Career Wisdom: 10 Proven Tips From Top Operators
The GTM Newsletter
Happy Thanksgiving weekend to all those in the USA!
A weekend of gratitude.
At GTMfund, we are incredibly grateful for the GTMfund community.
This community comprises of world-class operators from some of the fastest growing B2B SaaS companies.
These professionals have forged impressive careers. In the spirit of gratitude, they are paying it forward by sharing insights on career success derived from years of operating experience.
Let’s get into it.
This week’s newsletter is sponsored by Flex.
10 Important Career Tips
Advice from seasoned go-to-market executives at the top👇
#1
“Take control of your own destiny. Nobody else will. Figure out what you enjoy doing, what you can do well, and what someone would pay you to do. The intersection of these three points will be your most fulfilling role(s). If such a role does not already exist, create it for yourself. Make the case for how it will help the business grow and offer yourself to fill the role - you would be surprised how many dream roles are created this way. I have created every single role in my career this way, in many cases before the CEOs of the companies realized they needed such a role. It has been tremendously rewarding for me throughout the years.”
- Udi Ledergor (Chief Evangelist at Gong)
#2
“How you depart a job is just as important as how you enter it. Whether your experience at a company was positive or not, the relationships you built during your time there and the reputation you leave behind can become valuable assets later in your career - or potent liabilities. Leave gracefully and do your best to set the team that remains up for success following your departure. It's not just in your best interest - it's the right thing to do.”
- Kathleen Booth (SVP, Marketing & Growth at Pavilion)
#3
“10 percent of life is what happens and 90 percent is how you respond. Focus on what you can control and continue to inspect what you expect along the way.”
- Eric Gilpin (Chief Revenue Officer at G2)
#4
“Don't let inexperience halt progress. Every professional journey begins with a lack of experience in certain domains. Embrace new challenges without fear of not knowing everything from the start. Acknowledge the solid foundations you already possess. Experience is gained over time, and each unfamiliar task is an opportunity for growth.”
- Maryna Hradovich (Vice President of Revenue at Semrush)
#5
“Prioritize career opportunities where you are learning hard skills and have a say in the decision-making process. I see far too many people jump from job to job where they receive a marginal salary bump. It is far easier to work your way up the career ladder with one employer than to jump around. Invest early in building cross-functional relationships and opportunities to learn and expand your scope - you will be rewarded.”
- Jonah Mandel (VP of Sales & Customer Success at Capchase)
#6
“Embrace expansive thinking and learning. Whether you are early in your career or a seasoned executive, it’s important to stay curious and strive to always be learning. No matter what your role is, develop strong project management skills that become foundational as an operator at scale.”
- Katrina Wong (VP Marketing, Twilio Segment at Twilio)
#7
“When leadership approaches you to take on a new challenge, always step up to it. Prove that you were that right person to be asked and you never know what next opportunity door will be opened as a result. Constantly find ways to proactively contribute to the organization. These contributions will make you irreplaceable.”
- Jeff Perry (Chief Revenue Officer at Carta)
#8
“Know what you're good at and what you're not. Then, double-down on what you’re good at and use those strengths to make forward progress on your goals. The things you’re not good at…outsource or delegate!”
- Nipul Chokshi (CMO at Fourth)
#9
“When interviewing people to join your team, ask questions about challenging professional situations they have encountered. Most importantly, pay attention to the creative ways they solved those situations. It will show you whether they are comfortable thinking outside of the box or not and how they handle pressure.”
- Manny Ataebi (SVP of Marketing at Eureka Security)
#10
“Live courageously. Trust your instinct. Trust in yourself. Trust in the ways you have thought about your decisions. Remember that you’re the one who is in control, and you’re the one who can put things into motion. Don’t wait for life to happen to you. Actualize your decisions.”
- Ron Pragides (ex-SVP, Engineering at Trustly & Advisor/Investor)
🍿 Upcoming live digital event:
GTMnow’s inaugural live digital event is coming up in less than one week! Led by Lars Nilsson, who coined the phrase account-based sales development himself, this will be both a strategic and tactical session.
👀 More for your eyeballs:
This OpenAI saga has been a whirlwind. If you need a recap of how it has unfolded, check out this article breaking down the timeline.
👂 More for your eardrums:
Mike Vichich is the Co-Founder and CEO of Wisely, which he successfully sold to Olo for $187 million in 2021. This episode breaks down his journey, including what worked and what did not work along the way. Tune in for this behind the scenes insight.
🚀 Start-ups to watch:
One of the advantages of the OpenAI saga for startups is its illuminating effect on others in the space.
Writer is one of those companies, transforming work with enterprise generative AI.
🔥 Hottest GTM jobs of the week:
Mid Market Account Executive at Vividly - more details here.
Head of Customer Success at Capchase - more details here.
Marketing Operations Manager at CaptivateIQ - more details here.
Product Marketing Manager, Partnerships at Crossbeam - more details here.
See more top GTM jobs here.
That’s it, that’s all.
Before I let you get back to turkey and quality family time, I’ll leave you with this one quote:
"Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much." - Helen Keller
Barker ✌️