The Modern People Leader: Forward-Thinking HR 169 - Everything a Spreadsheet WON’T Tell You: Colleen McCreary, 6x CPO (Credit Karma, Zynga, Twilio, & more) turned VC
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Mar 29, 2024 Colleen McCreary, a 6x Chief People Officer turned VC, discusses the importance of looking beyond spreadsheets in VC, the lesson of profitability giving freedom, and the need for more HR professionals in VC. She shares insights on thinking like an investor, similarities between recruiting and deal-making, and the state of HR. The podcast unveils the value of human judgment in decision-making, emphasizing the limitations of data-driven analysis in HR and venture capital.
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From Unsteady Childhood To HR Leadership
- Colleen grew up with a single mother, moved schools often, and learned to read rooms and navigate new systems.
- She started at Microsoft in 1997 in college recruiting and later transitioned into HR leadership across multiple companies.
Say Yes — Then Ask 'Why?'
- Say yes to opportunities unless they are illegal or clearly stupid to open doors and learn.
- Asking why someone proposes an idea will surface the real problem and lead to better solutions.
Scaling From 100 To 4,000
- Colleen joined a startup at 100 people and scaled it to 4,000 through an IPO and later a post-IPO downturn.
- That experience launched 15 years of being a head of people across multiple high-growth companies.