Masters of Scale Rapid Response: Navigating a leadership crisis, w/Web Summit CEO Katherine Maher
6 snips
Nov 30, 2023 
Katherine Maher, the dynamic CEO of Web Summit and former head of the Wikimedia Foundation, shares her journey in handling a leadership crisis following the abrupt departure of her predecessor. She offers insights on how to restore confidence among major partners like Amazon and Google. Maher discusses the intertwining of politics and business, emphasizing the essentiality of values and accountability during upheaval. With 70,000 attendees at the Lisbon event, she highlights the importance of effective communication and inclusive leadership in navigating turbulent times.
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Unexpected Opportunity
- Katherine Maher learned of Paddy Cosgrave's resignation as Web Summit CEO while on a flight.
- Shortly after landing, she received a call about the open CEO position.
Assessing a Company in Transition
- Assess leadership transition by evaluating company stability and autonomy offered.
- Determine if the company is fundamentally sound or truly in crisis.
Tech's Original Sin
- Tech companies face pressure to align with social values due to their stated mission to change the world.
- This leads to boycotts and holding companies accountable, especially by employees who joined based on those values.