I help organizations create modern learning strategies for their people, partners, and customers | AE @ Docebo | 🎙Host of Stories of Selling Human

Sometimes in your life it feels like you lose everything.  

Like the year I was laid off.  Interviews pushed from COVID 19,  But then the real bomb hit,

My Dad got diagnosed Leukemia.

Just 5 months later, unfortunately my Dad passed away.  Despite losing so much, I'll never lose what my Dad taught me about life.  Things like selflessness, a relentless work ethic, and a thirst for knowledge.

His best lesson was how to create genuine connections with everyone in your life.  I've taken that approach to sales my whole life.  I’m still the 8 yr old kid who loved meeting people so much that he went door to door selling Ham and Cheese out of a catalog.

I got genuine connections out of it and the Sony Boombox I won wasn’t half bad either!

Highlights from 15 years in professional sales:

🔥 I launched a new team where I successfully recruited financial producers for a firm owned by Fran Tarkenton, Hall of Fame QB.

🔥I was named the top sales rep in an office of over 50 media sales people.  Judged not just by sales attainment but also by activity.

🔥At Monster, I sold the biggest partnership contract in the history of our team. $300k ARR, 3 year deal. 

What am I most proud of professionally?

A 15 minute meeting.  I drove 3 hours to Chicago to meet a client I’ve never met in person.  For 15 mins to say hi and drive back.  It wasn’t to close a deal.  It was just a Tuesday. 

Those “Just Tuesday” moments are why I love this gig.

I’ve had success in my career because I genuinely seek to understand people. 

An understanding strategy IS my sales strategy.

My relentlessness isn’t driven by my product or a sales number. I'm motivated by digging deeper to discover the “un-discovered” problem.   Sales is something that happens for and with your buyer not to them.  You're a guide on a discovery together with the intention to help and add value.  ALWAYS.

The best feeling in sales isn’t ringing a bell, (even though that’s always fun). 

The real joy is in being told three simple words.

“I trust you.” 

That’s what really lights me up and what I'm going for.

Finally, my approach in sales is guided by attuning yourself to what someone’s entire world is like, actively listening without any agenda, being genuine, and putting them first.

I call these things, “Selling Human”.  I practice it daily.  I think we can all do it.

I choose to study it.

If you want to learn it with me, listen to my podcast:  Sell By Being Human 
(wherever you get your podcasts)

AND for more,

Follow #sellbybeinghuman

Alex Smith

It’s Wednesday, and instead of putting out a podcast episode, I’m putting out a shout out.

Shout out to my friend Jen Mueller.

I get reached out to by lots of people to be on the Sell By Being Human Podcast  

But I was absolutely giddy when Jen’s team reached out to me to have her on.

Jen is a long time sports reporter in Seattle.

She’s covered the Mariners, Seahawks and many of the famous teams and events in that region for years.

And if that’s not enough, she has an awesome cooking show and is an engaging keynote speaker.

I always say we all can sell things through the lens of human connection.

Jen sells the value of spending time with her to the players on the team.

She’s not just asking questions.

She’s building relationships.

It’s how she sees the players that gets them to want to tell her things most reporters don’t hear.

Take a listen to how she does that effectively in our episode below. 👇 

So it meant so much for me to see this pic this morning of her on the team plane with the Superbowl trophy!

Congrats Jen.  🏆. 

You are the Champion!

#sellbybeinghuman

I help organizations make learning enjoyable across their people, partners, and customers | AE @ Docebo | 🎙Host of Sell By Being Human

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I’m getting on a plane to see my mom this week but I also need your help.

Hoping someone out there has worked with a parent that is searching for assisted living or memory care.

This week we’ll be looking at some places and its a whole journey I’ve bever been a part of before.

So always good to find people that have travelled that same journey.

I also know its big to shout out birthdays on Linkedin recently so shouting out my Mom for turning 79 this past week!

79 has brought a lot of joy and tough realizations.

She’s the same age as my Dad was when he passed away 6 yrs ago.

As your parents age you start counting experiences you’ll have with them in person on your hands.

Trying to squeeze in more time because you know it’s finite.

I always hear people say, 
I’m not ready for my parents to get there.

But its not about being ready.

You’ll never be ready.

Its about being present.

So value the time you have before it’s too late.

Lucky that we have this week and hopefully more weeks in our future to be present.

Presence is the present at 79.  😊

She wasn’t trying for the Gold.

But she got it.

I love a good comeback story and what it can teach us all.

A skater that won world championships as a 16 year old in 2019.

Her whole life was skating.

Pressure.

But she said she didn’t have the time to know herself so she left the sport.

She found joy on a ski trip.

Instead of chasing medals.
She chased joy.

The medal was a residual of joy.

In practice rounds where others were thinking over every jump.

She was taking pictures on the ice.

So it’s no wonder she skated flawlessly.

Alyssa Liu teaches us all.

Find joy first.

Your goals will follow.

#teamusa #olympics

Hey, I know that guy on the TV!  Props to Keenan for an awesome move this weekend.

Jim Keenan aka Keenan . has been a huge mentor to me from afar with his book Gap Selling.

Excited for his coming book Gap Prospecting.

Anyone who wants to know the essence of sales, I always direct them to his book.

Sales is about finding problems worth solving and he outlines it perfectly in this book.

For Christmas this year, he surprised his family with a trip to The Olympics.

To make it even sweeter, one of his daughters is in serious competition to be an athlete there one day in moguls.

Dual moguls is wild, a race to the finish with tricks in between.

I love it bc you can fall but still win with the difficulty of your tricks.

Congrats to all the medalists but especially Elizabeth Lemley who go on the podium with bronze after a tough fall.

And props to the entire Keenan clan cheering them on.

And also, like your sales skills, your sign game is on another level.

#teamusa #olympics

Today, I'm posting the last episode of my podcast.  Well sort of.  The last episode before a new look.

I've always thought that everyone in the world is in sales.
But the only ones that admit it are those with it in their job description.

So I set out to find people in every profession.
That sell things through the lens of human connection

Nurses
Magicians
Parents
Teachers
Entrepeneurs
Speakers
Marketers
HR Leaders
Learning Professionals

I've interviewed them all.

And some themes emerge when I ask people:

What does it mean to you to Sell By Being Human?

To Be Curious
To Align Yourself
To Care About The Person
To Find Value
To Listen
To Solve Problems

My 153'rd episode is with Amos Balongo.

Amos moved from Africa to America when he was a boy.
Learned English and how to make an impact through relationships.

He's now a keynote speaker and executive communications coach.

Unlikely road, maybe.  But not when you meet him.

I love his approach to speaking below.

There's a difference between:

Speaking At People
Speaking To People
And Speaking Into People

Can't wait for you to see a new look.  

More on this coming!

This year, I'm going hard into this.
Maybe it doesn't grow.  Maybe it does.
Or maybe it's a foundation for something else.

Either way, look to see more as I dig into even more professions that you never thought were in sales but are.  

And contrast them with professional sellers.

And help everyone unlock the human side of sales in your own work.

#sales #sellbybeinghuman

I help leaders, executives, career-minded folks turn their thoughts into actions.  

Passionate Coach, Leadership Facilitator, and Connector of Dots.  I use Coaching (discovery), mentoring (sharing) & consulting (advising) when working with clients to support them in their development whether in a team setting, classroom or 1 to 1.  Connecting leadership thoughts to real & realistic actions. PCC Certified.

I have worn many hats in several industries in my career and look forward to partnering with leaders and organizations to build internal leadership capability, team and individual competencies, and organizational effectiveness.

I collaborate with HR and Leadership to design and provide targeted and strategic facilitation, mentoring programs, training and coaching to meet your specific needs.

If I can’t be of service, I may know others that can meet your needs, connecting people is as important as connecting thoughts to actions.

Still learning; still growing; still excited about developing others!   

Let’s connect - email me at: Leslie@Getcourageous.com

Strengths: 
•	Executive Coaching
•	Leadership Development
•	Presentation & Messaging Coaching
•	Leadership Talent Reviews
•	Bias Awareness Coaching
•	Emerging Leader Coaching
•	Global & Career Transition Coaching
•	Skill and Knowledge Gap Assessment
•	Proactive Leadership Development
•	Creating a Learning Culture
•	Talent Management & Succession Planning 

Specialties: Talent Development, Management Development, Personal Development Planning, Succession Planning & Sales Training program development/deployment. Training program development & facilitation & career pathing. Needs analysis and ROI delivery. 

Certified in:
•	DDI
•	Fierce Conversations
•	Dare to Lead
•	Conversations (Vital Smarts)
•	Emotional Intelligence (EI); JCS & EQ-i 2.0
•	Leadership Behaviors
•	The Leadership Challenge
•	LPI
•	Hogan
•	MBTI &DiSC
•	5 Behaviors of a Cohesive Team

Leslie Mizerak

Feel weird talking about your accomplishments? You're confusing self-advocacy with bragging. 

Here's how to tell the difference.

Bragging = ego + comparison
"I'm the best at this" or "I did better than everyone else"

Self-advocacy = facts + impact
"I led this project end-to-end and we delivered two weeks early"

The shift? Stop using adjectives. Start using evidence.

Instead of: "I'm really good at leading teams"
Try: "I managed a cross-functional team of 8 and we hit all our Q4 targets"

Self-advocacy isn't about impressing people. It's about giving them the information they need to make decisions—about promotions, opportunities, or collaboration.

You're not bragging. You're communicating your value clearly.

getcourageous.com

Leslie Mizerak - Executive Coach

High performers who wreck team dynamics aren't untouchable.

A COO recently told me: "I have a leader who delivers results but leaves chaos behind them." This isn't rare but many executives struggle to address this.

The mistake? Treating results and behavior as a trade-off. They're not. One doesn't excuse the other.

When you avoid the conversation, you signal that culture is optional. Your team notices.

My Courageous Solution?

Name both truths directly: "Your work is strong. The way you give feedback is creating friction. What support do you need to change this?"

Then follow through. Because protecting a toxic high performer isn't real leadership.

Results matter. So does how you get them. Courageous leadership doesn't compromise on either.

The "hustle harder" narrative is broken.

Yes, starting a company demands intensity. But grinding 90-hour weeks is not sustainable.

It's about clarity, boundaries, and building a team that doesn't need you working yourself into the ground.

Early-stage chaos? Different story. 

But once you're scaling, your job shifts from doing everything to enabling everything. That means:

→ Setting clear expectations
→ Defining realistic timelines
→ Building systems that don't require heroics
→ Hiring people who can own outcomes

Working 80 hours isn't a badge of honor. It's often a sign you haven't built the infrastructure to scale.

The real question: Are you leading a company or just running really fast on a treadmill?

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