Sales Leadership Short: Where Are You Headed?

This may sound obvious – but how does your leader know where to take you if you haven’t told them where you wanna go?

The turning point for my entire career was a 20-minute car ride with my CEO, sixteen years ago.

I had just joined a Silicon Valley startup. It was my second day on the job, which also happened to be sales kickoff. When the day ended, we all headed out to dinner. when Michael Lynch offered to drive me. I happily obliged, jumping in his old-school PT Cruiser.

Within moments of pulling out of the parking lot and onto the main road, he asked me where I was headed. No, not what restaurant we were going to. He asked me like a leader. Where was I wanting to be led?

I told him I was there to learn and absorb everything through the lens of someday wanting to run the sales organization of a tech company.

That became his lens to coach and mentor me.

Two years later, following the departure of the VP of WW Sales, he called me and handed me the reigns.

Leaders – do you know exactly where your team members are headed? Have the conversation.

Team – how confident are you that your leader knows where to lead you? Have the conversation.