Thank you to the 1,000 leaders who’ve generously done the 7 questions!

I hope reading helps you in your leadership.

Cheers,

Jonno White

7 Questions with Dannah Mayo

Name: Dannah Mayo

Current title: VP Operations

Current organisation: OnTarget Partners

Dannah began her career with OnTarget Partners 13 years ago as a research associate, transitioning to a Business Developer within the following year & most recently has been appointed as the VP Operations. By continually and successfully maintaining the marriage between client expectation and OnTarget output, Dannah remains focused on providing direct marketing and demand generation solutions that fit the client’s needs. Dannah works closely with client sales leaders to create and maintain a seamless flow of information and data as she feels the ability to effectively and accurately quantify opportunity pipeline value is integral to the success of any marketing campaign. Dannah works closely with OnTarget’s sales and marketing team to provide effective and salient messaging to the marketplace on behalf of our clients.
Dannah lives in Fort Worth Texas with her boyfriend, Isaac, daughter Aryn & their two dogs. In her spare time Dannah enjoys traveling, reading and spending family time out on the golf course.

1. What have you found most challenging as a leader of a small or medium enterprise?

There are two main challenges that we are always working to eliminate & that is creating efficient processes & recruiting the right people!

2. How did you become a leader of an SME? Can you please briefly tell the story?

I started in an entry level position, learning the ins and outs of the most basic parts of our business. Over time I worked in various positions within our company & building my knowledge base around our industry, rising through the ranks as my understanding & experience grew.

3. How do you structure your work days from waking up to going to sleep?

I typically start my day with the first hour and a half reserved for myself before starting my work day. I am a huge fan of time blocking, be it my own personal tasks or work related. I spend time each Friday reviewing my schedule, my goals and things that need to be accomplished the following week & creating the next week’s schedule. At the end of a typical work day I wind down by cooking dinner for my family, spending time with them and ending the evening with my days reading.

4. What’s the most recent significant leadership lesson you’ve learned?

Fear is not a productive employee motivation strategy and is much more hurtful to the culture of your business than it is helpful in any way.

5. What’s one book that has had a profound impact on your leadership so far? Can you please briefly tell the story of how that book impacted your leadership?

Dare to Lead by Brene Brown has been the most impactful recently. Allowing vulnerability in the workplace has allowed our teams to make more bold & brave decisions without fear of failure & helped to improve communication.

6. How do you build leadership capacity in an SME?

Through the fostering of a team environment, transparency with our team and clarity on why decisions have been made. But most important is the courage and curiosity to listen & not just direct.

7. What is one meaningful story that comes to mind from your time as a leader of an SME so far?

The biggest learning for me hasn’t been a particular story, but more observing leaders that I have worked for and the realization that in order for you to be effective you have to have the respect & the trust of those that you are leading.