When we started this show, we knew we wanted it to be unabashedly for operators, with expert guests sharing lessons from those who had been there, done that. But this episode's guest made us realize that the show can not only be the place to reflect on the hard-earned lessons our guests have to share, but we can also be the place where operators can come to brainstorm, to debate, and to hypothesize about what’s to come. That guest is Tom Wentworth. Tom is the CMO of Recorded Future. As AI use cases explode and new technologies emerge, Tom, like all of us, is trying to adjust to the new possibilities available to him. But unlike most of us, Tom is already plotting where he, and his team at Recorded Future, will take advantage of these tectonic shifts.In our conversation, Tom and I discuss the macro shift from best of breed tools to all-in-one platforms, he teaches me why data sets, not features will be the differentiators of software products moving forward, and we both realize together that those previously fluffy product roadmaps may actually mean a lot more than they used to. Like this episode? Be sure to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review and share the pod with your friends! You can connect with Sean on LinkedIn and Twitter @Seany_Biz, or subscribe to our YouTube channel.This episode is brought to you by the RevOps experts at Fullcast.io, the go-to-market planning platform. To learn more about them, visit fullcast.io and tell them Sean sent you!

It’s really quite refreshing when you see people being vulnerable about their own struggles in a professional environment. We all try to be so polished and put together all the time, especially as Operators, where our job is literally to have everything put together.So it caught my eye when Jacki Leahy, a Fractional RevOps Advisor and Founder of Activate The Magic, started a work advice column dedicated to navigating work relationships, something she admits she has struggled with herself.In our conversation (and her column aptly titled "Dear Jacki"), Jacki shares her lessons for others who might be in the same boat. We talk about pairing your skillset with the right environment, the humbling experience Jacki went through of becoming an SDR 10 years into her career, and why taking a CliftonStrengths assessment was the turning point in her career.Like this episode? Be sure to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review and share the pod with your friends! You can connect with Sean on LinkedIn and Twitter @Seany_Biz.This episode is brought to you by the RevOps experts at Fullcast.io, the go-to-market planning platform. To learn more about them, visit fullcast.io and tell them Sean sent you!

When you stop and think about it, it’s pretty crazy that our entire mindset around work has been completely challenged in just a few short years.And now, it looks like we find ourselves again in a debate about the future of work. Do we go back to offices? Are remote or hybrid teams less effective? Will employees revolt if companies try?Luckily, to answer these difficult questions, we have Denise Thomas, COO of Cisco Meraki.This is not your typical post-pandemic remote work conversation. Denise will make you think, and might even make you question how you think about work yourself.In our conversation, Denise and I tackle what we got better at what we got worse at during the pandemic, how her HR background makes her a better COO today, and why teams, not leaders, are the unit of movement in organizations.Like this episode? Be sure to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review and share the pod with your friends! You can connect with Sean on LinkedIn and Twitter @Seany_Biz.This episode is brought to you by the RevOps experts at Fullcast.io, the go-to-market planning platform. To learn more about them, visit fullcast.io and tell them Sean sent you!

Most Ops teams are notoriously strapped for resources. We scrape and we claw to build our teams, and design them to make meaningful impacts on our organization. But sometimes we just don’t have the resources internally to get some of our projects done, and done well.And that’s when Operators will typically turn their attention to the fragmented, overwhelming, and slightly intimidating world of operations consultants. Our guest to help us navigate that world is Max Maeder, the CEO of FoundHQ, a hiring platform that connects companies with vetted Salesforce Freelancers.Prior to FoundHQ, which he has run since 2020, Max was also the Founder and CEO of TwentyPine, a Consulting & Headhunting Firm that specialized in Salesforce and SalesOps-related roles.In our conversation, Max teaches us about the reasons why Ops teams seek out outside help, how companies should decide how much control they truly want to set the direction of their projects, and why he fundamentally believes that the GTM tech strategy shouldn’t be run by RevOps.Like this episode? Be sure to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review and share the pod with your friends! You can connect with Sean on  LinkedIn and Twitter @Seany_Biz.This episode is brought to you by the RevOps experts at Fullcast.io, the go-to-market planning platform. To learn more about them, visit fullcast.io and tell them Sean sent you!

Many growing companies go through a phase where things are loose, messy, and undefined. This episode's guest, Johnathan Warren, affectionately refers to this phase of a company’s growth as “the wild west.”Johnathan is the Head of Revenue Operations at CaptivateIQ. Having built out the Ops functions at other startups like Spiff and KeyedIn, Jonathan is now on his third ride through and out of the wild west.In our conversation, Johnathan gives us two specific examples of ways you can graduate from the wild west, he gives a crawl-walk-run approach for building your first territory model, and together we realize that there’s an opportunity cost to chaos.Like this episode? Be sure to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review and share the pod with your friends! You can connect with Sean on  LinkedIn and Twitter @Seany_Biz.This episode is brought to you by the RevOps experts at Fullcast.io, the go-to-market planning platform. To learn more about them, visit fullcast.io and tell them Sean sent you!

In January 2023, LinkedIn released its list of the 25 fastest-growing job titles in the US. The #1 job on that list? Head of Revenue Operations.If you’re listening to this show, that’s probably exciting news to you. But here’s the thing: roles dubbed as Revenue Operations can be foggy, amorphous blobs, with one company’s job description different from the next.That’s what we’re here to clarify and explore in this episode. First, we’re going to talk through the typical definition of Revenue Operations. And then, I’m going to give you my take on why so many people get the definition wrong.Like this episode? Be sure to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review and share the pod with your friends! You can connect with Sean on Twitter @Seany_Biz and LinkedIn.

Start-ups often preach speed over execution. And it makes sense: “Take the disciplined, thoughtful approach” doesn’t really pop off the wall next to your ping pong table.But that's also because the disciplined approach is hard. Moving fast is easier.On this episode, our guest Rupert Dallas is someone whose discipline I really admire. Rupert is the VP Revenue Operations at AudioEye, an accessibility platform that helps businesses build inclusive and compliant websites, mobile apps, and digital documents.In our conversation, Rupert and I talk about how the responsibilities of operators has evolved, we use the partnership between RevOps and Data Teams as a model for how Ops can and should leverage available resources, and if you stick around, you’ll hear Rupert offer one of the more thought-provoking comparisons of how different types of Operators approach their work.Like this episode? Be sure to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review and share the pod with your friends! You can connect with Sean on Twitter @Seany_Biz and LinkedIn.

100 episodes of Operations! We are so grateful for the brilliant Operators who have been so generous with their time and their lessons on this show.After 100 episodes, we thought it was only fitting to look back at the top 10 lessons we’ve taken away from our guests, 5 from our first 50 episodes and 5 from the latest 50.So whether you’ve been with us from the beginning or you’re just checking out Operations for the first time, you're getting the best of the best in this one.Our 10 lessons come from the following guests:Brett Queener, Partner at Bonfire Ventures (Episode 3)Sylvia Kainz, Director of Global Productivity Partnerships at Airbnb (Episode 9)Melanie Fellay, CEO and Co-founder at Spekit (Episode 26)Rachel Haley, CEO and Co-Founder at Clarus Designs (Episode 39)Karen Borchert, CEO and Founder at Alpaca (Episode 19)Allison Pickens, Former COO at Gainsight (Episode 72)Greg Callahan, Partner at Bain (Episode 73)Mallun Yen, Founder and CEO at The Operator Collective (Episode 74)Marcela Piñeros, Global Head of Sales Enablement at Stripe (Episode 77)Erol Toker, Founder and CEO at Truly.co (Episode 90)Like this episode? Be sure to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review and share the pod with your friends! You can connect with Sean on Twitter @Seany_Biz.

In Sales, it’s not hard to find people with opinions. Everyone has their own biases shaped by their own experiences, but give me a data-driven conclusion over a gut feel any day.Our guest on this episode, Michelle Vazzana, most certainly has the data to back up her findings. Michelle is the Chief Strategy Officer and Co-Founder of VantagePoint Performance, and the co-author of the upcoming book, The Sales Agility Code. So we're breaking down exactly how she arrived at her Sales Agility Code. In our conversation, Michelle teaches us about why there’s a negligible correlation between experience and expertise, the method behind how you “observe” agility, and how a company that adopted her new methodology went from closing 25% of forecasted deals to 54%.The Sales Agility Code comes out on May 2, and you can pre-order your copy today!Like this episode? Be sure to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review and share the pod with your friends! You can connect with Sean on Twitter @Seany_Biz and @DriftPodcasts, and Michelle on LinkedIn.

We’ve all at some point heard about or felt some flavor of imposter syndrome - that feeling where you are quite certain you don’t belong and you’re moments away from everyone figuring out you’re a fraud.After talking with today’s guest, I’m more convinced than ever that that hint of doubt, that nagging imposter syndrome, is actually a really good thing.Our guest today is Ping Del Giudice, Vice President of Revenue Operations at Leapsome. Ping was recently named to The Top 100 Revenue Operations Leaders of 2022, and still, even she experiences her own version of imposter syndrome.In our conversation, Ping and I talk about losing all of your institutional knowledge when you leave your job, the inherit vs. build decisions you have to make when joining a new team, and the major project she found herself signing up for on just her second day on the job.Like this episode? Be sure to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review and share the pod with your friends! You can connect with Sean on Twitter @Seany_Biz and @DriftPodcasts, and Ping on LinkedIn.