15. Roni Fogel: Sales Leadership and the importance of mentoring

About

Roni Fogel is an experienced sales leader, specialising in the IT security space, working with companies such as JFrog as Head of Security Sales EMEA and F5 as VP Sales, for secure distributed cloud platform across EMEA.

Summary

In this conversation, Roni shares her journey into leadership, emphasizing the importance of personal development over titles. She discusses the key ingredients for successful management, including caring for people and respecting their development processes. Roni highlights the significance of diversity in teams and the challenges of navigating different cultural perspectives. She stresses the importance of individual responsibility for happiness and the role of managers in fostering a positive work environment. Roni also differentiates between mentoring and coaching, explaining how both can contribute to personal and professional growth. In this conversation, Roni shares insights on effective mentorship and sales management. She emphasizes the importance of building trust, creating a safe space for discussion, and the need for structure in mentoring relationships. Roni discusses how to measure success in mentorship, the significance of knowing when to end a mentoring relationship and offers valuable tips for new sales managers. She reflects on learning from mistakes and celebrates the triumphs of maintaining lasting relationships with team members.

Soundbites

"be the leader that you wish you had"
"be curious and creative"
"be inspired by your team"
"have a learning mindset"
"everyone wants to be seen"

Key Takeaways

• Roni emphasizes personal development over seeking titles.
• Successful management requires caring for and respecting team members.
• Diversity in teams enhances creativity and problem-solving.
• Managers must navigate cultural differences in communication styles.
• Individuals are responsible for their own happiness at work.
• Engagement and motivation come from aligning personal and team goals.
• Mentoring is a long-term relationship focused on development.
• Coaching is more goal-oriented and short-term in nature.
• Trust and respect are crucial for effective team dynamics.
• Open communication fosters a positive and productive work environment.
• Listening and acknowledging are key to building trust.
• Mentorship should be a safe space for sharing.
• Structure in mentoring helps both mentor and mentee.
• Ending a mentorship should be defined upfront.
• New sales managers should focus on being the leader they wish they had.
• Curiosity and creativity are essential in leadership.
• Learning from the team is crucial for growth.
• Everyone wants to be seen and recognized.
• Mistakes are learning opportunities, not failures.
• Maintaining relationships post-management is a sign of success.

Keywords

leadership, management, sales, mentoring, diversity, motivation, team dynamics, coaching, personal development, trust, mentorship, sales management, leadership, trust, success, learning, mistakes, team dynamics, coaching, personal development