I am very excited to provide meaningful training and content in the areas of leadership and diversity.  My background allows me to delve into these topics in a way that is different than most of the voices you may be currently listening to.  I know my uniqueness comes from a background of varied experiences.  Allow me to explain.

I have always been passionate about leadership, and the possibilities for hope, change, and a new direction.  I don't believe there is any greater calling than being able to impact people's lives in a positive way.  My goal is also to place education about diversity and it's impact at the forefront of discussions.  I've been challenged by recent movements and world turmoil to take an active role in finding solutions instead of listing all the problems.  I'm not a poly-anna, but I do err on the side of hope and not doubt or regret.

I believe I was born for this time!  I am ready, willing and able to put my more than 40 years of experience, spanning pre-K thru the collegiate graduate levels, to maximum use.  I am ready to serve in whatever capacity my new roles call for.  I am excited about the future, and I still believe that regarding my life, the best is yet to come! I look forward to making contact with you and your organization real soon!

Calvin Lawrence, Ed. D.

I’m a sales leader, coach, and builder of people.

For over 25 years, I’ve rolled up my sleeves to lead high-performing sales teams across North America, close multimillion-dollar deals, and mentor BDRs into confident closers. I don’t just hit targets, I build cultures rooted in trust, empathy, and results.

At GDI, we didn’t win big by chasing RFPs, we built real relationships. That’s how we landed seven-figure contracts. At CFIB, I helped small business owners grow across every sector through consultative sales and consistent follow-through. And most recently, I led sales training and enablement at a North American SaaS startup, building scalable onboarding systems, boosting conversions by 30%, and coaching remote reps with heart and data.

I’ve worked in startups, trained teams from scratch, and aligned sales with marketing to build real momentum. I’m Salesforce-savvy, strategy-driven, and obsessed with making people feel seen and supported while helping them outperform what they thought was possible.

What drives me? Helping good people do great things, whether it’s a young rep finding their voice or a business expanding because we asked the right questions.

Let’s connect if you believe in leading with empathy, closing with confidence, and building something that matters.  Sales Leader | BDR Coach | Culture-Builder | SaaS & Startup Growth

Kathy Obad

Recently, I met with the president of a company that relocates employees. She told me the only deals her team has closed in the past six months were those with significant discounts.

On paper, that looks like activity. Deals are closing. Revenue is coming in. But strategically, you’re training the market to see you as a negotiable commodity before your value is understood.

Sales behavior teaches the market what to expect from you. When price is the only lever, you might be moving. But you’re not building. You’re reinforcing a pattern in which the conversation starts with price rather than value.

If the only reason I’m buying is price, you’ve taught me that your value is flexible. If you make me see what makes you different, the thing you do better than anyone else, I’ll pay. Happily.

Activity feels good. Momentum feels exciting! But strategy asks a harder question: What are we training our market to believe about us?

The quick yes feeds the quarter. (I get it. I’ve carried a bag.)
The right yes builds the brand.

Discounting isn’t just a pricing decision. It’s a positioning decision.

#ValueSelling #B2BSales #RevenueGrowth #Leadership 
 
I come here to think out loud about business, health, and the human side of building things that last.

Take what’s useful. Leave the rest. 

𝓚𝓪𝓽𝓱𝔂 𝓞𝓫𝓪𝓭

Katica (Kathy) Obad

Sales Manager | Building and Leading High-Performing Teams | Exceeding Sales Goals in SaaS and B2B Environments

When I was a little kid, I so badly wanted to learn to read.

My older sister was reading. My cousins were reading. My favorite characters on Sesame Street could read. I felt like I was outside a club everyone else had already joined.

So, I did what I saw my parents do. They were blue-collar workers. When something needed to get done, they didn’t sit around thinking about it. They rolled up their sleeves. They worked harder. They pushed through. Asking for help wasn’t exactly their first move. So that’s what I did. 

I would sit with books and stare. And stare. And stare some more.  I was deeply committed to staring.

At the doctor’s offices, I would grab the magazines and study the pages. I truly believed that if I just tried hard enough, if I stared at those words long enough, eventually it would all come together. More effort. More focus. More time. Basically, just more staring and no asking for help. 

Turns out, when I started school, something became obvious.

Reading didn’t come from staring harder. It came from learning how words worked. Phonics. Sounds. Patterns. Well, that changed things!

Clear as day! It wasn’t about effort. I simply had the wrong strategy. Fast forward to right now. 

Sales teams are busy. Marketing teams are busy. Executives are busy.
But revenue is flat. Ouch!!!

Instinct is always the same: Work harder. Last week we sent 5,000 emails. This week, let’s send 10,000. Right?  More calls. More meetings. More dashboards.

Just like a little girl staring at a magazine, trying really hard, yet getting nowhere. 

High activity can hide WEAK strategy.

And strategy begins with a few uncomfortable questions. Do we genuinely understand the problem we’re looking to solve? Who are we really built for?
Are we teaching our customers something new about their problem, or just waiting for them to tell us what they need?

Because the companies that win today don’t just provide solutions.
They help people see problems they didn’t even know they had.

Are we solving the right problem for the right customer, or just chasing motion because motion feels productive?

Once those answers are clear, the activity starts to make sense.
Without them, we’re just staring at the page.

More effort doesn’t always unlock the answer. Sometimes the real shift is to step back and change the strategy.

Clear as day, no?

#BusinessStrategy #Leadership #RevenueGrowth #B2BSales

I come here to think out loud about business, health, and the human side of building things that last.

Turns out strategy is a lot like reading. Once you understand how the words work, the whole page becomes manageable. And if you’re stuck staring at the same page, it might be time to ask for help.

Take what’s useful. Leave the rest.

𝓚𝓪𝓽𝓱𝔂 𝓞𝓫𝓪𝓭

If you’ve read my posts, you know this about me: I write a lot about my kids. Not because I’m trying to be cute, but because they are epic teachers in my life. The lessons are etched in my brain! Just like the lessons from my parents!

I taught them how to walk and talk, then read and write. What they’ve brought back to me has always been unexpected and of the utmost value.

So why would I stop now? My youngest is 16.
OPDL soccer player. Straight A honor student. Ski team. School soccer team. To put it lightly, her schedule is intense.

And she wanted pocket money, she wanted her first job.

She came to me already half defeated, saying, “Who’s going to hire me when I barely have any availability?”

Although I didn’t say it aloud, in my head, I agreed. But I looked at her calendar and thought, sweet Jesus, where are you putting a job in this?

Still, we built her resume. We talked it through. And I gave her one piece of advice:

Don’t shrink your commitments.

Don’t soften them. Don’t apologize for them. Don’t lead with “I’m so sorry, I know it’s a lot,”

Walk in and OWN them. Start with them. Look the hiring manager in the eye and say, this is what I do, this is why, and this is when I can work. Period. And she did exactly that.

Four minutes into the interview, the manager stopped her, saying she’s an ideal candidate and they would be pleased to accommodate her schedule. 

Four minutes. 240 seconds! Shorter than I boil my eggs!!

What we thought would get her filtered out of the hiring process made her stand out. We thought availability was crucial.

Turns out, her unavailability presented her character as highly valuable.
What they saw was discipline. Grit. Time management. Team energy. High standards.

I kept replaying it in my head. (typical me) Not the four minutes, the part before that. We pre-reject ourselves. We walk in already explaining why we’re “not ideal. ”We try to sand down the exact edges that make us useful. I’m thinking it’s about time we stop this behaviour!!

How many times have we all been frustrated by “negative traits” that can also be seen as positive in another light?

Too busy → manages time
Too many commitments → commits
High standards → won’t settle
Too direct → clear
Too emotional → emotionally aware
Changed careers → adaptable
Not from this industry → fresh perspective
Says no → protects capacity
Too expensive → knows their value
“I’m behind → different path
“I don’t fit” → wrong room

We often label our traits through insecurity. The right room labels them through value.

I taught her how to walk and talk.
Today, she reminded me how to STAND.

Own and lead with who you are, and you’ll find the right room.

#Leadership #PersonalBranding #CareerGrowth #MindsetShift #OwnYourValue

Time is precious. Thanks for lending me a few minutes of yours.
I come here to share ideas about business, health, and the human side of building anything that lasts.
 
See you in the next one (𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒇𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈).
 
 𝓚𝓪𝓽𝓱𝔂 𝓞𝓫𝓪𝓭

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Calvin Lawrence, Ed. D.

Kathy Obad

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The Battle

Calvin Lawrence, Ed. D.

Kathy Obad

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