Stanford GSB: View From The Top

S7E1: Sarah Friar, MBA ’00, On How To Make Strategic Career Risks

Dec 11, 2023

Guest Sarah Friar, CEO of Nextdoor, shares insights on taking strategic career risks, leveraging technology to unite people, and fostering strong communities. She discusses the importance of empowering individuals in companies to contribute diverse ideas and viewpoints, the value of human connection, and using AI to enhance user engagement and promote positive interactions on social platforms.

54:47

Episode guests

Sarah Friar

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Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Encouraging cross-functional engagement for innovation and collaboration.

Witnessing community resilience influencing commitment to community building.

Embracing challenges, learning from failures, and promoting people-first leadership for personal growth.

Deep dives

Embracing a Multi-Perspective Team Approach in Company Culture

Encouraging cross-functional engagement where all employees feel ownership over various aspects of the company to drive innovation and collaboration.

Intro

2min

Building Communities and Fostering Connections

28min

Encouraging Constructive Communication Through AI and Machine Learning

3min

Community Engagement and Collaboration in Crisis Response

13min

Navigating the Loneliness and Challenges of Being a CEO

2min

Diverse Industry Insights and Lightning Round Q&A

8min

“In companies, you don’t want just the product team thinking about the product; the finance team thinking about finance ... You want everyone all the time feeling like they’re an owner, and they can have a point of view on any part of the company.”

In this View From The Top interview, Sarah Friar, MBA ’00, CEO of Nextdoor, sits down with Zack Doherty, MBA ’24. During their conversation at Stanford Graduate School of Business, Friar shared her unique perspective on taking strategic career risks, how social media can effect positive change in society, and the value of bringing people together through human connection and community.

Stanford GSB’s View From The Top is the dean’s premier speaker series. It launched in 1978 and is supported in part by the F. Kirk Brennan Speaker Series Fund. During student-led interviews and before a live audience, leaders from around the world share insights on effective leadership, their personal core values, and lessons learned throughout their career.

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