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What if everything you thought you knew about sales was wrong? Alex Gabbert, Brand Communications Director at Publicity For Good, challenges conventional wisdom by redefining sales as "the transfer of energy and certainty that solves a need." Far from the pushy stereotypes we've come to expect, Alex reveals how authentic sales is fundamentally about helping people.

• Sales is simply the transfer of energy and certainty that solves a need your product/service provides
• Creating relationships starts with being present and truly listening without thinking about what to say next
• You only control three things in sales: your attitude, your words, and your pace of work
• Rejection triggers the same brain response as physical pain, but embracing "no" leads to greater success
• 80% of deals happen after someone initially says "no"
• Don't practice on prospects—prepare and rehearse objection handling before client conversations
• Purpose-driven PR helps positive stories reach the right audiences and combats media negativity
• The ability to be "positively contagious" transcends sales roles and applies to all leadership positions

Visit publicityforgood.com to learn more about how they help purpose-driven brands tell their stories, or connect with Alex at https://publicityforgood.com/ for sales leadership resources and training.

Alex shares more information on the after show following the podcast.

BelemLeaders–Your organization's trusted partner for leader and team development. Visit our website to connect: belemleaders.org or book a discovery call today! belem.as.me/discovery

Until next time, keep doing great things!

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Julie Jenkins and Dr. Thomas Anderson II explore how leaders can navigate complex change by embracing curiosity as a way of being rather than seeking stability or rushing to solutions.

• Complex change differs from linear change—there's no step-by-step process, only sense-making and educated guesses
• Leaders create the "weather" for their teams—their approach to uncertainty directly affects how others respond
• Moving from a controlling leadership style to a curious one requires sitting with the discomfort of not knowing
• Breaking out of leadership defaults requires self-awareness and intentionally designing new responses
• Creating spaciousness, asking one more question, and mapping out knowns versus unknowns are practical leadership tools
• Resistance and readiness are two sides of the same coin—resistance signals important information
• Embracing paradox ("two things can be true") helps teams move forward despite uncertainty
• Approaching change as experiments allows for learning without judgment about right or wrong
• Being vulnerable with your team builds trust that sustains through uncertainty

Remember that leadership during complex change doesn't require having all the answers. Be kind to yourself, extend compassion to others, and trust the process of learning as you go.

Connect with our experts on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-jenkins/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasandersonii/

BelemLeaders–Your organization's trusted partner for leader and team development. Visit our website to connect: belemleaders.org or book a discovery call today! belem.as.me/discovery

Until next time, keep doing great things!

Send us a text

The digital revolution promised connection but delivered something more complicated. Social media now intertwines with our daily existence, and emerging research reveals disturbing patterns about its impact on developing minds.

During our conversation with Kerri Carswell, content creator for the Carolina Journal, we explore the neurological reality behind social media addiction. Those seemingly innocuous features—infinite scrolling, like buttons, notifications—trigger powerful neurochemical responses, releasing dopamine and oxytocin in ways that mirror substance dependencies.

For adults, this creates problematic usage patterns, but for children with developing brains, the consequences can be devastating. The documented harms—disrupted sleep cycles, shortened attention spans, increased anxiety and depression—demand action.

"It's actually the second leading cause of death in North Carolina between the ages of 10 to 18," Carswell reveals when discussing youth suicide rates.

North Carolina legislators are responding with groundbreaking proposals.

Parents face unprecedented challenges navigating this landscape. When should children receive smartphones? How can we monitor usage without overreaching? What conversations should families have about digital wellness? Carswell shares both personal experience and professional insights to help listeners find balance in an increasingly unbalanced digital world.

Listen to understand what's happening behind the screen and how we can protect the next generation from digital harms while preserving technology's benefits.

Check out more on this and other topics from Kerri @ https://www.carolinajournal.com/people/kerri-carswell/

BelemLeaders–Your organization's trusted partner for leader and team development. Visit our website to connect: belemleaders.org or book a discovery call today! belem.as.me/discovery

Until next time, keep doing great things!