Aircall General Manager Gianna Scorsone Reveals the Keys to an Impactful Career

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Gianna Scorsone is the general manager and head of North America at the unicorn Aircall. Aircall is a cloud-based voice platform that integrates with popular productivity and helpdesk tools. Aircall was built to make phone support as easy to manage as any other business workflow—accessible, transparent, and collaborative.

The skills you learn in a sales job

I thrived, and ’til this day, I’ve learned practices that I deeply believe in. It shaped my leadership style as a coach. It gave me the ability to give excellent customer service in a very fearless way, prospect at the same time [as] trying to identify who is going to sell [and] what are their signals. And then, it [sales] allowed me to learn how to use my voice and my presence to speak to a group through a personalized way.

[Sales] also builds fundamental skills that are going to translate into so many different areas…

I ultimately [am] just playing on the on the idea of be[ing] a really good person, utiliz[ing] active listening skills, utiliz[ing] strong communication to effectively try and get buy-in into whatever it is you’re trying to convey, and that’s how you get strong impact. These are lessons that are going to help you no matter what your career is.

I found [sales] really beneficial to starting my career… [It] really help[ed] me navigate the business world and shap[e] myself as a leader.

Job interview tips from a tech executive

Number one piece of advice is practice, practice, practice, practice.

Practice when it’s a low-stakes scenario, maybe even go in[to] some interviews that you don’t care about so that you start to understand the questions that are being asked. And again, it’s very low stake. You’re not going to care as much. Your nerves won’t come into play as much. You’ll be able to perform better. That’s a form of practice.

[The] second thing is [to] be you and to really find a style of communication that works for you.

… Find people that you’re very comfortable with and start sharing ideas. It’s going to build your confidence; it’s going to allow you to figure out how to communicate effectively and how your words are hitting. Is it making the impact, and does it have the intent that you want it to?

I would say for [a] more introverted or shy person, it’s also going to allow you to use your voice and start to learn… how to project and how to pause where you need to pause to sedate some of those nerves…

The importance of the thank-you email after a job interview

[When] we feel like we flopped a question or you hear something that we didn’t answer to the best of our ability… that’s where the thank-you email comes into play.

Hey, Jack, thanks so much for the interview today. Upon thinking about it, [I] have to be honest, I didn’t really feel that I answered this question the way that I wanted to… My words didn’t have the impact that I inten[ded]… Here’s what I really mean. Let me know if you have any other questions; happy to hop back on a call—very excited about this role.

You could use that thank you to readdress something… Truly, if it comes off sincere, that’s amazing. It shows vulnerability; it shows self-reflection. It shows that they can coach themselves. It shows boldness. It shows that there truly is this relationship that they want to have [and an] openness to communication. I will look for people like that all day long.

How to make the transition to becoming a manager

Discover the type of leader that you want to be. What is important to you? Because that’s going to stand the tallest, it’s going to come off as the most authentic, which means that you’re going to get the most buy-in. People really gravitate towards people who are very comfortable with themselves.

[The] second is understanding what today’s workforce wants. I love this generation of workforce because they want to be socially conscious. They want us to do right by each other.

I develop this culture of sure you want to be number one, but you [should] want your teammates to be numbers 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.

Why you shouldn’t pretend to be someone you’re not at work

I used to be called “The Hammer.” I was called “The Pit Boss.” And it felt wrong. It was not authentic. I drove results and all of it, but I was miserable. And [the people] around me were miserable… That doesn’t work.

People’s true colors show. They just always come out in the end.

[Before] we needed to adapt, and we needed to blend. That’s no longer the case, which I think is really beautiful.

How to push back against peer pressure and impostor syndrome at work

Remember, firstly, that you deserve it. You need to be your strongest advocate.

The reality is that you might communicate differently. We all have different experiences, and we all have different needs as a result of that. It’s really important to communicate [your different needs].

Find a sponsor and an internal champion who could help guide you within the organization to understand some of the politics… [and] can really help you learn how to navigate it so that you could feel like you can be yourself and have that liaison there who’s guiding you.

Really know your why and what you want so that you can more easily express that in a way where people really see what you want to bring to the table.

The key to a promotion

I’d also say have an open and fluid dialogue, if possible, with your boss and your boss’ bosses. Talk about what you’re looking for in your career, and what you are, and what they’re looking for in the next steps.

If what you want is a promotion… creat[e] a sponsor out of your boss and your boss’s boss. Say, “Hey, this is where I want to go; here’s what you’ve laid out and what I need to work on, right?” Ask them for that help.

It’s really [about] flipping the conversation to make it more about impact in the organization, more about your goals, and what you want to drive within the organization to really get them on board to become your sponsor and to help develop you.

What is the company culture like at Aircall?

It’s a betterment culture of we’re going to help each other, but I can best help you if I’m really inform[ed]… of how I need to improve.

We actually broke down silos. We [have] cross-team collaboration… [with] a framework called win-learn-change. Every [few] weeks, the same six people get together, and they’re using this framework to identify ways that they can improve by really touching light on the wins that they had, some “learns” that they had, and some changes they are going to make… on a weekly basis.

… I believe that I work for my employees. I don’t work for the top, and my role is to help others succeed.

[We] really figure out what needs to be [a] set process, non-negotiable versus the flexibility where culture can really guide how it works and how it happens organically… Fold in the people who built [the company] because they know best.

… I have a zero ego, zero asshole policy on my team, period. I say that in every interview. My whole team knows this. All of my VPs and directors say the same thing, and that trickles down… because [being a jerk] is counterintuitive to growth.

… We’re constantly thinking of ways to better ourselves, better our process, and better the environment around us… If you’re not part of the solution, then you’re part of the problem… At Aircall, [we do] not point out problems and instead point out solutions.