EliseAI Leadership & Management

Describe your leadership philosophy as it relates to employee engagement.

I believe that as a leader, it’s your responsibility to set the tone for your team. A few principles I live by are: practice what you preach, never ask something of your team you wouldn’t be willing to do yourself and model the behaviors you want to see from your people. This covers all things from work ethic, attitude and professionalism. And most importantly, you need to genuinely care. I work every day with a very clear purpose — get the most out of my people so they can get the most out of their careers.

What types of resources does your team leverage to keep sellers engaged? How does this engagement directly impact their success and the success of the business?

There are the internal resources, such as weekly one-on-one time to focus on development items, give feedback, brainstorm ideas and strategy and so on. Then there is sales enablement that provides great frameworks, tailored coaching and an emphasis on repetition. For tools, we use Attention to review calls, get deeper insights and help game plan future calls to strengthen the sales process. And when it comes to mentorship, it lives throughout the organization. Our philosophy is “everyone sells” and there are folks you can lean on in nearly every department that can help you not only become a better seller, but a product and industry expert to become the consultant your client needs.

What advice would you offer to leaders in your field eager to drive greater engagement on their sales teams?

I’d say first and foremost, care deeply. The same way your customers can tell when your drive is self-serving, your direct reports can, too. Focus on getting to know your people, learning what motivates them and remember that they are your stakeholders. Every day, you go up or down in their eyes and often what makes the difference is real support, strong accountability and a willingness to roll up your sleeves with them. While you set the tone, they set the culture. Identify people on your team for their strengths and help them build a strong reputation so they can shine. Lastly, give direct feedback, early and often. Nearly every salesperson I’ve ever worked with wants to get better and you have the privilege as their leader to share that gift with them.