In this episode, Kate Syuma, growth advisor and creator of Growth Mates, reflects on the low points in her career, the challenges she faced in her transition to leadership at Miro, and her journey toward embracing uncertainty and authenticity as a solopreneur.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

1. Adjusting her leadership style after receiving feedback about being too reactive

2. Having an open career conversation with her manager and deciding to stay at Miro

3. The hiring mistake that happened after ignoring her gut feelings

Things to listen for:

[17:26] The pivotal low points in Kate's career

[23:41] The moment when Kate decided to stay at Miro despite a job offer in New York

[29:18] When her learning speed started decreasing

[33:53] Her challenge of balancing authenticity and the perceived image of a leader

[44:50] When Kate judged her own leadership style

[51:36] The moment when Kate made hiring mistake because she didn’t listen to her intuition

Resources:

- Connect with Kate on LinkedIn

- Subscribe to Kate’s newsletter & Growthmates podcast

- Connect with Andrew on LinkedIn

- Work with Andrew

- Learn more about Appcues

- Learn more about Navattic

In this episode, Joe Wilkinson, Founder and CEO at Artisan Strategies, discusses some of the challenges he’s faced in his career, his personal journey into handling workplace stress, and the lessons learned from handling transparency during company changes.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

1. The time when Joe trained an individual to take over the team he was leading, just for him to transfer to a different team

2. When Joe was stuck between choosing his friend or the company he was working at

3. Joe’s boss telling him, “Great job everything is going amazing! You are the only one of your peers who won’t get promoted or a raise. No reason why.”

Things to listen for:

[03:32] When Joe gained the courage to go off on his own

[07:21] His ‘aha’ moment into entrepreneurship

[11:33] When Joe’s trainee was supposed to take over his team, but was persuaded to join a different team

[18:10] Will he choose his friend? Or the business?

[29:49] When Joe was told, “Great job! But you’re not getting a raise” at his performance review

[37:30] Feedback can either make or break a relationship

[41:16] Joe’s self doubt journey

Resources:

- Connect with Joe on LinkedIn

- Check out Artisan Strategies

- Connect with Andrew on LinkedIn

- Work with Andrew

- Learn more about Appcues

In this episode, Samantha Leal, Growth Advisor, discusses her journey and experiences in the SaaS PLG marketing world, the importance of understanding and practicing critical thinking and effective communication in leadership roles, and the blend of art and science in marketing.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

1. When Samantha knew she needed a radical shift in her approach and decided to hold a no-holds-barred feedback session with her team

2. Samantha’s boss telling her word-for-word she “lacked critical thinking skills”

3. The moment when Samantha had to take over the marketing and felt like she was failing continuously

Things to listen for:

[03:13] Writing started to feel draining for Samantha

[13:13] Her ‘welcome to the league’ moment when she felt ashamed for not knowing her role

[18:09] Samantha’s wakeup call from office gossip

[33:36] The constant feeling of failure that she felt in her new role

[34:45] When her CEO told her she “lacked critical thinking skills”

[49:17] Samantha’s goals at the stage she’s in right now

Resources:

- Connect with Sam on LinkedIn

- Work with Sam

- Connect with Andrew on LinkedIn

- Work with Andrew

- Learn more about Appcues