michael wolff career presentation stanford

8/7/2019 Michael Wolff Career Presentation Stanford

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Career WorkshopEngineer to Manager? Founder? CEO?

Michael Wolfe

Stanford BS/MS, CS, 1991

[email protected]@joinwire.com


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Where to start? Where to go?

?

Small Medium Large

Board

CEO

Founder

VP

Director

Manager

Contributor

You are

here


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What do they have in common?


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Geeks!

BS/MS, Mechanical Engineering

Polytechnic Institute NY

BS/MS/PhD, Chemical

Engineering

U Mass, U of Illinois

BS, Electrical Engineering

MS, PhD Computer Science

Princeton, Berkeley

BS/MS/PhD, Chemical Eng.

U of Wisconsin, Minnesota

BA Math, MBA

Dartmouth, Harvard

Math/CS

Harvard

Math/CS

Harvard

BS/MS Electrical Eng., MBA

Rice University, Harvard


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And these?


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Almost all had technical co-founders

(but not necessarily as CEO)


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Why did they succeed?

Because of their math/engineering training?

Or just their raw brainpower?

Or did they succeed *despite* being engineers?

Or innate leadership ability?

Or is this all just random?


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The stories we know are one of two

extremes.


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Story #1: working your way up

Small Medium Large

Board

CEO

Founder

VP

Director

Manager

Contributor


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This is probably how you thought the

world worked when you weregrowing up.

(And your parents still do)


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Story #2: Im the next Gates/Zuck/Dell

Small Medium Large

Board

CEO

Founder

VP

Director

Manager

Contributor


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This probably wont happen

(although if you have the next Facebook in

your dorm room, lets talk after class)


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Most of our paths look more like this

Small Medium Large

Board

CEO

Founder

VP

Director

Manager

Contributor


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CEO,Founder

GeneralManager

VicePresident,Products &

Services, Co-Founder

VicePresident,

Engineering,FoundingEmployee

Director,Engineering,

FoundingEmployee

Analyst

BS/MS, CS,CS 198

coordinator,instructor,intern, TA,

RA

My story


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Thought #1

There is no defined career path

There are simply a series of decisions

Where you start is just a first step

Take lateral moves and pay cuts

You can be good at more than one thing

But make the decisions off of some basicprinciples

But now Ill talk about a few guidelines to thinkabout along the way.


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CEO,Founder

GeneralManager


Services, Co-Founder

VicePresident,

Engineering,FoundingEmployee


FoundingEmployee

Analyst

BS/MS, CS,CS 198

coordinator,instructor,

intern

Was this the accomplishment?

Getting

someone to

hire me

Getting

promoted

Getting

brought in

early

Getting a big

company role

Getting VCs to

fund me

i.e., what someone else gave me?


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CEO,Founder

GeneralManager


Services, Co-

Founder

VicePresident,

Engineering,Founding

Employee


FoundingEmployee

Analyst

BS/MS, CS,CS 198

coordinator,instructor,

intern

Or this?

Technical

fundamentals

Networking

Communication

skills

Applying

technology

Personal

management skills

How to work

Professionalism

Corporate Culture

Recruiting

New product

development

Working in teams

Basic management

Direct sales

Managing

managers

Strategy and

finance

Messaging and

positioning

Planning and

forecasting

M&A

Press and analysts

Large company

politics

Fundraising

Vision and

direction

Deciding what I liked

Learning the necessary skills

Building the right network


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Who is this all about?

Its not aboutTHEMIts not aboutTHEM

Getting themto hire you

Getting them

to promoteyou

Getting themto fund you

Its about YOUIts about YOU

What do youwant to do?

What are

yourstrengthsandweaknesses?

Findsituations to

learn whatyou need.

Oh, actually it isabout THEMOh, actually it isabout THEM

Your team

Your peers

Your

professionalnetwork

Yourcustomers

Your board


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There is such a thing as a bad question

Not so good questionsG

ood questionsWhat will look good on my

resume?

What will build the skills that I

need?

What will make my teachers,

parents, peers happy?

What will make me happy?

How do I get a promotion? How do I learn how to be a

good manager?

What do venture capitalistswant to see in a business plan?

What do I think my businessplan should say?

How do I convince people Im

good?

How do I actually be good?


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Thought #2

Worry less about what they think(they dont really care anyway)

Work on your skills

Find out what you want

Trust that if you are good, other people will see itand get involved with you

Its not them, it is you

But do find mentors

Yes, you need to learn how to sell yourself, butyou need a *product* to sell!


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Do you have skillz?

Political landscape Your products Your strategy Your competitors Company legacy

CompanyCompany

Marketing Sales Support PR/analysts

Finance Strategy Engineering Innovation

IndustryIndustry

Management Interpersonal Listening

Presentations Teamwork Professionalism

TeamTeam

Intelligence Motivation Self awareness

Discipline Humility Curiosity Confidence

PersonalPersonal

Useful

Everywhere

Useful

only one place


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Maybe the answer is off the grid

HmmI

wonderwhich skills

these teach?

(Hint: it is

these)


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Thought #3

Work on your skills

Put yourself in challenging situations

Skills are transferable

Your foundational skills can never be too good

Personal and professional are the same thing

There is no such thing as job security, only careersecurity (if you got skills).

By seeking job security you may get neither jobsecurity nor career security!


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The Stanford Curse

I didnt go to

Stanford to build

web pages.

Everyone else

is going to

Google.

I need to be a

CEO in 5

years.

I want to be a

millionaire

before Im 25.

Lots of voices whispering

into your ear.


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Small vs. Large

Uncertainty Lack of structure

No support

Drama

Pivots and twists

Innovation

Equity focus

Isolation

Focus and Specialization Structure and support

Politics

Systems

Legacy

Scale

International

Mentoring

Business class upgrades

Small Large


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Management vs. Individual Contributor

Communicating Leverage

Team building

Firings

Planning

Strategy

Expertise

Innovation

Problem solving Technology

Control

Focus

Management

Contributor


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Thought #4

Know thyself

Understand what you like to do

Leverage your strengths, work on your

weaknesses Show humility and curiosity

Have the I know nothing / I can learnanything attitude

Being smart at something doesnt make yousmart at something else

Listen to the voices, but also learn to tune themout


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Typical question

Some of the suggestions included:

Here is why Twitter sux

Here is why Facebook sux.

Go where youll make the most money

Go where you like the product the most


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An answer


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Your peeps

You will likely work with the same people, or people one degree removed, for your entire career


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Thought #5

It is all about people

Your friends

You community

Your team

Your network Your classmates (get to know them now,

before it is too late.)


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Q& A

Michael Wolfe

[email protected]

[email protected]

michael wolff career presentation stanford

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