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