Lead Upwards

SARAH E. BROWN is a B2B tech marketing leader, author, startup mentor, and ecosystem builder. She has over a decade of experience scaling SaaS companies through customer-centric marketing. She is a mentor at the Techstars accelerator and the founder of Flatirons Tech, a diversity- and inclusion-focused group from Boulder, CO.

• Introduction: Why Startup Leadership Matters At Every Level 1Part I Becoming a Startup Executive 7Chapter One What It’s Really Like To Be An Executive At A Startup—and How It’s Different From Being A Director Or Manager 9Chapter Two Bridging The Transition From Manager To Executive: How Leaders Got Their First Role 27Chapter Three Understanding and Evaluating Your Fit At Various Startups 39Chapter Four Landing Your Next Startup Executive Role: Leveling Up Within Your Current Organization Or Seeking A Role Elsewhere 51Chapter Five Get The Offer and Secure Your Executive Seat 67Part II Getting Started: Nail Your First 90 Days 87Chapter Six Define Your Goals and Align With Your Ceo and Board On Success 89Chapter Seven Build Key Relationships: Ceo, Board, Team 103Chapter Eight Know Thyself: Strengths, Weaknesses, and Areas To Improve 113Chapter Nine Learn The Company Culture and Define It With Your Team 131Part III Building and Managing Your Team and Department 141Chapter Ten Recruit Smart and Build Belonging 143Chapter Eleven Alignment: Set The Strategy To Get Your Team Working Toward The Same Vision and Goals 149Chapter Twelve Attunement: Creating A Culture Where People Contribute Their Best Work 155Chapter Thirteen Building A High-Performance Team Culture 165Part IV Managing Yourself and Your Executive Communication 189Chapter Fourteen Level Up To Scale With Your Startup 191Chapter Fifteen Leading In A Post-Covid World 197Chapter Sixteen Managing Up: How To Work With Your Ceo and Board 205Chapter Seventeen When Things Go Pear-Shaped: Navigating Challenges, Setbacks, Failure, and Departures 213Part V Proving, Sustaining, and Expanding Your Impact As A Leader 243Chapter Eighteen Measuring Success: How To Know If Things Are Working 245Chapter Nineteen Communicating Your Results To Your Cfo, Ceo, Company, and Board 253Chapter Twenty Mentorship: How To Further Grow Your Career By Networking and Giving Back 267Afterword 279Notes 281Acknowledgments 287About The Author 289Index 291