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The latest episode of PreSales LIVE and the PreSales Podcast featured an insightful discussion with Ron Whitson, a 30-year industry veteran and author of "A Friendly Human in Presales." Together with hosts Jack Cochran and Matthew James, Ron explored the critical human qualities that make for effective presales leadership and shared valuable lessons from his extensive career journey.

Listen to the full episode at here!

The Leadership Evolution

One of the most significant challenges in presales is the transition from being a high-performing individual contributor to an effective leader. Ron shared his personal story of this evolution, which began during his time at IBM. After his company was acquired, he saw an opportunity to step into leadership, but quickly learned that the qualities that made him successful as an individual contributor weren't necessarily the same ones needed for leadership success.

"As the top individual contributor, I think about how we probably worked towards that - the focus was mainly on ourselves," Ron explained. "However, as a leader, you have to flip that 180 degrees. It is no longer about you. It totally becomes about the team."

The Impact of Leadership Training

A pivotal moment in Ron's leadership journey came through IBM's comprehensive leadership training program. The program revealed crucial gaps between how leaders perceive themselves and how others perceive them. This insight led to a fundamental understanding: the only way to change someone's perception is through how you treat them.

Key Leadership Behaviors

Through the discussion, several essential behaviors for effective presales leadership emerged:

1. Shifting from Telling to Coaching

The most successful leaders resist the urge to simply provide answers. Instead, they guide their team members through questioning and coaching, helping them arrive at solutions independently.

2. Regular One-on-One Communication

Ron emphasized the importance of consistent one-on-one meetings, suggesting they should occur at least every other week. "If we're having a one-to-one at least every other week, then I think that one-to-one is just an ongoing conversation," he noted. These meetings should focus not just on work updates but on building genuine human connections. Ron noted that If the only time you spend with your team is to correct them or give them feedback that will get in the way of you being able to encourage them and help them improve.

3. Creating Space for Growth

Leaders must make room for their team members to learn and develop, even if it means allowing them to make (manageable) mistakes. This approach fosters growth and builds confidence within the team.

The Power of Humility in Leadership

One of the most compelling moments in the conversation came when Ron discussed the role of humility in effective PreSales leadership. As the fifth of his "Timeless Behaviors," practicing humility emerges as a crucial yet challenging aspect of leadership, particularly for those coming from technical backgrounds.

"There's a part of our sales engineering presales DNA that makes looking for mentors and coaches sometimes very difficult," Ron explained. "We're typically really smart people. We've had success, our way has worked. And sometimes I think it's really tough to have that humility and be humble and admit that there are areas where we could do better."

For Ron, practicing humility often means choosing silence over speaking. "A lot of times humility for me looks like speaking less," he shared. "I want to learn more from the people in the room and hear more about those things. And there will be a point where my expertise or my insight is needed, but I'm going to allow this other stuff to happen and for that moment to occur naturally."

This approach represents a significant shift for many presales professionals, who are accustomed to being the solution providers and subject matter experts in most situations. The challenge lies in balancing the confidence needed to lead with the humility required to learn and grow alongside your team.

Looking Forward

As presales continues to evolve as a profession, the importance of strong leadership becomes increasingly critical. Ron's insights suggest that success in this role comes not just from technical expertise or business acumen, but from the ability to connect with and develop others on a human level.

---

PreSales LIVE airs every other Tuesday at 8 AM Pacific, 11 AM Eastern, 4 PM GMT. Episodes of the PreSales Podcast are available the following Monday. Join the PreSales Collective Slack community at presalescollective.com/slack to stay updated on future episodes and community initiatives.

Unlock this content by joining the PreSales Collective with global community with 20,000+ professionals
Read this content here ↗

The latest episode of PreSales LIVE and the PreSales Podcast featured an insightful discussion with Ron Whitson, a 30-year industry veteran and author of "A Friendly Human in Presales." Together with hosts Jack Cochran and Matthew James, Ron explored the critical human qualities that make for effective presales leadership and shared valuable lessons from his extensive career journey.

Listen to the full episode at here!

The Leadership Evolution

One of the most significant challenges in presales is the transition from being a high-performing individual contributor to an effective leader. Ron shared his personal story of this evolution, which began during his time at IBM. After his company was acquired, he saw an opportunity to step into leadership, but quickly learned that the qualities that made him successful as an individual contributor weren't necessarily the same ones needed for leadership success.

"As the top individual contributor, I think about how we probably worked towards that - the focus was mainly on ourselves," Ron explained. "However, as a leader, you have to flip that 180 degrees. It is no longer about you. It totally becomes about the team."

The Impact of Leadership Training

A pivotal moment in Ron's leadership journey came through IBM's comprehensive leadership training program. The program revealed crucial gaps between how leaders perceive themselves and how others perceive them. This insight led to a fundamental understanding: the only way to change someone's perception is through how you treat them.

Key Leadership Behaviors

Through the discussion, several essential behaviors for effective presales leadership emerged:

1. Shifting from Telling to Coaching

The most successful leaders resist the urge to simply provide answers. Instead, they guide their team members through questioning and coaching, helping them arrive at solutions independently.

2. Regular One-on-One Communication

Ron emphasized the importance of consistent one-on-one meetings, suggesting they should occur at least every other week. "If we're having a one-to-one at least every other week, then I think that one-to-one is just an ongoing conversation," he noted. These meetings should focus not just on work updates but on building genuine human connections. Ron noted that If the only time you spend with your team is to correct them or give them feedback that will get in the way of you being able to encourage them and help them improve.

3. Creating Space for Growth

Leaders must make room for their team members to learn and develop, even if it means allowing them to make (manageable) mistakes. This approach fosters growth and builds confidence within the team.

The Power of Humility in Leadership

One of the most compelling moments in the conversation came when Ron discussed the role of humility in effective PreSales leadership. As the fifth of his "Timeless Behaviors," practicing humility emerges as a crucial yet challenging aspect of leadership, particularly for those coming from technical backgrounds.

"There's a part of our sales engineering presales DNA that makes looking for mentors and coaches sometimes very difficult," Ron explained. "We're typically really smart people. We've had success, our way has worked. And sometimes I think it's really tough to have that humility and be humble and admit that there are areas where we could do better."

For Ron, practicing humility often means choosing silence over speaking. "A lot of times humility for me looks like speaking less," he shared. "I want to learn more from the people in the room and hear more about those things. And there will be a point where my expertise or my insight is needed, but I'm going to allow this other stuff to happen and for that moment to occur naturally."

This approach represents a significant shift for many presales professionals, who are accustomed to being the solution providers and subject matter experts in most situations. The challenge lies in balancing the confidence needed to lead with the humility required to learn and grow alongside your team.

Looking Forward

As presales continues to evolve as a profession, the importance of strong leadership becomes increasingly critical. Ron's insights suggest that success in this role comes not just from technical expertise or business acumen, but from the ability to connect with and develop others on a human level.

---

PreSales LIVE airs every other Tuesday at 8 AM Pacific, 11 AM Eastern, 4 PM GMT. Episodes of the PreSales Podcast are available the following Monday. Join the PreSales Collective Slack community at presalescollective.com/slack to stay updated on future episodes and community initiatives.

Unlock this content by joining the PreSales Leadership Collective! An exclusive community dedicated to PreSales leaders.
Read this content here ↗

The latest episode of PreSales LIVE and the PreSales Podcast featured an insightful discussion with Ron Whitson, a 30-year industry veteran and author of "A Friendly Human in Presales." Together with hosts Jack Cochran and Matthew James, Ron explored the critical human qualities that make for effective presales leadership and shared valuable lessons from his extensive career journey.

Listen to the full episode at here!

The Leadership Evolution

One of the most significant challenges in presales is the transition from being a high-performing individual contributor to an effective leader. Ron shared his personal story of this evolution, which began during his time at IBM. After his company was acquired, he saw an opportunity to step into leadership, but quickly learned that the qualities that made him successful as an individual contributor weren't necessarily the same ones needed for leadership success.

"As the top individual contributor, I think about how we probably worked towards that - the focus was mainly on ourselves," Ron explained. "However, as a leader, you have to flip that 180 degrees. It is no longer about you. It totally becomes about the team."

The Impact of Leadership Training

A pivotal moment in Ron's leadership journey came through IBM's comprehensive leadership training program. The program revealed crucial gaps between how leaders perceive themselves and how others perceive them. This insight led to a fundamental understanding: the only way to change someone's perception is through how you treat them.

Key Leadership Behaviors

Through the discussion, several essential behaviors for effective presales leadership emerged:

1. Shifting from Telling to Coaching

The most successful leaders resist the urge to simply provide answers. Instead, they guide their team members through questioning and coaching, helping them arrive at solutions independently.

2. Regular One-on-One Communication

Ron emphasized the importance of consistent one-on-one meetings, suggesting they should occur at least every other week. "If we're having a one-to-one at least every other week, then I think that one-to-one is just an ongoing conversation," he noted. These meetings should focus not just on work updates but on building genuine human connections. Ron noted that If the only time you spend with your team is to correct them or give them feedback that will get in the way of you being able to encourage them and help them improve.

3. Creating Space for Growth

Leaders must make room for their team members to learn and develop, even if it means allowing them to make (manageable) mistakes. This approach fosters growth and builds confidence within the team.

The Power of Humility in Leadership

One of the most compelling moments in the conversation came when Ron discussed the role of humility in effective PreSales leadership. As the fifth of his "Timeless Behaviors," practicing humility emerges as a crucial yet challenging aspect of leadership, particularly for those coming from technical backgrounds.

"There's a part of our sales engineering presales DNA that makes looking for mentors and coaches sometimes very difficult," Ron explained. "We're typically really smart people. We've had success, our way has worked. And sometimes I think it's really tough to have that humility and be humble and admit that there are areas where we could do better."

For Ron, practicing humility often means choosing silence over speaking. "A lot of times humility for me looks like speaking less," he shared. "I want to learn more from the people in the room and hear more about those things. And there will be a point where my expertise or my insight is needed, but I'm going to allow this other stuff to happen and for that moment to occur naturally."

This approach represents a significant shift for many presales professionals, who are accustomed to being the solution providers and subject matter experts in most situations. The challenge lies in balancing the confidence needed to lead with the humility required to learn and grow alongside your team.

Looking Forward

As presales continues to evolve as a profession, the importance of strong leadership becomes increasingly critical. Ron's insights suggest that success in this role comes not just from technical expertise or business acumen, but from the ability to connect with and develop others on a human level.

---

PreSales LIVE airs every other Tuesday at 8 AM Pacific, 11 AM Eastern, 4 PM GMT. Episodes of the PreSales Podcast are available the following Monday. Join the PreSales Collective Slack community at presalescollective.com/slack to stay updated on future episodes and community initiatives.

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