Lead Upwards

CHAPTER FIVEGet the Offer and Secure Your Executive Seat

You've found the right company, the right stage, and you've started to interview, or you're in the process of negotiating a promotion at your current company. How do you actually secure the role?

Whether you're accepting a role at your existing company or a new venture, successfully navigating the offer stage is a critical area of startup joiner life. A full discussion about the ins and outs of startup employee contracts is out of the scope of this book, but we'll cover a few of the main process points from a long‐term success standpoint, to help you make the most of your pre‐joining experience. This section is about helping you make the case for yourself for transitioning into your first startup executive role.

FIND YOUR FIRST (OR NEXT) EXECUTIVE ROLE

Look on LinkedIn, Glassdoor, or in an industry group channel like Pavilion. There are groups dedicated to executive roles. Ask your peers. Look at the fundraising in newsletters like StrictlyVC or MorningBrew. You can see which stage companies have raised, and often, they'll be ready to bring on new leaders. (You can always do a cold outreach.)

INTERVIEWING FOR YOUR EXECUTIVE ROLE

If you're aiming for a promotion within your organization, your interview process for your promotion to executive level may be as simple as a discussion with your C‐level boss. But if you're applying to join an external startup, they'll have various stages of maturity in their HR/People ...