Interview with Lisa Peskin, Business Development University
For this year’s International Women’s Day, our team at Slice is proud to celebrate women across the marketing and communications industry through an interview series.
This interview is with Lisa Peskin, the CEO at Business Development University. Read our full interview series here.
How do you define your leadership?
As a leader, it is critical to make sure you’re doing everything you can to maximize the performance and potential of all of your direct reports on both an individual and team basis. I developed a “triage” methodology back in the 90’s when running a large sales force for ADP, which is used to determined which three areas, if improved upon, will have the biggest impact on performance. Once those areas are identified, as a leader it’s then about closing those gaps and addressing those developmental areas. Lastly, it’s all about treating people like people and not necessarily like people who are just working for you. It’s about leading by example, inspiring, motivating and creating a positive work environment.
How has your leadership changed in the past year?
Since we are unable to meet with people in person, it’s become even more important to connect with them more frequently and perhaps at an even deeper level than ever before. As everybody has been challenged in the past year, it’s really important for leaders to make sure their heads remain where they need to be, and that they continue to have the attitude and proper motivation in order to accomplish everything they need to get done.
Can you share a story that demonstrates a key learning for you in your leadership journey?
Back in the 90’s, I had my team do an anonymous “start, stop, and continue” evaluation on me as a leader. I have kept that feedback with me now for over 25 years as it completely changed my perspective on how I lead a group. For instance, one of the comments was for me not to expect them to all be “little Lisa Peskins” and quite honestly, that was exactly what I was looking for as I had wanted them to have my same level of motivation, work ethic and drive. I came to realize that you can’t necessarily “cookie cutter” people. Everyone has their own strengths and areas of opportunity, and each one can get from point A to point B utilizing very different routes.
Who do you follow on social media that you would recommend to other women leaders?
As I am in the sales space, the two people I really follow are Scott Ingram and Don Kelly, who both have amazing sales podcasts. They are great for all leaders to follow and listen to for ideas and inspiration.
Thank you to Lisa for taking part in our interview series. And be sure to read the entire series!
