Who Got Me Here

As Global Head of Recruiting at Notion, Kate has an interesting vantage point on tech career journeys. But her own path is a powerful example of how growth is a jungle gym, not a ladder. Kate launched her career with a cold email to Marc Benioff (at a point when Salesforce had 4,000 employees!) and spent years in sales roles at Salesforce, Dropbox, and Notion, where she rose to become Head of SMB revenue before making a leap into people and recruiting. Kate’s story is full of simple but powerful points on the value of relationships across careers—and she offers priceless advice on how to ask strangers for help. 

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I think people often are afraid to reach out to someone up, down, whichever direction they are near you. But at the core, most people I run into, want to help other people or they want to lend a helping hand. Anyone who’s asked me anything on LinkedIn, even if I don't even know them, I'm like sure, why not? Let me help you in some way. I find that's not unique to me asking a favor from someone or reaching out to someone, and not being afraid of what the answer is, and the response. Don't overthink it, just ask someone for help.” - Kate Taylor

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Episode Timestamps: 

*(02:10) - How a cold email to Marc Benioff launched Kate’s carrer

*(05:57) - How Kate moved from Salesforce to Dropbox

*(07:42) - Why Kate gravitated towards Armando Mann’s leadership style at Dropbox

*(11:16) - The importance of having a job that shares your core values

*(15:08) - The benefits of building genuine connections and personal relationships

*(16:35) - Why you shouldn’t be afraid to reach out to people or to ask for help

*(19:55) - Being authentic with your ask

*(22:08) - How a personal connection with Kate’s intern came full circle to a job at Notion

*(29:15) - People love to be remembered 

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Sponsor:

Who Got Me Here is brought to you by Connect The Dots, mapping professional relationships so you can find the strongest connections to the people and companies you want to reach. Visit ctd.ai to learn more.

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Links:

• Connect with Kate Taylor
• Connect with Annie Riley
• Learn more about Connect The Dots
• www.caspianstudios.com

Veere has been recognized numerous times as one of the top interior designers in the world by leading magazines and tastemakers. At the helm of his eponymous firm, Veere has designed interiors across the globe and seen his own homes featured in World of Interiors and Architectural Digest and Vouge, among others. Veere built his career slowly but organically, combining a relentless drive to follow his passions with a strong work ethic and commitment to service. In our conversation, Veere offers timeless and universal insights into how apprenticeship, professionalism, and dedication to craft can weave into a powerful fabric of relationships capable of elevating anyone to the top of their profession.

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“I think what lets you down is a preconceived idea of how you have to be, to be that very thing you would like to be, that's punishment. But being a free spirit but never losing sight of the essence of where you want to be or the world you inhabit, that is what you must never leave.” - Veere Grenney

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Episode Timestamps: 

*(02:25) - Why your work should be about service

*(06:51) - Being a free spirit and never losing sight of where you want to be 

*(10:02) - Why travel was important for Veere’s personal and professional career

*(15:18) - Planting yourself in an environment that enriches you

*(19:40) - Why the person itself is more important than the qualification

*(21:10) - The importance of an apprenticeship, growing, developing and mastering

*(28:48) - The benefits of having someone who's pragmatic around you

*(31:02) - Being brave and taking the risk

*(38:31) - There is no timeline for success

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Sponsor:

Who Got Me Here is brought to you by Connect The Dots, mapping professional relationships so you can find the strongest connections to the people and companies you want to reach. Visit ctd.ai to learn more.

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Links

• Learn more about Veere Grenney Associates
• Connect with Annie Riley
• Learn more about Connect The Dots
• www.caspianstudios.com

Michael Jaconi is the CEO of Button, with a long career including executive roles at Rakuten and a stint as a presidential campaign aide to John McCain. Authentic, meaningful relationships have been a throughline across his expansive career—and he offers a load of helpful tips on how to build them. Check out this episode for nuggets including the best jobs to get out of college, the three strongest paths to connecting with a VC, and how to avoid a major networking mistake the first time you meet someone.

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"I think that a lot of times people just let life go by with their usage of time, and the most finite thing we've got is time. So how you can spend it and who you value is really important." -Michael Jaconi

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Episode Timestamps:

*(01:37) - Sharing your passions and vulnerability

*(04:11) - How Micheal’s fishing passion lead Don Garber to join the board of the Billion Oyster Project

*(06:16) - Securing a connection with Mickey (Hiroshi Mikitani), Founder & CEO of Rakuten

*(11:03) - Why grit is paramount, and the best transferable skill

*(16:20) - How Mark Lore provided a valuable introduction for Michael

*(18:18) - Why working for presidential campaign or startup gives you opportunity to ascend ranks 

*(26:25) - Finding a more intimate way of staying connected 

*(35:41) - Why its important to listen, be curious, and understand the passions of people

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Sponsor:

Who Got Me Here is brought to you by Connect The Dots, mapping professional relationships so you can find the strongest connections to the people and companies you want to reach. Visit ctd.ai to learn more.

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Links

• Connect with Michael on LinkedIn
• Connect with Annie Riley
• Learn more about Button
• Learn more about Connect The Dots
• www.caspianstudios.com

Molly Graham  is a technology executive, advisor, and board member whose resume includes helping both Google and Facebook navigate periods of intense scaling, serving as COO of Lambda School, leading operations at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, and more. Molly credits relationships for opening doors and catapulting her career forward. Her story is packed with lessons on the outsized power of being a friend, how curiosity can forge meaningful relationships quickly, and how to build and make use of a personal council of advisors.

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“You just never know who someone is, who they're gonna become, how they can be useful to your life and how you can be useful to theirs. My version of networking is figure out who someone is, whether you connect with them and then figure out ways to help them. And there will be a moment when they can help you.” - Molly Graham

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Episode Timestamps:

*(02:30) - Molly’s early experiences of building relationships at Facebook

*(04:55) - How Steven Sinofsky set up a meaningful relationship for Molly

*(06:36) - Reasons why life is a barter economy 

*(08:20) - Good networking is about good listening

*(11:46) - The importance of being useful: Molly’s time with Quip & the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative

*(15:58) - The opportunity of  taking risks

*(21:37) - Having a council to help with significant decisions

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Sponsor:

Who Got Me Here is brought to you by Connect The Dots, mapping professional relationships so you can find the strongest connections to the people and companies you want to reach. Visit ctd.ai to learn more.

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Links

• Connect with Molly on LinkedIn
• Connect with Annie Riley
• https://mollyg.substack.com/.
• Learn more about Connect The Dots
• www.caspianstudios.com

As a 2x CEO with a $640 million exit and early investments in unicorns AppLovin and Chime on his resume, relationships have been essential to Tod’s success. But for him, “networking” isn’t the right word to describe his strategy. It’s all about genuine, meaningful connections, built by bringing people together around shared interests and passions. Our conversation with Tod was packed with insights about the value of being a host, why curation is a relationship-building superpower, and the importance of reminding people you’re still alive.

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"I think the single most important thing is authenticity. Relationship building is the absolute core of human nature, and the absolute worst thing I think you can do to bring to that experience is something that is incongruent with who you are." - Tod Sacerdoti

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Episode Timestamps:

*(01:20) - Why networking is super-
important kryptonite

*(02:30) - How Steve Abbot change the trajectory of Tod’s career

*(06:21) - The power of ambition, persistence, and tenacity

*(10:37) - The role of relationships in Tod’s investing career

*(17:18) - Finding the superpower in organizing events

*(26:31) - The fundamental mistake of being too transactional 

*(37:52) - Why authenticity and relationship building are most important

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Sponsor:

Who Got Me Here is brought to you by Connect The Dots, mapping professional relationships so you can find the strongest connections to the people and companies you want to reach. Visit ctd.ai to learn more.

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Links

• Connect with Tod on LinkedIn
• Connect with Annie Riley
• Learn more about Pipedream
• Learn more about Connect The Dots
• www.caspianstudios.com

This is Who Got Me Here: Reverse-engineering the most powerful professional networks in Silicon valley and beyond. Hosted by Annie Riley. Learn how to build your network with Connect The Dots at ctd.ai