#193

Sarah Friar has worked with some of the top leaders in Silicon Valley, including Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon, Block CEO Jack Dorsey, and most recently Nextdoor founder Nirav Tolia, who just replaced her as CEO in May. And one of the things that sets top performers apart from the rest, she argues, is their compassion and their responsiveness. When her former EA’s husband was diagnosed with cancer, Sarah texted Benioff - who she had just left behind to work at Square - for help. Within seconds, she recalls, he arranged an appointment at UCSF. “That is an amazing moment of compassion,” she says, “where he did not need to take that time.”
In this episode, Sarah and Joubin discuss public markets vs. VC, George Floyd, working with the board, singular focus, Goldman Sachs, being in “flow,” the freedom of not getting the thing you want, Walmart, Steph Curry, Graham Smith, Charlie Rose and Donald Trump, ugly babies, Elon Musk, Ladies Who Lunch, CNBC, commuting from home, white noise, “frequent Friars,” @TechEmails on Twitter, and the “zone of gratefulness.”
Chapters:
02:04 Why Sarah left Nextdoor
08:18 The stock market and success
10:21 Going through hell
14:48 Life is not an A/B test
16:09 Multiple tours of duty
19:21 Ikigai
22:02 Perfectionism and drive
25:54 Sarah’s next operating role
28:35 Big transitions
30:35 Personal burn rate
35:34 “Are people gonna take my call?”
38:40 Leaving Salesforce for Square
41:27 Loyalty
45:33 Leaving the right way
47:44 Square and Swiss cheese companies
50:03 Growth companies
52:38 Apolitical workplaces
53:42 Leaving Square
55:38 Loneliness
57:18 Daily routines
01:05:03 Working on weekends
01:08:30 Hyper-responsiveness
01:11:47 Resumé virtues and eulogy virtues
01:15:33 What “grit” means to Sarah