Required Startup Mentality

July 13, 2024in Salesforce

Pivoting an established company’s business model is one of the most daunting challenges a CEO can face. When the new CEO of Zilliant took the company’s helm in 2022, the mandate was to accelerate growth and increase market share. It quickly became evident that success lay not in product updates or tech investments but in rethinking the organizational mindset. Required Startup Mentality.

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With a master’s degree in organizational behavior studies from the University of Illinois and extensive experience in organizational transformations, the CEO understood the process typically follows one of two paths: changing an existing culture or building one from scratch. High-profile examples provide inspiration for both approaches. Satya Nadella, upon becoming CEO of Microsoft in 2014, transformed the company from a “know-it-all” to a “learn-it-all” culture, fostering a growth mindset. Conversely, Marc Benioff of Salesforce instilled the “ohana” culture of family spirit, trust, and equality from the company’s inception. The CEO, having been immersed in Salesforce culture for over a decade, learned the importance of a robust support system for employees and customers.

Upon joining Zilliant, the CEO brought lessons from Salesforce to the new role. Zilliant, a company with 23 years of history and a long-standing CEO, Greg Peters, had thrived in price optimization. However, to evolve further, the company needed to adopt a startup mentality. This approach included scrutinizing every budget line item, incorporating a new marketing playbook, and, crucially, leveraging existing talent in new ways. Identifying influencers within the company and placing them in positions of broader influence proved to be an effective strategy. Required Startup Mentality of leaders.

This group of long-time employees, respected and experienced, became the “change champions.” Their elevated profile across the organization facilitated listening and acting on peer feedback, making the traditionally challenging task of cultural transformation more manageable. Initially, there was a struggle to clearly articulate the future vision. The transitional period was marked by confusion rather than resistance. This experience underscored the importance of vision and constant communication during transformation.

The CEO discovered that merely communicating new company values wasn’t sufficient. Creating a unified vision with full conviction from the executive team was essential. Significant time was spent defining this vision in granular detail, learning from the successes and failures of other companies. Once the leadership team was aligned, this conviction was cascaded through the ranks. Instead of dictating change, employees were invited into the process through feedback sessions and pilot programs, giving them a stake in redefining cultural norms.

Celebrating small wins, even if they’re a “loss,” was emphasized to support learning from missteps. Modeling desired behaviors, systematically updating policies, incentives, and processes reinforced the new mindsets and actions. It was an arduous journey, but staying intentional and bringing people along was crucial for evolving into the envisioned culture.

Through the transformation, one principle remained constant: customers must see Zilliant as a partner rather than a vendor. This required individuals in every department—marketing, sales, customer success, product, and engineering—to proactively address and solve customer problems.

Transitioning to a new business model and rethinking organizational mindset is a long-term effort requiring vision and commitment from all levels. The payoff, however, can be immense. Already, Zilliant has delivered two consecutive quarters of 60%-plus growth in year-over-year bookings and is positioned for continued record growth through the end of the year.