We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful James Nelson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with James below.

James, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Talk to us about building a team – did you hire quickly, how’d you recruit the first few team members? Any interesting lessons?

I have gained a wealth of knowledge and experience since starting my career journey on the phone as an agent and working my way thru the ranks to hold positions as a Team Lead, Supervisor, Manager, Associate Director, and eventually Director of Operations, leading a team of 1,100 + employees for the largest wireless carrier in the cellular industry. In addition to telecommunications, I have led teams in a wide range of business sectors such Cyber-Security, Utilities, Solar Energy, Chemical Distribution, Transportation and others.

What I’ve found is the need for strong Leadership is Universal and in order to build high performance teams, you must hone the skills necessary for gaining commitment and buy-in early. My objective is to share insights and approaches that have worked for me no matter what industry I found myself leading teams. My goal is to help new leaders/managers avoid some of the pitfalls and mistakes I made early in my career.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

These data points from an article of 22 Inspiring Leadership Statistics for a Successful 2022 made me think: – 79% of people will quit their job due to the lack of appreciation from Leaders!
– 69% of Millennials believe there is a lack of leadership development in the workplace
– 83% of enterprises believe it’s important to develop leaders at all levels in a company
– Yet ONLY 5% of companies have integrated leadership development in their corporations
As I read the above stats, they affirmed my decision to author my book: The Six C’s of Leadership – How to Gain Commitment & Buy-In Early. My purpose/Mission is to help New Leaders build high performing and committed teams. Also, anyone starting or taking over a new team should consider the following Six C’s when hiring, coaching, developing their teams.

Any advice for managing a team?

The first bit of advice is to recognize that Leadership is about People, Vision, and Influence NOT Power. You must take time to get to know your people and meet them where they are. You must understand that your title does not denote Leadership because without Connection and Communication people will not buy-in or follow you. As I’ve heard it said that you must make a connection before you can give direction still rings true. In addition to connection and communication, in my book, The Six C’s of Leadership: How to Gain Commitment and Buy-In Early, I also share the importance of understanding the Culture before making sweeping changes, driving a message of Consistency and promoting an environment of Collaboration will ultimately foster Commitment amongst your team. High Morale is the result of a team with clear goals and objectives and a sense of belonging and ownership. When people feel apart of the process and not simply an employee number, morale seems to be high.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I highly recommend any of John Maxwell’s Leadership series. I am currently reading both Leadership Gold & The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth. Each of these books have provided profound insights into helping individuals grow personally and professionally. I am currently working towards my JMT Certification.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jamesnelsonleads.com
• Instagram: jamesnelsonleads
• Facebook: JamesNelson
• Linkedin: JamesNelson
• Twitter: @Nelson93James