Helen Min: Scaling Impact Through Effective Management
Good reasons to become a manager, Developing your team, Involving directs in strategy, Making the most of 1:1s, and Scaling impact through leadership
Helen Min is an investor and advisor to over 50 early-stage enterprise software and fintech companies, and is a venture partner at True Ventures. Previously, she led global marketing and communications at AngelList, Plaid, and Quora, and was an early marketing leader at Dropbox and Facebook. Helen’s marketing expertise is sought out by founders, investors, and operators building the next iconic technology brands.
Helen was nominated by last week’s guest Seif Salama, who worked for her at AngelList. Helen is known and beloved for:
Guiding her team to develop and grow
Giving great advice and support
Bringing out the best in her team
Polished, clear communication
Involving direct reports in strategy and planning
In this episode, we cover:
Helen’s background, from joining the early marketing team at Facebook to leading global marketing and comms teams, and now ultimately investing and advising
Good vs. bad reasons to want to be a manager
The most rewarding and hardest parts of being a manager
Long-term benefits of authentic relationship-building
When and how to bring the team into project planning
Making the most of 1:1s
Inquiry as an under-utilized manager superpower
Helen’s transition into VC, and how she leverages operating experience as an investor
🎧 Listen on Apple | Listen on Spotify
Some takeaways:
Being a manager isn’t the only way to grow - You need to consider if you *actually* want to be a manager, or if you just want to advance to the next level for. If you’re only pursuing management to move ahead or to get the prestige or pay, then those are BAD reasons to become a manager.
Don’t compete with your direct reports - When you become the leader, you need to let go of the need to get praise and “gold stars”. Being in the leadership seat is the praise you want and need. Instead, shift the praise to your team and find fulfillment in watching your team members succeed and get recognized.
Build a new mindset for leadership - You need to believe that you can scale your impact through people. There’s only so much you can do as an individual, but you can exponentially scale your contributions by empowering and developing your team
Create high-performing IC career paths - Engineering teams often have individual contributor tracks that allow employees to advance without becoming a manager. Find ways for your team to replicate this type of recognition and advancement for ICs, so everyone ends up in the best possible position for their skills and interests. It would be great to see more business teams adopt that model.
Hire talent that you’d be happy to work for in a future life - It’s a very small world in the tech and startup industries, and you never know where folks will end up. The simple rule of “do right by others” is a great one to live by.
Management is not transactional - Get to know direct reports as a whole person, including their professional and personal goals. This is a relationship business, and you want to build real, meaningful connections over time. It’s a better experience *and* yields untold benefits over time.
Bring in the team to half-baked plans - Be clear about the stage. Bringing people in early helps them feel more engaged and connected to the company, and it also helps them understand the “why” behind their work. It also allows them to contribute and ask questions that you might not have surfaced from your POV.
People buy why you do something, not what you do - Share your intentions with your team directly. If you’re doing something, then let them know the ‘why’ behind your actions — so you get credit *and* the team understands your motivation.
Know your default trust bank - Are you a person who starts from 100% trust, or 0% trust? If you start at 100%, then you have all the trust and it’s yours to lose. If you’re someone who starts at 0%, then trust needs to be earned. It can be helpful to know how everyone on the team operates.
Screen for flexibility during the hiring process - Things are going to change constantly at a startup. When hiring, try to figure out how rigid folks are vs. how much they can adapt and flex when things change.
Co-create 1:1s with team members - The time is flexible based on the needs of the direct report. There is no silver bullet. Whatever format or structure you choose, make sure 1:1s have your undivided attention, and that their work and growth are the most important things during that time.
Inquiry is an underutilized secret weapon - Ask questions to help people get outside of their tunnel vision. Questions are a superpower to help build strong relationships, help folks see a different perspective, and punch up the work.
Bringing people into your process is the quickest way to support your direct reports - When you’re super busy, it can be hard to carve out time to develop your direct reports. The easiest way to support your team is to give them a peek into your process and how you think. That exposure can be super helpful to them, and is a relatively easy lift for you.
Ask yourself, what do I wish my previous managers had done for me? This is something Helen mentioned several times. You don’t need to have had amazing managers, in order to make great choices for your direct reports.
🔍 Where to find Helen
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenmin/
True Ventures: https://trueventures.com/
🙏🏻 Gratitude
Thank you Seif Salama for nominating Helen for the show
Thanks to Helen’s direct reports for sharing feedback and stories about working for her: Teddy Butz, Zabreen Khan
📚 Referenced
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
AngelList: https://www.angellist.com/
Quora: https://www.quora.com/
Plaid: https://plaid.com/
Dropbox: https://www.dropbox.com/
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