Sandra Patel-Stewart
15th August 2023
This was possibly the most insightful episode of Let’s Talk Leadership we’ve ever released.
As Emmi Meurling joined the podcast, I was excited. She is not only the Chief Product Officer at Wunderflats, but has also held numerous senior positions at German tech giants like DeliveryHero and Care.com.
I knew she’d have so much leadership advice to share with the listeners and I (at time which has been challenging for us all in the tech space).
In our discussion, we tackled a number of topics. She shared advice about combating imposter syndrome as a female leader, talked about important considerations when looking to take your next step in tech leadership and provided top tips for leading your team.
We began by discussing an issue which I’m personally very passionate about.
1. Imposter Syndrome.
If you’re not connected with me on LinkedIn, let’s connect.
But if you are, you’ll know that I’m outspoken about imposter syndrome.
That’s because it plagues female leaders in tech and with so few women in our space it’s important to be honest and show other professionals that they are not alone.
We all feel out of our depth at some points in our career, but that’s no reason to avoid responsibility. Emmi echoed my thoughts, saying that you should tackle imposter syndrome head-on by continuously challenging yourself.
“You should always be looking for ways to grow and learn. It’s like training a muscle. The more you challenge yourself, the more you learn and feel confident to keep challenging yourself.”
Whether you’re in a leadership role or considering taking a step up, it’s not unusual to have feelings of imposter syndrome. The important thing is to surround yourself with people who support you and remind you of all your capabilities and qualities.
As I said, I’m passionate about this subject and suffer from imposter syndrome myself from time to time. So, feel free to reach out to me for a chat anytime. DM me here.
2. Be Careful: Choose Your Leadership Team Wisely.
Our discussion developed from imposter syndrome to Emmi’s recent career move to Chief Product Officer at Wunderflats. When searching for a new role, she advises to “choose your leadership wisely.”
Emmi continued: “When I took this job, I knew finding the right team, especially a great CEO, was vital. As they say, the CEO-CPO relationship is a different kind of partnership, and it’s crucial to find common ground and shared values.”
This was great advice and a fantastic chance to plug that I’m the leader of a recruitment business that specialises in the tech talent space. So, hit me up if you’re looking to hire or thinking about a career move. Thank you Emmi!
But in all seriousness, this is so important. You will spend a great deal of time working with your leadership team. So, it’s important that you share similar values and that your attributes complement each other.
This is even more important when you consider Emmi’s next words of wisdom.
3. Leadership is a Team Sport
Emmi claimed that leadership is a “team sport”.
I agree. Of course, your leadership team needs to have clear goals, great communication and a shared vision. But being a leadership team is so much more than that. It’s about sharing the highs and lows. It’s about being open, honest and comfortable to challenge each other throughout your journey together.
“It’s not just about being a product owner or a CPO; it’s about being part of a cohesive leadership team”, said Emmi.
Especially in these more challenging times, a unified leadership team is essential to the success of your business.
4. Have Empathy for the People Above
Throughout our conversation Emmi continued to state the importance of building a healthy relationship with your leadership team. She went on to emphasise the importance of having empathy for your CEO and executive leadership.
“The mistake I made was not trying to understand or have empathy for the CEO and executive leadership team.
“When you start to show more empathy, let down your guard and stop seeing these people as untouchable; you start to see them for who they really are. You see that they also have desires, needs and motivations. You start to build empathy.
“This makes it so much easier to work together and influence major business decisions.”
5. Creating an Environment for People to Grow
Empathy is also crucial for managing the development of your team.
Emmi spoke about how she asks employees to find their dream job on LinkedIn (understanding that many will have aspirations beyond her team at Wunderflats). They then create a roadmap to support the development of that individual to help them achieve their career aspirations.
“Of course, I want to keep people as long as possible. But it is about their career. Everything we do at Wunderflats should be a stepping stone for that individual to develop and have a successful career.”
Emmi follows a structured feedback process that involves setting clear goals, measuring progress regularly and providing direct feedback to address areas of improvement. For a guide on providing this feedback, Emmi recommends reading Radical Candor by Kim Scott – which helps you “be a kick-ass boss without losing your humanity.” I’ll probably read this just because of the tagline.
More specifically for product leaders, Emmi recommends reading the PM Wheel by Petra Wille – which provides a framework to help you map progress.
It was fascinating speaking with Emmi. If you’ve not yet listened to our podcast together, I highly recommend it for advice on combating imposter syndrome as a female leader, plus more tips on considerations when you’re looking to take your next step in tech leadership.
Thank you for reading! If you’d like to chat about this article or get better introduced, then please feel free to email me at Sandra.PatelStewart@transiton-partners.co.uk or connect with me on LinkedIn.