In The Room with Hope Cochran
This week on The Room, we interview Hope Cochran, managing director at Madrona Venture Group. It’s probably easier to ask, what hasn’t Hope done? Music and economics at Stanford. Founder and CFO of SkillsVillage, bought by Peoplesoft in 2001. CFO of Clearwire and King Digital. Board member of three public companies, Hasboro, Mongo DB, and New Relic. Wow!
In today’s episode, we explore colorful stories of her time in C-suites and boardrooms discussing insights and themes such as advocating for yourself at work, what makes a good board, and the little moments that matter. Listen to the episode here.
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Key Theme 1: Be Your Own Best Advocate
Hope highlights her time at Deloitte in her first job out of college. When the HR committee makes an assumption about her relationship status and its implications for her willingness to go abroad, she sets the record straight. Her fearlessness in asserting a decision which she viewed as her own, rather than one to be made for her, reinforces our understanding that you are your own best advocate. Even the best bosses don’t know what you need in your career more than you. Take stock of what’s important to you, and prioritize in order to excel at work and home. In Hope’s case, it was a year of long-distance marriage and Lithuania!
Key Theme 2: Intentionally Building your Board
Hope has sat in a variety of different boardrooms since founding her own company in 1999. From a public toy company to a private fintech company, she has advised, cajoled, audited, and celebrated alongside many different swaths of people in the room. Hope points out the role of the public board is very different than the function it serves in early-stage private settings. As many first time founders can attest, board members and investors are often your best advocate. They should be a person who helps you hire, craft your next fundraising deck, and navigate the lonely job of CEO and leader. The board grows up with companies and its role and function change as a company evolves. Hope highlights the importance of building a board with care for your own weaknesses and the evolving needs of your company. As you’re building your first board, or scaling your second, think about how to bring an advantageously diverse range of individuals into your boardroom.
Key Theme 3: Caring about the Little Moments
Hope’s personal motto, “Finish The Job” or “FTJ” has been echoing in my head since we recorded this episode a few weeks back. Whether it be folding my own laundry or remembering to write my handwritten holiday thank you notes, Hope provides me and listeners a framework for success in all aspects of life. It’s all too easy to get caught up in the big moments of your career, the promotion, the first venture check, the IPO. These are times to be remembered. However, Hope’s insistence on the value of little moments struck us as incredibly wise. People remember you for how you treated them and even in a world of technology innovation, we still spend most of our time with people. Finish The Job reminds us that going the extra mile in the moment goes exponentially further over time.
For founders and funders everywhere, Hope provides tactical advice on how to get in the room and how to stay there. What is your FTJ moment?
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