My friend Steve Winter told me an inspiring #leadership story every #salesleader / #salesmanager should take to heart.
At the time, Steve was COO, SAP North America and he agreed to take on a new role to become MD for UK to gain some Int’l experience.
He gathered everyone on his new team for a rah-rah All Hands to kick things off with a bang. Music was pumping, Steve was dancing around the stage, trying to get everyone fired up.
“Are you with me?!”
When he finally turned around to look out at the audience—no response.
Crickets.
That set the tone for the next 6 months which were BRUTAL: #s were down, stress levels high, and the team wasn’t gelling.
He tried everything, but couldn’t figure out what the problem was—so he turned to his wife and she said…
“Steve, did you ever think the problem might be YOU?”
All of a sudden it hit him:
She was right.
Steve said the moment he decided to change his management approach and become more of a “coach” was THE defining moment in his career.
Steve went on to become an incredibly successful EVP Sales Marketo, an Adobe company, CRO Coupa Software, and an active BOD member today.
Steve’s example of how world-class leaders show humility, vulnerability, and self-awareness is a model of excellence we should all emulate.
