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My husband likes to say that watching me drink an iced coffee in the morning is like watching Super Mario take down a mushroom as a Power-Up. Kidding aside, the only Power-Up greater than caffeine for me is bringing together 70 awesome VP- and C-level women in SaaS for a power breakfast focused on all things "First Team" leadership. Big thanks to everyone who joined as Primary Venture Partners HQ earlier this week for a fun morning. I enjoyed another opportunity to preach my gospel about the "swim lane trap," and loved the inspiring fireside chat hosted by my long-time leadership teammate Rebecca Price and my fantastic executive coach Kristine Kern. A few highlights and takeaways: 💰 How do we accelerate First Team thinking? Aligned incentive plans are a very easy place to start. It is baffling to me that every leadership team on the planet doesn't have aligned bonus plans. 👩🏫 Another way to accelerate First Team thinking is simply by EDUCATING your team on this concept and why it matters. I love that a sales leader came up to me at the event and said, "I need to be vulnerable and say that I am guilty of everything we just talked about!" As always, sunlight is the best disinfectant. 🏗 Building the leadership team is just the START of the CEO's job when it comes to cultivating high-performance teams. Then the work really begins. Great CEOs are committed to driving ongoing alignment, forcing clarity and decisions, inspiring healthy conflict, etc. The work never ends. This is what separates "meh" leaders from great ones. 💪 Power differentials are actually OKAY on teams, so long as they are defined and understood (e.g. the CEO and CFO make the final decision, and that's clear). 💙 Being vulnerable is the swiftest way to building trust with your team. As Kristine has told me many times over the years, "Cassie, you can show a chink in the chainmail!" 👀 Sorry remote friends, but another powerful way to build trust is by looking people in the eye, in-person. As was said this morning, it's "pay now or pay later" when it comes to getting your teams together in-person if you're building a distributed culture. I remember Neil Lustig and Marty Meyer telling me not so long ago that if you're building a distributed team, your savings on office space aren't "savings," but rather just a reallocation of spending to get the team together on the right cadence. ...if you joined us, what else resonated FOR YOU? I'm frequently asked how to get invited to events like this one. Please subscribe to Primary's weekly newsletters for regular updates and news on all of our events - we'll host 250 total events this year, so there's something for everyone! https://lnkd.in/eDupGTbv
Great event! I also loved my breakout on healthy conflict facilitated by the wise Lindsey O'Sullivan. My biggest takeaway is that people are doing the wrong thing because it is EASIER (at least in the moment). Politics is easier, avoiding conflict is easier, etc. Leading by example and creating a safe space where there isn't backlash for saying the uncomfortable thing can address so much of this.
Cassie thanks for sharing your takeaways. As someone who hasn’t (yet) been able to join one of the sessions in person, I’m here for your post-event posts. Your conviction about leveling the playing field - and then actually running the plays - is really inspiring!
Grateful for the chance to learn and grow in these incredible spaces! One of the best things about building in NYC. Big thanks to Cassie and the fantastic Primary team!!
Cassie Young Great insights, thank you! A few years ago I discovered that the teamwork potential in tech is usually not realized at all (unlike sports teams or music bands, etc), globally. I realized that building high-performing teams is a well-researched science (or art?) that any leader can master, but they usually don't know about it :) I even tried to build a startup focusing on engineering teams to help them raise the bar. Didn't find the PMF. Huge potential ROI, but the market was not ready; tech leaders didn't want to invest in teamwork.
Oh to be a fly on the wall of this meeting packed with powerhouse women in tech... From the countless teams I've seen or been a part of, the common theme is that the ability to align makes a first team effective, even when those in the room don't agree or understand. This stems from intentional communication, consistent communication, and a space that's safe to share ideas and ask questions. I had to giggle; you brought me back to my childhood playing Nintendo and being so proud of myself for taking those mushrooms on with reckless abandon 😂
Cassie Young, thank you for leading the charge, always thinking of how to equip women leaders to lead with power, with insight, with valuable data and analysis to help them be the best they can be. I had to miss this wonderful event you hosted, but I am thrilled to read about the emphasis you’ve placed on First Team alignment. An aligned First Team, driven by the CEO who is aware of the “why” behind it, supported by the commitment to its principles, to shared values and metrics and goals-- will not only drive greater performance, but will also create better companies people want to work for as a result. Looking forward to seeing you at the next one!
Thank you for having me at this amazing event. What resonated with me was the critical need for The First Team leaders to be on the same COMMERCIAL page and instill this commercial thinking in their respective teams. This avoids debates on vanity metrics, and increases engagement (the results are pretty clear if measured commercially) and delivers sustainable growth.
Thank you Primary and Cassie for another awesome event! Approaching company success through the lens of ‘smart’ metrics (strategy, marketing, finance, tech) in addition to ‘healthy’ metrics (minimal politics, high morale, productivity, and inclusion) was a big unlock for me. Looking forward to continuing the conversation at future events!
General Partner at Primary Venture Partners, Seasoned SaaS CRO/CCO
2w...and thanks again to the amazing WOMEN-LED team at Johnson & Oshan Law for their financial sponsorship and ongoing support for this program!