{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Courageous Leadership: Making Tough Calls Under Pressure with Gretchen Fitzgibbons","description":"In this episode recorded at the Presales Collective Leadership Next Summit in November of 2025, Jack Cochran sits down with Gretchen Fitzgibbons, Senior Manager of Strategic Solutions Consulting at Airtable, to discuss what it means to be a courageous leader in presales. They explore how to make difficult decisions under pressure, navigate organizational politics with integrity, and build the support systems that enable consistent leadership. Gretchen shares powerful stories from her two decades of experience advising Fortune 500 customers and leading presales teams, including standing up for a team member being unfairly assessed and creating win-win solutions in challenging situations. Follow Us   Connect with Jack Cochran: https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/jackcochran\/   Connect with Gretchen Fitzgibbons: https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/gretchenfitzgibbons\/   Links and Resources Mentioned   Join Presales Collective Slack: https:\/\/www.presalescollective.com\/slack   Sol\/Con 2026: https:\/\/www.presalescollective.com\/solcon-2026&amp;nbsp;   Book mentioned: Think Again by Adam Grant: https:\/\/adamgrant.net\/book\/think-again\/&amp;nbsp;   Book mentioned: Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman:  https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/book\/show\/11468377-thinking-fast-and-slow&amp;nbsp;   Key Topics Covered   Redefining Courage and Leadership   Making Tough Calls: Standing Up for Team Members   Focusing on Your Team rather than on Yourself   How to Prepare for a Leadership Role   It\u2019s OK to be Wrong   Developing Your Leadership Skills   Grounding Principles for Leadership   Timestamps 00:00 Welcome and Introduction 02:14 Defining Courage and Leadership in Presales 05:15 Making Tough Calls: A Story of Standing Up for What's Right 11:20 Focusing on Your Team rather than on Yourself 22:07 How to Prepare for a Leadership Role 27:40 It\u2019s OK to be Wrong 30:30 Developing Leadership Skills 37:42 Final Takeaways and Grounding Principles ","author_name":"Presales Podcast by Presales Collective","author_url":"https:\/\/www.presalescollective.com\/","html":"<iframe title=\"Libsyn Player\" style=\"border: none\" src=\"\/\/html5-player.libsyn.com\/embed\/episode\/id\/39930420\/height\/90\/theme\/custom\/thumbnail\/yes\/direction\/forward\/render-playlist\/no\/custom-color\/88AA3C\/\" height=\"90\" width=\"600\" scrolling=\"no\"  allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen><\/iframe>","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/assets.libsyn.com\/secure\/content\/198033120"}