077 Sangram Vajre on leading by influence

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Sangram Vajre became a marketer by chance and then suddenly found himself leading the marketing team of a 10 billion dollar company. His unlikely journey from science major to marketing expert has shaped his leadership style, but nothing has shaped it more than his coming to know Christ and learning to model his leadership after God’s.

Who is Sangram Vajre? Sangram Vajre is a self-professed marketing geek and the Co-Founder and Chief Evangelist for Terminus, a software-as-a-service company that build account-based marketing software. Before starting Terminus, Sangram led the marketing team at Pardot, a 100-person startup, which was eventually acquired by SalesForce through ExactTarget, leaving Sangram in charge of the marketing department for a 10 billion dollar company. Sangram came to the United States in 2005 for graduate school at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa where he earned a Master’s in Science. He then became a marketer by default as he helped launch and run a startup. He fell in love and has never looked back. Sangram is also the author of the 2016 book Account-Based Marketing.

It’s Sangram’s mission to lead his teams by influence and to show other entrepreneur’s that it is possible to lead in such a way. He believes so passionately in this model that he took a step back from his position as head of marketing at his own company, choosing to eliminate all direct reports, in order to focus on leading by doing, not directing.

Quotes:

“I’m going to give my best, and if I fail, that’s fine. I have my purpose, I have my calling. I’m living what I think God is asking me to do.” — Sangram

“My success or failure isn’t dependent on how well my company does. My success depends on how well I’m able to spread the light God has given me.” — Sangram

“I have no direct reports on paper. I am 100% leading by influence.” — Sangram

“You have to start trusting others by starting to trust God. The reason He is putting people in your life is that He knows you need these people to move.” — Sangram

Action Steps:

• Andy Stanley, pastor at North Point Community Church says: “Do something that breaks your heart.” Is that how you would describe your Bold Idea?
• Does your Bold Idea recognize a problem and create a solution for it?
• Don’t let the scorecard for your life be based on how well your business is doing.
• Your direction as entrepreneur does not have to be the one set in stone. Open yourself up to input from trusted people around you.

Resources mentioned:

• Official website: terminus.com
• Daily podcast: flipmyfunnel.com
• Connect with Sangram on LinkedIn and Twitter.
• Account Based Marking by Sangram Vajre 

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