Thread
"Matt, should I fire my VP of growth?"
"Before I answer," I responded, "I have one question."
"Before I answer," I responded, "I have one question."
My founder friend explained the situation...
"I gave him budget, tools, headcount. He's doing lots of stuff, but none of it's moving the needle."
Is it the employee? Or the company? (If it's the company, replacing the VP won't solve anything.)
"I gave him budget, tools, headcount. He's doing lots of stuff, but none of it's moving the needle."
Is it the employee? Or the company? (If it's the company, replacing the VP won't solve anything.)
This company hasn't found a "big growth lever" yet, it's slow and expensive.
So I need to understand if they're figuring it out. So I ask:
"When something fails, how does that conversation go? Does he tell you what he learned? What he'll do differently?
So I need to understand if they're figuring it out. So I ask:
"When something fails, how does that conversation go? Does he tell you what he learned? What he'll do differently?
Is each misstep making you smarter and moving you closer to success?
My friend looked down and shook his head.
If your strategy isn't working, and nobody's learning... it isn't magically going to start working.
My friend looked down and shook his head.
If your strategy isn't working, and nobody's learning... it isn't magically going to start working.
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It's near impossible to hire a successful VP Growth before you figure out your growth playbook. Generic tactics like ads will only get you so far.
It's tempting to try to hire somebody to "figure it out" but...
It's near impossible to hire a successful VP Growth before you figure out your growth playbook. Generic tactics like ads will only get you so far.
It's tempting to try to hire somebody to "figure it out" but...
That rarely works.
Often when VPs growth fail, they're in a no-win situation.
Here's 5 things you can do to set them up for success, or at-least make sure they're not doomed to fail:
Often when VPs growth fail, they're in a no-win situation.
Here's 5 things you can do to set them up for success, or at-least make sure they're not doomed to fail:
1. Remember, the goal is to find your big levers, not just pull the small ones harder.
2. Marketing tactics alone are almost never a big lever. Levers inevitably cut across functions. Are your teams working together on this, or pulling in different directions?
2. Marketing tactics alone are almost never a big lever. Levers inevitably cut across functions. Are your teams working together on this, or pulling in different directions?
3. Big levers are seldom obvious, they come from specific nuanced insights. Surprises. Is your team learning new things each week?
How often do they challenge your strategy with new information about the market? Could you even imagine them challenging your strategy?
How often do they challenge your strategy with new information about the market? Could you even imagine them challenging your strategy?
4. Bullets before cannonballs - are you able to identify risky assumptions and test big ideas quickly without spending a lot of money or engineering?
5. Identify your rate-limiting step, and focus the entire team on it - is everyone focused on the most impactful work?
5. Identify your rate-limiting step, and focus the entire team on it - is everyone focused on the most impactful work?
This all starts with learning:
If the current strategy isn't working, and you're not learning... then it's down to hope, which is not a strategy.
What's the quickest way to fix this?
If the current strategy isn't working, and you're not learning... then it's down to hope, which is not a strategy.
What's the quickest way to fix this?
You could try hiring again. A VP salary plus budget = $1M and 1 year till you know if it's working.
Or you could apply to our 10-week program and we'll work together to find your big growth levers, pull them, and align everyone around the most impactful work.
DM for more info.
Or you could apply to our 10-week program and we'll work together to find your big growth levers, pull them, and align everyone around the most impactful work.
DM for more info.
