This New Way

In Episode #13, Alex MacCaw describes the frameworks and best practices that managers should adopt to constantly improve their leadership skills.  We also talked about Clearbit’s impeccable agreements and how they can help you improve communication and collaboration across departments. Clearbit is a San Francisco-based business intelligence company that has raised more than 17 million dollars in funding – and serves as the data backbone to thousands of businesses such as Slack, Stripe, Intercom, and Adroll. As the co-founder and CEO, Alex puts an immense focus on leadership and personal development. In fact, he recently announced Clearbit’s mission to become the best-managed company in the world - and as part of this mission, he published a great book titled The Manager’s Handbook. If you’re someone who loves personal growth and, like Alex, are always looking for ways to improve at your craft, this episode is for you.

In episode #12, David Sakamoto shares a framework to build and scale high-performing teams, as well as best practices to onboard new team members at rapidly growing companies. We also talk about the importance of monthly career conversations, and why leaders should be the last ones to voice their opinion during team meetings. David has over 20 years of experience building and scaling customer success teams. He is the VP of Customer Success at Gitlab – the world’s largest all-remote company, which is currently valued at  2.75 billion dollars. Previously, he was Head of Customer Success for the Americas at Cisco and the Vice President of Services and Customer Success at EVault. Recently, David won an award for being one of the top 150 Global Customer Experience Thought Leaders and Influencers of 2020. Tune in to hear all about David’s leadership journey and the lessons learned along the way!

In episode #11, Michael Watkins discusses some of the strategies that new leaders can adopt to be successful in their roles and climb up the learning curve. We also talked about the self-doubt phase, and why almost 90% of leaders deal with the urge to prove themselves when they start a new job -- something that Michael calls the “action imperative”. Michael Watkins is the author of The First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at all Levels. He is an expert on executive onboarding and accelerating transitions, a professor at Harvard University, and a contributor to the Harvard Business Review. Tune in to hear all about Michael’s leadership philosophy!

In episode #10, Vlad Magdalin shares a template to run effective and inclusive company-wide meetings - as well as some great tips to make the hybrid remote model work for your company. We also discuss Webflow’s dual mission - and the biggest dilemma that Vlad faced as he scaled the team. Vlad is the CEO of Webflow, a software company empowering people to create websites without the need to code. Tune in to hear all about Vlad’s leadership journey and the lessons learned along the way!

In episode #9, Lara Hogan shares best practices to understand your team’s core needs and create predictability in times of uncertainty. We also discuss the difference between mentorship, coaching, and sponsorship – and how you can become a better sponsor and coach for your team. Lara is a coach for leaders in tech and the author of Resilient Management, Designing for Performance, and Demystifying Public Speaking. Prior to founding Wherewithall, she spent a decade leading teams as the VP of Engineering at Kickstarter and an Engineering Director at Etsy.  Tune in to hear all about Lara’s leadership journey and the lessons learned along the way!

In episode #8, Michael Lopp (Rands) talks about the power of scheduling regular one-on-one meetings and asking clarifying questions to identify unengaged employees. We also discuss the concept of Manager Readmes and how they can help you build more efficient and positive working relationships. Michael is the author of Managing Humans, Being Geek, and The Art of Leadership. He has been writing for over 17 years, sharing his insights on management, culture, and technology through his blog, Rands in Response. During his career, Michael has led rapidly growing teams at companies like Netscape, Pinterest, Slack, and Apple. Tune in to hear Michael’s advice and best practices for other managers and leaders!

In episode #7, Guy Kawasaki talks about his experience managing Apple’s evangelism team, the lessons he learned working with Steve Jobs, and the German concept of being a Mensch – and how it can help you identify and hire great leaders. Guy was one of the Apple employees originally responsible for marketing the Macintosh computer in the 1980s. During his time as Apple’s Chief Evangelist, he worked closely with Steve Jobs and popularized the concept of evangelism marketing. Today, Guy is the Chief Evangelist of Canva, a brand ambassador for Mercedes-Benz, and the author of more than ten books, including Wise Guy and The Art of the Start. Tune in to hear all about Guy’s leadership philosophy!

In episode #6, Sam Zaid (CEO of Getaround) shares a playbook you can use to identify and hire great leaders. We also discuss the RACI framework and how Getaround is using this and another set of rituals to help new managers be effective right away. Prior to Getaround, Sam founded Apption, an enterprise software consultancy, and 360pi, the leading retail price intelligence platform that was acquired by MarketTrack and Vista Equity in 2016. Sam holds numerous patents and inventions, is an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, a Microsoft Code Award winner, and a Goldman Sachs Most Intriguing Entrepreneur. Tune in to hear all about Sam’s leadership journey and the frameworks that have helped his company succeed! Enjoyed this episode? Be sure to leave a review and share the podcast with your colleagues.

In episode #5, Tara Robertson (Head of Customer Marketing at SproutSocial) talks about the power of focusing on your team’s strengths. She also shares some great insights on how to overcome imposter syndrome, find great mentors, and deal with the challenges of managing a remote team. Prior to joining SproutSocial, Tara was the VP of Marketing at Hotjar. Tune in to hear all about Tara’s journey as a marketing and sales leader, and the lessons learned along the way! Enjoyed this episode? Be sure to leave a review and share the podcast with your colleagues.

In episode #4, Eran Aloni (COO of Gong.io) shares tips on how to get your team aligned and why accountability is critical to leading teams. We also talked about how Gong.io uses operating principles to guide their team and what signals you can watch for to know you’re ready to implement them in your company. Eran has over 20 years of experience building and scaling enterprise solutions. Previously, he was COO and VP of Product at Adobe EchoSign, VP of Product at Influitive, and VP of Product Marketing at Clarizen. Tune in to hear all about Eran’s leadership journey and lessons learned along the way! Enjoyed this episode? Be sure to leave a review and share the podcast with your colleagues.