Enablement

Shift ’25 Day 2: Adapt, Enable, Transform

By Tony Smith — On September 11, 2025

Another day. More sunshine. More earth-shaking sessions. 🌞 San Diego kept the vibes high, and Shift Day Two kept the inspiration rolling. From bold keynotes to candid conversations, today's sessions reminded us why enablement is the lever for transformation in a world where change keeps accelerating.

Hayden Stafford on adapting at the speed of change

Seismic President and Chief Revenue Officer Hayden Stafford opened the day with a challenge to the Shift audience: simply updating your playbook isn't enough when the rules of the game are shifting so quickly. Transformation sticks only when it changes how teams operate and turns actions into habits.

Hayden emphasized:

The pace of adaptation is accelerating. Enablement must lead the charge with a shared playbook.
The balance of humans and tech matters. Sellers need more than tools — they need clarity and confidence.
80/20 in action. Spend 80% of your time on the 20% of activities that truly move the needle and drive the biggest results.

He also reminded the audience that even as AI and automation change the game, tools alone won't close deals. At the end of the day, people still buy from people. Sellers with strong emotional intelligence and adaptability will be the ones who thrive. Technology can provide insights, but only humans can build trust, navigate complexity, and turn conversations into lasting relationships.

"Transformation works when it changes how your team operates. Enablement turns actions into habits."

Hayden Stafford

President & CRO, Seismic

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Driving agility at scale: Uber's enablement leaders

Hayden was later joined on stage by Amanda Whiteside and Shafiq Amarsi from Uber. Their conversation underscored that transformation doesn't happen through technology alone — it's a result of embedding enablement into the DNA of how organizations work, learn, and sell. For Uber, enablement is the connective tissue that allows a global, fast-moving company to stay agile while continuing to grow.

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"We've made the shift from enablement as a support function to a strategic operating system."

Shafiq Amarsi

Vice President of Delivery Commercial Operations, Uber

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Scaling enablement across industries: a panel with Toby Carrington

Later, Seismic Chief Business Officer Toby Carrington led a lively panel with leaders from Tiled, ZoomInfo, and T. Rowe Price. Together, they explored how enablement strategy flexes across industries but shares a common goal: aligning people, process, and technology to drive measurable impact. The panelists reinforced that AI-powered enablement must act as both strategist and connector — bridging what sellers need with what the business demands.

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"AI allows us to understand and replicate what makes a top seller across the entire sales organization."

James Roth

Chief Revenue Officer, Zoominfo

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Building sales plays that stick

In one breakout, attendees got hands-on with the art of building effective sales plays. The session covered everything from identifying the "why" and defining success metrics to applying Seismic Pages best practices and leveraging templates for launch. The message: great sales plays aren't ad hoc — they're intentional, measurable, and built for activation.

Social media in financial services: trust at scale

Financial services firms face a unique challenge: their brand isn't built in a single campaign — it's built in the trust their people earn and maintain with clients every day. This breakout made the case that social media isn't just another channel for engagement or promotion. It's a tremendous opportunity to amplify that trust.

Speakers emphasized a few truths:

Enablement over activation. People don't want to be "switched on." They want to be equipped to do great things and social can empower them to do just that.
Managing risk and reward. Social in financial services is a fast-moving space where compliance is critical. The opportunity lies in balancing innovation with accountability.
AI in action. Technology like Seismic LiveSocial is bringing AI into the mix, helping teams compose posts, stay compliant, and build relationships at scale.

Social media is no longer optional in financial services. It's a differentiator, and when done right, it turns trust into growth.

Finale: A masterclass in creativity from Lindsey Stirling

Day Two closed with world-renowned electronic violinist, songwriter and performer Lindsey Stirling, who enchanted the audience with her music in a rousing display of the power of human creativity. She also shared her story of navigating the music industry, lessons learned from her time on America's Got Talent, and stressed the importance of turning roadblocks into motivation and continuing to chase your dreams despite setbacks.

Her takeaways:

Chase the spark. Focus on the feeling of an idea that drives you and pursue it.
Know your "why." Let it fuel you through challenges and humble you when you feel small or feel like you're not doing enough.
Turn setbacks into fuel. Shame and doubt can drive persistence. Rejection is just another chapter in your story, not the end.
Create rituals that restore and refresh your perspective. Visualization and practice unlock breakthroughs. Lindsey also regularly uses breathwork and manifestation to achieve her ultimate goals.

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"Life is full of opportunities to pivot, to tinker, and figure things out."

Lindsey Stirling

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Closing with Doug Winter

Seismic CEO Doug Winter capped off the event by challenging attendees to take a minute to pause and reflect on how far the enablement industry has come, and how it continues to empower more people across the world. He closed with an invitation to celebrate aboard the USS Midway 🚢 and a save-the-date:

Next year's Seismic Shift is October 12–14, 2026, at Omni La Costa in Carlsbad, California!

That's a wrap on Shift '25, but it doesn't have to end today. Continue following us on LinkedIn and Instagram for all the highlights from this year's event.

We also encourage you to follow Shift updates on our website with more content from some of this week's great keynote and breakout sessions.