Sarah Bost Manley

I attribute my success to the brand I've built for myself. In the channel, you really are your own brand, and I think that when people hear my name, they know that person is going to be there for me, that person is going to answer the phone, and that if I bring her in, she's going to resolve the issue. It's really the brand I've built, or what some might call a reputation, but I call it a brand. That brand carries through every company that you join, and that's what I'm most proud of. I build relationships that last a lifetime - when I started in the channel, I still have relationships with those people to this day. Being reliable and consistent is key in this industry, and I really enjoy people. Building that trust and getting to know people is my favorite part, and that's what makes every day interesting.

One of the best pieces of career advice I ever received was that if you're not challenged, it's time to find a different position. Your work should always challenge you, and if you're not challenged, you're not growing. You always want to be uncomfortable - which is what we all don't want to be - but you want to be challenged, you want to be uncomfortable in order to grow. That advice has really stuck with me and shaped how I approach my career.

I would say you have to focus on the big picture. I know, especially when I was younger in my career, it's so easy to get so fixated on your one little bubble because it's everything to you. But when you do that, you miss the opportunity to really look at the priorities of the company as a whole. When you're so fixated on your day-to-day, or what's unfair in that moment for you, you miss a lot of growth opportunities, and you also put yourself in a position where people aren't going to respect you as a growing leader because you're so narrowly focused. You really have to prioritize, look at the big picture, do the right thing, and not narrowly focus on your own moment. Really just try to understand the company that you're in, the goals, and how you can help meet those goals rather than just focusing on yourself.

Doing the right thing is most important to me. There's a lot of people in this industry that will do things for the benefit of their wallet, whether that means taking advantage of other people, taking advantage of the system, or being dishonest. It's very easy in this industry to be unethical to try and make money. But if you really care about your brand, and not just chasing the money of that moment, but doing the right thing - even if it means you don't make as much money, even if it means you don't win that sale - I want to make sure that you're treating people well and that you're making decisions that's best for the company as a whole, and not for yourself in that moment. That's a big one for me.