5 Tips for New Leaders from Sandler Training’s CEO

I recently attended a regional leadership forum held by my friend, John Moore. I always enjoy the opportunity to network with local business leaders as most of my work is done virtually or out of the area these days. It is also a great opportunity to share experiences and learn from other leaders. If you have not attended a forum like this, I encourage you to seek one out in your area. 

This time around, John asked Dave Mattson, the CEO at Sandler Training, to spend an hour or so with us to share the top five tips he learned through his experience that might help new leaders. Under Dave's leadership, the Sandler organization expanded domestically and internationally to over 250 offices in 27 countries around the world. I was inspired by what Dave offered and thought it worth sharing. 

Be Congruent – Lead by example, follow your own policies, act the way you want others to act in everything you do. No one wants to be on the other end of someone’s genius attack.

Lonely at the Top – Look for individuals that can be situational mentors to learn from on how they would approach specific situations. Do the work in these relationships and be clear what help and advice you need. 

Don’t Wait for Others – Be careful who you surround yourself with and do not ever let others drag you down. A lot of people want to keep you where you are. Different people have different drive and goals. Pursue your passion and give yourself permission to act.

Over Communicate – Remember that as a leader you may have more information or be further in process with an initiative before you bring others into the fold. Do not assume they are starting with the same knowledge you have and be sure that what you convey is clear and understood. You need to sell your ideas differently to each individual.

Create the Playbook – It is hard to remember all the nuances and facts of everything you do. Use a playbook as a reference guide for things you do occasionally and for those that you do all of the time. It becomes an operations manual and can be used to train others and capture the learning as you go down the path. 

There were a couple other tips that Dave shared that did not make his top five, but I thought they were good reminders:

• Be careful how you come across under pressure.
• Communicate in the right style to match your audience.
• Remember the 2 P’s of management – Permission and Protection. Once you start protecting people they will do more for you. 

I hope you find these tips as useful as I did. Please let me know if you have any of your own that you would like to share.

Lead well, Alan

Photo Credit: iStock by Getty Images