“5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became the CEO of Xactly” With Chris Cabrera

Unintended Consequences. Many years into my CEO journey, a former board member told me to think about the impact my words and actions had on the employees. She told me to imagine myself as T-Rex walking through the office. This wasn’t a metaphor I had ever heard before, but as she described the idea, it began to make sense. Her point was that the T-rex’s head would walk around and have everyone’s attention, but it was its tail that would inadvertently be knocking things over and causing a ruckus. When you are the CEO, everyone takes your opinions more seriously than they probably should, and it’s critical to consider the impact and repercussions of your words and actions.

Chris Cabrera founded Sales Performance Management (SPM) company Xactly in 2005. Since then, he has led the company from startup to IPO and now private equity, while amassing major…