Guest Speaker Series – Laurence Langstone – SDM at Workday

Newcastle to New York

Since graduating from Newcastle University in 2016, Laurence Langstone’s career has progressed rapidly. He began as an SDR in 2017 and is now living in New York as a Corporate Sales Development Manager at Workday. Yesterday he gave our Academy students at SaaSLeads.io a talk about the 7 intrinsic drivers of Employee Engagement and how to utilise them to accelerate their careers, as he did for his own.

SaaS Sales as a pathway to expedite your career

To Laurence, SaaS Sales is a new and exciting industry which is “very much in its infancy, but also a great pathway to expedite your career”.  However, he also makes no bones about the fact that his success comes down to working hard. At the heart of his drive to work hard is his recognition of the importance of employee engagement.

The 7 intrinsic drivers of Employee Engagement

In total, there are 14 drivers of employee engagement; 7 are intrinsic and the other 7 are extrinsic. Laurence delved into the intrinsic drivers during his talk to show us how we can use them to our advantage.

1. Accomplishment. Lots of startups think that bringing in a pool table or vending machine will increase employee engagement, but it’s better to increase someone’s sense of accomplishment and show recognition            for their accomplishments. Laurence advised us to set clear goals and objectives, learn from failure, and celebrate the small wins.

2. Autonomy. This has a huge impact on productivity. It is important to manage your own time effectively, outline your own goals, and prove that you are able to hold yourself accountable to being productive.

3. Growth. The best ways to grow in your career are to find mentors who provide career-enhancing functions, take ownership of your own development, don’t run before you can walk, and use time outside working hours to stay ahead of the competition.

4. Meaningful work. Lean into your strengths and interests, assume more responsibility, remind yourself how your role supports the success of others in your team, and connect with others in the business.

5. Peer relationships. It is essential to trust and effectively collaborate with your colleagues.  To improve on this, you should take genuine interest in others, lead by example, demonstrate empathy, and recognise the work of your peers.            

6. Recognition. It’s nice to hear that you’ve done a good job but you need to understand why and how you’ve done a good job. Laurence recommends asking for feedback regularly, recognising the work of others and making yourself visible.           

7. Workload. Employee burnout can take hold when we feel like our workload is insurmountable. Laurence advises that you should respect your own time, set clear priorities and goals, avoid multitasking and context-switching, use your calendar to lay all your tasks out, and don’t be afraid to take time off.                      

These 7 drivers are important in any role. Acknowledging and improving on them is a great way to boost your productivity and career.  As Laurence asserts: “be conscious of the opportunities you have”.