Saying Goodbye To Trello, And Sharing Some Lessons Learned
Update: September 2022: I’ve launched a new startup! Learn more here.
Last month, I left Trello at Atlassian after a career defining seven years. From being the first marketing hire post Series A, to acquisition and integration by Atlassian and beyond…it was the definition of a startup roller coaster ride.
At Atlassian, we have a tradition of writing goodbye posts and sharing wisdom. Here’s an excerpt from the post that I shared internally.
“Join us, we’re on a rocketship to the moon!” Michael Pryor said during my interview at Trello’s NYC office in May of 2014.
Little did I know that this rocketship would include:
- Lifelong relationships with my amazing humans Traveling the world — Australia! Spain! France! Ireland! — telling Trello’s story
- Filming commercials with celebrities, and making commercials broadcast during the Olympics
- Putting on a fake offsite to disguise a real offsite where we were getting acquired by a giant company
- Building the world’s best Marketing team
- Ringing the bell at NASDAQ
- Doing a full scale campaign in Times Square
- Wine tasting in Napa, boating in Austin, Broadway shows, food tours, indoor skydiving, karaoke in Sydney
- Making the lives of millions of people around the world just a little bit better
It’s bittersweet to be writing this as I have been living and breathing Trello for the last seven years, from setting our first goals which seemed completely and totally outlandish to actually reaching those goals. But that is precisely why it’s time to move on.
I came to Trello as a newlywed, ambitious, entrepreneurial marketer, and I’m leaving Atlassian as a marketing leader and mama times two. It’s been quite the journey building from a team of 1 to a team of over 20 world class marketers, and going from fast growing startup to part of the product suite within a multi billion dollar global software company.
The part where I share wisdom
In trying to keep it short and sweet I want to share some wisdom from my journey:
- It’s always about the people. That’s it. People often ask me how I have been so lucky in my career in terms of being part of successful startups. Well folks, it’s not really about luck (although I’m sure there’s something to be said about timing, market conditions, etc.) For me, it has always been about working with people who have the most integrity. People who care about making a difference in the world, having a lot of pride in the quality of their work, being extremely values driven, and living their values every single day.
- As a leader, be people focused. Always focus on developing your team and building relationships. Connections you make at work transcend projects and teams, even in a remote environment. People will always remember how managers treated them in the most difficult of times. This is the time when leaders show their true colors and build up the trust that is required to bring out the best in people.
- Invest in yourself. Invest in your craft. Carve out the time for personal development, and if a structured learning environment isn’t for you then seek out opportunities to join projects where you’ll be exposed to different parts of your craft that stretch you. One of the first things I got to do post-Atlassian acquisition was run a large scale brand campaign. I had never done anything like that before! I leaned into the process, learning a ton about what it means to work with an agency and develop world class creative. It ended up being one of my favorite Atlassian experiences.
- Delegate. Challenge your people. In the beginning, leaders want to do it all. Over time, leaders figure out that to scale themselves, they have to develop their teams and hire people who are even better/smarter to round out the skillset of the team. If you’re a new manager the sooner you figure this out, the sooner you’ll be successful. A manager’s output is getting everyone on the team to deliver on shared outcomes (and have fun doing it!). It’ s not about individual performance.
- Give and ask for feedback frequently. Anyone who has worked with me knows I tend to be direct. It’s a good quality, but it can also be challenging if I don’t have a strong relationship with the person on the receiving end. If the strong base is there, frequent feedback is a gift — both getting and giving.
- Focus on the culture. Trello has an amazing culture. The Trello Marketing team has an amazing culture. I’ve always been in the mindset that if you’re not having fun, it’s not worth doing the thing. It’s been such a joy to watch the Marketing team grow skillsets and people, but always keep the core joy and fun we always have as a team. When offsites are back, come to my team and ask them how to throw the most amazing offsites.
The part where I say what’s next
It seems like many of these posts have people leaving for the next great thing.
That’s not me.
I’m very excited to take a breath for the first time in a decade and look around to see what’s going on.
Also to spend time with my amazing, supportive family. Life is a journey. And time is precious. People are often jumping into something without giving themselves the space to create room and think about what’s really important in life. The last few months have given me the clarity that it’s not right to be reactive about my career. I love Atlassian, the people, and the opportunities I’ve had here. This post isn’t about leaving a company, it’s about a person who has come full circle from startup beginning to acquisition and beyond, and is joyful about celebrating the journey.
Recently, I’ve gotten very much into angel investing as a way to share more founders’ journeys and pass along what I’ve learned. In the near future, I’m looking forward to doing more of that alongside helping founders and early marketers along their own journeys.
Follow me on Twitter at @StartupStella
