A Slack Story Podcast

• Leaving Never Neverland

  Growing Pains at Slack: Embracing Sales and Scaling UpJames Sherrett narrates Slack's realization we needed to grow up. But what did that mean? And how did we scale up our sales organization to match the increasingly complex demands of larger customers without losing what made the experience excellent for customers. Sherrett recalls some of challenges faced, solutions implemented, and pivotal decisions made. Key moments include adding specialized roles like solution engineers and customer success managers, then evolving our internal identity during an offsite meeting.00:17 Facing the need to grow up03:22 Preparing for change: the latest offsite04:29 Defining a team identity07:28 Competency traps and customer matching12:03 Sales Math: Oh, look, customer expectations13:49 Becoming Sales finally, an anti-climax15:34 Conclusion: Hello world This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.slackstory.com

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• A Very Stewart Visit to Dublin

  A Dublin Office Halloween: Slack's Journey with Stewart ButterfieldSlack's had its Dublin office, the first outside the Pacific Time zone. Now Slack CEO, Stewart Butterfield, came calling. Also: Hallowe'en. Also: Callowe'en. We reflect on Stewart's growing role and influence both within and outside Slack, including the 'cult of personality' surrounding him. The story finishes by contrasting Slack's values with those of Salesforce after the acquisition.00:00 Introduction: A Slack Story by James Sherrett00:48 Halloween in Dublin: riding the leprechaun01:25 Preparing for Stewart's visit03:04 All Hands meeting from Dublin06:13 Changes happening for Stewart and Slack's culture08:33 The One Mind theory of startups11:05 Style and substance and sprezzatura13:40 The Salesforce acquisition and cultural mismatch This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.slackstory.com

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• Hiring Good Irish Hybrids

  Building Slack Dublin from PeopleJames Sherrett recounts his experience of building Slack's team in Dublin from three to 62 employees over 27 months. The journey involved adapting recruitment strategies, localizing the hiring process, and selling Slack to prospective employees alongside customers.Sherrett highlights the initial successes and subsequent challenges in hiring the right talent, including notable hires like Alia Lamadaar, Paul Murray, and others. He reflects on some of the lessons learned and the unique qualities that made Slack's Dublin team successful. He touches on local recruitment methods, including challengine recruiters and seeking employee referrals, that eventually led to a promising Slack Dublin.00:00 Introduction: A Slack Story by James Sherrett00:18 Building the team: from 3 to 62 in Dublin00:53 The transposed hiring process: screening and interviewing01:52 Selling Slack to candidates04:30 Challenges in recruitment05:56 Adapting Slack to Ireland08:14 Success stories: small wins and first 5 key hires11:48 A little from column A, a little from column B12:11 Walking and talking: the Ciaran Chaney experience14:36 Conclusion: Slack is made of people This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.slackstory.com

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• Just Like Starting Over

  0:38 — The Official Photo and Slack launch event at Trinity College Dublin1:22 — Meeting the Irish Prime Minister, cultural observations2:32 — Media questions: jobs, hiring, and Ireland’s expectations3:01 — The importance of PR and community in Slack’s early success3:30 — Expanding the story for a broader audience, tech status in Europe4:52 — Slack’s recognition in different cities and challenges in Europe5:24 — What is Slack? Shifting the story to employment and growth6:02 — Tech industry size in Dublin, yet battling local skepticism6:49 — Outline of Slack’s European expansion strategy7:16 — Building teams, market groupings, and EMEA offices7:43 — Lessons in global market sizing and Europe’s complexity8:10 — The US market advantage, cultural unity9:02 — Pockets of Slack adoption in Sweden, Lithuania, Russia, UK9:23 — Challenges in less receptive European markets10:13 — Meeting LVMH in Paris, cultural nuances10:49 — Berlin IT conference: demos, user engagement, and presentations12:55 — Frankfurt: learning from German family businesses (Tand)13:09 — Selling to skeptics, Bosch, Volkswagen, and progressivism13:31 — Flashbacks to early Slack days, present challenges13:52 — Helping customers build internal cases for Slack14:12 — Presenting to a secretive client in London14:33 — The Sovereign Military Order of Malta: unique client, no deal14:56 — Realization: being used for a “bake off,” lessons learned15:22 — Lessons: pre-qualify opportunities, know your customer16:24 — Hostility to new software, communication concerns16:47 — Relational tactics: comparing Slack to texting and news alerts17:08 — The Maya principle: recalibrating “most advanced yet acceptable”17:30 — Flailing, finding footing, and sales challenges in EMEA18:09 — Next challenges: hiring expertise to change the leaderboard18:30 — Bonus story: interviewing Ciaran Cheney, Slack’s future office manager19:13 — Ciaran’s hiring, celebration at The Long Hall20:09 — Looking ahead: hiring Irish hybrids, finding and addressing biases This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.slackstory.com

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• Culture Carriers in Dublin

  Introduction: Moving to Dublin, settling in, and the challenge of starting over.00:30 — Adjusting to a new city: Finding housing, coffee shops, and routines.00:54 — Working from the Guinness Storehouse, feeling like a traveler.01:21 — Balancing old and new: Letting go of Vancouver responsibilities, focusing on Dublin.01:41 — "Culture Carrier" role: What it means and why it matters to a new office.02:51 — The many hats of Culture Carriers.03:16 — Translating company culture: Connecting Slack’s values to Dublin’s context.03:44 — Introducing Hanni: Her energy, background, and partnership.04:33 — The Fridge Incident: The struggle to get a fridge for the new office.06:11 — Lessons from the fridge: Teamwork, regret, and learning to see others’ needs.08:19 — Building a Dublin office: Weekly leadership meetings, office culture, and hiring.09:43 — The challenge of newness: Overwhelm, adaptation, and family life in Dublin.10:11 — Appreciating colleagues: Hanni’s initiative and the value of partnership.10:32 — Creating local culture: Adapting Slack’s values, painting the office, and working to create a sense of belonging.11:06 — Don't call it a remit: Balancing duties with whatever it takes to succeed.12:16 — Embracing the "yes, and" role: Flexibility, learning, and holding onto essentials.13:21 — Up next: Preparing to launch Slack in Europe. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.slackstory.com

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