33: Building & Leading Teams Without Functional Expertise with Edwina Johnson
Nov 14, 2023
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Edwina Johnson, GM of MoneyGram Online International, shares her experience building and leading teams without functional expertise. She discusses the challenges and rewards of managing a cross-functional team, prioritizing hires, and overcoming self-doubt as a jack of all trades. The podcast also explores the complexities of compliance in the fintech industry and the power of analytical thinking in team building and leadership.
Leading others doesn't require discipline expertise, as seen in Edwina Johnson's experience as COO at Alloy.
Cross-functional teams allow for impactful problem-solving, diverse collaboration, and a sense of teamwork.
Deep dives
Leading Without Functional Expertise
Leading others does not necessarily require discipline expertise, as demonstrated by Edwina Johnson's experience as the COO of FinTech Startup Alloy.
The Strength of COOs at Working Cross-Functionally
COOs, like Edwina, excel at cross-functional collaboration and driving alignment around common goals without relying on positional authority.
Hiring Experts in Areas of Inexperience
Edwina discusses the challenges of hiring for roles in which she lacked expertise, such as legal and compliance, and highlights the importance of leaning on data gathering, network exploration, and external consultation.
The Rewards of Leading Cross-Functional Teams
Leading cross-functional teams offers the opportunity to work on impactful problems, collaborate with diverse individuals, and make work engaging and purposeful by tying it to a higher strategic vision and building a sense of teamwork.
The COO role is utterly unique, demanding multidisciplinary mastery.
It begs expertise where you may have none, to become a cross-functional manager, and Edwina Johnson’s tenure at Alloy had seen her thrive in achieving exactly that
Edwina, now thriving as GM of MoneyGram Online International, joins us for this episode of Leaders Unscripted, as we dive into the art of building, leading and growing teams outside of your expertise.
This episode covers:
Edwina’s grounding as a business builder wearing many hats
How unexpectedly early businesses can bring in an operational role
Overcoming the inner self-doubt of hiring experts as a jack of all trades
Prioritising which hires should come first
The challenges and rewards of managing a cross-functional team