🥸 Every growth operator hates office politics.

I've had 191 coaching calls so far this year. Most with people who lead growth teams (at the director level or above). Here's what I've realized…

Almost everyone eventually has to deal with office politics. And everyone hates it.

Here’s what I’m talking about:

• Backchannel conversations

• Weird power dynamics with other teams

• Roadblocks when advocating for resources

• Micromanaging/meddling founders and CEOs
  

And those are just some of the ways it comes out.

So how does a head of growth approach them? You’ll need some chutzpah to speak up for sure. But you’ll also need the right emotional, interpersonal, and leadership skills to navigate the murky (sometimes shark infested) waters of office politics.

This is one of the many reasons I was so excited to have Mario Araujo on the Delivering Value Podcast. Mario is the former senior director of PLG at OutSystems, the former head of growth at Softr, and currently a PLG advisor and coach.

His journey from technical trainer to growth expert is fascinating, and the skills he has acquired and honed along the way are a case study in how to develop your leadership style – while dealing with political speed bumps.

We covered a lot of helpful topics including:

• How to own your mistakes and seek improvement rather than pretending to have all the answers

• How to cultivate an open, supportive company culture 

• How he really feels about office politics (and how to deal with them)

• Strategies for direct, honest communication with your CEO

• The important soft-skills to develop as a growth leader

👇 Watch below, or catch the show on Apple, Spotify, or YouTube 📺

In this episode, you’ll learn:

1. Strategies for direct, honest communication with your CEO

2. The impact leaning into “soft skills” has on culture and your own leadership style

3. How to own your mistakes and seek improvement rather than pretending to have all the answers

Things to listen for:

[05:07] Mario's journey from technical trainer to growth expert

[13:08] The positive impact of cultivating an open, supportive culture

[21:48] Building trust through honest communication with your CEO

[29:23] Navigating office politics

[35:24] Owning up to mistakes and taking action instead of making excuses

[38:28] Valuing a healthy work/life balance

Resources:

• Connect with Mario on LinkedIn or his website

• Connect with Andrew on LinkedIn or Twitter

• Learn more about Navattic

• Learn more about MadKudu

A huge thanks to the sponsors below👇

Presented by MadKudu. SaaS teams spend tons of time trying to identify accounts that are likely to purchase or upgrade based on their behavioral signals.

MadKudu’s Revenue Automation Intelligence platform helps revenue teams cut through the noise by predicting and prioritizing the right revenue generating actions.

And by Navattic. The old PLG playbook is already outdated. We're seeing forward-thinking SaaS businesses adopt interactive product demos as a core part of the modern product-led approach.

Navattic's no-code editor helps product-led SaaS companies create and build interactive product demos to increase website conversions and activate free trials.