Transformational Leadership: Not Just a Buzzword

In my career, I’ve had the opportunity to lead three very different teams through significant transitions, and each experience taught me a lot about the real meaning of transformational leadership.

AT&T: A Retail Turnaround

Key Highlights:

Mentorship and Empowerment: Focus on mentoring team members, create a culture where leaders train the next generation, which empowers the entire team and fosters continuous development.

Quality Over Quantity: Despite being a smaller team, outperform larger teams by prioritizing the quality of sales over quantity.

One of my earliest leadership challenges was taking over a struggling AT&T retail store. The team initially consisted of about 15 employees, and we expanded it to around 20, including two assistant managers, a finance person, an operations person, customer success representatives, as well as salespeople. The store was on the brink of closure, and the responsibility to turn things around was immense.

I focused on building a strong team dynamic where everyone was engaged and motivated. We had some amazing times, like being blindfolded with a can of silly string and trying to shoot a target board to illustrate the challenge of aiming without clear goals. This fun exercise emphasized how crucial it is to have well-defined targets; if you can't see them, hitting them becomes a matter of luck.

Mentorship became a cornerstone of our success. I dedicated time to help team members become leaders themselves, effectively "training the trainer." These individuals went on to mentor others, creating a culture of continuous development and empowerment within the team.

Operational excellence was another area where we excelled. Our inventory audits were top-notch and spectacular. Interestingly, while I wasn't personally adept at conducting the audits myself, I had an interesting ability to identify and resolve issues when something went wrong. This proficiency led other teams to look to us for guidance in these areas.

When it came to sales, our quality metrics (especially around selling fiber internet services) were exceptional. We outperformed stores twice our size with double the number of salespeople because we focused on quality over quantity. Our commitment to excellence made us stand out time and time again.

Recognition followed our achievements. One of my employees was also honored with the President's Club Award alongside me, which was an incredible accomplishment. Seeing a team member who contributed significantly to our success be recognized at the highest level was immensely rewarding.

The team dynamic was truly amazing. Everyone had fun on the sales floor, we laughed together, took responsibility, and kept things entertaining. I constantly came up with creative and exciting ways to keep everyone engaged and passionate about their work. This included innovative incentives and team-building activities that made people excited to come to work and bring their best every day.

In the end, we didn't just survive; we thrived. It was a humbling moment when the president shook my hand and said, “If it weren’t for you, I would have closed that store down.” But the real credit goes to the phenomenal team we built together, we achieved extraordinary things because we believed in each other and worked as one cohesive unit.

Cisco Meraki: Scaling Global Sales

Key Highlights:

Player-Coach Model: Scaling a team quickly is possible by relying on experienced team members to coach newcomers, ensuring rapid development and strong leadership within a team.

Global Collaboration: Leading a team across multiple time zones required significant commitment, weekly global calls foster strong relationships and recognition across different locations.

At Cisco Meraki, I took over a team of 12 account development representatives during a pivotal transitional phase. Over two years, I expanded the team to 24 members, building teams across Sydney, London, and San Francisco. Leading a global team meant navigating cultural differences, aligning with leaders across multiple time zones, and ensuring we were always connected to the needs of our customers and partners.

My days started early and ended late. I would catch the train to San Francisco at 5:45 AM and on the train to talk to my team in London, and then stay up late into the evening to connect with my team in Sydney. The commitment was intense, but it was necessary to keep the global team cohesive and effective.

To scale the team quickly and efficiently, I relied heavily on developing player-coaches, experienced senior team members who could coach the newcomers. This approach was essential, especially as I was the single manager overseeing 24 people. I was promoting about one person a month into other inside sales roles, which meant I was also hiring about one person a month. This constant cycle of promotion and hiring required numerous interviews and a strategic focus on talent development.

Being creative in leadership strategies was key. The player-coach model and hiring the right talent were the best ways to scale the team swiftly. Our team's success did not go unnoticed; sales managers and directors were eager to recruit my team members early in their careers, sometimes as soon as 10 months into their roles because of their exceptional performance.

One of the most rewarding aspects of this role was the relationships I built with people all over the world, many of whom I still know to this day. These connections eventually led me to my next position in Europe, leading a Webex Collaboration team from Portugal.

Despite the challenges, we ensured to have a lot of fun and foster global recognition. We found time once a week for our global team to get together on a video conference call. These meetings were opportunities to recognize each other's achievements, conduct training sessions, and review our performance metrics.

A particularly memorable event was during a global sales kickoff at Meraki. I organized a team-building activity where teams participated in an egg-dropping contest. The winning team earned the right to pie me in the face with a whipped cream pie. It was a hilarious and unifying moment that helped humanize my role as their leader. I wanted them to know that I was just as normal as they were, even though I held them accountable to very high standards.

In the end, it was an amazing team with great recognition, and it remains one of the most significant and enjoyable moments in my career.

Cisco Webex Collaboration: EMEA Expansion

Key Highlights:

Rebuilding Trust: Prioritize building trust within a disengaged team, addressing concerns openly and ensuring every team member has a voice and an opportunity for professional growth.

Strategic Team Expansion: Hiring the right people for the right roles will result in a phenomenal team performance and continued growth.

I earned the opportunity to lead the Webex Collaboration EMEA Expansion team because of my global experience with distributed teams at Cisco Meraki. The team was scattered across Lisbon, Dubai, Johannesburg, and London. They had been promised many things prior to my arrival, and their previous leadership was no longer there. Rebuilding trust was the priority, and it was one of the most challenging aspects of this role.

As a new manager, I understood their apprehensions; they feared I might uproot the entire team, which was far from my intention. These were incredibly talented individuals, and my goal was to support them in achieving their career aspirations, whether within our team or elsewhere in the company. I worked diligently to help them find the right opportunities, and some even left and later returned when they recognized the positive changes we were implementing.

To address the team's concerns and foster open communication, we organized a team-building event with HR, bringing in a mediator to listen to their feedback. This session was crucial in reassuring them that their voices were heard and that I was committed to helping them achieve their career goals. We emphasized that while they needed to proactively pursue their ambitions, I would be there to make the introductions, support their decisions, and guide them every step of the way.

Our efforts paid off as we expanded the team from 12 people in 4 countries to 20 people in 8 countries. By hiring the right people and placing them in roles where they could excel, the team achieved phenomenal results. Rarely did I encounter issues with anyone on the team, which is a testament to their professionalism and dedication. Many went on to accomplish great things and build significant relationships throughout their careers.

After leading the team for about a year and a half, I requested additional support, and another sales manager joined to help divide and manage the expanded EMEA team. Leading this team was incredibly rewarding, especially as Cisco decided to reinvest and expand the team further. They grew the team to 100 sales people and increasing the number of sales managers from two to six.

We celebrated numerous successes together, meeting in Las Vegas during sales kickoffs and in London for product events. It was a privilege to work with such talented individuals and to build strong relationships with other sales directors and leaders across EMEA. This role stands out as a highlight in my career, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to have been part of such a dynamic and successful team.

Conclusion:

Through all of these experiences, I’ve learned that transformational leadership isn’t about titles or accolades; it’s about creating environments where people can thrive. It’s about making tough calls, placing the right people in the right seats, and trusting them to do phenomenal things.