About Maverick Leadership
Matt Denham
I've spent over 35 years working in an uncomfortable state. And it began on day one of my first job out of college - I was the first person asked to role play, on video, a sales call. What a miserable outcome; and with everyone else in the new training class with at least 5 years of sales experience observing. I would love to have that video today. Fast forward three years and I was selected for a newly created role to turn around Entertainment Weekly magazine newsstand performance. There was no template. No data. No support. And I served two divergent masters. Trial by fire. And to be certain, there were no leadership development courses and no formal coaches or mentors at my disposal. There was plenty of guidance and feedback; after I'd stepped in it. But, I persevered and was absolutely better for it.
You might say my leadership journey began at the school of hard knocks. And from this happenstance experience, my career became one of either launching new teams or turning around underperforming teams. It was rarely 'business as usual'. As my leadership skills matured, the roles became intentional. My leadership skills were built on these high stakes moments or how I describe them as "experiences".
Experiences > Experience.
We shouldn't conflate experience with experiences. The former is measured simply, and only by time. The latter is characterized by high stakes moments where knowledge, skills (communication, emotional intelligence etc) and character traits are challenged. I’m fortunate for the opportunities to have led in just about every challenging dynamic there is. These high stakes moments (experiences) accelerated my leadership development and inform how I lead, coach and mentor today.
Experiences applied:
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The risk: Our succession pool for senior sales leaders was shallow.
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The challenge: Accelerate the development, through experiences, of our best junior leader.
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The tension: Short term, our manager stood to lose quite a bit in terms of both compensation and recognition.
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The outcome: We moved our high potential manager from a fully staffed, high performance team to a new underperforming team where they would be challenged to change the culture, replace underperforming employees, reorganize the region and likely spend an inordinate amount of time with our Human Resources and Legal teams. In short, we were accelerating their development with challenging experiences they likely would have needed 5+ years to experience. This manager would be elevated to a senior level leadership role within two years and the organization was stronger for it.
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The leadership principle: Leaders develop their people.
I learned how to be an effective leader through failure, through emulation and through contrarianism. But that wasn't enough. Fortunately, I had great mentors, both formal and informal, who've provided insight, perspective, and guidance that challenged me appropriately along my leadership journey. Leadership is a craft, a skill, which can be developed by anyone. And it doesn’t require a title. I was inspired by my mentors to teach and to share my experiences; to pay it forward.
This is the genesis for Maverick Leadership.
The mission: To build extraordinary leaders.
The vision: Become obsolete.
Too often, we conflate management with leadership. We lead people and manage tasks, but leadership is about people. The only sustainable competitive advantage an organization has is their people, culture and leadership. Prioritize this and you and your organization will be well on your way to winning the long game.
I am originally from Oklahoma - Boomer Sooner - and attribute much of my sensibilities and strong work ethic to this heritage. My career has taken me to just about every time zone in the U.S. and I've traveled to every state. These experiences have not only provided a cadre of friendships nationally, but also fueled my curiosity and passion for learning, as well as an openness to different cultures and different points of view.
When I'm not working, you can usually find me on the golf course, photographing wildlife (really, chasing bears), or working on the property here in the Blue Ridge mountains of Western Carolina.
Interested in learning more about how we can partner to ensure you and your teams are prepared to engage, lead, and elevate your organization's performance? I’m easy to find, easier to work with—and deeply invested in helping leaders rise when it matters most.”
Matt Denham
