Short podcast interview (SHORTS) where Ben Morton asks Katie Baker what three pieces of advice she would give her younger self when stepping into her first CEO role around age 31. Katie's three takeaways: (1) know your numbers — be fluent with financials and able to answer urgent questions from banks/investors or CEOs; (2) hire the best team and don’t be threatened by people who are better than you; (3) don’t try to over-impress people—focus on connecting authentically (e.g., by using simple, human conversation openers).
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If you were to go back and give three pieces of advice to yourself in that moment, just as you were stepping into that very first CEO role around about 31 years old, in terms of two things to absolutely make sure you do do, and one thing not to do, what would they be? Because there'll be many people listening where that would be their world. So what. What advice would you give to yourself that people can use?
First one, know your numbers.
Right?
I think at that point I was young and, you know, relatively inexperienced, and I was reliant on our finance guy to kind of support me through that process. But it would be then when you'd.
Go in and you have these really.
Serious conversations with, you know, with banks and potential investors.
And I was always pretty good with.
Numbers, but it took me, like, quite.
A steep learning curve to be like.
Okay, gosh, they're really drilling down into detail here. I need to know how everything works. So I think always, always know your numbers. And that's actually prevalent as well from some jobs I've had since that initial role where you, you know, you get called in to speak to the CEO and it's like literally no notice. Come in. Now. Where are we? Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang. So I think whatever role that you're.
In, know your numbers, I think get the best team that you can around you. Don't be threatened by people. Get people in that are better than you, which I have done my whole life, because you've got that reliance then.
On their skill set, and you're not going to be good at everything. You never are. But to get the right people to support you, I think, absolutely.
And what not to do. For me, it's always. I've always been a bit nervous in.
Situations where you're with people that are more intelligent than you, that are a higher grade of their role than you are.
And I think actually it's pretty irrelevant.
When you're in those situations.
It's the person that you need to connect with, not their role or what they're doing. And it took me a while to learn that. I'd always just try and think, oh.
What can I talk about?
That's going to sound intelligent. And now I've moved away from that, and I can meet anybody at any.
Level, and I'll normally start a conversation.
With, let's play, would you rather. Or tell me, on a scale of 1 to 10, how happy are you really outside of work, just to try and get to know people and not have that standard level of highbrow conversation, which I just don't think is necessary.
So I would say that as well. Just be yourself.
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