Ben L. - Senior Manager of Sales Training & Enablement

Tell us a little about your role and your team. Here at Groupon they walk the talk with Training, Development and Enabling people to perform. I am blessed to lead an amazing team of influential managers who assist in the development of new hires during their onboarding phase and who also make an impact in our organization through facilitating continuous educational offerings year round, in various forms of media that appeal to all adult learning styles. We also are happy to support the development of our talent with our path to leadership, and mentorship programming.

Are you in any Employee Resource Groups? I have proudly been an active member of the PRIDE+ at Groupon ERG since I joined the team and even facilitated leadership and support roles. A few years ago we evolved from being just the Pride Parade ERG to becoming an ERG that hosts community dialog sessions, participates in external events, invites external LGBTQIA+ leaders/merchants/international partners into conversations on real issues that face our family. We also have hosted educational offerings on the letters of Pride, representation and why it matters, expanding on Allyship, etc. So a lot to be proud of with Pride!

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You’ve been at Groupon for 4 years. What has kept you here? I have been at Groupon for over 4 years and I am so very proud to work for an organization that encourages a diverse workforce to bring their most authentic self to work. It is also such a great feeling to make a difference in people's career paths and level up their skills that foster growth for years to come.

What has been your proudest moment so far at Groupon? I think my proudest moment is being able to participate in our volunteer events. We have done some epic work in filling food banks with the “Pack Shack” events (as pictured) which is helping our communities in need right here where we work and live. We also are committed to making virtual and financial contributions with Kiva and other fundraising opportunities. Some companies have the “Talk” about community engagement, here at Groupon we really do “WALK THE TALK” in giving back and live it with our meaningful values.

What do you love about your job? I have been working in the Leadership & Development space for over 20 years, been with a few organizations and everyone always says it’s the People. But this environment truly is an amazing group of people and leaders. It’s in our DNA to lead, mentor, develop and grow as sales professionals. We invest in our talent to thrive and I am excited about our future!

Have you won any awards at Groupon? I am so grateful to have been nominated and awarded one of the Quarterly - Global Green Awards last year for “Respect, Integrity and Inclusion”. The Green Awards are our way of recognizing teammates from around the globe who have demonstrated their commitment to living our core values. Winners are selected from nominations submitted by colleagues in all parts of the company and you’ll recognize winners by their custom green Chuck Taylor sneakers — a fitting trophy for Grouponers who are “walkin’ the talk!’”

How would you describe your leadership style? I believe I am a situational leader who flexes their style to meet the needs of the individual with the right amount of direction and support when they need it.

What do you look for when you hire? I look for effective communicators who are passionate about something.

You oversee a large team. How would you describe your managerial style? I think the best way to articulate my style is through sharing my Top 5 strengths (Tom Rath SF2.0) and they are Individualization, Discipline, Strategic, Arranger and Maximizer.

How have you grown since joining Groupon? Originally I was hired to inspire, motivate and develop divisional sales managers in the local sales organization. My role and team has evolved into a multifaceted hybrid team that focuses on onboarding, continued education, enablement and leadership development. Our programs are continuously evolving to meet the needs of our sales professionals at all levels along with personal and professional development for everyone regardless of their position.

What is one non-work activity or hobby that you're into? How did you get into it? I am really getting back into pottery after taking a decade hiatus. It has been challenging to find a potter's wheel in Chicago and Groupon helped me find a place with an easy scheduling system to use their facilities.

What was your first job? My 1st job was working at the Lakeside Pumpkin & Pinery patch. It was hard work unloading pumpkins from the trailers to fill the fields which allowed customers to pick their pumpkin for Halloween.

What do you miss about being in the office? I miss hearing the teams ring the Gong and celebrate big WINS. We also use to have some great conferences, quarterly gatherings and massive holiday parties too. You got to meet a lot of people not in your immediate network.

What’s one thing about you that surprises people? Recently in a WFH world, it’s my height. I am 6’5”!

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given? That it was time to start shaving my head, I am now a proud bald man. My thinning hair was not cute, so we took care of that.

What are three career lessons you’ve learned thus far? As a 1st time manager many moons ago I learned the big 3 lessons to be an effective leader 1) How to say yes, but not immediately right now, 2) art of delegation - when, whom and how to delegate, 3) mastering emotional intelligence - your own and understanding others with empathy.