Latest news with #PatrickStokes
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Thinking of becoming a manager? Consider this first, Salesforce exec says.
Salesforce exec Patrick Stokes advises against going into management simply to move up the ladder. He told BI that he became a manager because he wanted to lead others and share his vision. Stokes said if you value personal growth, you should be willing to try a new role that isn't a level up. Transitioning to management might feel like a natural next step in your career. But Patrick Stokes, a Salesforce executive, cautions that it might not necessarily be the right path for everyone. "I think it's easy for people to be enamored with the growth of kind of moving up the ranks, rather than the growth of themselves personally," Stokes, the executive vice president of product and industries marketing, told Business Insider. Stokes, in a conversation during Salesforce's Agentforce World Tour in New York City, said whenever people tell him they want to move into management, he asks them why. Usually, people say that "it's the next step," he told BI — and that's not enough of a reason. "No, you need to know why you want to be a manager, because now you have to inspire a team," Stokes said. "You have to think about your day-to-day job very differently." Lori Castillo Martinez, Salesforce's EVP of talent growth and development, shared a similar sentiment in a previous interview with BI. "Being a deep expert isn't always an indicator of being a great manager," she said, adding that collaboration and task management skills are more important, and the best managers are those who can analyze their teams and maximize productivity. Responsibilities naturally shift when you transition from an individual contributor to a manager. Stokes said that if you take on a management role, you may not be able to do some of the things you value. Stokes, who started out as a developer and transitioned multiple times in his career, said he moved into management because he wanted to be a leader, and he was already acting like one. The Salesforce executive showcased the contrast in responsibilities between an individual contributor and a manager at the company's Agentforce conference. At the executive level, the job involves more than simply managing massive teams — it can often include public speaking at high-profile events. Stokes gave a keynote address at the event, opening with an anecdote about recent events in New York City. Then, he introduced the company's digital workforce of AI agents, Agentforce, along with other speakers, all while walking through an auditorium of hundreds of people and talking directly to a video camera that trailed him. Stokes said he's always had strong opinions and a desire to rally others around his vision. Even in high school, he found himself leading projects, despite frequently sitting in the back of the classroom. He said he didn't announce himself as the leader, but he was often the one coming up with ideas and convincing others to get on board. "That's what you really need to have if you want to go into leadership," Stokes said. Stokes said that as soon as he feels "not nervous" about an event or meeting, he wants to try something new, and he's a big advocate of changing roles. The exec said some people tend to "think too narrowly" about change and only want to switch roles if it's "growth within the org chart." "If you value the growth, the personal growth that you're going to get from that new role, enough, you should be willing to take a step back to go forward," Stokes said. Outside work, Stokes likes to play chess. He said there's a concept in chess called a "gambit" — fans of the hit Netflix show "The Queen's Gambit" will be familiar — where you make what appears to be a bad move, but it's actually designed to get a reaction from an opponent. Stokes said that's how he likes to think about his career changes — seemingly risky but strategic in the long term. "When I first went into marketing, a lot of my peers and product were like, 'Why are you going to marketing?' And I'm like, 'Just wait. It'll be fine. I'm gonna be great,'" Stokes said. Read the original article on Business Insider
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Thinking of becoming a manager? Consider this first, Salesforce exec says
Salesforce exec Patrick Stokes advises against going into management by default or simply to advance up the ladder. He told BI that he became a manager because he wanted to lead others and share his vision. Stokes said if you value personal growth, you should be willing to try out new roles that aren't necessarily a level up. Transitioning to management might feel like a natural next step in your career. However, Salesforce executive Patrick Stokes cautions that it might not necessarily be the right path for everyone. "I think it's easy for people to be enamored with the growth of kind of, moving up the ranks, rather than the growth of themselves personally," the executive vice president of product and industries marketing told Business Insider. Stokes, in a conversation during Salesforce's Agentforce World Tour in New York City, said whenever people tell him they want to move into management, he asks them why. Usually, people say that "it's the next step," he told BI — and that's not enough of a reason. "No, you need to know why you want to be a manager, because now you have to inspire a team," Stokes said. "You have to think about your day-to-day job very differently." Salesforce EVP of talent growth and development Lori Castillo Martinez echoed a similar sentiment in a previous interview with BI. "Being a deep expert isn't always an indicator of being a great manager," she said, adding that collaboration and task management skills are more important, and the best managers are those who can analyze their teams and maximize productivity. Responsibilities naturally shift when you transition from an individual contributor to a manager. Stokes said that if you take on a management role, you may not be able to do some of the things you value. Stokes, who started out as a developer and transitioned multiple times in his career, said he moved into management because he wanted to be a leader, and he was already acting like one. The Salesforce executive showcased the contrast in responsibilities between an individual contributor and a manager at the company's Agentforce conference. At the executive level, the job involves more than simply managing massive teams — it can often include public speaking at high-profile events. Stokes, for example, gave a keynote address at the event, opening with an energetic anecdote about recent events in New York City. Then, he introduced the company's digital workforce of AI agents, Agentforce, along with other speakers, all while walking through an auditorium of hundreds of people and talking directly to a video camera that trailed him. Stokes said he's always had strong opinions and a desire to rally others around his vision. From the time he was in high school, he found himself leading projects, despite frequently sitting in the back of the classroom. He said he didn't announce himself as the leader, but he was often the one coming up with ideas and convincing others to get on board. "That's what you really need to have if you want to go into leadership," Stokes said. Stokes said that as soon as he feels "not nervous" about an event or meeting, he wants to try something new, and he's a big advocate for changing roles. The exec said some people tend to "think too narrowly" about changes and only want to switch roles if it's "growth within the org chart." Stokes said that can be tough to find. "If you value the growth, the personal growth that you're gonna get from that new role, enough, you should be willing to take a step back to go forward," Stokes said. Outside of leading Salesforce's product and industries marketing team, Stokes said he likes to play chess. He said there's a concept in chess called a "gambit" — fans of the hit Netflix show "The Queen's Gambit" will be familiar — where you make what appears to be a bad move, but is actually designed to get a reaction from an opponent. Stokes said that's how he likes to think about his career changes — seemingly risky but strategic long-term. "When I first went into marketing, a lot of my peers and product were like, 'Why are you going to marketing?' And I'm like,'Just wait. It'll be fine. I'm gonna be great,'" Stokes said. Read the original article on Business Insider Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Business Insider
3 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Thinking of becoming a manager? Consider this first, Salesforce exec says
Transitioning to management might feel like a natural next step in your career. However, Salesforce executive Patrick Stokes cautions that it might not necessarily be the right path for everyone. "I think it's easy for people to be enamored with the growth of kind of, moving up the ranks, rather than the growth of themselves personally," the executive vice president of product and industries marketing told Business Insider. Stokes, in a conversation during Salesforce's Agentforce World Tour in New York City, said whenever people tell him they want to move into management, he asks them why. Usually, people say that "it's the next step," he told BI — and that's not enough of a reason. "No, you need to know why you want to be a manager, because now you have to inspire a team," Stokes said. "You have to think about your day-to-day job very differently." Salesforce EVP of talent growth and development Lori Castillo Martinez echoed a similar sentiment in a previous interview with BI. "Being a deep expert isn't always an indicator of being a great manager," she said, adding that collaboration and task management skills are more important, and the best managers are those who can analyze their teams and maximize productivity. Responsibilities naturally shift when you transition from an individual contributor to a manager. Stokes said that if you take on a management role, you may not be able to do some of the things you value. Stokes, who started out as a developer and transitioned multiple times in his career, said he moved into management because he wanted to be a leader, and he was already acting like one. The Salesforce executive showcased the contrast in responsibilities between an individual contributor and a manager at the company's Agentforce conference. At the executive level, the job involves more than simply managing massive teams — it can often include public speaking at high-profile events. Stokes, for example, gave a keynote address at the event, opening with an energetic anecdote about recent events in New York City. Then, he introduced the company's digital workforce of AI agents, Agentforce, along with other speakers, all while walking through an auditorium of hundreds of people and talking directly to a video camera that trailed him. Stokes said he's always had strong opinions and a desire to rally others around his vision. From the time he was in high school, he found himself leading projects, despite frequently sitting in the back of the classroom. He said he didn't announce himself as the leader, but he was often the one coming up with ideas and convincing others to get on board. "That's what you really need to have if you want to go into leadership," Stokes said. Stokes said that as soon as he feels "not nervous" about an event or meeting, he wants to try something new, and he's a big advocate for changing roles. The exec said some people tend to "think too narrowly" about changes and only want to switch roles if it's "growth within the org chart." Stokes said that can be tough to find. "If you value the growth, the personal growth that you're gonna get from that new role, enough, you should be willing to take a step back to go forward," Stokes said. Outside of leading Salesforce's product and industries marketing team, Stokes said he likes to play chess. He said there's a concept in chess called a "gambit" — fans of the hit Netflix show "The Queen's Gambit" will be familiar — where you make what appears to be a bad move, but is actually designed to get a reaction from an opponent. Stokes said that's how he likes to think about his career changes — seemingly risky but strategic long-term. "When I first went into marketing, a lot of my peers and product were like, 'Why are you going to marketing?' And I'm like,'Just wait. It'll be fine. I'm gonna be great,'" Stokes said.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Rep Data Secures Growth Investment to Advance Technology Innovation Across the Insights Industry
Investment signals strong confidence in Rep Data's leadership, fueling investment in ground-breaking technology, expansion of tech-enabled research services and strengthening its position as the premier partner for high-quality research data. NEW ORLEANS, March 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Rep Data, the industry's leading provider of high-quality research data and fraud prevention solutions, today announced a growth investment by Mountaingate Capital. This will accelerate the company's vision, strengthening its market-leading Research Desk and Research Defender platforms, while expanding its capabilities to better serve global brands, insight firms, and consultancies. "This investment is a testament to the strength of our vision, our team, and the impact we are making in defining data quality for the market research industry," said Patrick Stokes, CEO and founder of Rep Data. "From day one, we set out to raise the standard for research data integrity, and this growth investment enables us to push even further—advancing our fraud prevention technology, expanding our tech-enabled services, and ensuring that researchers worldwide can trust the data they collect. This marks an inflection point for Rep Data and the insights industry as a whole." Strengthening data integrity and efficiency in insights Rep Data is an industry leader in data quality with its Research Defender platform, a sophisticated fraud detection technology designed to safeguard research integrity. The platform analyzes billions of data points annually, identifying and blocking fraudulent responses from tech-enabled fraudsters, professional survey takers, and click farms before they impact research studies. Research Defender processed 2.9 billion security scans in 2024, playing a pivotal role in shaping the industry's fraud prevention standards and protecting research at an unprecedented scale. Beyond fraud detection, Rep Data's Research Desk platform improves speed to insights by integrating real-time fraud controls, multi-source sampling, and automated reconciliations into a seamless, centralized solution. By combining its expanding global sources with Research Defender's fraud mitigation capabilities, Research Desk enhances data reliability, reduces inefficiencies, and strengthens research accuracy for clients. Expanding service capabilities and strategic partnerships By broadening its services and streamlining research execution, Rep Data is positioned to help clients move faster, reduce operational complexity, and drive more meaningful business outcomes with confidence in their data. "We are extremely excited to partner with the Rep Data team. Rep Data is at the forefront of protecting research integrity with its cutting-edge Research Defender platform, setting a new standard for fraud prevention in the industry," said Sue Cho, Managing Director of Mountaingate. "The company's ability to analyze billions of data points and proactively eliminate fraudulent responses ensures that market researchers can rely on high-quality, trustworthy data. Rep Data's rapid growth, innovative technology, commitment to data integrity, and impressive management team position it as a clear industry leader, with significant opportunities to further expand its impact and drive accelerated growth both organically and through strategic acquisitions." With this growth investment, Rep Data continues to advance the cause of data quality, efficiency, and execution; strengthening its position as a trusted partner, providing high-quality, reliable data for critical research Genuity, a global investment bank, served as the exclusive advisor to Rep Data on this transaction. Jones Walker LLP represented Rep Data in the transaction and Morrison & Foerster LLP represented the buyer. About Rep DataRep Data is a technology-driven data and insights partner, helping insights professionals streamline insights initiatives with a focus on data quality and consistent execution. Partnering with market research agencies, consultancies, Fortune 500 corporations, advertising and brand strategy firms, universities, and public relations agencies, Rep Data delivers real, reliable, and fraud-free research data at scale. Its solutions include: Research Desk, a centralized research platform that enhances efficiency and data quality; and Research Defender, an advanced fraud prevention system that conducts 2.9 billion security scans annually to protect data integrity. Through tech-enabled services, Rep Data provides expert support to help organizations scale with confidence. Committed to high-quality data and innovative tech-enabled solutions, Rep Data is redefining market research to drive faster, more reliable insights. For more information, visit About Mountaingate CapitalMountaingate Capital is a Colorado-based private equity firm that specializes in partnering with founders and entrepreneurial companies to accelerate growth and build industry leaders. Mountaingate's focus on organic growth, coupled with its customer-centric buy-and-build approach for add-on acquisitions, and shared equity ownership with management, creates more value for the end customer, while forging stronger, more collaborative, and more successful investment partnerships with management teams. With over $1.4 billion of assets under management, Mountaingate targets investments in marketing services, business services, specialty manufacturing and distribution. For more information on Mountaingate, please visit Media contact: Marie Melsheimer, 391742@ +1-541-815-3951 View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Rep Data Sign in to access your portfolio
