How to build stronger teams and achieve business growth in the Services Era
This article is written by Kris Kildahl, Certinia’s Chief People Officer. Kris’s primary focus is creating an environment where employees can thrive personally and professionally to deliver great outcomes for our customers and the business. Here she shares insights on building stronger teams in the Services Era.
The professional services sector is gaining momentum, with 85% of firms planning to expand their teams in 2024 and 50% targeting growth over 10% (according to the 2024 Global Service Dynamics Report). This surge presents leaders with both opportunities and challenges: How can we develop talent, retain top performers, and create high-impact teams that deliver sustainable growth?
For International Services Week, I connected with leaders across B2B technology and professional services to uncover strategies for empowering teams and fostering career advancement. Their insights provide practical guidance for building environments where employees can grow, innovate, and drive lasting business success.
Here’s what they shared, along with key takeaways for business leaders:
Empower Employees with Your Trust
“Give employees a chance to do their best work, without micromanaging. Give them a sense of purpose. Reward, and recognize, based on what’s important to them, versus what is important to you. If you don’t trust employees to work at home, you should not hire them.”
— David Sly, President of Ideba Marketing
Takeaway: Create a culture of trust and autonomy. Align recognition with individual values and remove unnecessary oversight to empower employees and drive performance.
Align Goals for Actionable Progress
“I’ve been surprised by the number of times goals are misunderstood until voiced… Be clear on the one major goal the team or organizer has, and clarify if it’s correct. Before walking away, assign both yourself and your team action items to keep the ball moving forward.”
— Billy Durrett, Head of Customer Service, Avaamo
Takeaway: Foster alignment by clearly defining goals in every discussion. Assign actionable next steps to ensure accountability and maintain momentum across teams.
Advocate for Curiosity
“Organizations that thrive in engagement tend to have three things in common: a culture of recognition, opportunities for growth, and a strong sense of purpose. When people feel valued, see a path for their own development, and understand how their work contributes to a bigger mission, they’re far more likely to stay. I’m a big advocate for creating a culture of curiosity. I encourage my team to ask questions, challenge assumptions, and explore new tools. One of the free activities we’ve used is the VIA Character Strengths assessment. It helps each team member identify their core strengths and provides a shared language to leverage those strengths in your work.”
— Hannah Johnson, Senior Vice President of Strategy at CompTIA
Takeaway: Build curiosity into your culture. Recognize contributions, promote growth, and provide tools for self-awareness to keep employees engaged and motivated.
Invest in Continuous Learning
“Offer everyone the chance to continuously learn through access to educational materials or a learning budget… When employees feel both challenged and supported, engagement and retention increase.”
— Kristin Biddie, Senior Director of Customer Success at Loopio
Takeaway: Support continuous learning by offering development resources. Balancing challenges with support builds engagement, drives retention, and fosters growth.
Encourage Cross-Department Mentorship
“My most influential mentor… mentored me on things beyond the role I was in. She taught me how to seek out opportunities that showcased me beyond a Services leader and was also an amazing champion to have in my corner.”
— Rachel Montgomery, Chief Customer Officer at PatientNow
Leadership Insight: Facilitate mentorship across departments to expose employees to new perspectives and career paths. Encourage mentoring relationships that expand individual growth and foster broader development.
Success requires a thoughtful blend of trust, curiosity, continuous learning, and mentorship. Thank you to all the leaders who shared their insights during Services Week. As you guide your teams forward, keep setting goals, keep learning, and keep leading—and most importantly, celebrate every “growth” win, big and small.
