Unlocking Potential with Re-organization & Realignment

Shownotes

In this conversation, Colin Gerber, Revenue Operations and Strategy Leader at Socure discuss his career path, how he first got into sales operations, and his experiences working at different scales in startups and larger companies. Colin shares his insights on systematic reorganization, being mindful of the importance of clear communication across the organization, and setting the team up for success.

About the Guest

Colin Gerber is a Revenue Operations and Strategy Leader at Socure, focused on Analytics, Insights, Planning, Process, and Strategy, supporting all GTM functions (Sales, Sales Development, Customer Success, Marketing, and Business Development). Over the past 12+ years, Colin has established and led operations/strategy functions at early-stage/high-growth startups as well as late-stage/public enterprise software companies. Colin holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science and History from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he competed on the Division I Track and Field Team.

Connect with Colin Gerber

Key Takeaways

• One of the goals of the reorganization is to create a centralized revenue operations team to act as a command and control for the rest of the organization.
• It is critical to have regular communication between teams to avoid duplication and siloing efforts.
• The reorganization was done by interviewing team members and identifying their strengths and passions, then creating an ideal organization chart and selling the idea internally.
• Focus on the importance of clear communication and ensuring everyone is comfortable with the changes.

Quote

“Meeting with them [the team] understanding where they’re at on things, and kind of doing a slow roll as to what we were building up to because you don’t want anyone to ever be surprised like ‘Hey, like, we’re moving you around. These are the people you’re supporting. This is the structure that team.’ So, [it is] really [about] setting the groundwork there.”

– Colin Gerber

Highlights from the Episode

Could you share a bit about your background? You’ve got an interesting career path from being an early employee at a startup to working at mid-stage, late venture, and even publicly traded companies.

Colin Gerber has worked in sales operations for a variety of companies, both large and small. He has experience in building out sales operations from the ground up and has a deep understanding of the various sales motions and how to best support them.

As someone who is underway with a major re-organization exercise, can you share with our listeners the concept of having operational centers of excellence and the need for organizational design to deploy your resources effectively?

The key is to determine what is going on in the organization. This requires two elements for consideration – the siloing of resources and removing friction. The idea is to have centralized teams that are experts in their respective fields to increase efficiency and remove silos. Colin explains how by coming in and interviewing people, they were able to create an organizational design that put people in positions where they would be successful. This allows for better communication and collaboration between teams and functions.

How do you undertake change management amid all this chaos? How do you get everyone rowing in the same direction at the same speed?

A lot of change management comes down to creating an ideal organizational chart and then getting leadership to sign off on it. Next, cross-functional leadership must be brought in to understand the scope and resources they will need to support the new structure. Finally, once the ideal organization chart is in place, it must be rolled out to team members and leadership. The key is to keep the process systematic to prevent surprises and overwhelm when new roles have been set.

What are some of the challenges you could run into during a re-org?

One possible challenge during a re-org is that certain people may not be aware of changes that have been made. Another challenge could be that the team members may not understand their new responsibilities. A good practice during a re-org is to communicate expectations clearly from the start.

Any best practices that you would like to share with someone who is looking to go down this path?

To enhance velocity within an organization, identify blind spots, and propose projects that can improve the business.

How are you and your organization adapting to the current economic downturn?

Colin discusses how the company is into looking within themselves and deciding where to should focus their efforts. Companies may have to adjust their plans shortly based on external factors.

Is there a book, blog, newsletter, website, or video that you would recommend to our listeners?

• Secrets of Sand Hill Road by Scott Kupor
• ‘Give Away Your Legos’ and Other Commandments for Scaling Startups

Shout-outs

Elaine Mao – VP, Biz Ops at Tessian

Matt Amundson – Executive In Residence at Scale Venture Partners