How To Succeed on the Road to Senior Leadership

In this episode, Mike Crandall sits down with Ryan Jacob, President of GRA Services, about succeeding on the road to senior leadership using Sandler's Success Triangle: Attitude, Behavior, and Technique. Ryan describes developing optimism, curiosity, and emotional discipline; practicing consistent follow-through and data-driven processes; and applying Sandler's techniques like Up-Front Contracts and Reversing—first as a sales student and contributor, then as a Leader.

As President, Ryan reframes these tools internally to sell change, align expectations, reduce defensiveness, and build trust, emphasizing that teams feel leadership's emotions and follow consistent actions. He highlights GRA Services' rapid growth supporting utility infrastructure with a pole-setting foam product, and credits the Sandler communities' shared language for accelerating execution and decision-making.

Core takeaways from this episode: Maintain an "Abundance Mindset" with emotional discipline. Model consistent behaviors to shape culture. And use clear Up-Front Contracts to eliminate confusion and resentment.

Chapter 1: Opening and Podcast Framework

00:00:02 – 00:00:39 Dave Matson introduces the "How to Succeed" podcast and its focus on the Success Triangle: attitudes, behaviors, and techniques. He sets the expectation to explore how top performers think and act to reach and maintain success.

Chapter 2: Meet the Host and Guest; Topic Setup

00:00:39 – 00:02:06 Host Mike Crandall introduces himself and his guest, Ryan Jacob, president of Gray Services. The episode's theme is succeeding on the road to senior leadership through BAT (Behavior, Attitude, Technique), framed by Ryan's long journey from sales student to company president.

Chapter 3: Ryan's Early Sales Roots and Mentorship

00:02:06 – 00:02:59 Ryan shares his background in professional selling and his connection with Mike through UCO's collegiate sales program. He explains how early mentorship and applying learned concepts at work led to tangible results and an enduring professional relationship.

Chapter 4: Attitude Foundations as a Sales Student

00:02:59 – 00:05:27 Ryan emphasizes embracing struggle, maintaining optimism, and staying calm and curious. He highlights asking strong questions, using disqualification when appropriate, and building momentum through repeated effort as core attitude differentiators.

Chapter 5: Behaviors that Create Opportunity