EP 6: Building High-Performing Teams

Adriaan: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another episode of the Leaders in Talent podcast. And today, I have the honor to welcome Anna Brandt to the podcast. Ah, good to be here. Anna and I actually go way back because when we started Matchr in 2018, you were the first person to come all the way to Kiev from the Netherlands to train our recruitment team. And little did I know back in 2018, when we were still trying to figure things out, that many years later, I would have the honor to interview you for the Leaders in Talent podcast. It feels a little bit like full circle for me. So, therefore, honored to have you here.

Adriaan: Your journey since then has also been somewhat incredible if I may say, because you are now the co-founder of Invested. And previously, you were in senior leadership roles in talent at companies like Uber, TomTom, Mollie, and you are currently advising and also investing in some of the most well-known scaling companies across the world. Anna, from working in-house in senior leadership roles to now starting your own company Invested with Noor, can you tell me a little bit more about what you do with Invested and what sparked the idea for Invested?

Anna: First of all, thank you for having me. It’s fun to be together again and do something together and talk about talent. We started Invested almost four years ago, together with Noor van Boven, who I know very well from the days at TomTom. We don’t like to say it because it tells you a little bit about how old we are. The idea was to start a company and put everything together that we love about work. And that’s combining working with passionate founders in the scale-up scene and empowering them to build an effective organization to meet their strategy.

Anna: We do that by strategic consulting on people and organizational topics. We like to have skin in the game, and therefore we invest our profits back into the ecosystem, especially around HR tech. And ideally, when HR tech meets Fintech, we’re super excited. Yeah, so that’s what we’re doing.

Adriaan: Can you name a few companies that you’ve consulted or some of the things that you’re excited about? For example, founders that you work with?

Anna: It’s over 55 companies by now. One of the companies we recently invested in is TechWolf, OpenUp, and we are very proud investors there. We have way more; I think companies that we consult or currently are Move, Yoko. I think a lot of the fintech companies and some blockchain companies.

Adriaan: Amazing. And how long ago did you start?

Anna: Four years ago.

Adriaan: Four years ago. Absolutely incredible. So you see many different companies, many different founders that you work with across Europe and also, I think, a little bit in the U.S. What do you see as the common pitfalls that you experience with these companies and founders when they want to build high-performing teams?

Anna: Over the years, even in those four years, we see things getting more extreme on evidence-based solutions versus personal conviction. If you think about how to build an organization and a leadership team, we often see extremes in founders who really believe in evidence-based insights—”I want to build a company around it”—versus those who think, “I have a personal conviction, and that is leading in all the decisions I make.”

Anna: As an example, I think some of the listeners might recognize this: A founder may believe only in hiring engineers without formal education, thinking they’re more innovative. On the other hand, some leaders focus on demonstrated success and data-driven decision-making when it comes to hiring, relying on formal assessments and benchmarks. We see more extremes in this area.

Adriaan: And by extremes, do you mean companies that do more evidence-based hiring and strategic thinking, and on the other side, personal convictions like, “I only hire from Meta, Google, and Facebook,” for example?

Anna: Exactly. And this really shapes how they design their entire organizational structure. There are many creative founders who want to be surrounded by customer-centric thinking in ways that don’t necessarily align with proven success models. This can lead to less effective organizations, versus those who are more deliberate in designing their operating models.

Anna: What we’ve found is that the best leaders blend both approaches. And I think that’s a call for HR and talent leaders to help balance those extremes.

Adriaan: When you first work with founders, how do you help them navigate the evidence-based versus personal conviction balance? Do you use specific frameworks?

Anna: The first thing we do is understand where everyone is coming from. There’s no right or wrong. We help them blend proven success with their unique approach, especially when hiring for the leadership team. We start with the strategy: What do they want to achieve in the next 18 months? Then, we help identify the key performance indicators (KPIs) and leadership roles required to meet those goals.

Anna: It’s also important to be clear about the roles and responsibilities within that team. There needs to be mutual clarity on decision rights and accountabilities, which helps leaders understand their focus and soft skills required. While founders often value autonomy and trust, having clear guidelines on what success looks like is essential.

Adriaan: Do you also help with the interviewing of candidates and structuring the hiring process?

Anna: Yes, we support them in designing the organizational structure to align with their strategy. We help them establish accountability, create a systematic assessment process, and ensure successful transitions for new executives. We even assist in onboarding and executive integration.

Adriaan: Let’s talk about onboarding. What does a good onboarding process look like, especially for executives?

Anna: Many organizations invest a lot of resources in hiring, but then the onboarding is rushed. A few days of basic orientation—here’s your laptop, good luck! We recommend a structured onboarding process that spans at least three months, but it doesn’t mean full-time onboarding for three months. It should cover five pillars: strategic integration, team leader integration, team leadership, cultural assimilation, and operational understanding with stakeholder management.

Anna: For example, leadership integration involves being explicit about leadership styles and preferences. Operational integration can include shadowing or “day in the life” exercises. Strategic integration is about providing context—what’s the strategy, where are we now, and where are we going? Stakeholder management involves surrounding the new leader with the right people, both internal and external.

Adriaan: Do you have examples of companies that have done this well?

Anna: Polar Steps recently onboarded a new CEO and did this really well. They even personalized the onboarding by incorporating their products into the process, such as creating a photo book of the onboarding journey. Larger companies like Uber or Booking also have extensive onboarding programs that we can learn from and adapt to a scale-up’s needs.

Adriaan: In the scale-up world, three months can feel like a long time. How do you balance speed with thorough onboarding?

Anna: It’s true that scale-ups have a bias for action. But moving too fast without understanding the context can lead to poor decisions. We recommend that new leaders spend the first 30 days observing before making big decisions. Educate them to prioritize context over immediate action for the first few weeks.

Adriaan: Who is responsible for onboarding? Is it the CEO or HR?

Anna: It depends on the organization, but it’s a blend. Ultimately, the leader who hires for the role is responsible, but HR can provide a framework and best practices. In the first week, it’s helpful to have someone responsible for guiding the new leader through the process.

Adriaan: With all your experience, what excites you about the future of people and organizations?

Anna: We’re at a pivotal moment, and there’s a lot to be excited about. I’m particularly interested in companies that combine data insights with a human-centric approach. For example, TechWolf uses AI to map the skills and competencies within an organization, which helps with workforce planning and high-performing teams.

Adriaan: Skill-based hiring has been a hot topic. Does TechWolf help bridge that gap?

Anna: Yes, TechWolf helps organizations identify which skills they have and which ones they’re missing, enabling them to repackage work and strategize for the future. Skill-based hiring only works if organizations understand how to structure work differently and plan for the workforce.

Adriaan: What’s your outlook for the next 12 months, especially in the tech and scale-up space?

Anna: The rapid growth of 2021 is unlikely to return. Organizations will focus on productivity—getting the most out of their people. We’ll likely see slow traction in 2024, but it’s a good time to rethink how we staff and structure organizations for the long term.

Adriaan: This has been such an honor. Thank you, Anna! How can listeners connect with you?

Anna: LinkedIn is the best way. I’ll do my best to reply quickly!

Adriaan: Awesome. Thank you so much, Anna!

Anna: Thank you.