Allison Pickens, COO at Gainsight, is an internationally known thought leader on driving subscription revenue growth and scaling teams. As the Chief Operating Officer, Allison is focused on generating excellence in company-wide strategy and execution, as well as new corporate development opportunities and evangelism. Allison was named one of Fortune’s Most Powerful Women and a Top Customer Service Influencer.  She studied at Yale and Stanford so we know she is wicked smart.  

Allison built and scaled Gainsight’s post-sales functions, including a global team of more than 180 team members across Customer Success Management, Professional Services, Support, Customer Marketing, Value Consulting, and Customer Engineering. She also built Gainsight’s Corporate Development (M&A) function and is General Manager of Gainsight PX, an acquired business. Before that, she built Gainsight's Sales Development and Business Operations teams.

Gainsight understands that business success relies on customer success.  Their business model is to help businesses connect with their customers and build deep relationships.  They practice that in-house too. Their culture is built on humanity first. They focus on creating and codifying their company values where it can live in their business daily.  They believe in leading by example and, if possible, finding the best fit for each employee, understanding that it may change over time. Instead of tossing talent, they appreciate their gifts and work with them to keep the relationship alive.  Or, they help them find another place where they can flourish.  

For more information about Allison and Gainsight:

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Allison on LinkedIn

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Raphael Crawford Marks is the founder and CEO of Bonusly.  This program improves employee engagement and retention by providing a frictionless tool for employees to give meaningful praise and feedback.  Chobani and Survey Monkey are just a few of the companies that think this is the path to take. 

Raphael shares the importance of engagement being, timely, frequent, specific, aligned with company core values, and inclusive.  It's not enough to tell people once a year that they are doing well.  And, connecting the benefit to the company with praise makes it more meaningful and long-lasting.  Engagement is strongest when company values are an integral piece of everything the company commits to.  The inclusive piece is for those giving and receiving praise.    In addition, we talk about the importance of purpose, progress and belonging. 

At Bonusly, they live what they profess.  They are very clear that culture is a continuous journey that can get better and better with an open mind to new ideas.  In addition, the company provides assistance in the measurement of increases in engagement and productivity.  

For more information about Raphael and Bonusly

Bonusly Website

Bonusly on Twitter

Raphael on LinkedIn

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Today I am thrilled to come to you and talk about one of my favorite topics, Communication.

You might have heard that communication is a soft skill. I always wonder how that can be. Without good communication skills, how can you collaborate with your colleagues, sell your product or service or learn new ideas? Communication is an essential skill. When someone calls it a soft skill I personally let them know that by calling it that it diminishes its significance. And that’s where we begin. You first need to see the importance of communication so you can give it the attention it deserves.

Communication is defined as a process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behavior. I am going to concentrate on word usage but don’t forget about your body language. It says a lot. Some people say up to 55% of the information we transmit is through our body language. Whether it is the choice of words we speak or how our face and body look, both of these aspects are often done on autopilot. That is where you can get into trouble. You need to THINK more about what you say and how you say it. 

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Jonathan Keyser used to be ruthless in the cut throat business of real estate.  He’s living proof that selfless service will transform a business to new successful heights.  

His company, Keyser is the largest commercial real estate tenant representative firm in Arizona and one of the fastest growing in the country. Jonathan’s “selfless service” model resonates with corporations and individuals seeking a competitive edge to acquiring and maintaining clients. 

Jonathan is a best-selling author of You Don’t Have to be Ruthless to Win: The Art of Badass Selfless Service. The book is about Jonathan’s journey and the success of changing your attitude and perspective. Jonathan is here to share his journey, mission, and “selfless service” model to empower each of us to succeed.

For more information about Jonathan:

Jonathan's Website

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Book:  You Don't have to be Ruthless to Win

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Today my guest is Christopher O’Donnell, Senior VP of Product at HubSpot.  HubSpot is a leader when it comes to inbound marketing and sales programs. Christopher was recently named one of the best product leaders of 2019.  

HubSpot is a developer and marketer of software products for inbound marketing and sales. Its products and services aim to provide tools for social media marketing, content management, web analytics and search engine optimization.

Christopher shares how HubSpot manages and evolves their customer driven internal culture.  When Christopher is not working, he is writing songs and playing guitar with his band, The Providers.  

For more information about Christopher and HubSpot:

HubSpot's Website

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Christopher on Twitter

Christopher on LinkedIn

HubSpot on LInkedIn

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What does it mean to you to be in a community? 

Usually one aspect is that you have at least one common denominator.  The most familiar is location, like the neighborhood you live in.  

What if you thought about your workplace as a neighborhood?

Collaboration and Community create a sense of belonging. Humans have craved a sense of belonging ever since they lived in caves. Certainly, there are those who would rather be alone, but for the majority of us, there’s a comfort in being with others.  

Working well with others and having the ability to collaborate, are skills you can learn and improve upon every day.  

Being welcoming and willing are fundamental requirements for a well-functioning group. 

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Although I would have had Scott McKain as a guest, just for his voice, he is a consummate speaker, thinker and author.  Scott is a globally recognized authority on how organizations and professionals create distinction to attract and retain customers — and stand out in a hyper-competitive marketplace.

Scott talks about his four cornerstones of distinction:

• Clarity
• Creativity
• Communication
• Customer Experience Focus

Scott also shares his expertise on how to respect and support a company’s customer.  Don’t forget your best customers are your workforce. 

Scott McKain’s vast experience is a gift to you when you listen to this episode. 

Scott’s recent book, ICONIC: How Organizations and Leaders Attain, Sustain, and Regain the Ultimate Level of Distinction,” was recently named on Forbes.com as a TOP TEN BEST BUSINESS BOOK for 2018.  The first edition of his book, “Create Distinction: What to Do When ‘Great’ Isn’t Good Enough to Grow Your Business” was named by thirty major newspapers (such as the Miami Herald) as one of the “ten best business books of the year.” 

For more information about Scott:

Scott McKain Website

The Distinction Institute

Scott on Twitter

Scott on LinkedIn

Scott on Facebook

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There just isn't enough celebration and recognition in our workplaces.  We spend way too much time thinking about what went wrong or what we can do better.  That’s important, but so is the other side.  You might think about how someone did a good job, but individuals don’t usually take the time to express it.  I think mainly because they just don’t think about it.  Like every subject I have been talking about, to change that behavior isn’t difficult, but it does take commitment and repetition.

Everyone wants a paycheck, but people also want to be acknowledged and feel they are valued. The research shows that to be true. Did you know loneliness has grown in epic proportions in our world and according to the Cigna U.S. loneliness index, Americans are the loneliest? There are many reasons for loneliness, but feeling invisible is a pathway to isolation both physically and emotionally.

In the workplace, this is exasperated when companies don’t create an atmosphere for people to be recognized on a regular basis, not only by their leaders but by their peers.  A celebration can be weaved into everyday practices.  

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Karen Brown is CEO of Velocity Leadership Consulting.  She is an expert in the field of high performance and personal leadership.  Her mission is to work with leaders who are willing to conquer their limiting beliefs to grow themselves and their organizations.  She talks about the importance of whether leaders cast a shadow or shed light on their workforce.

Her belief is that the “Why” for team members must align with the company vision and mission. Unfortunately, many team members don't know they're why, and/or leaders perceptions of their knowledge is incorrect.  It is so important to have alignment.  That is what Karen Brown's expertise is all about.

This episode is chock full of valuable insights to propel your business forward.

Find out how to be a successful human being.

For more information about Karen and Velocity Leadership Consulting:

Velocity Leadership Website

Contact Karen

Karen Brown on Twitter

Karen on LinkedIn

Velocity Leadership on InstagramBuy Unlimiting Your Beliefs

Report a Good/Bad Leader

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Now I have the opportunity to speak to you about one of my favorite topics, attitude.  This is truly the one aspect of your life that you are entirely in control of. I highly suggest you utilize this personal power and accept it as a gift along with its responsibilities.  Once you realize you have expansive personal power over your attitude, then your feelings, your reactions, even your daily routines become a personal choice. If you’ve been living, as many of us do, allowing the rest of the world to shape your attitude, it can be a tough habit to change.  First, there’s acceptance of this pretty big superpower you have.  

This may be your biggest hurdle.  So, don’t worry about it, it means you’re human.  It’s definitely going to take some time getting used to.  Taking control of your attitude is a life long journey.  

Here are some questions to help you change your attitude to your advantage.  First of all, ask yourself whether you even pay attention to your attitude now.  If you do, think about how your attitude affects your work performance. If you don’t pay attention to your attitude, ask yourself what benefits you would discover if you did.  That is the way to find your own why. Why you might want to learn more about your own attitude and the behavior that follows, so you can take control of it more often. See the opportunities, the benefits and then move towards them.  

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