Ep 52 - The Art of Leading Change as a Non-Founder CEO

Becoming a CEO is a daunting task in and of itself, but imagine taking on that role as a non-founder. It's a unique and challenging position that comes with its own set of hurdles and obstacles. 

In this conversation with AllTrails CEO Ron Schneidermann, and former CEO of Weedmaps, Chris Beals, we discuss the complexities and difficulties of being a non-founder CEO. From navigating senior leadership to balancing the delicate task of reshaping company culture while preserving its core values, we explore the nuances of this role. We talk about valuable lessons learned during the transition into the CEO and also delve into the crucial aspects of fostering a healthy and productive workplace culture.

Here’s What We Discussed

• [02:29] Ron and Chris share their unique journeys to becoming non-founder CEOs 
• [07:29] CEO-imposter syndrome and recognition in the workplace
• [11:51] Transitioning into a CEO – Navigating the skillset shift and learning to let go
• [16:28] Aspects of senior leadership that Ron and Chris were not prepared for
• [23:34] Unforeseen challenges – Why urgency and definitiveness matter when enacting change 
• [32:50] How to balance preserving and reshaping culture and values 
• [42:45] The importance of hiring and weeding out anti-culture employees for the sake of healthy culture

About Our Speakers

Ron Schneidermann is an entrepreneur who is passionate about building great companies that help people have authentic, organic, real-world experiences. He is the CEO of AllTrails, the most trusted and used outdoors platform in the world. In 2005, Ron co-founded Liftopia, the global leader in ski lift ticket bookings, and was Head of Growth at Yelp Reservations. Ron attended UCLA, earning his bachelor’s degree in Communications, and lives in California with his wife Jenny, their three children, and their dog Sally. Ron loves riding his mountain bike, but his all-time favorite trail is the Na Pali Coast Trail in Kauai.

Chris Beals is a technology executive and startup advisor with a focus on ecommerce and SaaS. He was most recently the CEO of WM Technology, the parent company of the largest online cannabis marketplace, Weedmaps, and WM Business, a suite of SaaS solutions for cannabis brands/retailers. During his 7-year tenure at the company, Chris grew the company from $35mm to over $200mm in ARR and oversaw the transition of the business from listings into online ecommerce with business in 7 countries and 37 states. During that time, he also built out through M&A roll-up and internal development the WM Business SaaS suite (e.g., CRM, logistics, embedded ecommerce, in-store display, API engine). He then led the company through its NASDAQ IPO in July 2021. Prior to Weedmaps, Chris provided turnaround and operating advice to SaaS, software, and healthcare companies at PE-style credit fund and, prior to that, was a practicing attorney focusing on technology and healthcare.

Anish Shah is the CEO & Founder of executive search agency Bring Ruckus. Anish has worked in-house in Growth roles at Snapfish and Getable. He started Bring Ruckus as a Growth consultancy 11 years ago, working with 40+ clients, then re-focused his firm on executive recruiting for Growth leaders.

 Quotes

“The funny thing about going up the chain is, when you get to senior leadership, the skills that got you there aren't really part of your day-to-day job anymore. The whole thing about going up is learning to let go; you have to fire and rehire yourself continuously.” – Ron Schneidermann

“A very common pattern with becoming a CEO is there's a lot of changes that don't loudly announce themselves, and one of them is the minute you take that title, you automatically take a 50% reduction in your approachability.” – Chris Beals 

“One of the challenges when coming in as a non-founder CEO is you need to be pretty laser-focused on figuring out what you think the current state of affairs is and what needs to change for the future state of affairs; the state of affairs that are going to exist under you as a leader. And then over-communicating that and working through it.” – Chris Beals

“Often so much of culture is really just leading by example.” – Ron Schneidermann

“Don't let perfect be the enemy of a hundred times better.” – Chris Beals 

“When you take over the ranges as CEO, a big part of it is assessing the team that you have and who is willing to come along with you for the ride.” – Ron Schneidermann 

“There's a spectrum of things that you do. No matter what it is, even when you're being definitive and snapping that chalk line on the change, you need to be thoughtful and do your research in advance, but you need to have some degree of urgency in doing the research.” – Chris Beals 

 

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