Few leaders have a leadership tree like Sam Blond so I wanted to get to the bottom of what he’s done to create this incredible group of leaders.
- Matt Plank, CRO at Rippling
- Hannah Willson, SVP Sales at Modern Health
- Jameson Yung, SVP Sales at Gong
- Robby Allen, CRO at AgentSync
- Ashley Kelly, VP Global Sales Development at Rippling
- Brandon Boyle, VP Sales at 11x.ai
- Ryan Basch, VP Sales at Verifiable
- Justin Geller, VP Sales at Gong
- Lizzie Rouleau, VP Sales at Rippling
Here are Sam’s core insights on identifying talent, building high-performance teams, and fostering leadership.
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1. Success Starts with Talent Density
For Sam, the foundation of a high-performing team is “talent density.” His strategy at Zenefits and Brex was to stack top-tier talent together and let them push each other to excel. He creates a hyper competitive system where highly talented reps can compete with the best. “When you rise to the top of that system then it means you are special," Sam said. Then you can promote from that group with confidence and Sam shared “I bias heavily toward promoting from within.” At Zenefits, Sam’s first line management group was entirely promoted from within and at Brex, it was close to that.
The impact? A group of leaders that is proven in your system and have massive credibility with the reps they manage and can hold a high bar for effort and attitude. “You need people who set the tone for positivity and hard work,” he said, emphasizing that these qualities are essential for future leaders to emulate.
2. Promote Internally but Only When It’s a ‘Heck Yes’
While Sam values internal promotions, he believes they should happen only when the candidate is an absolute “heck yes.” This mindset helped him avoid promoting based on urgency and instead focus on individuals who were genuinely prepared for leadership.
This is even more important for second line leadership. Sam shared that if he had a superstar internal candidate for second line, he would promote from within but if not then he would go external and hire a bar raising leader.
3. The Power of Hiring for Potential Over Experience
"At Brex, we hired many first-time sales reps and managers. We looked for raw talent and the ability to learn quickly rather than just experience." This was one of the ways that Sam builds talent density. He was able to hire incredible people on the ascent of their careers.
Sam highlighted the success Brex found in focusing on candidates' potential. By investing in training and development, they built a high-performing team that was deeply ingrained in the company's culture and mission. These high agency individuals can figure out a lot from there.
4. Scale Leadership by Teaching Managers to Hire Better Than Themselves
For Sam, a great leader is someone who can hire people “better than them” in specific roles. This skill becomes crucial as companies expand and need specialized talent in areas like Revenue Operations or Enterprise Sales.
Sam shared that his most successful leaders at Zenefits were those who weren’t afraid to hire talent that complemented their weaknesses. This “hire smarter” mindset creates a team where each leader enhances the organization’s overall expertise.
When you start learning from your leaders and they bring unique strategic insights, that’s a signal you have someone that meets this bar. That’s what Sam is looking for in the interview process to identify this type of hire.
5. Avoid Rushing Senior Hires: Quality Over Urgency
Reflecting on past hiring decisions, Sam cautioned against prioritizing urgency over quality when hiring senior leadership. “Trading off quality for urgency actually costs you far more time,” he explained, adding that a poor hire can set the entire organization back, wasting time on onboarding and adjustment.
This experience has made him cautious about waiting for the right fit, especially in senior roles. While startups often feel pressured to scale quickly, patience in hiring can prevent costly setbacks. We’ve all been there, “The search had been going on for too long and I probably felt pressure that this function needs to exist and the business is suffering because it doesn't. I convinced myself that this is definitely the best person. When I think about it, it probably wasn't true.”
6. Never Be Satisfied - The Growth Mindset of High-Performing Leaders
Sam’s approach to leadership and career growth is rooted in a drive for continuous improvement. “Never be satisfied. The moment you feel like you’ve made it is when your growth plateaus,” he shared. This perspective has guided him through his roles at EchoSign, Zenefits, and Brex and fuels his new venture. His advice? Keep pushing your limits and stay curious; the best leaders never stop learning.
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