The Litmus Test For Hiring a World-Class CMO

As a CEO, one of my favorite - yet most challenging - responsibilities is recruiting world-class leaders to join our company. So you can imagine my excitement today in welcoming Dee Anna McPherson as our new CMO. As she gets started at Invoca, I wanted to share some thoughts on executive hiring and how we found ourselves in the enviable position of having Dee Anna join the team.

For software companies, people and the intellectual capital they create are at the very core of the business. As a result, I find meeting and talking with new potential executive team members to be both an inspiring and intimidating process. On one hand, you have the opportunity to meet so many talented people, with such a diverse set of experiences -- and it’s exciting to imagine the variety of ways these individuals could contribute to the business. On the other hand, it is a challenge to figure out the optimal fit and see the path to a final decision (assuming the candidates you’re interested in are also interested in your company!)

To help keep myself grounded, I always come back to two fundamental questions:

“How is this person going to make our company better, our executive team stronger, and, ultimately, me a more effective CEO?”

“How is this person an embodiment of our culture and our values, and would we hold them up as a representation of how every employee should aspire to act, work, and treat their peers?”

It was evident throughout the mutual “getting to know you” process that Dee Anna answered both questions in a resounding positive manner. 

First, on making us a better company… It is clear that we have a tremendous opportunity to tell our story in a more inspiring way. Invoca delivers great technology for our customers, and that technology has a very clear, ROI-oriented impact on their business. But many people don’t understand the essence of what we do. At the core, companies use Invoca to help consumers make the most important buying decisions in their life -- from getting a mortgage to buying insurance to accessing health care -- and to make those decisions with confidence, using the right combination of digital technology and high-touch human service. That’s a narrative with tremendous potential, but we needed help in crafting and communicating that message in a compelling way. And Dee Anna, with her passion for storytelling and an incredible track record in building great software brands like Yammer and Hootsuite, quickly convinced us that she would make Invoca a stronger company. 

Second, on representing our values… After meeting Dee Anna for the first time, I texted a former Salesforce colleague who had worked with her at Hootsuite to get an informed opinion. His reply was short and sweet - “She’s amazing. I’d work for, or with, her again anytime. Teams love her!” As we spent more time with Dee Anna in person, checked references, and had board members engage, it was clear that she was a people-oriented leader who listened before talking, and was focused on helping grow both the business and her team. Not to mention, she came to our final interview with a well-informed perspective on our challenges and opportunities, and wasn’t afraid to tell us where her views differed from our own. And as a CEO, I welcome hearing from executives who are confident and courageous enough in their beliefs to engage in honest, data-driven debate about what is right for the business.

So in the end, after months of coffee chats, interviews, phone calls, and meetings, the decision was quite straightforward. But that doesn’t mean I’m any less grateful or excited to welcome Dee Anna to the team today. Here’s to the opportunity to build another great software brand, team, and company together!