The Power of Building Diverse Teams - Christina Smears - Coach2Scale - Episode # 030

Today’s guest is very intentional about designing and building winning teams. She spent the better part of almost 20 years building phenomenal sales teams at Salesforce. Christina Smears is the Vice President, Global Sales Development & Inside Sales at MongoDB. Christina joins Host Matt Benelli to share why leaders shouldn’t try to build a team of people who are exactly like them, the parallels between teaching and selling technology solutions, and how to empower people in your organization to innovate. Takeaways:Building diverse teams is not just about gender or race; it's about including people with varied experiences, skill sets, and backgrounds. Diverse teams are more creative, innovative, and outperform homogeneous ones. Leaders are encouraged to proactively reach out and recruit diverse talent to enhance team performance.Every professional, regardless of their experience level, can benefit from having a coach. Coaching helps in uncovering blind spots, accelerating personal growth, and improving leadership skills. It’s important to find a coach that aligns with your values and challenges you to grow.Prioritize tasks and goals by differentiating between 'glass balls' (critical and fragile) and 'rubber balls' (resilient and can bounce back). This helps in focusing on what truly matters and supports better decision-making during the onboarding process and in high-pressure situations. Acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of team members regularly. Recognition serves as a powerful motivator and plays a vital role in fostering a positive work environment. It's about creating a culture where appreciation is freely given, reinforcing positive behaviors and contributions. Leaders should foster a culture that values trying new ideas and approaches, even if they might fail. Encourage innovation by allowing team members to take initiative and experiment, thereby accelerating learning and adaptation. Remember, as a leader, you play a significant role in your team members' lives. Your actions, words, and decisions impact them deeply. Strive to be a positive force, supporting your team’s growth, job satisfaction, and success.Quote of the Show:“I think the best teams are where I hire people that are different than me in skill set, background, and strengths. Frankly that's how you create an amazing team.” - Christina SmearsLinks:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinasmears/ Website: https://www.mongodb.com/ Shoutouts:Multipliers by Liz WisemanDavid Priemer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dpriemer/ A Curious Mind by Brian Grazer and Charles FishmanLean In by Sheryl SandbergOprah WinfreyTony Rodoni: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonyrodoni/ 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