March 12, 2017

How Tableau’s CMO Leads with Extra Enthusiasm

Topline Summary

When Elissa Fink joined Tableau she was one of 40 employees that helped orchestrate a user conference for 200. Ten years later Tableau has a staff of over 3,200, a user conference for 13,000 and revenue that exceeds a billion dollars annually. It’s an amazing success story that Elissa has not just witnessed – she’s played a vital role, bringing a combination of enthusiasm, smarts, willingness to try new things and a deep appreciation for using data to make informed decisions. If you aspire to be a leader at a fast-growing organization, then this is a must-listen episode.

What You’ll Learn

  • The importance of trying things before you’ve figured out every detail.
  • The power of enthusiasm as a leadership force.
  • How to embrace data without getting overwhelmed by it.
  • Why it’s important to listen, especially when newbies suggest previously rejected ideas.

Quotes from Elissa Fink

  • The advantages [staying at one company] are definitely that you get to be deep, to understand things richly, to build relationships with your colleagues and your customers.
  • So as a leader, long-term employee, and agent of change there are times that I just need to listen, keep my mouth shut and be open to the idea that something that sounded crazy three years ago might be exactly what we need.
  • I realized over the years that enthusiasm goes a long way towards doing the right thing and getting things done because it produces energy.
  • You have a great idea, just you don’t have to start out with everything solved or every part of it all the way to bright.
  • We always need fresh ideas and don’t ever get comfortable with the way we’ve always done things.