Lessons Learned in Leadership

I was recently asked to lead a sales training for (mostly) new first line leaders. While building my deck I was taken back to my first two stints in leadership where I suffered badly from imposter syndrome. My leaders in those roles were largely mediocre and myopic, and taught me pretty much nothing. As a result my imposter syndrome clung on for three years. Then I landed at a company with inspiring, competent leaders who showed me what great looks like (they also showed me some things to avoid in the future :). What follows are my top ten lessons learned as I made the long (but eventually successful) transition from IC to leader:

1. It’s no longer all about you. The AE is the quarterback, the start of the show, the leading lady / man, (insert your favorite spotlight analogy here). The leader’s job is no longer to get the glory, but rather to help others achieve it
2. Without credibility you’re just overhead. It’s impossible to coach to a level of mastery until you’ve reached it yourself. Do the work, learn your brief, then show your team what great looks like
3. Lead with trust. If you’ve hired the right people, your default should be to assume they’re doing the right things (until they prove you wrong)
4. Be the Zen master. As the leader you always need to be the voice of calm and reason when the inevitable storm shows up
5. Empathy is a superpower. Put yourself in other people’s shoes to understand their big picture. Otherwise you won’t know how to lead them as individuals. Everyone is different and the “one size fits all” approach to leadership is dead
6. Consistency is the key to sustaining success. Make your expectations crystal clear up front, explain the why, then do not deviate from your standard operating procedures
7. Take pressure off of people instead of adding more. Pressure may turn coal into diamonds, but people aren’t coal. Your team will perform at their best when they feel inspired and supported, not stressed the fuck out
8. Stop talking about your past accomplishments. Nobody cares what you did yesterday. Dig in and get your hands dirty today. Actions will always speak louder than words 
9. Never make people feel small when they mess up. We learn way more from failure than we do success. Prop up your team with positivity and keep them focused on the long game
10. True belief takes failure out of the equation. Be an eternal optimist and create the same belief in your team. Nobody else is buying into the mission until you’re all in yourself