The Sport of Sales Leadership with Bob Brennan

In this episode of Revenue Builders, our hosts John Kaplan and John McMahon talk with Bob Brennan. Bob has worked in multiple VP and CEO positions throughout his career and is currently a board chairman for Fairwinds, BitSight, and Thoughtworks. They discuss the metaphorical ‘athleticism’ required to be a successful leader of a high-growth sales organization, gained through self-improvement and practice. Bob’s advice for sales leaders is to own your mistakes, never assume you’re the expert, and not be afraid to ask for help. He reminds us that it takes a team mentality to succeed, so positive energy and true comradery are your best assets.

Additional Resources:

• Help give opportunities to youth in foster care: https://mtwyouth.org/
• Support Black-owned businesses in Massachusetts: https://www.becma.org/
• Connect with Bob on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbrennan236/
• Listen to More Revenue Builders: https://www.forcemanagement.com/revenue-builders-podcast

HIGHLIGHTS

• Being a coachable leader
• Benefits of an accountable culture
• How to handle the wrong hire
• Owning your mistakes, but not dwelling on them
• Don’t talk to yourself in a way you wouldn’t talk to others
• Dealing with activist investors
• The difference in leading public vs. private companies
• Leading indicators of a successful venture
• Leadership doesn’t have to be lonely - don’t be afraid to ask for help

QUOTES

BOB: The kind of people you want around you

"I think you want to have people around you that are going to be supportive, but clear-eyed about, like when you're off or when you're wrong, and can you know, say, hey, wait a minute. So you don't end up betting the farm inadvertently, or, you know, chasing the wrong truck.”

BOB: Don’t be so hard on yourself

"I think you want to hold up the mirror and be honest with yourself about screwing things up because it is a game of misses business. But then, let yourself off the hook too, just take that on board is don't do it again. But like, would you let it go?

Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064