Revenue Builders

In this short segment of the Revenue Builders Podcast, John McMahon and John Kaplan dive into the critical role adaptability plays in career success. They explore why some professionals resist change, how coachability and curiosity shape growth, and what leaders should look for when hiring top talent. Through real-world examples and insights, they unpack the psychology behind adaptability, trust, and long-term potential in business and sales leadership.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[00:00:25] The Misconception About Adaptability – Many professionals mistakenly see adaptability as a weakness rather than a strength.
[00:01:28] The Evolution of Career Mobility – Job-hopping is no longer a red flag but an expectation in today's job market.
[00:02:39] Trust, Micromanagement, and Coaching Resistance – Leaders should examine the deeper reasons behind employee concerns about trust.
[00:03:44] The Fear of Change and Growth – Some individuals resist coaching because they fear exposing what they don’t know.
[00:04:07] The Link Between Coachability and Adaptability – Success depends on both being coachable and having the courage to act on feedback.
[00:04:58] The Ceiling Effect in Performance – Those who resist change often never reach their full potential.
[00:05:25] Curiosity as a Key to Growth – A lack of adaptability often correlates with a lack of curiosity.
[00:06:47] Recognizing and Managing Resistance in Employees – Leaders must understand when an employee’s resistance to change is really about their comfort zone.

QUOTES

[00:02:17] "It’s not a problem not to know, but it is a crime punishable by death not to do anything about it and not to ask."
[00:04:07] "Coachability and adaptability go together—you have to be coachable first, then courageous enough to change."
[00:04:58] "The best performers never protect their current level—they always push for what’s next."
[00:05:25] "Curiosity and adaptability are deeply connected—those unwilling to ask ‘what if’ often resist growth."
[00:06:09] "When employees pull the ‘trust card,’ it’s often their last resort to avoid change."

Listen to the full conversation through the link below.
https://revenue-builders.simplecast.com/episodes/the-importance-of-recruiting-behavioral-traits-with-chaz-maclaughlin

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In this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, our hosts John McMahon and John Kaplan talk to five-time (2 as player and 3 as coach) Super Bowl Champion Thomas “Pepper” Johnson. Pepper shares the good and the bad of the many leadership styles he encountered while playing and coaching alongside some of football’s greatest legends in the NFL. He stresses that talent does not equal success - focus, hard work, and a team-player attitude ultimately determine your fate. Pepper’s advice for leaders: find your own voice and be comfortable in your skin.

Additional Resources:

• America’s most trusted all-natural transdermal vitamin patch provider: https://buyb1.com/
• Learn how you can help reduce climate change and help rebuild the planet for future generations: https://www.breezypointenergy.com/
• Connect with Pepper on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pepper-johnson-3a698312/
• Check out Pepper’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pepj52/?hl=en
• Follow Pepper on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pepj52?lang=en
• Listen to More Revenue Builders: https://www.forcemanagement.com/revenue-builders-podcast

HIGHLIGHTS

• Focus on the game, not your pride
• Being a leader goes beyond the game
• Why Pepper never watched ESPN while playing in the NFL
• Leadership lessons from Harry Carson and George Martin
• Carry your own weight
• Make sure you're ready for your turn
• A strong culture is passed down from one generation to the next
• Never let distractions steer you away from your true potential
• One man is not bigger than the team
• Leadership styles learned from Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, and Nick Saban
• Leaders need to find their own voice

QUOTES

Pepper on his legacy as an NFL player: "I really didn't realize the impact and the goals... and making my name in the league while I was playing. I really didn't see myself in that form. I was focused on doing my job and trying to win ball games as much as possible."

The common trait that differentiated NFL League players from the rest, says Pepper: "Those were the guys that allowed distractions, whether it was on the football field, or it was off the football field, allowing them to not really perform the way that they should've been performing. [There were] some teammates that I've had going even back to high school that I thought really had the talent to go to college and could play in the league because I've seen guys in the league with lesser talent. But when I had a conversation with those guys that made it in the league, a little more dedication was there."

Pepper's tips for leaders looking to find their own voice: "When you're trying to coach people, when you're trying to be your best, then you want to be comfortable. You don't want to feel like you have someone else's thoughts in your head. You have to make them your own."

Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064

In this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, John Kaplan and John McMahon talk to established sales leader and current President of Lacework, Andy Byron. Andy gives actionable advice for scaling sales organizations, especially in defining your ideal customer profile.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The prerequisites of scaling a sales organization
• How to define your ideal customer profile
• Are geographic territories still relevant?
• Challenges of the Chief Revenue Officer role
• Founding CEOs aren't always the best leaders
• Don't rely solely on advice from venture capitalists
• Be open to evolution
• Scaling strategies can be repeatable
• Common mistakes that companies make when trying to scale up
• Don't try to change how customers want to buy your product
• Team players are essential in scalability
• Master the playbook and improve it
• Advice for new sales leaders
• Your actions as a leader impact other people

QUOTES

Andy: "When you think about the CRO's role, it's so hard because you're navigating a market of sales teams scaling the company, hitting the number. But then also part of the job a lot of people don't talk about and you both know this really well, is you also have to set expectations and navigate with your constituents in the executive team, the board, the CEO."

Andy: "When you have an executive team that's aligned and has patience and frankly has the ability to evolve over time and just kind of say 'alright, what's working and what's not', and it's an open line of communication, and that strategy doesn't change, that's when you see companies that win."

Andy: "For the first time leader, it's not about you, and what value are you gonna impart to the team? And the third thing, how are you gonna create a winning culture? Because people are gonna want to come work for you, people are gonna want to generate pipeline. People are gonna want to really inspect the forecast. If you're gonna create a winning culture, they're gonna want to do those things. I think, as a first time leader, any leader, but definitely a first-time leader, how are you gonna inspire people to go in?"

Andy: "It takes some really hard times to really reflect back and say 'well, am I really giving everything I can to not just work but to myself and to others that support me?' And when you have those three things really working for you, that brings out the best in you, which by definition brings out the best in everybody else. When one of those is lacking, everybody can see."

Connect with Andy with the link below:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-byron-417a429/

Learn More about Force Management here: www.forcemanagement.com

• Taking on a New VP of Sales Role? Key Resources: | https://forc.mx/3KTEism
• More about Force Management | www.forcemanagement.com
• Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064

In this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, our hosts John McMahon and John Kaplan talk to the Breathe Yogi herself, Neha Saxena. Neha talks about the importance of breath in managing stress levels and improving overall outcomes both in your everyday life and your professional career. Tune in to learn about how your body’s stress response works, and learn breathing techniques such as the physiological sigh, which helps reduce the heart rate and bring down stress levels.

Additional Resources:

• Donate to help improve the quality of life for veterans and their families: https://projectwelcomehometroops.org/
• Connect to Neha on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nehasaxenaprofile/
• Check out Neha’s website: https://www.thebreathyogi.com/about
• Learn more about Neha’s favorite movie, Haatim Tai on IMDB
• Listen to More Revenue Builders: https://www.forcemanagement.com/revenue-builders-podcast

HIGHLIGHTS

• Why stress is not necessarily bad for you
• Stress is part of your body's primary survival instinct
• How mastering your breath helps regulate the nervous system
• A toxic environment drives resignation more than compensation
• Breathing exercises to reduce heart rate, anxiety and stress
• You cannot manage the mind from the mind
• It's your mind's job to wander
• Tips for sitting and breathing better
• You cannot get rid of burnout by meditation alone

QUOTES

Neha on why stress is not necessarily what's hampering your performance: "Scientific data from sports science tells us that stress is not the killer of high performance. The real root cause that affects performance is the absence of recovery after a stressful period."

Neha's fundamental tip for stress management: "If you notice, anytime you're feeling stressed and you curb that fundamental urge to take action, to move, you'll feel it as a tremor in your body. And that is when you're feeling stressed, you end up blurting things that you don't want to say or later regret. To manage stress you have to fundamentally learn how to manage that aggression response."

Neha on breathwork and how it can help you manage your stress levels: "The point that I want to make is, you can't think your way out of it. Breath work is the tool because your thinking brain is being shut down when you're under stress."

Check out John McMahon’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Qualified-Sales-Leader-Proven-Lessons/dp/0578895064

On this episode of the Revenue Builders podcast, John McMahon and John Kaplan talk to veteran football coach JD Brookhart. JD has led an interesting life, working as a coach for the Denver Broncos and several college football teams. He coached the Akron Zips to their first MAC Championship Title in 2005 and brought the team to their first collegiate bowl as a Division One program.

Beyond his life in football, JD also earned accolades as a salesperson during his time with Xerox and is now a managing partner at CJ&M Holdings. JD talks about the parallels between coaching football and managing sales teams, particularly in building a team, motivating them, and knowing how to lead them to success.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Parallels between sports coaching and sales work
• You need to know what motivates you and what motivates your team
• Nobody cares about what you know until they know you care
• Team chemistry can be just as important as individual talent
• Always work just a little bit harder to find success
• Leverage your network and believe in the power of who
• Accountability, Productivity, and Persistence

QUOTES

JD: "You got to have three rules to hiring. Number one, you got to know how to hire, two, you got to know how to fire, and number three, you got to do number one so you don't have to do number two."

JD: "The guys that I've seen that are really good coaches, many times have been walk-arounds trying to prove themselves. Guys that worked up the ranks, that came from smaller schools. Sometimes those guys that have been there, they understand what it takes to be good and the time that we have to put in to be great."

JD: "It’s always great to be on a winning team, but we’ve all been in a situation when things aren’t going so well. Whether it be the revenue numbers or the Games in the win column – that’s when real leaders differentiate themselves."

JD: "I look back on it, and I don't know of a job that I got by myself. I had somebody helping me or somebody I met along the way, which just changed the course of my life. I've just been fortunate to be around the people I've met through the course of my career."

Connect with JD via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jd-brookhart-ba647977/