model is all very different of SurveyMonkey’s core architecture was the right each time. I find disruption values of #trusttheteam.” one. The CDO and EVP to be motivating and had a Ph.D. in biology exciting, whereas some STEVE WOOD: “For and genetics. I’m usually people find it to be me, it was starting my good with architects, but overwhelming. When own business. There’s this was definitely outside I start a new job, I ask something weird that my comfort zone. I went CHRISTINE RIMER people about the happens when you start up to the whiteboard, did Vice President, areas of concern and your own company. I an architecture review Voice of the Customer, excitement, and capture racked up a substantial during the meeting, and SurveyMonkey those in my own personal amount of debt, paying for answered all his questions. V2MOM [a method it on my own credit card. If It was a challenge. But we started at Salesforce to the company hadn’t been won the business, and no plan for the year ahead], successful, I’d be in debt meeting now can possibly a new skill, received a innovation can impact a which helps me improve for life. I was way out of my scare me. I’d meet with promotion, reinvented both as a manager and comfort zone. I’d wake up the president of France if Before getting into all as a person.” in the middle of the night I had to, and I speak zero the benefits of risk taking and think, ‘I might have French.” STEVE WOOD CHRISTINE RIMER: “In 2014, just messed up my entire Chief Product Officer, never thought possible. my career, I had to manage their employees, I wanted my company was acquired, life.’ It brings an edge and EMPLOYEES AND Dell Boomi By living outside your a sales team of 15 people, and I was asked to lead the grit to you because you THE COMFORT ZONE which I had never really they’ve taken in their own build-out of two new data realize nobody is going done before. Because of The idea that taking risks able to move your career to centers and to migrate to help you. It becomes that, I learned to provide and working outside of 850 financial institutions, about perseverance, 11.5 million consumers, stubbornness, execution, your comfort zone can due. I didn’t come in as and 35 applications. It and pushing forward.” benefit your work or your was the most challenging company is not itself an year of my career, but we BOB DUNFEE: “I had a role outside-the-box idea. BOB DUNFEE Vice President years ago, I was given executed on time and on at a previous company And still its benefits are of Product Marketing, experience. Instead comfort zone, I spoke Smart Communications budget. We’re capable of as a field CTO, and we not all obvious. Getting I learned to use the with executives from six so much more if we think worked on a deal that new and different ideas is as one team aligned on was very competitive. beneficial to employees, provide mentors to other a common goal, which We had to convince the but in what way? Our respective solutions: Aircall aligns really well with one chief data officer that our experts weighed in. CTI, Conga Composer, I moved my family not — versus trying to dig Dell Boomi AtomSphere, deep and know every “ Every new job I start is outside my comfort zone. SurveyMonkey, and I felt passionate about VerticalResponse. Each but didn’t have a lot of “Every The way people do things, or the customer base, shared their perspectives, new job I start is outside or the model is all very different each time. plus risks they’ve taken, doing. It was one of the I find disruption to be motivating and exciting.” best decisions I ever made: I learned more WILL SPENDLOVE Vice President of Product Marketing, Conga SUMMER 2018 SUMMER 2018 THE EXCHANGE 19