What Happens When the Plan Disappears and Everyone Looks at You with Brian Silengo

Описание: What do you do when the plan evaporates—and all eyes turn to you?

In this conversation, Brian Silengo shares the moment his entire sales pipeline disappeared in a single week during COVID. What followed wasn’t just a tactical pivot, but a complete rewiring of how he leads under pressure.

From building performance cultures to leading with empathy, Brian shares hard-won insights on what it really takes to scale teams, hold accountability, and stay human when nothing is certain.

Whether you’re navigating business reinvention, carrying the weight of responsibility, or leading a team through burnout and ambiguity—this one’s for you.

Topics Covered
-Leading through collapse and reinvention
-Scaling sales teams without burnout
-Founder mindsets that stall growth
-Performance vs presence in leadership
-Empathy in sales leadership
-Self-worth and leadership identity
-Holding space while holding standards


Timestamps
[00:02:00] – Brian’s entire pipeline vanishes during COVID
[00:03:50] – The emotional toll and resilience that followed
[00:10:21] – Empathy, vulnerability, and self-regulation under pressure
[00:12:00] – Transparency and accountability in sales leadership
[00:14:15] – The role of empathy in performance management
[00:18:07] – How founder mindsets can block growth
[00:22:48] – Letting go of control and empowering teams
[00:23:38] – Rapid fire: what Brian had to unlearn
[00:24:45] – You are good enough—reclaiming leadership identity
[00:26:00] – A call for collaboration: “We’re all in this together”


What You’ll Learn
-What it actually feels like to lead when your pipeline vanishes
-How to hold empathy and accountability in high-pressure roles
-Why founders struggle to let go—and what needs to shift to scale
-How to move from reactive survival to strategic clarity
-Why transparency and trust build stronger performance than control
-The one leadership belief Brian had to unlearn (and how it changed everything)

Mentioned in This Episode
-MedPick, Challenger Sale, and Force Management
-COVID-19's impact on sales pipelines and leadership
-Transparency and FMLA support in the workplace
-Sales leadership metrics and empathy balance


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Follow Brian on LinkedIn:   / briansilengo  


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The NeuroLeadership Edge Podcast is produced by Claire Hayek. All opinions are those of the host and guests. For more leadership resources, visit www.mspteambuilding.com.