book

Lead Upwards

Name: Lead Upwards
Author: Sarah E. Brown
ISBN: 9781119833352

by Sarah E. Brown

May 2022

Beginner

320 pages

5h 57m

English

Wiley

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Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Introduction: Why Startup Leadership Matters at Every Levelintroduction
NOTES
PART I: BECOMING A STARTUP EXECUTIVE
CHAPTER ONE: What It's Really Like to Be an Executive at a Startup—and How It's Different from Being a Director or Manager
WHAT DOES A STARTUP EXECUTIVE REALLY DO?A STARTUP EXECUTIVE'S SCHEDULE: A WEEK IN THE LIFE, AT A GLANCEOTHER DIFFERENCES BETWEEN NON‐EXECUTIVE AND EXECUTIVE ROLESOWNING THE “WHY” OF THE WORKDEPARTMENTAL UNDERSTANDING BEYOND ONE NARROW AREARESPONSIBILITY FOR BUILDING AND LEADING A HIGH‐PERFORMING TEAMSIMPLY PUT: IT'S A BIGGER COMMITMENTLESS COMPANIONSHIP AND CAMARADERIE WITH OTHER NON‐EXECUTIVE STARTUP EMPLOYEESEXECUTIVES HAVE THE MOST CONTEXT OF ANYONE IN THE DEPARTMENTWHO'S QUALIFIED TO BE A STARTUP EXECUTIVE?WHAT QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS ARE ESSENTIAL ON THE JOB AS A STARTUP LEADERMANY SCALING STARTUPS BRING IN LEADERS FROM BIG COMPANIESEXECUTIVE COACH AND FORMER MICROSOFT NORTH AMERICA CFO JOHN REX: ADVICE FOR SCALING STARTUP LEADERSSCALING IS HARD IN BOTH DIRECTIONSLEARN TO DELEGATE WITH CAPABLE TALENT AS YOU SCALEEARLY‐STAGE STARTUP VS. SCALE‐UP LEADERSHIP MINDSETSTARTUP LEADERS CAN'T GET STUCK AT 30,000 FEETNOTES
CHAPTER TWO: Bridging the Transition from Manager to Executive: How Leaders Got Their First Role
MAKING THE LEADERSHIP TRANSITION: YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE “FULLY READY” TO GO FOR ITHOW THEY GOT THEIR FIRST EXECUTIVE ROLE: REAL STORIES FROM STARTUP EXECUTIVESMINDY LAUCK ON BEING A NON‐FOUNDER STARTUP TEAM MEMBER PROMOTED TO EXECUTIVE, AND THEN CEO (TWICE!)CHALLENGE FOR FIRST‐TIME EXECUTIVES: SAM MCKENNA SHARES HER STORY OF BEING PROMOTED TO VICE PRESIDENT OF SALESMAKING THE TRANSITION BY LEARNING TO WORK DIFFERENTLYFROM BIG COMPANY LEADER TO STARTUP EXECUTIVE: COO ERIN RAND'S STORYNAIL THE LEAP: START AS A “HEAD OF” AND MAKE THE TITLE OFFICIAL ONCE YOU'VE PROVEN YOUR SUCCESSCONSULTING AS A PATH TO DE‐RISKING YOUR FIRST EXECUTIVE ROLENOTE
CHAPTER THREE: Understanding and Evaluating Your Fit at Various Startups
CHOOSING A STARTUP THAT'S RIGHT FOR YOUWHY QUESTIONS MATTERSOME SAMPLE QUESTIONS TO EXPLORE IN THE INTERVIEW PROCESSOTHER CONSIDERATIONSRESEARCH THE COMPETITION/MARKETRESEARCH THE TEAM THROUGH YOUR CONNECTIONS AND/OR PUBLIC REVIEW SITES LIKE LINKEDIN AND GLASSDOORASSESS THE CO‐FOUNDER RELATIONSHIPUNDERSTAND THE STARTUP'S STAGE AND HOW IT ALIGNS WITH YOUR GOALSDO YOU ALIGN WITH THE LEADERSHIP TEAM?OTHER KINDS OF FIT TO LOOK OUT FORSOME EXAMPLES OF FITASSESS THE MATURITY OF YOUR STARTUP'S DIVERSITY AND INCLUSIONWHAT'S YOUR STARTUP‐STAGE RISK TOLERANCE?HOW MUCH EXECUTION AND “GETTING YOUR HANDS DIRTY” ARE YOU COMFORTABLE WITH RIGHT AWAY?DETERMINING YOUR IDEAL STARTUP STAGENOTES
CHAPTER FOUR: Landing Your Next Startup Executive Role: Leveling Up Within Your Current Organization or Seeking a Role Elsewhere
MY FIRST EXECUTIVE ROLE: JOINING AN EARLY‐STAGE STARTUP AND GETTING PROMOTED TO VPHOW ANALIESE BROWN, VP OF PEOPLE AT CAMPMINDER, GOT PROMOTED INTO HER FIRST EXECUTIVE STARTUP ROLEGENERALIST TO SPECIALIST: HOW TO “COME UP” AS AN EXECUTIVE IN YOUR AREA OF SPECIALIZATIONLEARN TO BALANCE THE TACTICAL AND THE STRATEGICUNDERSTAND BUSINESS AREAS OUTSIDE YOUR “COMFORT ZONE”EMBRACE A LEARNING OR “GROWTH” MINDSETHOW NICOLE WOJNO SMITH, VP OF MARKETING AT TACKLE, GOT HER FIRST EXECUTIVE ROLE BY LEVELING UP WITHIN HER THEN‐ORGANIZATIONHOW SMITH “LEVELED UP” BY BUILDING A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE C‐LEVEL TEAMMASTERING DATA‐DRIVEN STORYTELLING AROUND BUSINESS OBJECTIVESGAIN A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF CROSS‐FUNCTIONAL PARTNERS AND THEIR ROLESPARTNER CLOSELY WITH YOUR FINANCE LEADERSHIP (UNLESS YOU'RE THE CFO; IN THAT CASE, PARTNER WITH EVERY OTHER EXECUTIVE TEAM)START UNOFFICIALLY RECRUITING YOUR “BENCH” DREAM TEAM FOR YOUR DEPARTMENTLEVELING UP IN THE ENGINEERING SIDE OF THE BUSINESS: JEFF AMMONSLEARNING TO LET GO OF BEING THE ONE TO WRITE CODE AND SHIFTING TO EMPOWERING HIS TEAMON INTERNAL PROMOTIONS: NICK MEHTA'S PERSPECTIVE AS CEO OF GAINSIGHTGETTING HIRED: LANDING THE ROLEINTERNAL PROMOTIONS TO EXECUTIVE ARE POSSIBLE, BUT NOT AT EVERY COMPANY

CHAPTER FIVE: Get the Offer and Secure Your Executive Seat
FIND YOUR FIRST (OR NEXT) EXECUTIVE ROLEINTERVIEWING FOR YOUR EXECUTIVE ROLENAVIGATING THE OFTEN BYZANTINE STARTUP HIRING PROCESSTHE INTERVIEW PROCESSUNDERSTAND THE PRESENTATION TECH STACK AND PRACTICE YOUR PRESENTATION WITH FRIENDSMEETING WITH THE CEO: UNDERSTAND THEIR VISIONWHEN THE STARTUP'S HIRING PROCESS GOES AWRYGETTING THE OFFERCOMPENSATION BREAKDOWNNEGOTIATING THE OFFERDO YOUR RESEARCHRISK VS. REWARD: A NOTE ABOUT EQUITYFIND OUT THE PERCENTAGE OF EQUITY BEING RECEIVED AND ITS CURRENT VALUEUNDERSTAND YOUR VESTING SCHEDULE IN YOUR OFFERHIRE AN ACCOUNTANT AS SOON AS YOU ACCEPT AN OFFERA NOTE ON EARLY‐STAGE EQUITYHIRE A LAWYER TO REVIEW YOUR OFFER LETTER AND CONTRACTNEGOTIATING YOUR TITLECASH VS. EQUITY: FOOD FOR THOUGHTMORE ON EQUITY AND CAP TABLES FOR UNDER‐REPRESENTED STARTUP LEADERSA WORD: IF THE DEAL GOES SOUTH WHILE YOU'RE IN NEGOTIATIONSAFTER YOU SIGN THE DEALNOTES
PART II: GETTING STARTED: NAIL YOUR FIRST 90 DAYS
CHAPTER SIX: Define Your Goals and Align with Your CEO and Board on Success
YOUR FIRST 90 DAYS: ONBOARDING TO YOUR NEW ROLE AND PROVING YOUR VALUE TO THE ORGANIZATIONDON'T BE SHY ABOUT MAKING AN IMPACT RIGHT AWAYGET POINTS ON THE BOARD EARLY BY FOCUSING ON ACCOMPLISHING SEVERAL LOW EFFORT, HIGH IMPACT INITIATIVES IN YOUR FIRST 90 DAYSWORK WITH YOUR CEO TO IDENTIFY SUCCESS“ARE WE SEEING THE SAME GAME?”ADVICE FROM A CEO TO STARTUP EXECUTIVES: REMEMBER THAT THE CEO ROLE IS TOUGHONBOARDING SUCCESSFULLY AS A STARTUP LEADER REQUIRES BALANCING SHORT‐TERM WINS WITH LONG‐TERM PRIORITIESSETTING YOUR OBJECTIVES AND KEY RESULTS (OKRs)SETTING OKRs—EXAMPLE: SAMPLE MARKETING OKRsOKRs AND BONUS COMPENSATIONDELIVERING YOUR FIRST QUARTERLY BUSINESS REVIEW (QBR)HERE'S A GUIDE FOR WHAT TO INCLUDE IN YOUR FIRST 90‐DAY QBR PRESENTATIONNOTE
CHAPTER SEVEN: Build Key Relationships: CEO, Board, Team
BUILDING A RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR CEO AND/OR CO‐FOUNDERHERE'S A SAMPLE CEO 1:1 AGENDABUILDING TRUST WITH YOUR CEO: VALUES ALIGNMENTSET UP COMMUNICATION EXPECTATIONS WITH YOUR CEO AND LEADERSHIP TEAMGET TO KNOW YOUR CROSS‐FUNCTIONAL PARTNERS AND BUILD RAPPORTLEARN HOW YOUR KEY STAKEHOLDERS LIKE TO WORKDON'T BE AFRAID TO DISAGREE—RESPECTFULLYWHY COMPANIES BRING IN “BIG COMPANY EXECUTIVES” AND HOW TO WORK WITH THEM IF YOU'RE COMING FROM A STARTUP BACKGROUNDBUILDING STRONG RELATIONSHIPS WITH YOUR BOARDMANAGING TO YOUR BOARD'S EXPECTATIONSLEARN THE INTERESTS, HOBBIES, AND FAMILY MEMBERS OF YOUR EXECUTIVE TEAMNOTE
CHAPTER EIGHT: Know Thyself: Strengths, Weaknesses, and Areas to Improve
YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH YOURSELF AS A STARTUP LEADERIDENTIFYING YOUR STRENGTHSWEAKNESSES: THINGS THAT MAKE YOU FEEL IMPOSTER SYNDROME UNTIL YOU ADDRESS THEMEXPECT TO HIRE AROUND YOUR WEEKNESSES BUT SEEK TO UNDERSTAND THEM AND NOT AVOID THEMUNDERSTANDING HOW TO HANDLE WEAKNESSESMEASURING YOUR EFFECTIVENESS AS AN ENGINEERING LEADER: GET HONEST ABOUT YOUR SKILLS AS YOU TRY TO LEVEL UPBEING HONEST ABOUT OUR STORTCOMINGS: ENTREPRENEUR RAND FISHKIN'S PERSPECTIVEIDENTIFY: WHAT ARE YOU NOT STRONG AT THAT YOU'LL WANT TO IMPROVE?HIRING FOR COMPLEMENTARY SKILLSGOING DEEPER: GETTING TO KNOW OUR MOTIVATIONSFOCUSING ON ADDING VALUE, REGARDLESS OF TITLEEMBRACE IMPROV AS A WAY TO BECOME A MORE PRESENT, COLLABORATIVE LEADERGET TO KNOW YOURSELF THROUGH “PERSONAL RETROSPECTIVES”UNDERSTANDING OUR PRIVILEGE AND HOW IT IMPACTS OUR WORKEMBRACING ALL OF OURSELVES, INCLUDING OUR “SHADOW” SIDESARE YOU OUTSOURCING A PART OF YOURSELF TO YOUR TEAM?CREATING HEALTHY BOUNDARIESNOTES
CHAPTER NINE: Learn the Company Culture and Define It with Your Team
UNDERSTANDING STARTUP VALUESCOMPANY VALUES DRIVE BEHAVIOROTHER WAYS CULTURE IS IMPACTED BY VALUESBUILDING TRUST AMONG YOUR TEAM AS A STARTUP LEADERCREATING A CULTURE THAT ISN'T “ALWAYS‐ON”CREATING INCLUSIVE TEAMS WHERE INDIVIDUALS FROM DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS CAN EXCEL TOGETHERCREATING “BALANCE” ON TEAMSCREATING HEALTHY WORK EXPECTATIONS THAT SUPPORT INCLUSIVITY AMONG YOUR TEAMCULTIVATE PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY ON YOUR TEAMSCOMPASSIONATE BOSSES MAKE PEOPLE'S LIVES BETTER, SO ASPIRE TO BE ONE OF THEMGET TO KNOW YOUR TEAM AS INDIVIDUALSNOTES
PART III: BUILDING AND MANAGING YOUR TEAM AND DEPARTMENT
CHAPTER TEN: Recruit Smart and Build Belonging
RECRUITING NEW TEAM MEMBERSWHAT TO DO IF YOU'VE INHERITED A TEAMHIRING YOUR TEAMDESIGNING YOUR ORGANIZATION CHARTHIRING TIP: CREATE A SCORECARDREDUCING BIAS IN THE HIRING PROCESSCULTIVATING EQUITABLE, DIVERSE, AND INCLUSIVE TEAMSHIRING PEOPLE: HOW TO RETAIN TALENT ON YOUR TEAM IN TODAY'S COMPETITIVE LABOR MARKETNOTES
CHAPTER ELEVEN: Alignment: Set the Strategy to Get Your Team Working Toward the Same Vision and Goals
HELP YOUR TEAM TO UNDERSTAND THE MISSION AND THE “WHY” BEHIND THE STRATEGYSETTING OKRS WITH YOUR TEAMBONUSES TIED TO OKRSUNDERPERFORMING TEAM MEMBERSGET IN THE WEEDS IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND THE NATURE OF PROBLEMSLEAD WITH THE BEHAVIOR YOU WANT TO SEECONFLICTS ON YOUR TEAM: HOW TO IDENTIFY AND WORK THROUGH THEMPAY ATTENTION TO THE DETAILS LONGER THAN FEELS NECESSARYNOTES
CHAPTER TWELVE: Attunement: Creating a Culture Where People Contribute Their Best Work
BEGIN WITH THE GOAL IN MIND: EMPLOYEE EMPOWERMENTMAKE BUILDING A HEALTHY CULTURE A TEAM PRIORITYTEAM EMPOWERMENT STARTS WITH BUILDING TRUSTGET SUPPORT ALONG YOUR JOURNEY THROUGH A SUPPORT CIRCLEENSURE YOUR TEAM HAS ENOUGH RESOURCES TO BE SUCCESSFULLET YOUR TEAM KNOW YOU, TO THE DEGREE YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE WITHEMPOWERING YOUR TEAM TO DELIVER AND LET GO OF TASKS IN YOUR “ZONE OF EXCELLENCE”BUILD PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY BY CREATING AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE MISTAKES ARE HANDLED WITH CARE, NOT BLAMECONSIDER INSTITUTING A “NO MEETING” DAYA WORD ON BEING A MEMBER OF AN UNDER‐REPRESENTED GROUP AND NAVIGATING MAKING MISTAKESCREATE A ROADMAP WITH INDIVIDUAL PREFERENCES AND AGREEMENTS FOR WORKING TOGETHER AS A TEAMNOTE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Building a High‐performance Team Culture
STEPS TO BUILDING A CULTURE OF SUCCESSCREATING A PERFORMANCE CADENCE WITH YOUR TEAMTHE 1:1S WITH YOUR DIRECT REPORTSCREATE BETTER 1:1S BY ASKING BETTER QUESTIONSGOAL SETTING AND OKRsCARVE OUT TIME TO TALK CAREERS AND GIVE FEEDBACKSMALL GESTURES ADD UP TO A CARING MANAGEMENT STYLEMEETINGS: HOW MANY DO YOU REALLY NEED TO BE IN?IS THIS MEETING SET UP TO FAIL? HERE ARE WARNING SIGNS THIS WON'T BE A PRODUCTIVE MEETINGMANAGEMENT TIP: DON'T SEND “CAN WE TALK” MESSAGES TO YOUR TEAMBE EMPATHETIC TO WHAT PEOPLE ARE GOING THROUGH WHILE SETTING HEALTHY BOUNDARIESBUILD FEEDBACK INTO YOUR REGULAR COMMUNICATION AND PROCESSESBEWARE THE PITFALLS OF “SKIP LEVELS”SOLVING CONFLICTS ON YOUR TEAMENSURING YOUR TEAM (INCLUDING YOU) TAKES ADEQUATE TIME OFFTAKE TIME TO REALLY UNPLUG YOURSELF TO SHOW YOUR TEAM THAT'S THE CULTURECULTIVATE AS FLEXIBLE A WORK ENVIRONMENT AS POSSIBLEEMBRACE FEELINGS WHILE ESTABLISHING HEALTHY BOUNDARIES AROUND HOW YOU DEAL WITH THEMDEFINING SUCCESS AND TRUE OWNERSHIPGET YOUR REPORTS TO THINK LIKE OWNERSA NAVY VETERAN SHARES THE CASE AGAINST COMMAND AND CONTROL LEADERSHIPHAVE YOUR TEAM'S BACKLET YOUR TEAM KNOW IT'S SAFE TO MAKE MISTAKES, AS LONG AS THEY LEARN FROM THEMTEACH YOUR TEAM TO PROBLEM‐SOLVE AND LET THEM DO THINGS IN DIFFERENT WAYS THAN YOU WOULDIF YOU'RE GOING TO BE A MANAGER, DECIDE TO CARE ABOUT PEOPLE PROBLEMSINVEST IN LEARNING HOW TO BECOME A MORE INCLUSIVE LEADERHAVE FUN AS A TEAM!PRACTICE REPAIR AND BUILD IT INTO YOUR TEAM RHYTHMDO RETROSPECTIVES TO ENSURE THE TEAM SHARES THEIR VOICES AND GROWS WISERRETROSPECTIVE PROCESS (START–STOP–CONTINUE)NOTES
PART IV: MANAGING YOURSELF AND YOUR EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATION
CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Level Up to Scale with Your Startup
MAKE AN INVENTORY OF THE THINGS YOU'D LIKE TO WORK ONHOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF WORKING WITH AN EXECUTIVE COACHBEYOND COACHING: THERAPY IS A GREAT OPTIONYOUR GROWTH IS UP TO YOU
CHAPTER FIFTEEN: Leading in a Post‐covid World
AS THE WORLD HAS CHANGED, PRIORITIES HAVE SHIFTED FOR MANY OF USSINCE REMOTE WORK IS HERE TO STAY, HERE'S HOW TO DO IT: IDENTIFY AND SOCIALIZE THE SYSTEMS YOU'LL USE FOR COMMUNICATION AND TRACKING WORKPLAN TO WORK AROUND TEAMS' SCHEDULES AND TIME ZONESCREATE PREDICTABILITY IN YOUR OPERATING CADENCELEVERAGE OKRs TO KEEP EVERYONE ALIGNEDTAKE EXTRA TIME TO CHECK IN ON HOW PEOPLE ARE DOINGSET SAFETY PROTOCOLS AND CONSIDER HIRING A COVID SAFETY OFFICER TO GATHER IN PERSONJOSH ASHTON'S STORY: LEADING HIS TEAM AS CHIEF PEOPLE OFFICER AT TRINEO DURING THE PANDEMICREMEMBER THAT EVERYONE IS STRUGGLING WITH SOMETHING DIFFERENTNOTES
CHAPTER SIXTEEN: Managing Up: How to Work with Your CEO and Board
WORK WELL WITH YOUR CEO BY UNDERSTANDING THEIR PREFERRED WORK STYLE: FOUNDER HITEN SHAH'S STORYNOTE: YOUR CEO MAY NOT BE AWARE OF ALL OF THEIR PREFERENCES (BUT THEY STILL HAVE THEM)GETTING TO KNOW THE BOARD BY CONNECTING DIRECTLY WITH AT LEAST ONE MEMBERALWAYS BE CONCISE IN YOUR COMMUNICATION WITH YOUR BOARDNICK MEHTA'S ADVICE: FOCUS ON THE METRIC THAT THE BOARDS CARE MOST ABOUTMANAGE YOUR TIME WELL DURING THE BOARD MEETINGUNDERSTANDING WHAT YOUR BOARD REALLY CARES ABOUTA WORD OF ADVICE: DON'T OVER‐PROMISE TO THE BOARD
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: When Things Go Pear‐shaped: Navigating Challenges, Setbacks, Failure, and Departures
LEARN TO PRACTICE COMPASSION TOWARDS YOURSELF WHEN DIFFICULTY AND FAILURE HAPPEN (BECAUSE THEY WILL)PRACTICE SELF‐COMPASSION WHEN THINGS ARE HARD AT WORKUNDERSTAND THAT PEOPLE REACT DIFFERENTLY UNDER STRESSTREAT PEOPLE WITH RESPECT, ALWAYSWHAT TO DO IF A COLLEAGUE QUESTIONS YOUR IMPACTIF YOU FAIL AND GET LET GO, OR MESS UP IN A BIG WAY, YOU STILL BELONG IN THE STARTUP WORLD AND YOU'RE GOING TO BE OKWHEN YOU GET PASSED OVER FOR A PROMOTION OR A ROLENORMALIZING SET‐BACKS AND GIVING YOURSELF PERMISSION TO FAIL AND LEARNIS IT TIME TO CALL IT QUITS? NO ONE GETS TO DECIDE WHEN YOU STOP BEING A STARTUP LEADER BUT YOUREFRAMING FAILURE AS ANOTHER LEARNING OPPORTUNITYOTHER TYPES OF SETBACKSOTHER THINGS THAT CAN GO WRONG AND HOW TO DEAL WITH THEMADVERSITY IN THE STARTUP WORLD IS A FEATURE, NOT A BUGNAVIGATING PIVOTS SUCCESSFULLY AS A STARTUP LEADERTREAT PIVOTS AS A CHANCE TO BECOME A BETTER COMPANYIN TIMES OF CRISIS, UNDERSTAND YOUR CIRCLE OF CONTROLSTAY AND ACCEPT, TRY TO CHANGE THINGS, OR LEAVE?IN TIMES OF MAJOR CHANGE, CONSIDER HAVING AN “ON THE BUS OR OFF THE BUS” CONVERSATION WITH YOUR TEAMIF YOU STAY, KNOW YOU WON'T AGREE WITH ALL DECISIONSTURNING A STARTUP PIVOT INTO A STARTUP LEADERSHIP ADVANCEMENT OPPORTUNITY: MINDY LAUCK, CEO OF BROADLYDON'T TRIANGULATE: IDENTIFY “YOU TWO” PROBLEMSON THE FAME/BLAME CYCLE—WHEN THE HIGHS ARE HIGH AND THE LOWS ARE LOWDEPARTURES: WHEN IT'S TIME TO MOVE ON FROM YOUR ROLEDECIDING WHEN IT'S TIME TO MOVE ONQUESTIONS YOU CAN ASK WHEN DECIDING WHETHER TO LEAVE YOUR EXECUTIVE ROLEHOW TO LEAVE A ROLE LIKE AN EXECUTIVEHOW TO GIVE NOTICEWHEN YOU GIVE NOTICE: BE PREPARED TO BE ASKED TO CLOSE YOUR LAPTOP ON THE SPOTA WORD OF ADVICE: RESPECT THE COMPANY'S INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY (IP) AND DON'T TAKE IT UPON DEPARTUREANOTHER WORD OF ADVICE: BE CAREFUL ABOUT POACHING EMPLOYEES (AT LEAST RIGHT AWAY)EXERCISING YOUR VESTED EQUITY AROUND YOUR DEPARTURETAKING TIME OFF IN BETWEEN JOBSMAKE A COMMUNICATION PLANKEEP IT POSITIVEBEWARE THE “DILBERT PRINCIPLE” AND LEAVE WITH GRACE ANYWAYNOTES
PART V: PROVING, SUSTAINING, AND EXPANDING YOUR IMPACT AS A LEADER
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: Measuring Success: How to Know If Things Are Working
WHO CARES ABOUT LEADING AND LAGGING INDICATORS?UNDERSTANDING THE METRICS THAT SET UP YOUR DEPARTMENT FOR SUCCESSFOCUS ON MEASURES THAT SHOW OUTCOMES VS. ACTIVITYGETTING COMFORTABLE WITH QUANTITATIVE MEASUREMENT TOOLSHOW THE BOARD THINKS ABOUT YOUR INDICATORSMEASURE WHAT COUNTS AT A REGULAR CADENCEOTHER “SUCCESS” MEASURESLETTING LEADING INDICATORS GUIDE YOUR EARLY‐STAGE STARTUP GROWTHRAND FISHKIN'S ADVICE FOR METRICS: KEEP IT SIMPLEHOW TO WORK WITH YOUR CEO ON MEASURING YOUR PERFORMANCEBUILDING ACCOUNTABILITY INTO YOUR TEAM REPORTING
CHAPTER NINETEEN: Communicating Your Results to Your CFO, CEO, Company, and Board
WHY BOARD MEETINGS EXIST (AND NO, THEY'RE NOT JUST TO TORTURE STARTUP FOUNDERS AND EXECUTIVES!)COMMUNICATING AT THE BOARD LEVELCOMMUNICATING AT THE “ALTITUDE” OF THE BOARDHOW IS YOUR BUSINESS PERFORMING WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE GREATER MARKET (OR THE VC'S PORTFOLIO?)DO YOUR HOMEWORKBUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE BOARD PRIOR TO YOUR FIRST MEETINGTAKING A STORYTELLING APPROACH TO BOARD PRESENTATIONSCOMMUNICATE WITH YOUR DEPARTMENT TEAM TO GET WHAT YOU NEED FROM THEMCREATING YOUR BOARD SLIDES: THINK AT A HIGH ALTITUDEHOW TO CREATE YOUR BOARD SLIDESEXAMPLE DEPARTMENT OKR SNAPSHOT SLIDE REPORTING RESULTS WITH R/Y/GOTHER TYPES OF SLIDES TO INCLUDE IN YOUR BOARD DECKTHE PURPOSE OF YOUR APPENDIX AND/OR PRE‐READ MATERIALTIP: ENSURE EVERY SLIDE HAS A NARRATIVE‐DRIVEN TITLEPRESENTATION TIPS: BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER THE BOARD MEETING
CHAPTER TWENTY: Mentorship: How to Further Grow Your Career by Networking and Giving Back
MENTORSHIP POWERS THE STARTUP ECOSYSTEMMENTORSHIP'S ROLE IN SUPPORTING DEVELOPING LEADERSMENTORSHIP IS ABOUT KNOWLEDGE AND CHEMISTRYMENTORS DON'T HAVE TO KNOW ALL OF THE ANSWERSENLISTING YOUR OWN MENTORS: DEVELOPING A GROUP OF PERSONAL ADVISORSMENTORS CARE ABOUT YOU PERSONALLY AND CAN KEEP YOUR PRIORITIES STRAIGHTSEEK MENTORSHIP THAT PROMOTES EQUALITYSIGN UP TO MENTOR AT AN ACCELERATORMENTOR THROUGH AN OFFICIAL ORGANIZATIONFIND COMMUNITY AND SHARE MUTUAL SUPPORT AS A “PEER MENTOR”AFFINITY ORGANIZATIONSOTHER TYPES OF SUPPORT: SPONSORSHIP AND COACHINGDON'T DISCOUNT INFORMAL MENTORSHIPTAKE MENTORSHIP TO THE NEXT LEVEL: SCALE YOUR IMPACT
AFTERWORD
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
INDEX
End User License Agreement

Content preview from Lead Upwards

CHAPTER NINELearn the Company Culture and Define It with Your Team

A startup's decisions are driven by its values. These values impact everything from how vendors are treated to how much budget is allocated to employees' desks to parental leave and more. According to a recent Deloitte Millennial Survey, millennials want to work with mission‐driven companies that align with their values.¹

UNDERSTANDING STARTUP VALUES

Each startup operates within an implicit or explicit value system—a set of principles that guides every aspect of the startup. Values help companies orient and make decisions when they reach impasses.

The company's values provide an answer to the question: “Does this align with what we want to achieve?” and should be consulted before proceeding with any major decision.

COMPANY VALUES DRIVE BEHAVIOR

Whether implicit or explicit, these values impact behavior. For instance, at an early‐stage startup I worked for, even before the value was written explicitly (it was later codified in the company wiki), we all knew that we were supposed to treat contractors and vendors with as much respect as our customers and employees.

The CEO made ...

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