Management secrets from TaskRabbit’s operations chief
Five questions for Stacy Brown-Philpot
Stacy Brown-Philpot is the chief operating officer of TaskRabbit, where she’s responsible for scaling and expanding the marketplace. Before TaskRabbit, she spent nearly a decade leading global operations for Google’s flagship products. She served as Head of Online Sales and Operations for Google India and opened the office in Hyderabad. Stacy was also an entrepreneur in residence at Google Ventures.
Stacy sits down with Google Ventures to share her perspectives on startup hiring, leadership, and more.
1. What is the top trait to look for in hiring?
“I look for people who can fill white space.”
At an early stage company, there’s almost never a single right answer. In hiring, it’s key to look for versatile problem solvers who can sift through data to come up with the best recommendation for the company. Stacy describes this as looking for people who can fill white space: “What I mean by filling white space is if we get up to a whiteboard and I give you a problem or a question, can you think through the multiple ways to attack that problem, figure out what the solution might be, recommend a solution, and then have a strong opinion about it?”
2. How do you deliver tough feedback?
“Don’t forget to help the person solve the problem.”
When delivering tough feedback, make it timely, make it specific, and don’t sugarcoat it. Stacy recounts an early meeting at Google when she received direct feedback from a manager in real time. Because the feedback was given as soon as the issue happened, she was able to make adjustments right away, making the advice more memorable for the future.
Providing good feedback is about more than just highlighting the problem. Stacy notes, “Don’t forget to help the person solve the problem. Help them understand how to correct the problem the next time.”
3. What is the key to managing a large and growing team?
“When you have a large team, you may say something a hundred times, but some people will only hear that message once.”
Repetition does not spoil the prayer. As a leader you may feel like a broken record, but over-communicating a consistent message is critical because some people will only hear you one time. By keeping a growing team aligned on common goals, you’ll not only allow people to be more productive, but it will also help maintain the company culture.
4. What is the most important thing entrepreneurs should think about when scaling?
“Have you thought about what your next major milestone looks like? And have you hired ahead in some places to prepare to get there?”
As your business scales, it’s crucial to look ahead to make sure you have the right team and process to sustain the next phase of growth. Stacy looks to the next major milestone and begins editing, asking herself: “Do we have the right people? Do we have the right process?” Early on it’s easy to build a team for the moment, but with scale, you need to build your team for the future.
5. What is the hardest part of expanding a business internationally?
“The hardest part about expanding internationally is maintaining culture.”
Expanding a business internationally requires a delicate balancing act between keeping the company culture consistent across markets and adopting relevant local culture. Ideally, local employees will feel connected to the company globally as well as to their town or city. One strategy used at Google and TaskRabbit is to send people from the company headquarters to help launch new offices around the world. Stacy recalls, “When we launched in London we sent people over to launch that new office. They helped translate the culture of TaskRabbit to our London office. Expanding internationally is exciting and fun, but the hardest part is really about maintaining culture.”
