For this episode, Mike´s guest is Pleo CTO, Meri Williams. They take an in-depth look at building high-performing, fully diverse, and inclusive teams, discuss how to attract and retain people from widely different backgrounds and create an environment in which they uncover and develop the innovative solutions that are so often missed by less diverse teams.

Meri has led both small and large teams for 17 different organisations. Including, P&G, Monza, MOO, M&S and several startups. So, the recruitment, training and retention strategies Meri shares here are highly practical.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• True inclusion is missing from most companies. People are rarely asked for their opinions, and they don´t feel they can be their true selves.
• If you only pay lip service to inclusivity people from diverse backgrounds just won´t apply.
• Hire people from different backgrounds whose life experience means they genuinely see things from a different angle.
• Go where people from diverse backgrounds train to find more candidates.
• Have a robust and effective onboarding process to improve retainment.
• Engineering managers need to want to and be capable of developing others.
• Tech leads need to be prepared to do the glue work e.g. refining processes
• Provide people you promote internally with leadership training and explain why they need to lead in a certain way.

BEST MOMENTS

06:50 "The first thing I do is go meet every team and I ask them, what are they proud of? What are they worried about? And if I had a magic wand, what should I do with it?" (How Mari decides which challenges to tackle first when starting a new leadership role)

35:43 "I think actual diversity, where people are from different backgrounds, different demographics, different life experiences is much more likely to lead to true diversity and true different thinking."

37:23 "Making it an environment where lots of different people can be themselves and still succeed is the litmus test for whether you've got the right to go and get those people who are different in the first place." 

51:03 "As you get bigger, it becomes easier to attract people who are different, because there's now more chance that they're not the only one who's different." 

EPISODE RESOURCES

https://www.linkedin.com/in/meriwilliams

https://leaddev.com/events

ABOUT THE HOST

Meet Mike, a seasoned tech entrepreneur and visionary with over two and a half decades of invaluable experience in founding and scaling successful tech start-ups. Mike brings a wealth of firsthand knowledge and a deep understanding of the challenges faced by entrepreneurs and tech professionals.

As a host, Mike is dedicated to sharing actionable insights, strategies, and stories gathered from conversations with industry leaders, innovators, and experts. With a remarkable ability to distil practical wisdom from guests, Mike curates engaging discussions that resonate with both aspiring entrepreneurs and seasoned professionals. 

ABOUT THE SHOW

Welcome to Mastering Tech Growth, where we dive deep into the strategies, challenges, and triumphs of scaling tech-driven ventures. Join us as we explore the dynamic world of technology businesses, uncovering the secrets behind successful growth trajectories. Each episode brings you candid conversations with founders and industry experts, sharing invaluable insights, proven tactics, and real-life stories. Whether you're a budding entrepreneur or a seasoned professional, discover the roadmap to navigating the complexities of scaling in the ever-evolving tech landscape.