Lead Upwards

CHAPTER FOURTEENLevel Up to Scale with Your Startup

As your startup grows, you'll need to scale your impact. Don't let the past you get in the way of the future you.

Upskilling continuously will enable you to expand your impact and increase the value you provide to your startup. While there will always be more to learn, embracing a process for your growth can make a big difference over time and lead to better outcomes at your startup.

MAKE AN INVENTORY OF THE THINGS YOU'D LIKE TO WORK ON

Whether you're a first‐time startup executive or have been one for years, there will be things you need to learn and work on. No matter how much you've prepared (even reading books like this one), the demands of a fast‐growing business require constant growth and learning. By increasing your skills across key areas, you'll contribute more value to your company, and become a more effective leader.

First, assess your current leadership style and skills. Nils Vinje, Customer Success executive and leadership coach, recommends his mentees and clients take a baseline assessment upon starting a new role or beginning a new growth course.

Identify growth areas by assessing your current skills in the following areas:

• Tactical skills in your functional area. VPs of marketing, sales, product, and others will outsource a lot of the execution, but we still need to understand our program on a tactical level. While you likely won't be (or stay) the Salesforce admin if you're the VP of Sales, knowing ...