We met Kimberly Morgan a few years ago, as she was transitioning to a new sales leadership role. Her infectious energy, realistic optimism, and tireless drive instantly impressed all of us at CFW. She became a fast friend of the firm–a sounding board if we had industry questions, an example of an inspiring leader when we’d talk about great sales managers, and ultimately, an exceptional hiring manager when we’d send her sales candidates. Kim launched her career in advertising and grew to leadership in the AdTech space. She’s led sales efforts in early stage startups, more established companies, and global organizations breaking into new markets. Kim is now the Global Head of Sales at K3, a retail tech software company. We asked Kim if she could share some of the key lessons she’s learned throughout her career, specifically for rising leaders and women in tech. As usual, she was insightful, passionate, and oh-so-wise in her answers.
5 Key Learnings for Rising Leaders
1) Know what you don’t know, and be upfront about it. It’s hard to ask for help as a woman because we have been taught not to show weakness (especially in professional settings!), but humility actually allows you to show you are human and self-aware. No one person knows it all (and if they say they do, then they 100000% do NOT). It’s ok to ask “can you tell me what XYZ is/stands for/means?” We are all learning every day, and it will give your team the license to do the same.
2) Act with conviction when building your team. When it comes to hiring, if you know what you want, define the roles, the way they fit into a team and the compensation/benefits/terms you need to secure those team members and go out and hire for it. Whether you combine job req budgets, provide altered work/flex schedules, or tie a performance goal to typically non-performance roles, be creative to close the deal and be confident in your decisions. If anyone questions you, note that these choices will eliminate the time wasted to rehire, interview, train, or even worse, having to micromanage and waste your time doing the job they can’t. Also, connect with a recruiting team that truly understands your needs, management style and expectations.
3) Raise the bar, and speak up. If you identify areas for improvement – in a workflow, team, other departments – speak up. Find your voice, put together a plan of action and the resources needed, gain insight from other teams (and others that agree), and get to work. It’s also necessary to be data-driven in order to be persuasive. Pair data with the areas you are wanting to improve (e.g. “if we do this process, it will generate x amount more leads, combine 3 current processes into 2,”), and it will take the emotion out of the equation. Your efforts to raise the bar will be felt across the company.
4) Demand respect, and use your resources for support. If you feel like you are being taken advantage of, being spoken down to, are navigating insubordination – guess what? You likely are. March right into your HR lead’s office and ask for their guidance. So many times I took it back on myself as a leader, or was given the direction to “lean in more,” get “more time,” “try harder.” No amount of time or effort or hours could change the OTHER individual. Get the support you need to navigate being heard and treated with the respect you deserve.
5) Be Action Oriented. A strategy is just words on a paper; activation is the catalyst that drives change. Many people loooove to talk about strategies and have meetings about them all day, but then nothing happens. Even if the take-aways to start are small and tactical, they will add up to meaningful momentum. How do you eat an elephant…one bite at a time. (aka GET STARTED!)
CFW Careers is an executive search and coaching firm. If you’re looking to hire an exceptional commercial leader, reach out to us at diany@cfwcareers.com for information on our search practice. If you’re a rising leader and are seeking support transitioning into your next role, working through your management challenges or optimizing your performance, reach out to rachel@cfwcareers.com or cynnie@cfwcareers.com to learn more about our coaching services.