly.

16:24 - Major organization transitions - What was the driving force behind making the changes?

24:14 - Time auditing - How often does Mike track where his time is being spent?

27:24 - The network effect - What advice would Mike give to leaders to get more support?

29:48 - Mike's advice to himself - What advice would Mike give his younger self?

Connect with Mike Wolber:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikewolber/

Learn more about Rent Dynamics at https://rentdynamics.com/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.30dayleadership.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

In this episode of The B2B Leadership Podcast, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje speaks with Meredith Nichols, Director of Human Resources at Knowland.

Podcast highlights:

0:57 - Meredith's background - Meredith explains her role at Knowland.

2:29 - Post-pandemic survival - What challenges did Knowland face as a result of Covid?

5:59 - Meredith's first leadership role - How did her first role come about?

10:47 - Navigating a new world - Part of that new world was building trust with team members.

13:04 - Advocating for yourself - Meredith shares some stories of how she's exemplified advocation.

16:13 - B2C to B2B - A shift out of retail and into HR and leadership.

20:38 - Leadership principles inside of Knowland - What does Meredith look for in an individual?

23:05 - Leadership advice - For aspiring leaders who want to get to the next level.

28:24 - Finding a peer group - Who can you confide in that's not a part of your work team?

30:54 - Meredith's advice to herself - What advice would Meredith give her younger self?

Connect with Meredith Nichols: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meredith-nichols-shrm-cp/

Learn more about Knowland at https://www.knowland.com/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.30dayleadership.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy, you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

In this episode of the B2B Leadership podcast, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje speaks with Kathleen Leigh Lewarchick, vice president of marketing at Xngage.

Podcast highlights:

0:23 - Kathleen's background - Kathleen explains her role and organization.

2:05 - First leadership position - How did Kathleen get her start?

2:52 - European Parliament -  What was it like working there?

5:09 - Situational awareness - How can it be used in leadership positions?

7:40 - Being prepared - Kathleen shares an early career story about being prepared.

11:05 - Core leadership philosophies - What experiences has Kathleen built a philosophy around?

13:15 - Managerial courage - Where did Kathleen develop this skill?

15:55 - Embracing diversity - How does Kathleen bring diversity into her organization?

19:20 - Learning from failure - Kathleen shares a specific (and hilarious) failure.

22:51 - Advice to listeners - Younger or more inexperienced people might benefit from this advice.

Connect with Kathleen Leigh Lewarchick: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathleenleighlewarchick/

Learn more about Xngage at https://www.xngage.com/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.30dayleadership.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

In this episode of The B2B Leadership Podcast, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje speaks with Dawn Farhi, VP of Customer Success at Simpplr.

Podcast highlights:

0:58 - Dawn's background - Dawn explains her current role at Simpplr.

2:36 - The concept of the intranet - How has it changed today?

7:06 - Dawn's first leadership role - How did her first role come about?

8:10 - Why you? - What did Dawn do to stand out as a candidate for her leadership role?

11:48 - Practical leadership advice - What would Dawn recommend for leaders looking to get noticed?

17:51 - Ranking up to VP - What key leadership themes and philosophies did Dawn develop in this process?

22:40 - Simpplr philosophy - How does Dawn foster her team culture within her organization?

28:58 - Dawn's advice to herself - What advice would Dawn give her younger self?

31:42 - Dawn's advice to others - Dawn shares practical advice for developing leadership skills.

Connect with Dawn Farhi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawnfarhi/

Learn more about Simpplr at https://www.simpplr.com/

Learn more about your own leadership style at: https://www.30dayleadership.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy.

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy, you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

In this episode of The B2B Leadership Podcast, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje speaks with co-founder and Chief Education Officer at Sales Impact Academy, Alex Damgaard.

Podcast highlights:

0:21 - Introduction - Alex introduces who she is and what she does.

1:58 - Highlighting differences - What's different about SIA that didn't exist in the market before?

4:35 - First leadership position - What happened for Alex to land her first leadership role?

6:39 - Learning the leadership ropes - Alex details the characteristics of things she did in her position.

8:07 - The buddy program - How did this system impact Alex early on?

10:03 - Transition to people management - How did this transition to having increased responsibility happen?

15:30 - Alex's team lead position - How was the training and support for this role?

17:47 - Comparing leadership - Everybody has experienced some form of leadership working for somebody.

23:40 - The big balancing act - How did Alex juggle the demands of a team and growth at the same time?

26:41 - Transition to co-founder - This area takes on a completely different leadership perspective.

30:14 - Leadership in your own organization - How is being a leader in your own company different from being a leader in someone else’s?

33:49 - Advice to your younger self - What would Alex tell her younger self?

36:13 - Advice to others - How would Alex recommend others grow their leadership skills?

Connect with Alex Damgaard:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandradamgaard/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.30dayleadership.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

In this episode of theB2B Leadershippodcast, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje speaks with Matt Falk, VP of engineering at Orbital Insight.

Podcast highlights:

0:24 - About Matt- Matt explains where he works and the type of work he does.

0:47 - Geospatial data - What is it, and what problem does geospatial data solve?

2:30 - Practical data usage - What are some specific uses of this kind of data?

4:54 - First leadership position - Matt shares the story of what put him on the path to leadership.

6:24 - Think differently - What enabled Matt to be selected for a leadership role over someone else?

8:32 - Core leadership characteristics - Are these things Matt always did, or things he learned along the way?

12:46 - New leadership ideas - It started with setting the bar and keeping it level.

15:45 - New leadership reactions - How did customers and internal colleagues respond to a new approach?

17:34 - Organization size - How big is Orbital Insight, and who is an ideal employee?

21:50 - Core hiring characteristics - Who makes a great fit within the Orbital Insight team?

25:17 - Being proactive is necessary - How do you screen for proactivity in an interview?

28:08 - Concrete culture - Matt explains how important traits are embedded into everybody at the organization.

35:52 - Innovation advice - Matt gives clarity on what can foster innovation in an individual.

38:49 - Advice to your younger self - What would Matt tell his younger self?

Connect with Matt Falk: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-falk-55648330/

Learn more about Orbital Insight at https://orbitalinsight.com/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.30dayleadership.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

In this episode of The B2B Leadership podcast, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje speaks with Tiana Schisler, director of HR and talent acquisition at mPulse Mobile.

Podcast highlights:

0:21 - About Tiana - Tiana explains who she is and the type of work she does.

2:04 - Social work - what is social work and how does it apply to a leadership role?

4:41 - Combining social work with organizational development - What are the benefits of a social work background to an HR role?

6:24 - Approaching diversity - Many companies are not well known for their diverse workforce.

9:30 - Evolution of company culture - Is diversity embedded in the culture, or is Tiana leading the charge?

11:42 - Transition from social work to HR - Tiana tells the story of what ultimately got her involved in HR.

16:23 - Working closely with other leaders - Not every leader feels like they have enough tools to succeed.

23:13 - Trying to be someone you're not - This can happen when in a position that doesn't align with you.

28:51 - Agree or disagree with this statement? - Every employee is the CEO of their career.

30:20 - Advice to your younger self - What would Tiana tell her younger self?

Connect with Tiana Schisler: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiana-schisler-msw-19364186/

Learn more about mPulse Mobile at https://mpulsemobile.com/

Learn more about your own leadership style at:

https://www.30dayleadership.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

In this episode of The B2B Leadership Podcast, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje speaks with Catherine Blackmore, GVP NAA of Customer Success & Renewals at Oracle.

Podcast highlights:

0:42 -  Catherine's background - Catherine kicks off the podcast by outlining her role today, who she's working for, and what type of work she's involved with.

3:24 - Management at scale - What kind of philosophy goes into one of the world's largest software companies? Customers are often not just buying a single solution.

5:21 - First-time leadership opportunity - Catherine considers her background to not be traditional for technology, but the early days of the Cloud played a role.

7:35 - Why the transition? - What prompted a shift into the technology industry from a different industry in which Catherine was already successful?

12:53 - Concentrated leadership development - What's an effective way to build and manage a new leader, since there's not a lot of effort put into properly getting people started in their roles?

16:50 - How do you successfully transition? - A lot of people, for some reason or another, would love to make the transition from whatever they are currently doing into the field of software or technology.

19:44 - The common thread of leadership - The important piece elaborated on here is allyship, which is a continual investment of time in supporting and amplifying smaller voices, and sharing the benefits of your position with others around you.

22:52 - Planning for the future - How far into the future should you look when you're thinking about talent development?

27:26 - Walking into a newer, bigger challenge - Catherine explains the challenge of reconciling the customer success model at Oracle after they acquired five companies, unifying their culture, mantras, and goals.

33:09 - Other roles and responsibilities within Oracle - Catherine documents her progression within Oracle and how she evolved moving into new roles, from a leadership perspective.

37:17 - Advice from one leader to another - What advice would Catherine give to another leader regardless of their organization?

Connect with Catherine Blackmore: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherineblackmore/

Learn more about your own leadership style at: https://www.30dayleadership.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over tob2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.

In this episode of the B2B Leadership podcast, best-selling author and leadership coach Nils Vinje speaks with Michael Erisman, president and founder of People Implications.

Podcast highlights:

0:21 - Michael's work - Michael explains the work he's doing now and the companies he works with.

3:06 - Smaller companies with limited resources - Why is it important to focus on helping smaller companies grow?

4:32 - Before the world of HR - What was going on in Michael's life prior to discovering the field of HR?

11:17 - Inside the world of HR - There was a particular job description that caught Michael's eye early on.

21:54 - The root causes of challenges - What's the core of what we all at some point get wrong in our leadership world?

28:10 - Comfort with discomfort - What advice would Michael give to somebody needing help easing into discomfort?

37:00 - Learning more about Michael and his organization - Michael shares where listeners can connect with him.

Connect with Michael Erisman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelserisman/

Learn more about People Implications at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/people-implications/about/

Learn more about your own leadership style at: https://www.30dayleadership.com/

This episode is brought to you by the B2B Leaders Academy

The cost of not consistently developing your leadership skills is enormous. At the B2B Leaders Academy you can gain access to monthly leadership training and live coaching. Being a great leader isn't hard, you just need a guide and the right set of tools. Head on over to b2bleadersacademy.com and become the leader you have always wanted to be.