Authority
It's Wednesday night and Yvette Pasqua, CTO of Meetup, is packing her carry-on luggage in her New York apartment. She's leaving the city for two days.
It's nice to get a break from New York. But right now, there would be a little more calm in her life if she wouldn't have had to squeeze her work week into three days. It's also a shame that she has to cancel the dinner with her friends on Friday because of this trip.
Early Thursday morning, she takes the taxi to the airport. Pasqua had to wake up a little earlier than she's used to. But she's not feeling terribly groggy. She knows she's going to miss opportunities to communicate, listen, and empathize by not being present at the office. But she also knows that this trip is an important learning opportunity.
Pasqua is coming to see you. She's coming to your office for two days to learn about leading engineering teams. She's constantly thinking if her engineering resources are focused on the right things and how to get better at execution and delivery. Pasqua is highly experienced and skilled at this stuff. But she also believes that you are still able to teach her something.
Year ago, Pasqua and Meetup became one of your clients. Back then she wouldn't have made this trip. Of course no such invitation was made since neither you nor Pasqua thought that a trip like this would be worth her time.
Year ago and same as now, you were great at what you do. You had solid client references, you delivered quality work, and you kept your promises. Meetup made a smart choice signing a deal with you. But despite you being able to proudly stand behind your work, you also knew that CTOs of your biggest customers wouldn't have come to your office to learn about technology.
However, something changed during the past 12 months.
You now have the confidence to make an invitation like this and people are willing to accept it. Pasqua is willing to go through both the personal and professional hassle of the trip. She thinks she can learn from you.
How did you end up here? What is it about your company that makes experienced people look at your work and content, and think they should give their attention to you?