--- title: The best professional gift EVER description: One of the most important leadership skills is to understand yourself, to have an accurate map of who you are. This is the story of an unlikely nudge. image: https://www.daveshep.co/hubfs/The%20best%20professional%20gift%20ever.png --- # The best professional gift EVER Post by [David Shepherd](https://www.daveshep.co/author/david-shepherd) October 23, 2019 ![The best professional gift EVER](https://www.daveshep.co/hubfs/The%20best%20professional%20gift%20ever.png) Four years ago, I was given the best professional gift I’ve ever received. A young BDR on my team summoned her courage and confronted me. In very few words, she expressed that my team didn’t know what I stood for and that the confusion was causing problems. No one knew what I cared about or what scorecard I kept. I was floored, but I promised her I’d solve it. It took me months to wrack my brain to put it down on paper; to outline my beliefs, what I stood for, and how I saw the world. Ultimately, I came up with six values that helped my team get better alignment and results. In the end, my team went on to hit quota for 30 straight months. I’ve continued to modify these beliefs and I’m now in the process of re-evaluating my principles that help me navigate life and work. It’s an ongoing process of refinement. This last week, I got more good news. The young BDR was recently promoted to a manager after rising through the ranks as a sales rep. I’m excited for her and hope that she continues to lead with that same courage that helped me. I also hope she documents her own principles. Sales leaders, what values do you hold most dear? Share this article on social media ![dave-shep](https://www.daveshep.co/hubfs/dave-shep.png) #### Dave Shepherd Welcome! This is my online home, 'get started' to get a bit about me and what interests me. [ Start Here ](https://www.daveshep.co/start-here) #### Newsletter