Leading in Uncertain Times - Alix Douglas - Coach2Scale - Episode # 045

In this episode of Coach2Scale host Matt welcomes Alix Douglas, Group Vice President, Partner Solutions at ServiceNow. Alex shares her extensive leadership experience from tenures at Microsoft, Oracle, and Salesforce. Debunking the myth of fear-based leadership, Alex discusses why long-term performance requires inspiration and purpose rather than fear and pressure. Highlighting the psychological and physical effects of fear-driven environments, she emphasizes the importance of leading with conviction, mission, and accountability. Alex also explores the unique challenges in tech sales, the critical role of vulnerability, and how to maintain psychological safety among teams during uncertain times. Takeaways: ~ Lead with Inspiration, Not Fear: Great leadership isn't about instilling fear but inspiring your team. Understanding and mitigating the effects of fear can help you build a more productive and resilient team.~ Promote Psychological Safety: Create an environment where your team feels safe to express themselves and take risks without fear of retribution. This leads to greater innovation and more honest communication.~ Be Vulnerable and Authentic: Showing your own vulnerability helps build trust and encourages your team to be more open about their challenges. Admitting mistakes openly and demonstrating how to address them can inspire similar behavior in your team.~ Understand and Support Individual Motivations**: Know what inspires each team member and what their fears are. This personal connection allows you to better support and motivate them effectively.~ Provide Clear Direction During Uncertainty: During volatile times, keep your team grounded by focusing on the fundamentals and maintaining transparency about what you know and don't know. Provide daily touchpoints to address concerns and keep everyone aligned.~ Model Desired Behaviors: Whether it’s being transparent about your values or demonstrating how to balance work and life, modeling the behavior you wish to see in your team is crucial for setting the standard.~ Champion Diversity: Promote inclusive practices like supporting women returning from maternity leave with leadership opportunities. This demonstrates your commitment to diversity and inclusion, boosting morale and setting your organization apart as a rewarding place to work.Quote of the Show:“Leadership has to come from a place of nurturing and care, to ultimately guide a team towards its full potential.”Links:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alix-douglas-9221155/ Website: https://www.servicenow.com/ Ways to Tune In:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Yb1wPzUxyrfR0Dx35ym1A Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/coach2scale-how-modern-leaders-build-a-coaching-culture/id1699901434 Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy50cmFuc2lzdG9yLmZtL2NvYWNoMnNjYWxlLWhvdy1tb2Rlcm4tbGVhZGVycy1idWlsZC1hLWNvYWNoaW5nLWN1bHR1cmU Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/fd188af6-7c17-4b2e-a0b2-196ecd6fdf77 Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/coach2scale-how-modern-leaders-5419703 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Coach2Scale CoachEm™ is the first Coaching Execution Platform that integrates deep learning technology to proactively analyze patterns, highlight the "why" behind the data with root causes, and identify the actions that will ultimately improve business results going forward.  These practical coaching recommendations for managers will help their teams drive more deals, bigger deals, faster deals and loyal customers. Built with decades of go-to-market experience, world-renowned data scientists and advanced causal AI/ML technology, CoachEm™ leverages your existing tech stack to increase rep productivity, increase retention, and replicate best practices across your team.Learn more at coachem.io