Coach for heads of growth | PLG advisor | Former 2x growth leader (Wistia, Postscript) | Podcast at media.deliveringvalue.co
If you work at a startup, you probably don't have a career path. - Flat org structure - First time managers - No leadership training - No formal criteria to get promos Nobody has a "path" for you. It's on you to take control... - Advocate for what you want - Be clear about your expectations - Ask for feedback as much as possible - Use every opportunity to deliver value - Hold your employer accountable to your plan Your manager is there to help you. Your job is to let them know where you want to go.
This was my life until I decided the path was mine to take. And that path led me right out of employment 😂
Love this 👏 A strong internal locus of control makes startup life so much more fun, carving your own path isn’t a negative, it’s an opportunity!
It’s the Wild West out here! 🤠 I intentionally chose start up’s because I came from corporate where everything was so planned out there was very little flexibility. I wish I would have prepared more and found resources and mentors before I made the switch for this reason.
Really calling out the startup career challenge! But what if your managers are too swamped or inexperienced to provide the guidance you need? Looking for advice on self-directing your career growth when support is sparse.
Great post. I’ve been on both sides with startup being the current venture. The freedom is great, but be prepared for the accountability that comes with a flat structure. Its all on me to deliver. I almost treat it like a consultation business.
This is a fair list. It is no coincidence that (although nuanced) in Chinese Mandarin the hieroglyph for crisis and opportunity are the same 😀
This x 1000
Helping Founders & Pre-IPOs achieve revenue results, master growth strategies, and build resilient businesses.→ Generated $100M+ in revenue → Commercially Supported Open Source, Developers, Product Led Growth / PLG
1moThis is great for people growing into biggernorganizations - but I’d like to add something… It also doesn’t hurt to “set a timer” and understand when you’ve “exhausted the ways you can positively contribute” if you prefer working for startups. Startup life, for some of us, is about solving the big problems and moving onto the next. If you set these standards internally and voice them when appropriate externally you can continue your adventure - and even get support - elsewhere with no hard feelings. Regardless the route - lifer or leaver - You’ll never encounter a community (in business) that lifts others like founding-level-startup-teams.