Edmunds Leadership & Management

How would you describe your leadership style?

My personal leadership style adapts with the circumstance. There are times when I am direct and prescriptive in my approach, and there are times when I take a backseat to enable my direct and indirect reports to exercise their leadership skills. Regardless of what leadership style I adopt for a given situation, I do my best to always show up, be an active empathetic listener and lead by example. 

My leadership style is also informed by the culture that exists within the team and organization as a whole. A culture that encourages openness, innovation and collaboration gets us all on the same page from the start and ensures that we push forward as a team.

What experiences or lessons helped shape your leadership style throughout your career?

I started my career as an individual contributor. As an individual contributor, I sharpened my tactical decision-making, which I rely on daily for project delivery. As I took on a broader scope of responsibilities along with a leadership role, I picked up a new set of skills such as effective delegation, mentorship and strategic goal-setting.

A critical point for me was when I became responsible for the career development of a small group of engineers that had severe staffing challenges. I worked closely with my manager and the employment experience team to unpack the complexities of retention issues affecting the team. We developed a systemic approach to improve engagement by empowering existing team members to own distinctive portions of the business by having consistent career development conversations, as well as by hosting team-building events. We also revised our hiring practices to attract the right talent for the right challenge by hiring more junior engineers and building a talent development pipeline. As a result, we now have a highly effective technical team with an enviable longevity track.

What advice do you have for others who may be struggling to define or own their leadership style?

Don’t do it alone! Find a mentor or a few who inspire you and ask them for input. Seek connections with your peers within your organization and beyond. They will be your day-to-day support group.

Also, find ways to keep learning and improving. I’ve been fortunate to have consistent support from Edmunds.com’s employment experience team that offers annual leadership courses that focus on various aspects of the trade. If your company does not offer such forums, ask your mentors and peer network for training referrals that will help you in your leadership journey.

How does your company celebrate employees´ achievements?

Recognition has always been a central element of Edmunds’ culture. For example, in the bi-weekly all-company meetings that we call Cadillac Catch-ups, we recognize new hires and celebrate major anniversaries. I recently crossed the 15-year mark as an Edmunds employee, and it was great to be recognized for all that I’ve achieved and get to reminisce on my journey here at Edmunds.

As a member of the Edmunds Sales organization, I can speak to the ways we recognize our amazing salesforce. For years, we’ve rewarded our top sellers with an annual President’s Club trip. While this continues to be a way to reward our top sellers, we knew we wanted to motivate and recognize a larger part of our salesforce. Specifically, we wanted to acknowledge individuals who did not achieve President's Club but whose efforts helped us reach our overall sales and retention goals. 

Last year, we introduced the President’s Club Badging System — Diamond, Platinum, and Gold tiers — with special promotional material that allows Edmunds sales representatives to be recognized in emails, business cards and on LinkedIn. This gives us an opportunity to recognize a wider set of sellers for all of their contributions.

How does a culture of recognition make you feel more connected to your work and your colleagues?

With our salesforce dispersed across the country, the way we recognize our employees is critical to keeping us all connected. We host monthly virtual all-hands calls, where top performers from the previous month are announced. The sales development team makes an extra effort to incorporate fun facts about each individual when they are announced and team members fill the Zoom chat with supportive congratulatory messages throughout.

In addition to virtual gatherings, we also prioritize in-person opportunities. We host annual divisional meetings where each team gathers in a central location within their division to learn from and recognize each other's contributions to the team. We also host an annual All Sales Meeting, where our entire salesforce travels to Edmunds’ headquarters in Santa Monica, CA for days of learning, team-building and recognition.

The totality of efforts Edmunds makes to establish and maintain a culture of recognition is what truly makes this organization so special. I try not to take it for granted.

What advice would you give to leaders or employers interested in making their employees feel more appreciated?

I would not underestimate the power of recognition and its impact on a company. Moments of recognition both small and large go a long way toward showing employees that success of all types is important to the company. It is an essential building block for a company, allowing them to support comradery among peers. And in the case of a sales team, this culture-building tool creates healthy competition that makes teams stronger and far more productive.