Ep 54: Lyft's Kristin Sverchek on Expanding Beyond Legal into Corporate Leadership

Sep 5, 2024

Kristin Sverchek, President of Lyft, began her journey as the company's first general counsel and navigated a remarkable path to leadership. She shares insights on managing the complexities of a rapidly growing startup and the challenges faced while transitioning into a public company. Kristin discusses how she tackled political issues to protect drivers and offers valuable advice for lawyers aspiring to expand their roles. She reflects on the importance of mentorship and embracing change in a dynamic corporate environment.

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Intro

00:00 • 2min

From Science to Law: A Journey of Transformative Career Choices

01:51 • 2min

From Counsel to Leadership at Lyft

03:52 • 20min

Navigating Career Risks and Leadership Transitions

24:18 • 4min

Navigating the Transition from Legal to Corporate Leadership

27:56 • 3min

Navigating Corporate Values and Leadership Transitions

30:31 • 13min

Embracing Change and New Beginnings

43:29 • 5min

How can C-suite leaders take on challenging political issues that affect their company? How do you pursue a path of professional growth at a company over the course of a decade? What's required for taking on wide-ranging responsibilities at the executive level?

Join Kristin Sverchek, President of Lyft, as she discusses how she joined a small start-up as their first general counsel and grew with it as it transformed into a global ride-sharing powerhouse with a multi-billion dollar IPO.

Listen as she discusses the unexpected management challenges she faced and conquered internally as her role expanded beyond legal, as well as the external challenges of taking strong stances to protect her drivers in the face of adverse political climates. She also offers advice for lawyers looking to expand beyond the legal function and shares stories about innovating in industries where regulations haven’t been updated in over a century.

Read detailed summary: https://www.spotdraft.com/podcast/episode-54

Topics:
Introduction: 0:00
Finding your way to Lyft: 3:51
Taking on your first GC role at Lyft: 6:23
Building a legal team at a rapidly growing start-up: 8:23
Helping lead the IPO process: 10:48
Comparing work at public and private companies: 14:39
Dealing with the challenges of executive roles: 17:20
Transitioning into the President of Business Affairs role: 21:45
Working with an executive coach during major career transitions: 26:08
Advice to lawyers who want to take on GC “plus” roles: 27:56
Defining and living your values at Lyft: 30:30
Taking on the role of President: 35:58
Departing Lyft: 38:42
Book recommendation: 45:52
What you wish you’d known as a young lawyer: 46:58

Connect with us:
Kristin Sverchek: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinsverchek/
Tyler Finn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerhfinn
SpotDraft: https://www.linkedin.com/company/spotdraft

SpotDraft is a leading contract lifecycle management platform that solves your end-to-end contract management issues. Visit https://www.spotdraft.com to learn more.