035: Raising $94M and Cultivating a Culture of High Performers with David Hassell

David Hassell is the founder and CEO of 15Five, a performance management SaaS solution that helps companies create better managers and successful employees. Their software combines surveys, weekly check-ins, peer recognition, and people analytics all in one platform.

In this episode, David and I talk about why he decided to raise capital after bootstrapping the business for 6 years. He explains his steps to grow from 50 employees and $6M in revenue to 300+ employees and closing a Series C financing round for $52M.

We dig into his approach to company culture/core values, tactics for tracking and evaluating employee performance, hiring for fit versus skill, and more.

Key Takeaways with David Hassell

• How 15Five got started and why David spent six years bootstrapping before taking on VC funding. He recently closed a Series C round for $52M.
• David’s humanistic way for managing and leading people that allows his company to win, while also unlocking an employee's full potential.
• Why company culture can only be influenced, not controlled—and the 4 core values David’s company stands behind.
• How to create a high performing team, without sacrificing a high level of care for your people.
• Tools and tactics for tracking and measuring employee performance across various roles and responsibilities.
• The pros/cons of using numerical ratings when evaluating performance.
• How often should you have performance reviews and check-ins?
• Hiring right fit people, both in terms of culture and skill set. How do you avoid subjectivity when evaluating candidates
• How the sales process changed as he grew from a 50 to 300+ person company.  

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