Lead Upwards

CHAPTER TWOBridging the Transition from Manager to Executive: How Leaders Got Their First Role

If you want to be a startup executive, there are several skill and experience gaps you'll likely need to address to make the transition. Here's how some successful startup leaders did it.

The skills and experience gaps you'll need to address to transition to an executive are within your reach. To be a strategic leader who can scale, you'll need to operate differently from how you did in prior roles. In this chapter, we'll discuss how leaders landed their first startup roles and how they successfully bridged the transition.

MAKING THE LEADERSHIP TRANSITION: YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE “FULLY READY” TO GO FOR IT

“I think we have this story that we need to wait to be knighted with a K to be in leadership,” says VC and executive coach Sue Heilbronner. “Instead, just go identify an objective and start working towards it until you're doing it. Deciding to do leadership is that simple.”

HOW THEY GOT THEIR FIRST EXECUTIVE ROLE: REAL STORIES FROM STARTUP EXECUTIVES

Rachel Beisel spent years as a marketing manager in the outdoor industry before pivoting to technology marketing, eventually becoming promoted from Director to VP at her company (she's since become a C‐level executive at another technology company). She credits the help of a mentor in making the leap, including learning how to navigate the startup environment and become an executive.

Samantha McKenna is an accomplished sales ...