Lead the People Matt Poepsel, PhD

Jim currently leads the revenue team for The Predictive Index (PI), a firm focused on the Talent Optimization discipline. Before joining PI, Jim built and ran the velocity sales team at Black Duck Software, an application security company. Jim has been in software sales for longer than he cares to talk about. In his spare time he is raising three children and a cat. When he is allowed out of the house, Jim likes to hike, snowboard and pursue his passion for the Onewheel.

Top 3 Takeaways


Choose wisely. After experiencing an excruciating level of voluntary turnover, Jim examined and redefined his philosophy. Now, he’s able to tap into a larger talent pool and boost retention in the process.
Mind your mindset. When sellers and any other workers feel too tied to the outcomes they produce, they’re walking along a slippery slope. Raise attention to the wholeness of being a successful human and watch the results follow.
Leaders listen. The active listening skills Jim teaches his sellers are the same that make for effective leaders. Rather than push ideas and solutions onto others, quiet down and ask insightful questions that lead you both to the right outcome.

From Our Sponsor

The Predictive Index (PI) is an award-winning talent optimization platform that aligns business strategy with people strategy for optimal business results. More than 60 years of proven science, software, and a curriculum of insightful management workshops make PI the solution for any company looking to design great teams and culture, make objective hiring decisions, foster engagement, and inspire greatness in their people anywhere in the world. More than 10,000 clients and 480+ partners use PI—including Nissan, Citizens Bank, Subway, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Omni Hotels—across 90+ countries. Learn more at predictiveindex.com. 

From the Source

“In sales, you often tend to hire extroverts. And there's nothing wrong with being extroverted, but extroversion does tend to lead to a behavior that looks like talking a lot. And at least in my view, sales is better if there's a mix between listening and talking.”

“A lot of salespeople actually come to the table with the exact wrong mindset and belief system. And while they may still get results, they're not as optimal as they could be if they would shift gears.”

“It's much like the difference between going to see a therapist and feeling like that therapist is pushing their ideas on you and going to a therapist and feeling like ‘This therapist is listening to me. They're hearing about my concerns. They're letting me do the talking. And together we come up with a plan of attack for whatever problem or challenge I face.’ And so the mindset is becoming ‘I'm not a salesperson, I'm a business therapist.’”

“Leaders need to focus on developing mastery, allowing autonomy, and the sense of purpose that comes with being a part of your organization and being on your team or representing your product line. What is that sense of purpose and how do you connect your people to it?”

“The 1-to-1 is sacred time for the person being led, the employee. It's their sacred time to be heard, to be listened to, for you to understand what their pain is, for them to communicate up to you what is making their job harder. And then your job is to listen.”

“We weren't experiencing anywhere near the level of people quitting because they weren't the right fit for what we were trying to do. Instead we were able to grow a team of nine inside sellers to about 150 inside sellers going from mostly a lead gen team to a team that was generating half of the net new ACV or annual contract value that the company was building.”

Connect with Jim

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/speredelozzi/

Website: http://www.predictiveindex.com

Deb Smolensky is a #1 best-selling author, speaker, and award-winning thought leader in the area of human performance at work. She serves as NFP’s Global Well-being and Engagement Practice Leader, and for the past 25 years has worked with hundreds of employers, including Fortune 500 companies, developing strategies, programs and practices that empower employees and leaders to lead healthy, productive lives at work through innovative, meaningful, and highly engaging solutions.

Top 3 Takeaways


Mind your brain. We don’t often stop to think about how our brain works, but it’s impossible to realize our full potential without doing so. Commit to learning about brain basics.
Beware of the default. We spend a great percentage of our day on autopilot, but we don’t appreciate how our default patterns of thought may actually be inhibiting our success. Make the switch to Brain On! early and often.
Take responsibility. You’re not managing robots, you’re managing others’ brains. We must accept that our behaviors and decisions take root in the brain chemistry and functioning of the collective brain around us.

From Our Sponsor

The Predictive Index (PI) is an award-winning talent optimization platform that aligns business strategy with people strategy for optimal business results. More than 60 years of proven science, software, and a curriculum of insightful management workshops make PI the solution for any company looking to design great teams and culture, make objective hiring decisions, foster engagement, and inspire greatness in their people anywhere in the world. More than 10,000 clients and 480+ partners use PI—including Nissan, Citizens Bank, Subway, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Omni Hotels—across 90+ countries. Learn more at predictiveindex.com. 

From the Source

“I decided to present to the executive committee on the stress response system. While others in my field at the time I was an accountant started presenting on the general ledgers, the financial journals, and all the leaders really took to it as, ‘Wow, we had no idea.’ I became kind of a stress management expert as I was navigating my career path.”

“I like to think of our brain as the computer. I've always looked at what's going on through the lens of ‘I can control my thoughts and my experiences through my brain.’”

“Over the years—especially through the pandemic—I've come to really believe that everything hinges on our thoughts and emotions.”

“Put whatever you have hardest at the beginning then insert those menial tasks as we go, preserving brain power, which is a finite resource every day.”

“Our brain always approaches things as a threat that's going to kill us until proven innocent. So we always show up Brain Off, and the goal is to quickly show up Brain On as as much as we can.”

“Companies won't survive if they're not mentally strong now, since most of the work is now human work. Soft skills, power skills, whatever you want to call it. That's what's going to start making and driving whether you're successful or not as a business, as a collective brain.”

Connect with Deb

Book: https://www.amazon.com/Brain-Fitness-Strategies-Sharpening-Boosting/dp/1637556640/

Website: https://debsmolensky.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbiesmolensky/

 

Joshua Berry is a world-class facilitator of change. As an author, speaker, entrepreneur, and director of Econic, Joshua has spent the last two decades evolving the what, who, and why of Fortune 500 companies and venture-backed startups.

Along with his team, Joshua has sparked change in organizations like US Bank, John Deere, Procter & Gamble, Nelnet, Ameritas, Omaha Public Power District, Farm Credit Services of America, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska, among others. 

Top 3 Takeaways


Get quiet. Sometimes the thoughts and voices in your head can drown out the deeper wisdom and inspiration that lies within. Take the opportunity to get still and listen.
Ease up. Too often, we’re tempted to label our intuition as naive or impractical. In fact, some of the biggest breakthroughs have come from those who had a willingness to eschew conventional lines of thinking.
People for the win. It’s a lot easier to say people come first than to actually operate this way. Always ensure alignment with business priorities, but after that, keep the conditionals to a minimum and give priority to people-related decisions and investments.

From Our Sponsor

The Predictive Index (PI) is an award-winning talent optimization platform that aligns business strategy with people strategy for optimal business results. More than 60 years of proven science, software, and a curriculum of insightful management workshops make PI the solution for any company looking to design great teams and culture, make objective hiring decisions, foster engagement, and inspire greatness in their people anywhere in the world. More than 10,000 clients and 480+ partners use PI—including Nissan, Citizens Bank, Subway, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Omni Hotels—across 90+ countries. Learn more at predictiveindex.com.

From the Source

“It wasn't until some of the time stubbing my toes in those ways that I started to learn that this intentional desire to maybe not quiet those voices that sometimes came up in my head that others might deem as naive but actually might be coming from a deeper spot within me. Those were the things that actually made me unique and were some of the best ideas that were brought out into the world.”

“There was a common pattern that a lot of those leaders told me in the interviews, ‘Uh, this might sound naive, but…”, and then they started to share an interesting idea or business philosophy or whatnot.”

“Beliefs are merely a mental model. There are best guesses at how the world works, and until you can understand that, I don't think you can truly appreciate the diversity of another person's view or beliefs and that there's some validity that's coming from that too.”

“Most decent organizations will say ‘we put our people first’. Or ‘people are important.’ But it almost always ends up as ‘as long as the business is successful.’ And what I challenge in that chapter, and provide some research and stories around this, is what happens when some organizations actually put the growth of their people even ahead of business growth and those goals.”

“When you start to have people that you trust and they start to see, ‘Oh, if I make this decision, that actually hurts what we could do over here and that hurts this other person over here,’  you just create greater alignment in that and eventually you sometimes get business growth that comes out of that too.”

Connect with Joshua

Book: http://www.daretobenaive.com

Website: https://www.econic.co/joshua

Website: http://www.joshuaberry.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshberrygphr/

Adam is the Chief Product Officer of The Predictive Index. He joined PI when the talent optimization leader acquired Charma where he was co-founder and CEO. Previously, Adam was part of the founding team and President/CMO of NextRoll which he helped build from 3 to over 500 employees and $0 to over $200m in revenue.

Top 3 Takeaways


Growing pains are real. As we find success and add more customers and employees, things get complex in a hurry. Be vigilant around breakdowns in communication and execution as you grow.
Don’t make assumptions. When we promote high-potential people into management roles, we often assume they will be natural leaders. Instead, we need to give them the training, tools, and templates they need to succeed in this new people-first role.
Make it easy. Being a manager is stressful. When we provide them with solutions that streamline and automate certain aspects of their role, we preserve their energy and enthusiasm to execute the strategy and engage their people.

From Our Sponsor

The Predictive Index (PI) is an award-winning talent optimization platform that aligns business strategy with people strategy for optimal business results. More than 60 years of proven science, software, and a curriculum of insightful management workshops make PI the solution for any company looking to design great teams and culture, make objective hiring decisions, foster engagement, and inspire greatness in their people anywhere in the world. More than 10,000 clients and 480+ partners use PI—including Nissan, Citizens Bank, Subway, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Omni Hotels—across 90+ countries. Learn more at predictiveindex.com. 

From the Source

“The thing that I really found challenging is that as we grew, the expectations evolved from being in that swim lane and focusing on your expertise—and I'm kind of a product minded entrepreneur—to evolving to start to manage teams and then not just manage teams, but manage managers who are managing teams. And that scaling process is pretty unnatural.”

“The skillset of being a manager is that just that: it's an actual skillset and it's not just, ‘Oh, you do your regular job and then manage people on the side.’”

“The skillset of being a manager is not something that's automatic. It's not something that's necessarily always obvious, and it's a place where software could play a role in guiding people to best practices and guiding them to do the things that would help them be a better manager.”

“People want predictability. They want to know that these activities in terms of check-ins and, having one on ones and follow through and commitments and feedback and guidance and clarity on their objectives and priorities… Those are just universal, no matter how or where you work.”

“One of our core principles is making best practices automatic. And so taking that mental overhead and friction off of doing the things that you should be doing as a manager. Having to wing it every time and feel like you're kind of entering into a freestyle rap battle, every time you go into a one on one is stressful.”

Connect with Adam

Website: http://www.predictiveindex.com/perform

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamberke/

AmberLyn Bryant is a passionate advocate for transforming workplaces into havens where employees are not just heard, but truly valued and empowered. Drawing from her personal journey navigating toxic and thriving work environments, she is on a mission to guide businesses in creating intentional employee experiences that fuel growth, engagement, and loyalty.

Top 3 Takeaways


Know thyself. Self awareness is a gift. Ensure that you’re creating a culture where workers want to learn about their natural tendencies and potential snags.
Slow down to go fast. When welcoming a new hire or standing up a new team, resist the urge to dive right into the work. Take a few minutes to learn about one another to accelerate long-term performance and cohesion.
Partner up. Optimal organizations get that way due to a strong partnership between line of business leaders and HR partners. People dynamics are too complex to leave to chance, so work together to help one another succeed.

From Our Sponsor

The Predictive Index (PI) is an award-winning talent optimization platform that aligns business strategy with people strategy for optimal business results. More than 60 years of proven science, software, and a curriculum of insightful management workshops make PI the solution for any company looking to design great teams and culture, make objective hiring decisions, foster engagement, and inspire greatness in their people anywhere in the world. More than 10,000 clients and 480+ partners use PI—including Nissan, Citizens Bank, Subway, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Omni Hotels—across 90+ countries. Learn more at predictiveindex.com.

From the Source

“I had my fair share of working in those toxic environments and trying to push through and find your way in life and that passion that really fulfills you.”

“What really works, at least for us, is that we really start to understand who a person is. And so then that helps you to be able to approach any one on one meeting, any conflict, any just regular hangout sesh with being able to really personalize information to people, at least for me in an HR way. But then in a meeting situation, it's great because it helps to really understand the whole person.”

“I had an employee that worked at a different position, moved over to another one, and now is partnered with somebody who would be a new manager. And the very first thing I did was get into the PI, talk about the data, and it's really been actually mind blowing… The development has just been so much quicker and they’re so much more on the same page and they know what the other one needs. It's just more clear.”

“The first thing I do is build relationships and make sure that these managers know that they can trust me and that I'm here to help them move forward.”

Connect with AmberLyn

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/amberlyn-bryant-54178840

Website: www.amberlynsolutions.com

Leveraging two decades of expertise in coaching, talent development, and people operations, Akkshada Maniyan leads Learning and Organizational Development for Innova Solutions, a global digital transformation solutions provider. Akkshada has worked with renowned global firms including IBM, GlobalFoundries, Amazon, and Deloitte driving talent programs for over 50,000 employees. She has optimized her background as a Columbia University Certified Executive Coach and mastery in incorporating various personality assessment tools to impact over 10,000 leaders and learners. A published author, she regularly shares her wisdom on leadership, change, and curiosity with followers across various platforms.

Top 3 Takeaways


Seek agility. The future is uncertain, so we need to be flexible. Embrace a culture of testing and iteration that builds on established principles and practices without being constrained by them.
Will over have. When building a team, don’t get too hung up on demonstrated experience. High potential performers who have the will to do the job will adapt and persevere when given the chance.
Get down to business. As a support function leader, you likely find your work very interesting. Ensure that you can draw a thick line to how what you do drives business results.

From Our Sponsor

The Predictive Index (PI) is an award-winning talent optimization platform that aligns business strategy with people strategy for optimal business results. More than 60 years of proven science, software, and a curriculum of insightful management workshops make PI the solution for any company looking to design great teams and culture, make objective hiring decisions, foster engagement, and inspire greatness in their people anywhere in the world. More than 10,000 clients and 480+ partners use PI—including Nissan, Citizens Bank, Subway, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Omni Hotels—across 90+ countries. Learn more at predictiveindex.com.

From the Source

“in a company that's not that well established or that is growing, there's much more of a starter mindset. Amazon in particular I want to call out as they have a Day One mindset. Every day is Day One. They like to keep their founder’s mindset and attitude.”

“Companies that tend to go above and beyond to look at learning in a less established way and more of an experimental manner? It tends to be a lot more fun.”

“I chose people not necessarily strong with a learning background, but more of a sociology background, anthropology, or somebody who was interested in learning. People who are passionate about really making a difference in somebody's life. That's all we really looked for.”

“There are no set learning skills. Maybe instructional design. Yes. Right. Maybe some specialized skills within L&D/OD. Yes. But you can coach people. You can really empower your team members to get better.”

“The real magic is finding the will. If anybody who has the will to want to do more, they'll always find a way, and our job is only to enable them.”

“I've implemented a QBR system so each learning business partner, along with the learning delivery lead or the facilitator, they present results on a quarterly basis to the business teams using a dashboard. So we're very metrics driven.”

Connect with Akkshada

Book: https://www.amazon.com/Serial-Influencer-Akkshada-Maniyan-ebook/dp/B0CW2WX86M

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akkshadamaniyan/