tl;dr
Top three moves of an inspiring SDR manager:
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Support, motivate, empower, trust, and challenge your people.
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Care about their mental, physical, and emotional well-being.
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Reframe your past hurdles in a productive and positive light and help others do the same.
I knew one month into my first Sales Development Representative (SDR) role at Glassdoor in 2015 that I loved being part of leadership.
The hiring manager, Marie, (my now mentor and a dear friend) took a chance on me when I had zero tech/SAAS/SDR experience. Marie transformed my life as an SDR and a human being by providing inspiring leadership. It came in the form of support, motivation, empowerment, trust, and challenges. Marie took a genuine interest in my whole being—in my mental, physical, and emotional health. She encouraged me to take vacation days and mental health days, knowing I would be a much stronger salesperson, leader, and teammate if I cared for myself outside my job. Through her actions and compassion, she helped me eliminate imposter syndrome and showed me that empathy is the most crucial skill a leader can possess.
Because of her example, I tapped into my natural ability to build connections and inspire others. I knew I’d be fulfilled if I could have even a fraction of the impact on someone's life that Marie had on mine. I reframed the hurdles and difficulties of my past as an opportunity to exercise my resilience and show others that they can succeed and excel despite life's challenges.
I’ve led SDRs for a little over four years now, and my desire to lead continues to grow. I feel most inspired and empowered when I am in a position to impact the livelihood, success, and holistic health of those for whom I am responsible. And I don’t take this responsibility lightly because I know the impact it can have. (Thank you, Marie!)
Leadership for me isn't just a job. It's a piece of my life that grounds me. It's the ability to connect with humans from all kinds of backgrounds and walks of life. It's the gift of playing a small role in someone's career trajectory. It's helping folks overcome their inner saboteur so they can reach heights they didn’t know were possible. It's building connections and relationships and working alongside folks who have gone on to pursue sales, leadership, executive roles, firefighting, engineering, marketing, non-profit work, and teaching. It’s been an inspiring journey that I wish on everyone around me every day.