Executive Function: Build systems that can decide without you | Jeanne DeWitt Grosser (COO, Vercel)

By First Round Capital

Categories: VC, Startup

Summary

Executives must excel at both the 30,000-foot strategic view and the ground-level operational execution. Stripe valued leaders who could simultaneously manage for long-term vision and short-term results, a skill critical for scaling startups beyond 500, 1000, and 5000 employees.

Key Takeaways

1. Develop a multi-year strategic point of view while also driving day-to-day operational reality.
2. Identify the 3 critical focus areas where you will get deeply involved vs. delegate to your team.
3. Shift from an individual contributor mindset to a general manager mindset focused on cross-functional alignment.
4. Build a team of leaders capable of executing the annual plan while you focus on the multi-year strategy.
5. Use performance reviews to surface feedback on cross-functional collaboration and uncover hidden blockers.
6. Expect to have a long executive tenure of 8-10 years to drive sustainable, year-over-year results.

Topics

• Executive Management
• Startup Scaling
• Organizational Design
• Performance Management
• Cross-Functional Alignment

Transcript Excerpt

I think a lot of executives over pattern match and do not have intellectual curiosity to figure out what's different. >> If someone's effective at 25 million in ARR and their goal is not to be layered or managed out, are there things they should be doing? >> You need to work yourself out of a job. You're comfortable doing the job you have become good at. That is no longer the job. What do you think are the things that tend to keep star talent from ascending to sort of the top spot in maybe any f...