🤸 Ultimate frisbee, scaling mistakes, & leadership rap

Hey — it’s Cristina & Jenni.

Each week, we share leadership reflections, resources, and laughs to help you excel in your role (+ have fun along the way).

As two tech leaders, we’re here to “lead in public” by sharing what we’re learning in our day-to-day roles, encouraging others to do the same, and learning and growing as leaders together.

Enjoy!

What we’re reflecting on this week

Jody Avirgan is an elite ultimate frisbee player who ran ESPN's 30 For 30 podcasts and has also worked on WNYC Radio shows like Freakonomics, Marketplace, and 99% Invisible.

In a recent podcast (linked in our learnings of the week below), Jody talks about coaching all-star teams, and - specifically - what he looks for when picking the 15 best players from across the US to compete during ultimate frisbee nationals.

In other words, Jody proactively looks for players who make others shine.

And when he talks about “making others look good,” this isn’t a vanity metric or surface-level action… we’re not putting lipstick on a pig here. This is a “how can I set my teammates up for long-term success?” type of thing.

As someone who played soccer in college, this clicked with me immediately. I literally said “yep” out loud as Jody explained this, and a person walking by me at the park thought I was talking to them (lol oops!).

The beauty of it from a leadership perspective is that it’s both a helpful concept to share with ICs AND a great way to become an A+ leader.

• Applied to soccer: As a defender, how do I make a forward look good? Send them a thoughtful pass with backspin that lands easily at their feet with a single touch.

• Applied to an IC role in tech: Take a team of sales reps — if they each focus on making their teammates look good (other sales reps, CSMs, product managers, marketing team, etc), they’ll help create a supportive environment where everyone can learn, grow, and do their best work.

• Applied to tech leadership: If you want to be the best leader you can be, focus less on making yourself look good and actively pursue ways to make others look good… “others” being your own team members as well as ICs and leaders on other teams. Elevate their voices, celebrate their wins, and support them through their challenges. You’ll foster a culture of appreciation and collaboration, and your efforts won’t go unnoticed.

→ Challenge for you: As a leader, how can you make others at your company look good next week?

What we’re learning this week

• 🎧 ReThinking with Adam Grant: Life lessons from sports with Jody Avirgan - We’ve already waxed poetic about this episode in our reflections for the week, BUT we also need to mention that it’s just a great listen overall (especially if you love sports, but also if you don’t!).

• 🧵Christine Carrillo: Most CEOs get stuck on scaling - While this is focused on CEOs, every leader will take something away from this thread. We especially loved the points about learning to rest and purging your calendar.

• 👀 Simon Sinek: Leadership Explained in 5 Minutes - You’re probably thinking the title sounds slightly ridiculous. Give it a watch anyway - you’ll enjoy the leadership analogies.

What we’re laughing at this week

Okay, we may be amused by the concept but mainly this is just brilliant. A classic Jacob Espinoza leadership freestyle for you:

That’s it for this week — thanks for reading.

See you next Thursday! 🤸‍♀️