115: Ben Ward and Sellership: Turning Sellers Into Leaders

Ben Ward has been teaching people for over two decades how to become great leaders, and recently published a best-selling book called Sell-er-ship.  Sell-er-ship is a leadership parable that teaches some undying principles of leadership that apply to almost anyone who finds themselves in a position to lead people, whether that was sought after or just by circumstance.  Ben and I worked together 16 years ago at a company called Firstline Security. Even back then, I remember him being a hugely positive force for good. And he has since taken the last 20 years of experience – leading and training sales teams, doing motivational speaking, leading masterminds, and coaching – to give the most impactful advice and lessons he has learned in a book you can listen to in a few hours or read in a couple of days. It was a huge eye-opener for me and I'm excited to share all his wisdom and some of his personal stories and ideologies with you too.   In this episode, you will hear: It's an eternal progression to learn and grow and become the best version of ourselves. It's a challenge to make that switch from the spotlight that has been on you to the spotlight being on others. In order to be effective, it has to be about other people. When we honor somebody, we see them as they are – we see them as human beings. The starting point of effective influence is not the things you say or do as a leader – but the way you do them. The 3 things we do that turn people into objects: they become obstacles so we move them out of the way, they become vehicles, and they are irrelevant. If you're transitioning into leadership, the starting point is taking the people you're leading and just recognizing them as human beings. Correcting people is an act of love and service. If we don’t make corrections, we’re being selfish. We don’t want to be blamed and that’s usually because we don’t know how to give effective corrections that motivate and inspire. When you jump straight to correction, your ability to influence blows up. Having confidence in the people you lead is one of the best gifts you can give to inspire and unlock the best of people around you.    Supporting Resources: “Sellership: How Top Salespeople Become Remarkable Sales Leaders” by Ben Ward https://amzn.to/39Cqz9e Ben’s website: www.BenWard.com     Subscribe and Review Have you subscribed to our podcast? We’d love for you to subscribe if you haven’t yet. We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.   Episode Credits Produced by Emerald City Productions