In this conversation, Richard Ellis and Steve Graves explore the essential tasks of leadership, emphasizing the importance of purpose, direction, speed, risk, and culture. They discuss how leaders can effectively set direction with clarity and courage, navigate the complexities of speed concerning market dynamics, and understand the various risks involved in leadership, including personal life balance. The conversation also highlights the significance of cultivating a positive organizational culture and reinforcing core values to ensure alignment and engagement among team members.

00:00 Introduction to Leadership Purpose

01:15 The Five Essential Tasks of Leadership

05:03 Setting Direction: The Importance of Clarity and Courage

09:45 Understanding Speed in Leadership

14:30 Navigating Risk: Balancing Growth and Life

19:15 The Role of Culture in Leadership

22:00 Reinforcing Values and Behaviors

24:43 Personal Reflections and Closing Thoughts

leadership, purpose, tasks, direction, speed, risk, culture, values, insights, business

 In this conversation, Richard Ellis and Eva Daniel dive into why leaders need to be great public speakers. They explore the challenges leaders face in public speaking, the importance of storytelling, and the need for practice and feedback. Eva shares practical tips for enhancing presentation skills and the attributes that distinguish great speakers. The discussion also highlights the significance of humor and engagement in presentations, concluding with personal reflections on the joy of reading and learning.

Chapters

00:00 Intro

01:25 The Importance of Communication in Leadership

03:49 Challenges in Public Speaking

06:07 The Art of Storytelling

09:04 Overcoming Procrastination and Practice

14:40 Using Voice Memos to Record Yourself

16:10 Attributes of Great Speakers

21:25 Creating Engaging Presentations

23:43 Finding Joy in Reading and Learning

Keywords

communication, leadership, public speaking, storytelling, presentation skills, feedback, humor, engagement, practice, challenges

Sound Bites

 In this episode, Richard Ellis interviews Justin Barney, the CRO of Thousand Eyes, a Cisco company. The conversation focuses on three key areas: hiring, retention, and performance management. Hiring is emphasized as the most important aspect, with a focus on diversity and creating a diverse interview panel and candidate pool. Retention is discussed in terms of setting clear expectations, maintaining open communication, and celebrating successes. Performance management is highlighted as a necessary but difficult task, with a focus on making tough decisions and holding each other accountable. Other topics include implementing the right processes and having a strong relationship between sales and product teams.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background

02:40 Addressing People, Process, and Products

04:05 Hiring a Diverse Team

06:07 Playback Method to HIring

07:23 Investing in Recruiters

07:40 Keeping the Bench Warm

10:05 Retaining Top Performers

11:50 QBRs or Mid-Year Gatherings

14:40 Making Tough Decisions in Performance Management

17:00 Implementing Effective Processes

20:55 Product-Market Fit

23:05 Roadmap Selling / Relationship Between Sales and Product Teams

24:23 Being Clear on the Markets You Are Going to Enter

27:01 Some Goodness

Keywords

CRO career path, hiring, retention, performance management, diversity, interview panel, candidate pool, clear expectations, open communication, celebrating successes, tough decisions, holding each other accountable, processes, sales and product relationship

Sound Bites

In this conversation, Richard Ellis and Brian Lord discuss the critical role of keynote speakers in sales kickoffs. They explore the importance of understanding audience needs, budgeting for speakers, and post-SKO impact. Brian shares insights on measuring event success, avoiding common pitfalls in speaker selection, and creative ways to find free or low-cost speakers. The discussion also touches on the impact of coaching and mentorship in personal and professional development.

Chapters

00:00 The Importance of Keynote Speakers

02:30 Understanding SKO Trends Based on Industry

04:30 Blindspots in Planning for Your SKO Keynote Speaker

06:40 Understanding Audience Needs

09:15 Budgeting for Speakers

12:30 Diversity in Speaker Selection

13:30 Measuring Event Success

15:30 Avoiding Common Pitfalls

18:15 The Impact of Coaching and Mentorship

Keywords

keynote speakers, sales kickoff, audience engagement, event planning, speaker selection, budget management, diversity, event success, coaching, mentorship

Sound Bites

In this episode, Richard Ellis and Mike Fouts discuss the dynamics of leading a growth company within a larger legacy software company. They highlight the importance of balancing flexibility and cooperation, adapting to the fast pace of a growth company, and embracing the differences between legacy and high-growth environments. They also discuss the need to prioritize what matters, accept the things that can't be changed, and be self-aware when making career moves. The conversation concludes with a delightful discussion about the joy of 80s hair band concerts.

Chapters

01:40 Transitioning from Legacy to Growth: Challenges and Adaptation

04:00 Processes and Tools

5:05 Getting Support

07:25 Recognizing Differences Between Legacy and Growth

09:00 Right-Sizing for a Growth Company

11:10 Embracing Fundamentals: Success in Growth and Legacy Companies

13:45 Career Moves: Knowing Yourself and What You Want

16:00 The Joys of Hair Bands from the 80s

Keywords

growth company, legacy software, flexibility, velocity, cooperation, fast pace, prioritize, accept, delegation, collaboration, self-awareness, career move, 80s hairband

Soundbites

In this conversation, Richard Ellis interviews Justin Barney, the CRO of Thousand Eyes, a Cisco company, about building a CRO career path. Justin shares his journey from Wall Street to technology and his passion for sales. He highlights the skills and traits that make a great CRO, including understanding the product and technology, being an active and transparent communicator, and knowing the numbers and metrics. Justin emphasizes the importance of customer success and collaboration with marketing and product leaders. He also provides practical tips for managing up and delighting the CEO. 

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background

01:32 Early Career Journey and Transition to Sales

03:20 Skills and Traits for a Great CRO

07:34 Practical Tips for Career Progression

8:10 Operational Rigor and Metrics for Success

09:00 ICP = Ideal Candidate Profile

09:23 Focus on Comp Plans

09:52 Measure the Key Metrics

11:20 Keep Up with Sales Tools

12:00 Plan to Make Mistakes

13:00 Learning a Process Focus

15:00 Partnering with Product and Marketing

19:00 Managing Up and Delighting the CEO

22:00 Recommended Book: The Qualified Sales Leader by John McMahon

Keywords

CRO career path, sales leadership, operational rigor, operating cadence, technology, product market fit, collaboration, managing up

Soundbites

In this conversation, Richard Ellis and Mike Fouts discuss the concept of a digital-first sales model. They explore what it means to be digital-first, the implications for managing a business in this way, and the role of data in driving decision-making. They also touch on the importance of website usability, the value of trial users, and the impact on channel partners. Some key takeaways include the need for a data-driven mindset, the importance of a consultative approach with customers, and the need to adapt compensation plans for sales reps and partners in a digital-first model.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction 

01:15 What is a Digital First Sales Motion?

02:04 No Touch Sales LIfecycle Motion: Try, Buy, Expand, Renew

02:53 Differences in Managing a Digital First Business

04;38 Be Accepting of the Data

05:41 The Salesperson's Job

06:10 How the Funnel Gets Filled

08:26 Taking a Value-Add Approach

11:49 Adapting the Website for the Customer Journey

13:30 Working with Channel Partners in a Digital First Model

17:09 Comp Plans Matter

17:48 Size Does Not Matter

18:13 Measure Marketing Differently

20:00 Conclude with Some Goodness

Keywords

digital-first sales, sales model, data-driven, website usability, trial users, channel partners, compensation plans

Sound Bites

In this conversation, Richard Ellis and Tracey Mustacchio discuss the importance of aligning sales and marketing in order to provide a seamless customer experience and drive company revenue. They highlight the need for shared goals, values, and reporting between the two teams. They also discuss the misconceptions around alignment, such as the belief that marketing only generates leads and sales only closes them. They provide practical advice for leaders, including building strong relationships with sales counterparts and conducting a listening tour when starting a new marketing role. Tracey emphasizes the importance of balance and equal investment in sales, product, and marketing.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction 

01:00 The Importance of Aligning Sales and Marketing

03:00 Shared Goals and Values for Effective Alignment

06:30 Practical Advice for Leaders in Aligning Sales and Marketing

10:00 The Three-Legged Stool: Balancing Sales, Product, and Marketing

12:40 Advice for New Marketing Leaders

16:40 Recharging and Finding Balance

17:40 Conclusion

Keywords

sales, marketing, alignment, customer experience, revenue, shared goals, shared values, reporting, misconceptions, leadership, relationships, listening tour, balance

Sound Bites

In this episode, Richard Ellis and Darin Archer explore how to bridge that gap between product and sales organizations. The lack of collaboration and ineffective communication between product and sales is a common problem in many companies. The discussion highlights the challenges faced by product leaders and sales leaders in working together. It emphasizes the importance of balancing time spent internally and externally, as well as understanding the different perspectives and touchpoints of sales and product.

The conversation also touches on the role of sales enablement and the need for a customer-centric approach in enablement. In this conversation, Darin and Richard discuss the importance of building relationships with sales and marketing leaders. They emphasize the need for product leaders to acknowledge that their ideas may not always be successful and that marketing and sales are crucial for bringing products to market. They provide practical tips for establishing healthy relationships with sales and marketing leaders, including lowering ego, being curious and forensic, and understanding the challenges faced by sales teams. 

Chapters

00:00 Introduction: The Gap Between Product and Sales

01:30. Identifying the Problem: Challenges and Perspectives

04:10 Trends or Missteps

08:30 Balancing Time and Priorities

12:45 How the Product Team Gets Involved in Enablement

20:31 Finding Goodness: Softball and Summer

Keywords

product, sales, collaboration, communication, gap, challenges, touchpoints, balance, enablement, customer-centric, relationship building, sales, marketing, product leaders, ego, curiosity, test and learn, engagement, meetings

Sound Bites

In this conversation, Richard Ellis and Tracey Mustacchio discuss the importance of navigating your first board meeting and share practical tips for presenting to a board. They emphasize the need to understand the board's perspective and align your presentation with the overall business goals. They also highlight the importance of collaboration with other C-level executives and provide insights on structuring a presentation and handling detailed questions. Tracey shares a personal experience of presenting to a board and offers resources for further learning. In the spirit of sharing goodness, Tracey gives recommendations from her current favorite book.

01:10 - The Importance of First Impressions in Board Meetings

01:41 - Sharing the Right Amount of Information

02:45 - Understanding the Board's Perspective: Research and Common Ground

03:49 - Relating to Board Members' Experiences: Tying Marketing to Familiar Concepts

05:38 - Aligning Your Presentation with Business Goals: Strategic Enabler of Overall Metrics

07:23 - Structuring Your Presentation: Starting Point and Desired Outcome

09:17 - Focusing on Results: Tying Them to Business Goals

10:57 - Handling Detailed Questions: Being Prepared and Concise

11:50 - Story of a Disaster Presentation 14:37 - Learning from Past Experiences

17:05 - Recommended Resources

18:33 - Outside of Business: Sharing Some Goodness

board meeting, presenting, business goals, collaboration, presentation structure, detailed questions, resources

"First impressions are really important. And when you're going into your first board meeting, you're setting that first impression with the board."

“Focus on results and tie them to the business goals, rather than getting too deep into the details.”

“Understand the board's perspective and align your presentation with the overall business goals.”

“Structure your presentation by clearly articulating the starting point, the desired outcome, and the progress made.”