Background:

When Ati Aziz approached me, she was a Growth Marketer at Clear Calcs transitioning into a cross-functional growth team lead role. She was shifting from executing growth experiments to making strategic decisions informed by their growth revenue forecast and challenges.

What challenges were you facing when we met?

As I took on more responsibilities leading cross-functional team initiatives, I realized I needed to be able to drive and lead the discussions based on our growth goals and targets rather than being reactive and responsive to different teams' demands.

There were two key areas I wanted to address by working with Andrew. Firstly, I wanted to ensure we have the right foundation and first principles when it comes to our decision-making on anything growth-related, and ensuring they are aligned to our goal of being a product-led business. Secondly, I want to increase my confidence and capability as a growth leader to ensure I can communicate effectively with my leadership and peers.

Did you evaluate other alternatives?

Yes, organic networking with other marketing leaders, Growclass membership, etc.

Working with Andrew is a significant investment and I couldn't have borne individually on my own, so I needed to make sure that I can get my company to be on board with the coaching by making a strong business case for it. I faced an objection when I first floated the idea with my manager (the cost is 6x my professional development budget allocated by the company), but I went back to the drawing board (actually with the help of the ALL IN marketing community) and presented an upside/downside assessment for working with Andrew, and we reached a win-win situation with my company.

What did we work on together?

Based on the two key areas mentioned above: 1) Set the growth strategy and operating model for our company's growth team so it can scale for the future 2) Set actionable practices and tools I can use to develop my leadership persona and increase my effectiveness managing cross-functional team.

What was the experience like?

Andrew allowed me to be vulnerable in our discussions while setting the pace and high standard needed to achieve the results we set out together at the beginning of our coaching. The leadership and communications skills aspect has been my favorite part of our coaching content. I still refer to our conversations, your tips, and the resources you recommended whenever I have challenges I need to overcome.

I was able to keep the focus on our growth main levers, and as a result, able to answer with confidence when I faced questions by my leadership or team members on what we should or shouldn't do.

Any major results?

Here's a feedback from my manager: "Thanks for your energy and insights in sessions overall - I’m greatly enjoying your presence in sessions and finding you’re getting better at speaking more assertively/decisively on topics you own (stating a clear opinion) either voluntarily or when prompted. Keep practicing this - I know it’s been an area of focus for us and I’m glad to see improvement ongoing here."

Any message to someone on the fence about working with Andrew?

Don't be afraid to surface the idea of working with Andrew with your manager and people around you - you'll receive valuable feedback on how to make it happen! Here's the advice I received from another startup CEO when I was mulling the idea about getting my company to support my coaching fee with Andrew that pushed me over the line: "A CEO worth their weight will fall all over this. I’ve never had anyone try this with me. If they did I’d be finding a way to make it work. Any contrary signal is a sign you need to grow somewhere else."

Andrew is like the bridge or buffer between you and your leadership. As you grow in your career, you'll find you need to practice more in areas that might be a strong point for you; Andrew is that person whom you can soundboard and practice these ideas with so you can become the best version of yourself when presenting to your team and your leadership. As someone who has been there and done that, Andrew is your secret weapon to a more confident version of yourself.

Interested in coaching?