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The document outlines the introduction and forward of 'The Way of the Growth Warrior', which presents seven essential skills for entrepreneurs to scale their businesses during uncertain times. The author, Promise Phelon, emphasizes the importance of self-acceptance, emotional management, and building strong relationships, among other skills. The book aims to provide practical insights and strategies to help entrepreneurs navigate their journeys and achieve success.
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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
8 views56 pages

E-Book TWTGW-Bonus-Free-Chapter

The document outlines the introduction and forward of 'The Way of the Growth Warrior', which presents seven essential skills for entrepreneurs to scale their businesses during uncertain times. The author, Promise Phelon, emphasizes the importance of self-acceptance, emotional management, and building strong relationships, among other skills. The book aims to provide practical insights and strategies to help entrepreneurs navigate their journeys and achieve success.
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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FREE CHAPTER

INSIDE

7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE


YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES

THE WAY OF THE


GROWTH WARRIOR
7 Non-Negotiable Skills
to Scale Your Business
in Uncertain Times

Promise Phelon

Copyright © 2020 by The Growth Warrior.


All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not
be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without
the express written permission of the publisher except for
the use of brief quotations.

Printed in the United States of America.

First Printing, 2020

The Growth Warrior

thegrowthwarrior.com

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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES

FOReWARD
By Steven Latasa-Nicks

I’ve known Promise for more than 15 years. I’ve worked for her,
owned businesses with her, and sometimes even fought with
her. The only person I know better than Promise is my husband,
Fred. And it’s through this lens that I want to introduce you, the
reader, to your guide, to the person who’s going to invest in you
and make sure you develop the seven core skills that will fuel
your success.

Promise has an amazing ability to see both what’s missing and


what’s required to achieve the desired outcome. If you want
feedback — and I mean real input, not just a couple of general
notes — ask Promise. She’ll find what’s missing or not quite right
and she’ll ask you some tough questions that really make you
think. And when you’re done, you’ll look at your work and be
amazed at the outcome. That’s because Promise’s input always
comes with something extra, that you may or may not see at
first. It comes with love and a true desire to make you better at
what you do. I’ve personally learned over the years that when I
work with Promise I’m a better version of myself.

One of Promise’s great strengths is that she is curious. She asks


questions all the time, probing to better understand other people’s
perspectives, motivations and level of confidence. She looks
beyond what is immediately in front of her and thinks about what
will come next. She reads voraciously and consumes massive
amounts of information. This natural inquisitiveness has made

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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES

Promise a master observer, someone who not only sees what’s


happening right now but can also see significant, macro trends
that are developing. It’s this ability to see what is significant and
what is required to succeed in today’s environment that makes
The Way of the Growth Warrior so powerful.

Entrepreneurship used to be a relatively rare trait that a small


number of people mastered. These people were often pioneers
who had what it takes to build a massive company from the
ground up. But as the last two generations have entered the
workforce, they have faced a much different set of realities that
have forced them to do things differently, to take more risks and
to expect more in return. These individuals, unlike many of their
predecessors, have become entrepreneurial and many of them
are in fact entrepreneurs, solopreneurs or have side hustles that
empower them and make them the master of their own destiny.

Over the last several years I’ve talked to Promise many times
about the critical skills she presents in The Way of the Growth
Warrior. She has thought about them, evolved them and stress-
tested them. But I think what you’ll find most compelling are
the stories she shares to help reinforce the critical skills she’s
teaching us. I also think you’ll be amazed at how she exposes
herself emotionally. She helps humanize the entrepreneur’s
journey, letting us know our emotional reactions, fears and
doubts are real, but what we do with them and how we learn to
respond and manage them is one of the most critical aspects of
any entrepreneur’s success.

Steven Latasa-Nicks

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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES

Introduction
If you’re reading this book, I bet I know you. We may not have
met but I see you, the heart of you. You’re an entrepreneur.
You’re not just any entrepreneur, though, you’re an
entrepreneur who is ready for more – to know more, to be
more, to have more for your business, family, community and
yourself.

Chances are if you’re reading this book, you own a business,


whether it is in its infancy or at massive scale, and you’re looking
to step-up your game, to operate at a level where the skills are
hard-won, useful and lauded.

Perhaps you’re looking to evolve your leadership style to expand


the scope of your business’ offerings or team size, grow your
company more profitably, learn how to raise capital or uncover
when to sell your company to a larger player. Or, maybe you’re
looking to define clear, measurable, personal and emotional set-
points that allow you to assess how your skills are improving so
that you can leave your main hustle and go daring into the world
of startups. Whatever it is, you’ve come to the right place.

Why? Because I’ve been there. I have desperately craved to


understand why it appeared easy for people like Marc Benioff,
the founders of Stripe and the numerous entrepreneurs who
were constantly winning and moving effortlessly between
company and success. I have been where you are today or
where you once have been.

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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES

So, where does it start?

It starts with self-acceptance. I, Promise Phelon, am an


entrepreneur, an underdog, a woman, a girl from a small town
in Texas, and despite not resembling the traditional line-up of
startup CEOs, venture capitalist investors or tech founders, I am
still in the game and ready for more – this is what I call being a
Growth Warrior.

The combination of growth and warrior is about a calling, a


strong pursuit toward the lesson and improvement in both a
business and personal sense; it is about the constant journey.
While we may fall in love with the idea of improvement, it’s
really hard to sit down, figure out what needs improvement
and then improve. But still, there are warriors out there with big
ambitions and no idea how to get there.

Luckily, you’ve got me on your team, and together, we will get


there.

Admittedly, I am also writing this book to codify and capture my


journey, to imprint and realize the lessons, and to fully own my
wins, my super-powers and my unique ability.

Joy is in the journey, right?

Over my years of experience, I’ve learned a lot about what


entrepreneurship applied actually means. I spent the past few
years partnering with and advising successful CEOs, mentoring
hundreds of emerging entrepreneurs, hiring thousands and

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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES

doing tons of research so I could write this book and share my


learnings with you from inside the arena. I’ve done my best to
take these lessons, wins and harsh realities out of the realm of
the mystical and into the practical.

I am always seeking wisdom and to find the learnings in every


situation, not only in what others have experienced, but the
wisdom borne from my errors, mistakes and blind spots.

Why does this matter to you? Why now?

Odds are you are interacting with entrepreneurs in a multitude


of ways. Perhaps you are raising entrepreneurial children,
partnering with an entrepreneur or managing entrepreneurs at
work. According to The Growth Warrior’s State of the Underdog
2019 Report, over 90 percent of Generation Z and Millennials
identify as entrepreneurs; that means the majority of the
workforce are entrepreneurial and looking for how to get better,
how to expand their network and how to create more freedom.
Whether it’s inside a company or in the world, entrepreneurship
is rarely, if ever, clearly defined. I’ve heard entrepreneurship
described affectionally as a profession, a skillset, a mindset, an
apprenticeship, a sport – the list goes on.

From an outsider’s perspective, we tend to see the outcomes


of entrepreneurship. We all know of those crazy successful
entrepreneurs, the badasses who we aspire to be, those
who changed industries – the Oprah’s, Sara Blakely’s, Mark
Zuckerberg’s, the 30 under 30’s and the new billionaires. We
also hear of the horror stories, those who risked it all and lost

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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES

it all. You know what you want, but you may not know how to
get there. Unfortunately, those who are successful rarely share
their journey to success, and those who aren’t only help us
learn what not to do. Unlike attorneys who have a clear set of
exams, training and required ability to enter firms, the path to
entrepreneurship is a curvy road.

As a result, entrepreneurs end up running their companies in


an ad hoc way, and in the majority of the cases, are living in
survival mode. You try new things and if they work, you may
repeat them, if they don’t, you may not. You’re unclear on how
your inputs affect your outputs and you don’t have clear paths
to grow and scale your company. Unless you’re super lucky and
have a dope mentor, rich parents or stumble upon a pot of gold
in the street, your business probably won’t work out without
some definable, measurable direction.

Nobody has sat down and cataloged the path to being a


successful and happy entrepreneur – until now.

I’m going to let you in on a little secret: The sauce has a


recipe. I’ve decoded it through my experience and hundreds of
interviews with the best in the game.

I have a desire to expose what it takes to be an incredible


entrepreneur; no more secret sauces. Instead, I will unpack and
reverse-engineer the recipe for that sauce and take you into a
world of specificity and replicability.

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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES

These are the seven non-negotiable skills that every great


entrepreneur has mastered or is mastering:

1) Manage Yourself Impeccably. Highly successful


entrepreneurs are exceptional at knowing themselves,
managing their emotions and creating habits that reinforce
a growth mindset and the joy that comes from leading and
doing great work.

2) Craft a Compelling Warrior Story. A true growth warrior


knows how to tell their story in a memorable, passionate
and relevant way, with emotional resonance and vision
about who they are and who they’re becoming.

3) Form Antifragile Relationships. The best entrepreneurs


build powerful, symbiotic and resilient relationships with
customers, partners and investors that strengthen through
adversity and challenging situations.

4) Codify Your Leadership Philosophy to Build Dream


Teams. Entrepreneurs who carefully curate their leadership
philosophy and lead with vulnerability build teams that win
championships.

5) Know Your Market & Love Thy Customer. Winning


entrepreneurs understand the opportunity that markets
present. They find customers and turn them into raving fans
and allies by exceeding their expectations.

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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES

6) Build to Exit. Entrepreneurs love the companies they create.


Their companies generate lasting asset value, whether they
remain independent or become part of a new entity as a
result of an exit, merger or acquisition event.

7) Capitalize Everything. Being resourceful, as well as having


the skills to secure resources, is essential for successful
entrepreneurs. Leaders who can raise money from investors,
banks and other sources create strong growth trajectories,
as well as strengthen their competency in all the other
skillsets.

By the end of this book, you’ll have absolute clarity on the seven
skills you need to be an amazingly successful entrepreneur. You
will have read stories that make you laugh and others that spark
emotion.

My goal is that you’ll not only have a new set of insights, but
that you will have the knowledge and newly-formed skills
needed to grow your $50,000 to $500,000, $5M to $50M and
beyond; and, that you feel like you have a path to improvement
as a leader, a warrior and an entrepreneur.

We are visionaries. We think big and act big. At times, however,


that causes us to ignore the details. I’ll teach you every detail you
need to know and you can decide the rest for yourself. You’ll learn
exactly what you have to start doing, keep doing and stop doing.

So, what are you waiting for? It’s time for more. Let’s play!

10
Chapter 07

Skill Four -
Build A Dream
Team
eadership is the joyous acceptance of responsibility.”
“L - Daniel Fender

Great teams aren’t built overnight. And they aren’t built by one
person. It takes a group of leaders and big-picture thinkers to
create a culture and an atmosphere in which talent can thrive.

The key to building a great team is conditioning employees to


focus by getting them in the habit of focusing every day. I know
what you’re thinking. “Promise, you can’t force someone to
make focus a habit. You either have the focus or you don’t.”

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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES

Wrong.

One of my absolute favorite books, The One Thing by Gary


Keller, fundamentally changed the way I think about my team
and the art of staying focused. In fact, I love the book so much
it’s become a holy grail staple in my Warrior sessions. If you
haven’t read it, stop what you’re doing and purchase it right
now.

Gary’s principle is simple: Just one thing stands between you


and your goals. Identify it. Focus on it. Master it. To do this, ask
yourself – and your team – this one question: What’s the ONE
thing I can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier
or unnecessary?

Incredible. Thank you, Gary! Write that down, read it again and
get it stuck in your brain.

Once you’ve identified an answer to this question, continue to


ask yourself again and again until you’ve identified patterns or
connections, and until you’ve lined all your ducks in a row and
have a clear vision of what needs to be done. No need to drive
yourself crazy by over-analyzing every aspect of your day, either.
The question is adaptable to both big picture and small picture
tasks.

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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES

Exercise 7: Identify Your ONE Thing

Ask yourself this one question monthly and quarterly to identify


a vision for your life or your company: What’s my ONE thing?

Ask yourself this one question daily and weekly to identify a


vision for your workweek or your day: What’s my ONE thing
right now?

Success on a personal or professional level ultimately comes


down to your ability to dismiss distraction and focus on the one
thing that’ll help you achieve your immediate goal. Whatever
your one thing is, it is the difference between subpar and
extraordinary results. Your one thing might change over time. It’s
prioritizing that one thing or goal at a time until you eventually
reach the levels of success you’ve only ever dreamed of.

As a leader, your goal should be to help your team eliminate


distraction, understand motivators and help them identify one
thing that is in alignment with those goals. Once you’ve cleared
the path and put blinders on, your team is unstoppable. You must
make clear goals, hit them and then celebrate. Create a growth
and learning culture that allows for mistakes and imperfections.

Perks vs Culture

I’ve seen and been a part of companies that hype up ping pong
and beer cart Fridays as a selling point to join their company.

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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES

They slap the label of “fun company culture” on these perks


that actually have nothing to do with culture; they should be
considered more of a bonus feature.

The best way I know how to explain company culture is via The
Iceberg. It’s a simple visual with a major impact. Think of the tip of
an iceberg. It looks mighty and beautiful, but it’s not keeping itself
afloat. The bottom of the iceberg, or foundation, is the strongest,
thickest, most substantial part. It’s the piece that keeps the top of
the iceberg afloat, the piece that allows the top to even exist.

THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES

the iceberg Free Lunch &


Ping Pong
Office Space,
Events & Swag

Individual Learning
& Growth
Reward System

Winning: Habit

Transparency Decoding
what works
the “Market”
#ownershipculture

Financial

Culture is giving your team ownership and giving them the


resources to thrive in their role.

Culture is transparency – always being open and honest about


the inner workings and status of your company.

Culture is helping your team create long term habits that set
them up for repeated success.

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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES

Culture is rewarding a job well done, often, or simply saying,


“You’re doing a great job.”

Culture is helping people learn and grow by exposing them to


different perspectives, solutions and experiences.

Culture is NOT a ping pong table.

You must view yourself as a gardener. Constantly pruning,


trimming, fertilizing and planting to keep your team healthy,
vibrant and growing.

Exercise 8: Six-hour think time ritual.

Without time for reflection we rob ourselves and our teams


from actually learning and living in the growth mindset. To lead
teams from the best place possible, invest six hours per month
to answer these questions:

1) What have I learned this month?

2) How have I showed up in the workplace?

3) How is my team reacting to me?

4) What red flags or opportunities am I overlooking?

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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES

Find A Great Partner

I tell the story often of meeting my long-time business partner


and professional husband, Steven Latasa-Nicks. We were at the
Starbucks near San Jose airport. I recall the conversation being
fluid, one full of possibilities. Steven was incredibly well put
together, and when I looked under the table, he’d taken off his
shoes and put them neatly to one side. His socks were perfect,
and our long, long relationship started there.

He started out as my business partner, and for six years we built


a well-known, high-growth and profitable consulting company
that we eventually sold. We dealt with bad employees, lost
clients and mismanaged expectations. We learned about
the other person’s strengths and fought through envy and
questions about the other person’s value. We had two or three
devastating experiences, but through it all established values
that we continue to live by: Respect each other, never miss a
payroll and be ok with saying sorry.

Before Steven joined The Phelon Group, I was selling large


companies like Adobe and AutoDesk on my grand vision…then
I would stay up all night trying to figure out how I was going to
deliver. With Steven on board, customers heard directly from
him how we were going to implement and deliver our big ideas.
Our deals went from five figures to six figures and then to seven
in a matter of months.

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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES

THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES

PHELON GROUP GROWTH


TRAJECTORY

*$7M
$7. 5 M

$5 . 5 M

$ 3 .7 M

$3 . 5 M
$ 2.8 M

$1. 5 M
$ 1. 2M
$ 8 3 5K

$172K
$ 8 6K
$7 5 K

YEA R 1 Y EA R 2 YEAR 3 YEAR 4 YEAR 5 YEAR 6 YEAR 7

As I searched for something that would fully illustrate what we


became, the model of “ambidexterity” came to me. We weren’t
two people with similar skills. I was a full right hand; Steven
was a full left hand. We were both able and willing to work on
different or similar tasks, while still appreciating what the other
had to offer. The beauty of ambidexterity is that it allows you
to grow in the area your opposite excels. You’ll never become
dominant in their area of expertise, but you can learn to take
risks in a way you never have before and become stronger
together as a team.

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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES

As Steven and I built and grew teams together, we identified


three key types of people:

1) The Artist: cares about details and producing something


innovative

2) The Entrepreneur: very risk-focused, loves deals, high


energy, tends to be on the emotional scale, keen to see
what they envision come to fruition

3) The Manager-Leader: focused on scalability, creating teams,


getting things done, building confidence through action

All three types of people can have attributes of the other, but
most successful businesses have a blending at the top of all three.
I am most definitely the entrepreneur. Steven is the manager-
leader type. We both have aspects of the artist within us.

If working alone, it’s easy to see your area of expertise as the


right way, instead of a skillset you can offer. The most effective
partnerships realize they can’t go at it alone and develop
the trust to embrace each other’s best qualities to create a
complementary workflow that is structured for long term
success. For Steven and me, this trust was key. It’s not that
Steven didn’t know I had certain strengths he didn’t have and
vice versa. We needed to learn to trust each other’s decisions,
the same way we trusted our own.

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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES

What does that look like for your business partnerships?

• Assume mutual positive intent.

• Support decisions made by the other, just like you would


your own.

• Allow room for failure. You’re not perfect in your area of


strength; the other person won’t be either.

• Nurture and provide a safety net. Be your partner’s number


one fan!

A business partnership is like a marriage. As your relationship


strengthens, you’ll be able to sense when things aren’t right and
communication will be key. You won’t always wake up liking your
business partner – just as in a marriage. But you have to love
your business partner by way of trusting, nurturing and finding
joy in their growth. Their success is your success too, their
struggles are your struggles as well.

Successful business partnerships are rare but so powerful when


they work. There must be some level of unconditionality from the
start, an understanding that “I know you’re going to say and do
things I don’t like, but I’m riding along on this journey with you.”

Embrace Mentors

Aside from a great partner, you need strong mentors along the
way to provide perspective.

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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES

As much as we sometimes hate to admit it, we all need help


getting to the next level, the next opportunity, the next grand
upswell. None of us got where we are today without someone
else being willing — or paid— to lending a helping hand.

Steer clear of paid coaches and consultants. Most coaches pull


answers out of you and most consultants tell you what to do. At
the end of each day, you’re just a paycheck to them. Cut the pay,
lose the coach. Stop sending the checks, lose the consultant.

The only exception is when you find a rare gem of a person. In full
disclosure, I have a coach, at least that’s what she calls herself.
But she’s a rare find and fits the bill of what I describe as a mentor,
which is why she’s effective and why I’m willing to pay her.

Mentors are different because:

1) They’re picky and want a mentee worth their time.

2) They might invest in you.

3) They’re not afraid to call BS.

4) They treat you like an adult.

5) They give you the stage.

6) They favor movement.

7) They step away at the end of the journey.

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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES

Once you have a solid roster of mentors, find peers (a.k.a.


champions) to help harness your innate strengths. Champions
are all about you. These are the people in your life who believe
in you, are just as excited about fulfilling your potential as you
are and are committed to helping you realize your potential.

Early in my career, I was fortunate to have a professional


champion. She recruited me into the Silicon Valley tech industry,
took me under her wing and not only challenged me to be
a great entrepreneur but helped to buffer and amplify the
learnings. I believe this accelerated my career and allowed me
to both learn from the experiences of others and avoid their
mistakes – many of us are subject to negative and positive
patterns we cannot easily see.

Today, my role is as a champion. Many of my champions are


now partners, co-investors and syndicates, and fellow board
members and business partners who have an equal incentive
for me and our companies to win. Finding true champions is
very rare, but powerful.

Barbara Britton was my champion. She helped me avoid costly


career mistakes, opened doors, held my hand and walked me
into rooms that, at the time, were not sure what value I could
offer. She has invested time and resources into nearly every
venture I’ve undertaken, reviewed offer letters and counseled
me on major life events.

It goes without saying that these relationships require you be


respectful of their time so they continue to make time for you,

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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES

but more than anything, they care that you are on your path,
progressing and moving toward your north star.

GROWTH WARRIOR SPOTLIGHT: JAMES KIM


I met Promise during one of Tony Robbins’ UPW events. She
spoke on stage after one of the sessions and when she spoke, I
felt like she was talking directly to me. Her experience, journey
and background spoke to what I was looking for in a person and
the business I was creating at the time.

I’ve gone through lots of changes recently, and my Warrior Story


is still a work in progress. With Promise’s help and the support of
my fellow Growth Warriors, I was able to identify that my original
company and its mission were not aligned with my personal
mission and goals. I thought I needed to make millions to become
free in life to do what I wanted, be fully with my family and
maximize my contribution to make the biggest impact.

However, I have learned that when your personal goals in life


are not aligned with your business goals, no amount of drive,
concentration and money can help you scale. To truly achieve
financial freedom and happiness, you must align yourself to
your ultimate goal/mission before starting any business.

The Growth Warrior mentors and mentees in many ways


became my board and my team, helping me navigate and
realign the realities of my role as an entrepreneur.
22
THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES

The Growth Warrior program has provided me the partners,


mentors and champions I needed in this journey to keep me
focused, motivated and in tune with my purpose and passions.

As entrepreneurs, we all need that core network of people to


rely on; those people who will pick us up when we’re down and
place us back on our feet.

As you’re building your own teams or looking for investors,


I encourage you to write a short, two-section letter to these
partners – whether you’ve identified those people or not -- so
that you have a clear framework in place for the types of people
you want supporting or investing time and resources into your
business.

Craft your letter like so:

A Letter to My Partners

I’m seeking a strategic partner and investor in financing


__________ to help my business __________ quickly and reach as
many __________ as quickly as possible.

Here’s what mine looked like (before I course-corrected and


changed my business):

I’m seeking a strategic partner and investor in financing 5 million


dollars to help my business scale quickly and reach as many
retail vendors and restaurants as quickly as possible.

23
THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES

What I Need From You

Be __________ to our customers and understand that there is


nothing more important than to __________. Always look for
__________ that will help our company stay competitive and
relevant.

Again, here’s what mine looked like:

Be completely transparent to our customers and understand


that there is nothing more important than to exceed our
customers’ expectations. Always look for new features and
marketing ideas that will help our company stay competitive
and relevant.

Building Ideal Business Relationships

Mentors and champions are invaluable assets to you as a leader,


but so are your peers and employees. Let’s talk about how you
scale your personal growth, fulfillment and business through
relationships.

Take millennials and Generation Z, who within five years of


the writing of this book will predominate the workforce. The
rate at which they want to invest in market-driven securities,
buy homes, keep the same job/career path, go to college
and get married is different from prior generations. Their
preferences will shape new and re-shape existing industries.
When polled, these younger generations prioritize freedom and

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independence over security and certainty – freedom from debt,


freedom to live wherever they want, freedom to love however
they want and freedom to be whomever they want – the
trifecta, but expanded.

The workplace can no longer operate under the same methods


that it did when most employees were driven by pensions,
certainty, the ability to use a stable set of skills and the idea that
the company’s mission had nothing to do with their day-to-day
life. With that in mind, the lessons you were taught as a leader
will need to evolve.

One of my portfolio companies recently surveyed over 500


professionals and asked them a few questions about their
probability to have a side hustle or a job in addition to their main
profession or job. There was one datapoint in particular that
stunned me: Employees with side gigs were asked if they would
leave their day job if their side gig matched their income; 75
percent said yes. Three out of four employees said yes. That is
incredible.

Three-fourths of your employees not only want to manifest


destiny, they want to further their own personal entrepreneurial
aspirations and interests; in many cases, your business comes
second. You, as a leader, are not only navigating the challenges
of getting the larger company’s work done in an efficient
manner, you must find a way to inspire these generations to
remain engaged and do their best work – not out of obligation,
but out of a desire to aide them in their career. Managing and

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inspiring them and like-minded team members will require more


effort, curation, pitching, stay conversations and transparency.
It means managing a more dynamic organization.

The good – no, the great news is that you can now build
“entrepreneurial” organizations where team members are
inspired by your vision and the company’s mission yet require
less management and self-organize. I sense that will result in
smaller companies with tighter core teams, networks of external
talent and better compensation. Why? Because one’s value in
the marketplace is always known. Great leaders are thinking
about and keeping the pulse on what their best talent is worth
and adjusting. And, members of teams, because they are likely
running their own side gigs, are becoming stronger in key skills.

“People do things for their own reasons, not for yours. To be an


effective leader, you need to know how to motivate others.”
– Craig T. Owens, You Don’t Need A Title To Be A Leader (2013)

The elements are there, but the specific systems to create


these outcomes must be intentionally organized. To build
an entrepreneurial organization where you’re not the only
Growth Warrior, you need to trust in your team and invest in
their growth. Trust may be instant between individuals, but
as organization, it takes time and experience to build; once it
exists, it is powerful. Building trust will help you build strong
relationships, and strong relationships will help you give your
organization freedom.

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Key Tenants of Relationship Freedom

At this point you might expect me to talk about how to hire


your best team – nope! I want to align on several key principles
around relationships. This book, at its core, is about design. So,
first design the type of professional relationships you want to
be in, how you want to lead and your philosophies and then the
specifics of how you want to lead.

I’ve recently become a fan of business guru Dan Sullivan who


has created a content and coaching company called Strategic
Coach. In hundreds of podcasts, tools and books he talks a lot
about time freedom, but the most powerful thing he talks about
is relationship freedom: The freedom to create professional
magic with people you care about and who are similarly aligned.

Entrepreneurship is not only about being effective but being


effective, happy and creating leverage through relationships
where you and the other people can bring their unique ability
and superpowers. So, to become the entrepreneur you admire,
start with an acknowledgement that you cannot go alone but
when you do go with others you’re doing so from the realization
that you are not required to work together but that you are
inspired to do so.

I did something recently, recommended in this incredible


podcast by aforementioned guru Dan Sullivan. In early 2020, I
put everything I did in 2019 into three columns: Irritating, Okay,
Fascinating. I also did the same with my business relationships:
Not-so-ideal, Okay, Fascinating. I found that several of the

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relationships I found fascinating, I was focusing on too little in


exchange for over-indexing on the ones that were not-so-ideal.
Emotions are indicators that can help enlighten us.

That exercise of looking at my feelings about key relationships


led to capturing the characteristics of my ideal business
relationships:

1) They are impeccable with their word.

2) We both accept conflict and friction if it sweetens the


relationship and strengthens our collective business
outcomes.

3) They are generous when it comes to their energy, praise of


others and time.

4) Our interactions are never transactional.

5) They form their own opinions about people, ideas and


situations, and have strong opinions but hold them loosely.

6) They want growth and are actively tuning their wheel of life:
spiritually, relationally, physically, emotionally and financially.

What are your ideal relationship characteristics? What activities


and business relationships have you found fascinating and what
percentage of your time do you spend with them?

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What you look for in a business relationship will not only


influence with whom you work, which of your exceptional
abilities you flex and what you look for in your dream team, it
will also bring out your business leadership qualities.

My Leadership Qualities

In thinking about the characteristics of my ideal partners,


I had to think about it the other way around, too. What do
my colleagues appreciate in me as a partner? What do my
employees value in me as a leader? What skills am I most
interested in developing? What outcomes does the business
need near and mid-term and what combination of capabilities
are required to get there?

I took some time to define my leadership qualities. Not only did


this give me perspective into myself, it helped me define my
leadership philosophy.

I am tribal and loyal.

I now realize why I appreciate loyalty from others – I am


always loyal to my team. The sense of tribe that I strive to
create in a business environment is also probably why my
experience at TapInfluence was challenging – I didn’t have the
loyalty reciprocated that I love to give. Still, however, six, then
eventually eight, of my employees moved from San Francisco to
Boulder to support my vision for TapInfluence. Over the years
as I’ve raised money and started companies, my investors have
always included former bosses, employees, colleagues, chosen

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family and friends. I value the long-term relationship that is built


on trust, shared experience and a stacking of vulnerability.

Loyalty and trust don’t come immediately, and it certainly didn’t


for me in my career. In fact, at some point I had been rejected
by every venture capitalist in Silicon Valley. But I never harbored
any bad blood. Now, I feel I can call hundreds of them for a
new project and get a phone call and fair consideration, just
like they can call me and expect to receive my time and fair
consideration. Loyalty goes both ways.

I love telling the story.

When I believe in something, I can pull customers, employees


and partners into the fold through stories that compel and call
them in. I can sell and I love it. Maybe this doesn’t seem like a
leadership quality to you, but it is. My love for telling a story is
part of what makes me a strong leader. It’s one of my strengths,
therefore my team and my partners can trust in my ability to do
it well. A Growth Warrior’s leadership qualities aren’t just your
average personality qualities – they’re much more.

I partner like a girl.

Bill Campbell, the former CEO of Intuit and the coach of the
Valley elite, is the mentor that taught me how to do big deals.
He called it kind of an aggressively feminine approach, which
is where you agree to be completely transparent and you
minimize “leverage” by putting it all out there. As I like to put it,
he taught me how to do big deals by partnering like a girl. Not

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only does it move things (read: deals) faster, it allows you to see
bad partnerships before they happen and orders people to fully
embrace what matters on both sides.

I am transparent and vulnerable.

For most of my career I had a different and nuanced definition of


transparency, only telling people enough so they knew why to
do what I needed. I’m not perfect and this is an area I continue
to work on. One event had a tremendous impact on me – one
of my employees, a 28-year old developer named Joel, died
on a vacation to Mexico. I feel like it was one of those defining
moments in my life when you realize the humanity of it all – the
reality that Joel was the kid that his parents sent to the United
States to change everything for his family, living with multiple
roommates to save money to support his extended family.

When we lost Joel, information was unclear and sporadic; the


lack of clarity made it even more painful. I knew I needed to be
the leader that was truly vulnerable and transparent to their
employees. The more vulnerable, transparent and human I was,
the more my employees rallied for Joel. As a leadership team,
we decided to have an open dialogue with the entire company
with daily updates until we could confirm all of the details.
Once we learned what happened, I led the company through a
discussion. As a group, we decided that even though we were a
startup pushing toward becoming profitable, we would pay him
(and his family) for six months after he passed. The team went
above and beyond. Employees pooled their PTO and designed a
book in both Spanish and English of photos, stories, emails and

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messages from him. We shared that with Joel’s family. It was


incredible. I don’t think I really appreciated absolute vulnerability
until that happened.

Management is about getting people to do work. Leading, on


the other hand, is designing the productive space for people to
create and achieve objectives for the business that further their
personal aspiration. How we show up as leaders is the start,
and your leadership qualities are the building blocks to your
leadership philosophy.

Define Your Leadership Philosophy

You don’t have to be a leader – you get to be one.

Defining, evolving and sticking to your own leadership


philosophy is part of building a dream team and part of the joy
of being a leader. Your leadership philosophy will govern how
you self-manage and lead. In this era, we’re not leaders because
we have to be. We’re not institutionally forced, mandated, or
obligated to be leaders in any way. We don’t necessarily make
more money the more people we manage.

Instead, we are compelled to be leaders. Especially as Growth


Warriors – it is something we’re naturally called towards. We
chase growth, which can mean teaching, inspiring others or
continuing to evolve our own understanding from a place of
self-awareness.

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What does any of this have to do with a leadership philosophy,


Promise? Easy. You need to understand your leadership
philosophy to be an effective leader. To make your employees
happy, efficient and effective in the workplace, you have to first
define that for yourself.

“Your title makes you a manager, but your people will decide
if you are a leader.” – Bill Campbell, Trillion Dollar Coach: The
Leadership Playbook of Silicon Valley’s Bill Campbell

Simon Sinek, the brilliant author of The Infinite Game, deems


finite thinking as a focus on resources, how to apply them
and in what sequence. Approaching managing solely as
management of resources is finite thinking. Companies need
to have a management mindset; it is inevitable in every family,
team or organization to focus on getting things done with
what resources exist. While management has become an
unavoidable part of business, leadership has not. Leadership
gets better results and requires less push energy from you and
stronger outcomes for your team – win-win for your business,
your happiness and your team’s happiness, as well as your
personal expansion and professional development.

Earlier, we talked a bit about motivation versus discipline. You


know how I feel about the word motivation…that applies here,
too, within my leadership philosophy. Let’s think about the
difference between motivation and inspiration.

Motivating a team member is about externally generating


energy within someone else or within a team or system.

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Imagine how challenging it must be as a full-time leader to


continue to do this over and over, because external motivation
does not sustain itself. On the other hand, inspiration is internal
fuel. It continues to reinforce itself and comes from both
understanding and communicating of how the larger vision
supports the individual aspiration. Inspired employees love their
work. Inspired employees learn and grow for the benefit of the
business. Leaders can motivate, but they prefer to inspire.

Demonstrating leadership 24/7 is an integral part of being a


leader. You don’t need to be perfect – that’s impossible – but
you need to know that everything you do and say will create an
allowance for your team, whether you intend it to or not. So,
when you make a negative comment about a customer or if you
don’t keep your commitments, think about what would happen
if your entire team acted in the same manner. Think long and
hard about your intentions versus the impacts that your words
and actions will have, and choose them carefully, always.

As Warriors, we may want to be leaders naturally, but strong


leadership does not always come naturally. It requires work,
energy fine-tuning, reflection and mentorship, both on the
giving and receiving end. Most importantly, it requires a strong
leadership philosophy.

My Personal Leadership Philosophy

Through my years of leadership, I’ve had time to reflect –


both intentionally, knowing how beneficial reflection is, and
unintentionally, as a means to improve my leadership and

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businesses. The lessons I’ve learned have slowly morphed into


my personal leadership philosophy, and now I’m going to share
that with you.

Section One: How I Lead Should Make Us Better

The attributes I aspire to role model for my team each day are
integrity, humility and excellence.

• Integrity: I am a principles-based leader. I will always say


what I mean and mean what I say. At the end of the day, my
words and my actions should be synonymous. I should also
demonstrate and act with those principles both in and out
of the office. I’m not striving for perfection; I’m looking to
be aligned – leadership is what is taught and caught through
my actions.

• Humility: Every opportunity, whether my teams come in


first or fall short, is a learning and codification opportunity.
In business, transformations are best when done as a team,
which means that we’re always making point calibrations.
The only way to know how to make micro-improvements is
to be humble. Every day is a chance to be a better leader, to
bring a stronger vision and to look at the market in a more
infinite (what is the win-win-win?) manner.

• Excellence: What I do stands out and stands up to scrutiny,


as everything I do reflects on me, the company and you, as
a member of my team. So, I will always aim for excellence.
Did you notice that I don’t use the word try? My feelings

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about the word try can be summed up by an excerpt from


Chris Voss’ book, Never Split the Difference: “Be wary of
two telling signs that your counterpart doesn’t believe the
idea is theirs. When they say, ‘You’re right,’ it’s often a good
indicator they are not vested in what is being discussed.
When you push for implementation and they say, ‘I’ll try,’ be
aware: it really means, ‘I plan to fail.’”

Section Two: What I Want to Inspire in You

I expect my team members to be learners, be committed


and be accountable, which means I must also exhibit these
characteristics; what I want to inspire in those around me is
who and how I am at my best. There is an old adage that has
been attributed to Dave Ramsey, several military leaders and the
Bible, but we have all heard it and we intuitively know it to be
true: More is caught than taught. The idea, as written in a great
blog post by Michael Hyatt, is that overt instruction works to
lead people, yet influence makes the strongest impact. The best
leaders lead not only by instruction but by example.

• Be Learners: Live life with a very clear north star, but


remember, we’re all getting more information to make what
we do in the next moment better. I encourage everyone to
aspire to be the best version of themselves every day. Be
true to who you are and play to your strengths. Equally, be
self-aware of your opportunities for personal growth and
development. In the end, lean into your learning zone and
live life in permanent beta.

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• Be Committed: Play to win and seize every opportunity to


energize, educate and empower. Bring a bias for action and
set the standard for everything else to be measured against.

• Be Accountable: We, individually and collectively, own the


outcome. If you ignore a situation that needs correcting, you
have just established a new standard. Identify problems, but
don’t vocalize them without offering a potential solution.
Lean into difficult problems – they won’t go away unless you
do. Commit to improving yourself beyond the challenges
of today, every day. We have so much power when we
accept full responsibility. When we hold external factors
accountable for the situation or how we feel, we lose all of
our power.

A few years ago, I went through LinkedIn, randomly selected 50


former employees and pulled them into a spreadsheet from the
past 10 years. I made five columns next to their names: The first
three were whether the employees were learners, committed
and led with accountability, and in the final two columns, I ticked
whether I would hire them again and if they were in a role that
exceeded the role they had with me – i.e. more responsibility,
more scope, more span of control or more compensation.

My goal was to reverse-engineer these qualities and to identify


people I’d hire again.

I was surprised that at least one-third have achieved incredible


heights professionally – joining boards, getting promotions,
writing books, starting successful companies, working for top

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organizations; nearly 100 percent in that cohort exemplified


those characteristics.

The other two-thirds were excelling but at a much more rapid


rate. The “elites” were not the most outgoing or outspoken.
They were, and always have been, leaders. They were the people
who didn’t complain or blame, they were solution seekers and
they were constantly looking for opportunities for growth.
Professionally, they are leaps and bounds ahead of their peers.

My goal (and I presume yours is if you’re reading this book) is


that all of my former employees and teammates get better, make
more money and find more joy as a result of working with me.
Leadership is a look inward at how you choose to lead, a look
back at what worked and didn’t, and a look forward to evaluate
what you wish to create and how you must lead to get there.

Section Three: What I Avoid

We should all eliminate these distractions in our teams and


organizations: failing to prepare, failing to dissent early and
failing to play for the greater good.

• Failing to Prepare: Showing up or offering an opinion


without the context or understanding of a situation, facts
and/or solutions is detrimental. Not only does it diminish
the quality of the outcome, but it also slows the pace of the
team and prevents you from actively contributing, making
you the gating factor in the team’s success. Evidence-based
teams are more effective teams – they gather information,

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assess situations and look objectively at outcomes. The


contrasting teams are political and emotional, which is
typically not good for productivity and growth.

• Failing to Dissent Early: Harboring a difference of opinion


and not offering it up for discussion and debate is passive-
aggressive behavior – get rid of it. It minimizes the quality of
the outcome and diminishes the effectiveness of execution.
Still, if the decision doesn’t go the way you wanted, be
willing to disagree and commit to the decision the team
makes. Radical candor starts with an expectation that we
will be heard, that we are not helpless and that we have the
ability to positively affect change in ourselves, our teams
and our organizations.

• Failing to Play for the Greater Good: A team is only as


strong as its weakest contributor, and there are no MVPs on
a losing team. Everyone’s success, therefore, can only be
measured by the team’s success and should be the highest
purpose for which we all strive.

What is your leadership philosophy? What are the best qualities


that you bring to work on your best days? Who are your ideal
partners, employees, board members, investors, trusted external
colleagues? Define your leadership qualities and attributes, what
you expect of your team and what you cannot have in your work
environment. Then, share your findings with your colleagues.

My commitment is to always share my leadership philosophy


with the team members within my organization, seek their input

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on how to make it better, and endeavor to live and inspire these


ideals daily.

The purpose of sharing this with you is to communicate the ideas


and ideals I strive to live up to and inspire in others each day –
the part that I want to be “caught.” I hope it empowers you to
understand who I am, what I aspire to become, and how others
can best work and play with me. Further, I hope that you are
compelled to begin capturing the elements of your leadership.

Warriors, think about what your leadership qualities are. Not


only will it help your employees understand you, it will help you
understand yourself – both as a human and a leader.

A Gold Star Leadership Philosophy

One of the best leadership philosophies I’ve ever seen in action


is that of Dan Warmenhoven, the former CEO of NetApp. I recall
when I was running The Phelon Group, I aggressively pursued
him as a mentor of mine. He had taken a company with less
than $10M in revenue to be worth several billion and publicly
traded within a short time period. NetApp’s products were
storage solutions for very, very large businesses.

Five Things I Noticed About NetApp and… about Dan:

1) Everyone in the company had a similar, if not exact,


understanding of the company’s vision, mission, and short
and long-term priorities. Those priorities were, in some
cases, printed and mounted on the walls by quarter and by

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level of importance. Like a face tattoo, you couldn’t avoid


seeing them.

2) Many of the same stories about the founding of the


company, key customer wins and lessons learned by the
executives circulated (globally!) with over 10,000 employees.
The lore around the buildings was the same because the
leadership had a wonderful story-telling ability that often
harkened back to the foundation of the business. Whether
you were there one year or seven years, you knew why
NetApp existed.

3) From the senior-most executive down to the marketing


specialist and intern, the key traits of openness, focus
and intensity, and caring for the customer were in each
employee.

4) Dan could talk to anyone and anyone could talk to Dan. I


don’t know if it was the human resources team or culture
of skip levels but there were no barriers. I recall asking our
customer who ran a large specialist sales organization
how he planned to address a significant channel conflict
issue that existed with partners. He simply said, “I’ll tell my
boss and if not, the next time I run into Dan, I’ll share my
perspective.” And he did!

5) They expected to win because they had a deep knowledge


of their product, the market and their customers, and most
importantly, their leaders; and, they trusted their product
and leaders, they believed in what they did every day.

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Dan eventually retired from NetApp and his pre-identified


successor came to the table and took over as CEO. NetApp
is not a perfect example, but I really admired how the leaders
cared for the people, the customers and the business. And,
after getting Dan as a mentor, I grew to really appreciate his
leadership style which was, in my estimation, as an active
mentor.

He’s never told me this, but I suspect he knew the individual


goals and professional aspirations of his people. I presume he
took an active mentor stance, with an eye toward performance,
versus a managerial stance. This allowed his key people to
evolve, learn and make mistakes. In some occasions, I would
witness people leave NetApp with the blessing of their manager
but also with their involvement and strong recommendation.
And finally, I believe he put in the time to be accessible when it
mattered.

Are you doing this? The stronger your principles are, the more
sustainable, resilient and transferrable they will be to your
organization. Values and principles must transfer to your leaders
and their teams, as well as to successors who may take on the
role after you, across geography and function.

You do this partly through hiring processes, training and


incentive systems, but those just reinforce what is already
working or NOT working. You must start with clarity on the
culture you want to build.

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A good way to assess if your leadership philosophy is working is


through these two questions:

• Does it feel good to me?


• Am I getting consistent results?

If the answer to both of these questions is yes, chances are you


have a strong, successful leadership style.

Warriors, knowing, defining and sharing your leadership


philosophy is the first step to being able to build a dream team.
Without a clear sense of who you are as a leader, you will never
be able to find, hire and inspire your dream team.

Ditch Delegating & Start Leveraging

Once you have defined who you are as a leader, commit to


living it as wholly as possible. I outlined to you what I need from
my team members: learning, commitment and accountability.
One way that I strive to encourage these attributes in my team
is through leveraging, rather than micromanaging.

We’ve all had managers who micromanage, and it’s possible


that you’re prone to doing it. I’m going to tell you right now –
Growth Warriors do not micromanage. It sucks. Just don’t do it.
It is a terrible feeling for the employee to feel like their manager
thinks they’re incapable of learning and delivering. Moreover,
it’s detrimental to a business when their leaders continually
micromanage.

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Micromanagement occurs when a manager has a desired


outcome and exactly one path to achieve that outcome—
you’ve got to do it his or her way. A micromanaging approach
leads to delegation, simply assigning a task to your team
member and then correcting it until it’s “right.” This stunts
growth and morale within your employees and creativity and
growth within the business.

Consider this example: You, the manager, want a pitch deck for
your upcoming prospect meeting next week. You delegate this
task to the most effective employee on your team and outline
the desired outcome, taking some time to explain what you’d
like. They come back, and draft after draft, you refine the deck
to look like what you originally envisioned. The end product is a
pitch deck, exactly how you wanted it. Sounds good, right?

Wrong. Because in that delegation and refinement to get to


exactly what you wanted, you’ve effectively wasted you and
your team member’s time. You’ve told them that the only way is
your way, and you end up thinking “I should have just done that
myself.” That thought is a toxic, dangerous thought, and creates
self- and team-limiting habits. You can’t do everything yourself –
you don’t have the time, nor do you have the ability. Regardless
– do you want to do everything yourself? No way.

Don’t get there, Warriors. Stop delegating and start leveraging.


Leverage isn’t just telling someone to do something then
refining it until you’re happy. It’s not teaching someone a
specific and exact way to deliver an outcome. No, leverage is a
strategic move wherein you are your team’s guiding north star,

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there is a shared understanding of what outcome is desired and


there is a respect that others will get there in different ways. You
align with them on the bigger picture and mission, then take
a step back during delivery. You allow for creativity and trust
them when their approach is different than yours. Sure, the end
product may not be exactly what you originally imagined, but
with leverage, you’re working towards growth.

Leverage is when an organization learns how to think into its


own features. Imagine running a company where you realize
something needs to get done, but one of your team members
already knows it needs to be done – and, they can do it better
than you. That’s leverage, and that’s what will propel your
company to the next level.

THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES

entrepreneurial leadership philosophy


There are many ways to approach leading teams. In organizations where the
goal is to minimize the number of middle managers, delegation versus creating
Delegation vs. “entrepreneurial” leverage should be studied and practices implemented.
Leverage

WORK AND
OUTCOMES

MANAGER MANAGER
LEADER LEADER
EXECUTION
TEAMS

DELEGATION LEVERAGE
Manager provides a focus on unique and disparate task. Exectutions Manager provides “north star” and larger mission to the team, and
are not aligned but focused on indvidual tasks, individual accountabili- aligns the team around shared successes and outcomes. Information
ty to the manager, and lack connection, to a higher mission or vision. is shared, a high degree of transparency and shared understanding
Role of manager is to judge completeness of task, to close “gaps” and exists, and shared responsibility and team accountability exist. Role of
“merge” work. manager is to inspireand provide collective guidance.

From: The Growth Warrior Leadership Model

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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES

Are you leveraging or are you delegating? Ask yourself these


questions:

• Am I hiring people who are excellent instead of only


excellent at what they do?

• Am I hiring people with the ability to best utilize their own


will, as well as the will and resources that reside in and
around our organization?

• Have I made the organization’s key metrics and goals readily


available to everyone?

• Are my team members accountable for the work they deliver?

• Have I built the systems required for people to find the


resources, complete and create leverage with one another,
and to communicate obstacles?

• When I assign my team members tasks or operations, do I


focus on the bigger picture of how I get their best outcome?

If your answers are yes, you’re either leveraging or on the


path toward it. If not, it’s time to figure out how you’re
going to shift your leadership. Always focus on your north
star, Warriors, and always inspire your employees to have
that focus, too. You need leverage to scale, and you need a
communal focus on the larger mission to leverage. You also
must acknowledge that ego is powerful fuel for delegation,

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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES

while empowerment is the fuel for getting the best out of


others and dispersing the credit.

How to Think About Time and Meetings

Managing and scaling time is a key part of being a leader – that’s


why you need to leverage. Another aspect of managing time is
managing time spent in meetings. If you’re not careful, a lot of
valuable time will be wasted in meetings.

When I first started my career, I would schedule meetings


because I thought it made sense. I would invite anyone that I
thought would find the content interesting, leave out agendas
and use the calendaring system default to decide the length of
the meeting.

When I started my company in the early 2000s, we were a


professional services business and we had an exercise that
Steven brought from his consulting days to measure the
effectiveness of our team by looking at where time went. We
first looked at the value per hour of all of our employees and
the amount of time they were working. I quickly realized that
20 percent of the team’s time was in internal meetings which
meant that our revenue and or profitability was more than 20
percent less than it could be. At that moment, I realized the cost
and rough estimate of the terribly low ROI of “syncing.” Poorly-
focused meetings were eating profits.

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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES

Having a purpose or desired outcome for a meeting will help


you decide who to invite. You can do this by using one of the
three-D’s: Discuss, Debrief and Decide.

• Is the purpose of the meeting to discuss a topic, issue, or


opportunity? The targeted outcome is awareness, insight
or a shared consciousness about a competitor, product
opportunity or data acquired.

• Is the purpose of the meeting to debrief a group or


individual? Think about the sales team giving the VP of Sales
an update on the weekly sales performance. Or, when the
CEO has been on a customer tour, fundraising or looking
for a new office, he or she might debrief the team or the
company on what’s been learned and key takeaways.

• Is the purpose of the meeting to decide an action, next step


or strategy? The desired outcome is to leave the meeting
with a shared consensus and decision to move forward.

The Common & the Creative | Meeting Types

The Un-Meeting:

Anyone who works with me knows that I love to send 2 to


3-minute voice notes. I leverage these when I’m traveling,
super busy or when I want to ensure that there are no
misunderstandings due to the inability of text or email to
communicate intention – despite the use of emojis and GIFs. I
will quickly capture my thoughts in Voice Notes and shoot them
across. There, the recipient can hear my tone. I invite them to
48
THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES

reply with a thumbs up if the content makes sense and we’re


aligned or send a voice note in return. Typically, two notes are
exchanged. In a fast-paced environment, these are wonderful
tools to avoid unnecessary meeting time for conversations that
can be accomplished in two-minute sound bites.

15-Minute Jam Session:

A short jam session is my second favorite meeting type. You are


working with someone on your team on an opportunity or an issue
and texts are flying or emails are stacking. So, take a 15-minute call.
Layout the one or two things to decide on, touch base, reiterate
what’s been said or shared via other methods, identify an area that
is crucial and may not have come through, and outline the steps.
These are usually unplanned, high-energy and quick conversations.
If a formal meeting needs to come later, then schedule it.

Awesome for deciding and debriefing.

1:1 Meeting:

These are magical meetings for the growth and development


of a team member, and the best opportunity I know to deepen
trust. Depending on performance, function and relationship,
these meetings tend to be somewhat operational. Whether
you’re a big company manager or a two-person team, one-on-
ones are healthy at some regular cadence. These meetings tend
to be a mix of decisions, debriefs and discussions, but must
have an agenda. I typically prepare mentally for these meetings
and bring one strategic theme to the meeting or mentorship
update. For instance, have I noticed a change in their leadership
49
THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES

or performance that is worthy of a mention, or is something


they’re working on aligned and reinforcing the vision? A
powerful 1:1 is my favorite meeting. Not only does it allow me
to focus on the work, but on the growth of my team member,
and it provides a quiet opportunity for assessing and tracking
their perspective on the business.

Awesome for deciding, discussing and debriefing.

Weekly Standup & Status Meeting:

These tend to be small, one-off investments, which I believe


create significant waste over time. They tend to lose their
agendas, the owner of these meetings becomes unclear and
the outcome is more discussion than decision. If done right,
however, they can be awesome.

If a sales team has a weekly meeting, it is often a debrief from


individual attendees. When it goes well, the salesperson will say
something like “I had 25 outreaches to my top prospects last
week, I missed my targets, but my plan this week is to do X, Y or
Z and I need support from the head of product to align with the
prospect. Boss, can you help?”

Awesome for deciding and debriefing.

Company All-Hands:

These meetings are an opportunity for leaders to share insights


with the team, spark new and strategic thinking through

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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES

discussion or to debrief on an ongoing issue or topic. Most


importantly, these meetings are designed to ensure alignment
and to build culture through togetherness and storytelling.

Awesome for debriefing and discussing.

Half-Day Offsite or Multi-Day Offsite, Kickoff Meetings &


Systems or Technical Trainings:

Admittedly, these are not my favorite types of meetings. Not


only are they expensive, but attendees must commit so much
time that they tend to poorly attempt to multi-task. I know
some companies regularly take their entire company or team
to a multi-day meeting, trying to do all three of the Ds; it is very
hard to have productive meetings that accomplish all three Ds.

During these meetings, my recommendation is to focus on


debriefing in very specific sections, chunks or days. After the
debrief, you can discuss or decide. Structure these meetings
in ways that are very specific to everyone involved. Make the
structure very clear and organize the meeting in planks around
each D. Let the decision be the outcome of the meeting.
Additionally, always, always, always record and distribute
audio, visual and written documentation of the meeting. Your
team has a variety of learning styles – make it easy for them to
remember what was presented and reference it in the future.
You should also make a continual effort to reference back to the
documentation and discussion.

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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES

Awesome for debriefing, can be used for discussing and


deciding.

Here is the best pro-tip: find a one-to-many broadcast way


to debrief and use meetings to elaborate. The net-net is that
meetings are powerful when there is a clear intention or goal,
but can be crazy-making without desired outcomes or with the
wrong people.

How Many Meetings to Hold

Very few meetings have the ability to offer a decent and


measurable return. So, I recommend holding as few of them as
possible. When you must have them, use these techniques to
maximize time and outcome.

• Time Keep: Hold meetings only as long as needed: 15, 30


or 45 minutes usually gets the job done. If you called the
meeting, manage the time to ensure that it doesn’t go over
and that everyone knows where/how to connect after.

• Capture the Essence: We’ve all been told to take copious


notes, but whenever possible (and it’s usually possible with
a voice recorder app, Zoom, etc.) record. Using a service,
transcribe the meeting after. Share the assets with anyone
who attended.

• Hold Everyone Accountable: If there are big actions (no


more than three), share those meeting notes via email,
Microsoft Teams, or Slack.

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THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES

If you find yourself getting confused about whether something


warrants a meeting, Harvard Business Review has this awesome
diagram that can help you out.

THE WAY OF THE GROWTH WARRIOR: 7 NON-NEGOTIABLE SKILLS TO SCALE YOUR BUSINESS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES

Should i hold a meeting?


Have I thought
through this Do I need Does moving Does this Schedule and
situation? outside input forward require necessitate a prepare for
to make a real- time face-to-face the meeting?
YES progress? YES YES YES
conversations? meeting?

NO NO NO NO

Use chat, call,


Schedule time Schedule time
or schedule a
for strategic for doing the Send an email
video
thinking work
conference

Adapted from “Do You Really Need to Hold that Meeting”, HBR Org. March 2015.

Okay, Warriors, you are more than prepared to build your


dream team. From culture to leadership to time management,
all of these tidbits must be mastered during your road to
entrepreneurship. Allow yourself time to reflect during your
journey, and allow yourself time in general – change doesn’t
happen overnight. Clearly define actionable steps you will take
to become the leader you want to be, find the mentor you need
to have and create the culture that you know works. Above all,
be honest with yourself about your strengths and weaknesses –
and get out there and build a dream team.

53
Thank you for reading this short excerpt from
The Way of The Growth Warrior.

Ready for more?

You can buy the rest of the book at


www.thegrowthwarrior.com.

We can’t wait for you to join our tribe.


While I may not look like your conventional Silicon Valley entrepreneur, I
have been successful as one. As a brown, non-technical woman, I have
spent the majority of my career as a venture-backed CEO building,
running and exiting amazing businesses. Today, I have the honor of
partnering with other CEOs, entrepreneurs and investors to build, buy
and invest in SaaS companies.

Over the past 20 years, I’ve raised tens of millions in venture, private and
debt capital for companies in the tech space. I perform my best during
risky and uncertain times, transforming businesses and overcoming the
obstacles of scale. I have had the opportunity to view business from all
perspectives: creating and building, securing funding, turnaround,
successful exiting, and now as a buyer and investor.

Through The Growth Warrior and Growth Warrior Capital, I work with
entrepreneurs to gain funding, scale and create profitable growth
companies that are sustainable, as well as attractive businesses for
investment and eventual exit. As a mentor, my goal is to provide the
resources, tools and relationships necessary for them to accelerate their
business, achieve benchmarks beyond their wildest dreams and build the
seven non-negotiable skills they all need to scale in uncertain times. This
book is not a memoir but a practical compilation that demystifies what it
takes to have a great and diverse career as an entrepreneur starting today.

As a respected thought leader, speaker and market influencer, I have been


in numerous publications including the The New York Times, Medium,
TechCrunch, Inc.com, Forbes, and Fortune and am a regular contributor to
Forbes and Fortune. I have had the honor of addressing large audiences at
INBOUND, SXSW, SaaStr, and many more, and have been named a
“Woman of Influence” and “Executive of the Year.”

Copyright © 2020 by The Growth Warrior. All rights reserved.

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