Today, I'm connecting with Rach Matters, Senior Program Manager at Linktree.
Today, I'm connecting with Rach Matters, Senior Program Manager at Linktree. Rach’s sweet spot is joining fast-growing organizations with a blank job description, and she’s had the privilege of learning company building through EA-exec partnerships with Linktree’s Alex Zaccaria and seasoned entrepreneur Janey Martino.
In this episode, we cover:
Connect with Rach on LinkedIn here.
Connecting with Rach Matters, Senior Program Manager at Linktree:
[Note: This transcript is AI-generated via Descript. Please expect typos]
Laura Nicol: Connecting with Rach Matters senior project manager at Linktree Rach is a rising star and someone that's seen a lot of business change in fast growing tech environments I've actually been chasing her for a while to come and share her story on calling operator and ma My reason Bing is I feel like she's seen a lot through the lens of a EA exec relationship So scaling alongside high performers and then also scaling herself into additional roles taking on new responsibility What's really interesting is when she started Atree she had a blank job description so she thrives in ambiguity and yeah I feel like she's raw and vulnerable and I don't think I've seen someone of Rachel's role actually opened up about the struggles of fast growth And the personal struggles as well that comes along with just daily life So this is a raw and vulnerable interview and I hope it's really useful Enjoy
Rach welcome to Calling Operator
Rach: Thanks so much for having me so excited to be here
Laura Nicol: I am just so stoked that we've finally made this happen We've been talking about this for a while
Rach: I know I remember the conversation we had I think up at the like tree offices and me a while to like you know pull myself up for it but I'm excited to be here So thank you for having me
Laura Nicol: I'd love to start finding out a little bit of information of who are you beyond your job title
Rach: I'm someone who loves my own time and space I'm a woman who's chosen not to have children and I feel really lucky to live in a society where that is becoming much more acceptable organized I like to laugh even when things are heavy I think it's really important I'm the eldest of four kids so the big sister vibes run deep I care deeply about supporting the people around me when they need me I'm an auntie to five so
Laura Nicol: Whoa
Rach: yeah being around those kids is probably where I'm most joyful but none of my family lives in Melbourne where I live most of them are in Adelaide and although I'd love to be around them all the time I feel most myself in Melbourne So it's my chosen home I'm the most unproductive productive person you might ever meet I need to be pedal to the metal when I'm working but when I am not I am really good at doing nothing It's probably one of my skills and I love it a lot Gosh I love to talk about skincare and F1 They're probably my two favorite topics and I'm a reader I asked Ali who I work with at Linktree how do I answer this question And she sent me a lot of voice notes for the end It was like you're a book nerd So that's Pretty fair I read a lot
Laura Nicol: you read business books or fiction
Rach: novels
Laura Nicol: Yeah
Rach: to escape I it's the one time where my mind is really quiet and not running on a million other different things And so I can really lose myself in books So I've always been a reader that way probably since I could read
Laura Nicol: See I've not I'm always reading business books And I would love to just get more into novels as you say So I'm hitting you up for recommendations
Rach: join the Linktree book club which I run
Laura Nicol: I'm like I'm not even part of Linktree but hey guys
Rach: definitely come along come along We'll adopt you
Laura Nicol: Oh please do we have so much in common I've also chosen not to have children it's actually quite scary to say out loud because people always have an opinion I'm also an auntie and that is just so magic and you could be this cool auntie and even Rebel when I was speaking to her before your interview she was just like you are literally the best auntie and your nieces and nephews discover so many new things because of you and like they have a musical that they love because of you
Rach: yes my niece is obsessed with Pippi Longstocking's I don't know if you remember
Laura Nicol: Yeah
Rach: and every time I go home she wants to watch it it's very sweet
Laura Nicol: I'm also an F1 fan and we're talking today and the Melbourne Grand Prix is on So by the time this comes out we'll know the result but you and I will be watching the Formula One tomorrow
Rach: We will be I've got it in my calendar ready to go
Laura Nicol: a great list of things that give us a picture of who you are as a human what's important to you day to day
Rach: family and friends being trusted and being relied on doing a great job and also myself as vulnerably as I can passionate about being open about mental health and neurodiversity and the growth and opportunities that can come from understanding yourself in 2021 I was diagnosed with OCD anxiety my thirties so I had lived a long time and it really changed my life for the better
Laura Nicol: Mm hmm Mm Mm
Rach: was suffering before I was so high functioning that I didn't realize how painful it was or how tightly my life was wound So now that I've done a lot of work on that and I understand myself better I really passionate about being open about it So people around me who might be struggling feel that there's a place to talk about it it's such a core part of what makes me me and even though it doesn't you know define me is a part of why I am the way I am And ever since I've been really open about it People are coming up to me even at work and whatever like can we have a chat you know you're so open to you that just a really something that I really love and I'm passionate about
Laura Nicol: you mentioned that you got diagnosed in your thirties was there a moment that made you go to the doctors to get a diagnosis
Rach: in 2020 I was in Melbourne for nine months of lockdown it was the happiest I had ever been I was like settled no one needed I didn't have to leave the house if I didn't want to I ended up having to go to South Australia for a family thing and had to do hotel quarantine And it was really hard to get me there And when I got there everything was Um and then I also spent some time with my brother who has some similar issues and he'd been doing a lot of work and I really enjoyed being around him and I was like I want people to really enjoy being around me and also I don't feel normal like not normal but I don't feel like I'm managing as well in the break between the lockdowns So in 2021 I started to see a psychologist and yeah first session she was like yes this is this is a thing cause I just really even consider it
Laura Nicol: Oh I love that I feel like having a psychologist or a counselor is such an integral part of day to day And especially as an operator I really feel like knowing yourself deeply Makes you such an excellent operator So thank you so much for sharing I think that's really powerful and also Melbourne had the worst lockdowns I was in New Zealand and we the whole country was locked down no one could get to us for ages So yeah I just feel like so much trauma and life burdens that people had like really came out during that time so it's interesting to see how many people are leaning into well getting help but then also using that information to lead a better life
Rach: yeah a hundred percent
Laura Nicol: So then where did you think you would end up at the start of your career versus where you are now
Rach: I am not a planner in that sense I really had no direction and I was incredibly wayward for most of my twenties So I really had no direction the eldest I had to go to university straight out of school It was a non negotiable and I really wasn't built for it so I dropped out after one and a half years and parents both business owners so my dad had me go and work for him and after milking that for a few years I actually started to develop some professional skills and really enjoy it Then one day I decided I'd had enough with Adelaide and so I applied for some jobs in Melbourne and two weeks later I was here But I never really pictured a path for myself until I joined Unlocked in 2017 and met Janey who you spoke to that was probably when I was like this is it this is where I want to be Like tech startup I felt really motivated Unfortunately I was only there for about a year because it went into administration and I took a job right after that which wasn't in tech even though my intention was to only stay in tech and start up but it turned out to be a really transformative job for me as a human and a whole person now that I'm back in tech it feels like where I'm supposed to be back learning and challenging myself professionally but I'm much better at it than I was before
Laura Nicol: And for anyone that doesn't know or didn't speak to Janey before this call who is Janey
Rach: Oh sorry Janey Martino is oh she's so many things she's a real mentor to me and she was the of Unlocked when I was working there and I was her executive assistant she also brought me into Linktree as well
Laura Nicol: You've had such great exposure to this EA Exec relationship and I know it's often one that can be quite hard to talk about because an EA Exec or a Chief of Staff Exec relationship comes with a lot of confidentiality I just want to frame that at the beginning but we'd love to hear what are some of the things that you've seen during your time in tech
Rach: I mean firstly I think it's such a to be a trusted EA to an exec you get so much exposure to how businesses are run and the load that they carry while also building like relationships that just go so much deeper than just colleagues and like I said my parents were both business owners and I've never had a job where I haven't worked directly with a business owner or
Laura Nicol: Mm
Rach: the senior exec there's been a few huge things that I've seen you know I was in the room at my last job when COVID hit and the owners were deciding what to do with the workforce of 150 200 staff Mm to stop Unlocked from being taken down by Google the effects these decisions have on these leaders and the responsibility they have of the livelihoods of their teams it can't be understated and it's a huge burden and a privilege in saying for them so as an EA or a close support of execs You get to help them shoulder that and also like rally the team afterwards and show up for them so I've seen a lot like you say plenty I can't talk about but those would be probably you know the two big things that were really life changing things for the people involved
Laura Nicol: what's the story with Unlocked and Google Can you talk about that
Rach: yeah it's only recently been resolved in the courts overseas Basically Unlocked was a platform that showed advertising on the lock screen of your phone Google basically came in and said that they wouldn't approve us for certain things that meant that the company couldn't operate Yes
Laura Nicol: it came down to the point that then the company was no longer viable Yeah Hmm
Rach: the co founder of of Unlocked who was the CEO before Janey has really been fighting that until now yeah it was definitely contentious and the company had to end up going into full administration which was really sad
Laura Nicol: let's talk more about that in terms of your role supporting Janey as COO and your role as EA How did that shape your growth and what lessons did you learn along the way in that role
Rach: Oh in that role I've really just learned I know this sounds cliche but the power of hard work hmm Mm hmm Mm hmm faster paced than even Linktree now and Janey is she's a machine She's like so capable of doing so many different things And she was COO originally and then she took over as CEO so she was CEO when everything went down And Janey is someone who really shows up with always with a smile Grace and that's something I really learned from her you know you take pieces of every exec that you work with with you on your journey I think I really learned my capability at Unlocked as well Janey really pushed me hard which like thrived in and it was the first time I'd been really A so inspired and B pushed so hard And in the deep end to go and figure things out and solve problems on my own and some problems but then I solved them you know I think I had I signed up to two rents at one point and I had to get out of one so got out of it which is the main thing But yeah it was probably a really pivotal time in my career
Laura Nicol: And I love that thread that you just said of like you take something from every exec that you support I guess continue on that journey across the other roles and the execs that you've supported that bring us to today
Rach: when I went to Sharpe and Carter which was not in tech but that was really where I learned like their motto is of uncommon care And I really learned to like care about the whole human not just the person that comes to work I took a management job when I started at Linktree I was managing someone And I really remember that being like I learned that from Stephen Carter I was sitting in that and I was like this is what I need to do right now and then Alex at Linktree oh the tenacity of that man I think they all have tenacity I really common thread But Alex is a real visionary as well And he's so intelligent and really sees the vision And I think that is a key thing that they all have is CEO as a business owner it's like belief and tenacity they're really the two things that I would say are really integral to what they do
Laura Nicol: that's them as traits I guess So what lessons have you learned in terms of company building and being an operator from each of them
Rach: with Janey like really she just sets the standard for the teams and how they work with the guys at Sharpen Carter I mean their company is a really unique structure they really have given back to their team So they have business units where so many staff are an owner business So similar to Aesop but separate slightly different they've really built their company on everyone has a sense of ownership
Laura Nicol: Mhm
Rach: units that they have and then with Alex he's a like a whiz with systems and tools he says he would have been a software engineer if he wasn't doing what he was doing
Laura Nicol: Interesting
Rach: Yeah he's very I'm actually working on a project with him now in relation to you know how we operate as a company end to end and he quite often is moving faster than other people can but he's actually got a really he just sees every piece of the company and understands every piece of the company So from him how everything ties together
Laura Nicol: And I cannot wait to dive deeper into Linktree But I think something that's coming up here for me is that you're extremely loyal And it's also something that when I did the pre interview chats with Rebel your sister and also Janey they both named it as a thing they both said that you're extremely loyal both in work and life I'd love to know how do you think that's influenced your work in high growth environments
Rach: That's so nice They said that it's not something I would pick Do you know what I mean It might be something that's just intrinsic to how I operate Cause I think it probably translates my commitment to what I'm doing Like I have a real sense of responsibility and I apply that fully to the work that I'm doing and the people that I do with and for I will also do anything and everything that needs to be done I'm not precious I think that makes me a great fit for startups where roles especially in support and operations can be less clearly defined and span all sorts of different areas and projects Throughout my career I've always grown into the roles that I've taken and made them bigger because I just keep picking up new things tackling new challenges I really want to learn which means I can move around more and add lots of value sort of wherever I'm needed when I started at Linktree my position description was blank which is probably my sweet spot
Laura Nicol: I think that is so common for startups as well but I also love that this is key to who you are Operating inside startups say if somebody else was in your position transitioning out of corporate into startups What's your advice for them Like how can they get comfortable with that blank description And how can they just leap into that opportunity
Rach: Like I ssaidh at the start when we asked them pulse check questions To be a startup operator it takes a specific kind of person So at Linktree we've recently shifted our our EMPs question used to be like would you recommend Linktree as a place to work for a friend And it now says would you recommend Linktree as a place to work for a friend who enjoys fast pace Startup environments because it is so relevant have to know that it is like a type of person It's someone that enjoys a constant challenge It's someone that can sit in ambiguity someone that can go out and solve problems and do the thing and get it done and I definitely don't sit around waiting for the thing to come to me That is just not who I am and Alex would call it impatience probably and call it what you will I get the job done I think my advice would be be open to that be open to like something that might not look like what you've done before but like believe in your ability to learn and to upskill And really the attitude is the key thing unless you're like a really technical role like an engineer or whatever In the operating sphere I think that the attitude is really quite key
Laura Nicol: let's go from this blank sheet of paper at Linktree Since the blank sheet of paper which I'd love you even to take us from that point you've had literally a million rolls at Linktree So how would you describe your roles and growth journey there
Rach: Oh so has even been three years Yeah And I think officially there's been four job titles I started Yeah with Janey She brought me on board She was like I just want to get you into this business So she was acting CMO at that time So I came in and just got stuck in literally on my first day I remember I was tasked with doing a process for the copywriters And I was like I've got no idea but I just to people and figured it out I was sort of doing projects and working across marketing with her I also got given the project of doing our Melbourne HQ office build out was working really closely with Alex and that was a really long long project and office is beautiful now Janey was sort of just temporarily at Linktree to put out some fires and build some structure So she moved on from there I went and worked with our head of PNC at the time Em who I know you know did light EA work for her and did projects across PNC you know we did an all company offsite I did a lot of like I guess people projects that I can't really talk about and then when M moved on as you know the nature of startups people move on Rosanna Biggs took on she is our general counsel and she took on PNC as well So really supported her through that and worked on things like I took over our ESOP program for a little while I helped with our employee review process and built that out oh I did so many things And then Alex sort of decided that he'd worked with his EA for like three years and wanted to see whether there would be another level up if I went in and worked with him so I moved in to work as his EBP
Laura Nicol: just gonna sorry interrupts it Alex is co founder and CEO at Linktree Um ESOP in case anyone hasn't heard of that is an employee equity scheme that startups often deploy PNC is people and culture I'll hand back over to you for EBP
Rach: Yes Sorry EBP is executive business partner sort of like a really senior EA title and so I went and did that with him for about 10 months and that was probably the most growth that I've had cause I really got in deep with product in that role Alex is some very product led CEO so really I was like I'm going to learn about our product which is harder to do when you're not really like working in those areas day to day I learned a lot about myself I had some real ups and downs in that period I think mostly for me personally as I've mentioned OCD anxiety and didn't realize but it can mean that I come across quite direct sometimes and building a global relationship remotely with a leadership team in the U S Was harder than I expected And it wasn't until I went to San Francisco for five months last year and got to really spend time with them all in person that that sort of shifted and then sort of just agreed that the role that Alex needed was probably less aligned with the larger work that I wanted to do I moved into a biz ops department in strategy and ops And that was great for me because it was the first time I really was able to okay I'm going to try a job that has no executive support involved in it at all and that's been a journey I know I keep saying that word it's so cliche but it's been an adjustment I think for me to find the chaos which I need I just thrive in it Right And when you're in an exec support role there's a lot of that There's just a lot of that transactional work That's really fast needs to happen right away And it almost like rolls you into the day especially when you're working in a global company where you wake up and America has been online And so there's like Plenty to do Whereas in my role now as senior program manager a lot of my work is a lot deeper and is strategic and a lot less transactional there was an adjustment in that I think I'm definitely Have had ownership over my own time for the first time in a really long time which is great I've like started doing personal training at lunchtime and these things that I can do because I am not attached to someone else's schedule there's been pros and cons And I think now I'm working back on some projects that are really exciting So feeling really good
Laura Nicol: I wonder if you've got addicted to the dopamine hit that comes with being in the EA you're trying to be so proactive but realistically it's so reactionary as well
Rach: Absolutely I have a dopamine addiction to Slack Definitely When I see a little red dot I'm like yes that's slowed down my slack has slowed down I've always done projects and the deeper thinking work I'd say every EA job I've sort of done more than EA and done projects and different things But I always used to be like I have to find brain space for these And it would be maybe eight hours a week like two afternoons a week that I'd be doing that work And now it's all week it's just been a shift in that sense
Laura Nicol: hate Slack working at a remote team as well it's obviously so important What's working well for Linktree in terms of a remote team culture and especially because you're all such a globally dispersed team What are you seeing that's working well
Rach: Oh look it's hard It is hard I think we've started really trying to focus hiring on hubs So a lot be together We have some key core rituals So where the team is together So every two weeks we do a demo power hour where teams show up and they just demo the work that's not complete like what they're working on what they're doing then we have our town hall which I run every other week We try and limit meetings but our crossover hours are generally quite heavily meetings we like to showcase the other cultures in like town halls and whatever And we will celebrate things happening in America and things happening in Australia we're really trying to streamline that at the moment in terms of the process and how we work we use Notion which is a great tool in that sense to keep people informed and we also run program called Linky Leaps which I sort of conceptualized with our People Experience Manager Davi we call our team Linkies we call our users Linkers and It's where we bring everyone that's remote to an HQ either San Francisco or Melbourne a period of like three days every quarter I mean it changes depending on the business priorities but that's our way of really giving people that IRL time and it's fun and there's dinners and then there's activities And then we tend to do a hackathon on the last day we do things like that which I think really help everyone feels really energized after those get together times
Laura Nicol: you mentioned something when you were talking about your journey a learning around your OCD was that often you can come across quite direct Do you feel comfortable unpacking that learning and experience and then how you kind of bridge those relationships then once you got IRL
Rach: The real learning I had I remember talking to Alex because I remember saying I like I thought I was fixed Do you know what I mean I was so frustrated And ultimately you're never there Like it's an ongoing thing because it's who you are But for me I default to efficiency and getting the job done And actually when I don't know people very well my soft skills are less present in my mind it's like proving myself by doing a really good job and like being respected how people can receive that is that it's just very direct and no warmth it's actually so contradictory to the person that I am but it is how I can be perceived so it is constantly something that I need to be aware of but also it is something that I know is not actually who I am I just really confronted some conversations that I need to have be like Hey I've heard that this is how I'm received I also work really strategically in a way that I tend to and avoid noise where I can and I will do a lot of the work in the background and bring people in for reviews When I think the information is ready to be reviewed and I don't want them to see something at one point and then think oh that's locked in and then there'd be changes and then you know not have checked again Do you know what I mean and I think that can come across sometimes as me not being consultative I've had some learnings about that This was predominantly while I was working with Alex and how you know the leadership team struggled with my way of working and building those relationships They're all great now and I think I'm someone who wants something is really highlighted to me it will always be you know that anxiety also means that it's ever present it's almost when you drop your guard and then it's so interesting because also being an EA by trade you never want to take up too much of people's time You're always like how do I free up their time versus take up their time building those soft relationships without in person time was harder for me I think now I'm aware that I need to bring that softness even when I don't feel confident in that relationship also even explaining why I'm doing things the way I'm doing them is helpful for people to understand
Laura Nicol: good on you for confronting those conversations because that's really hard because you're like Oh I've got a learning opportunity here and a growth opportunity But it sounds like the missing piece was front footing some relationship building also co designing the ways we work together in a remote setting
Rach: Yeah I think I just can come in blazing when I've got a job to do and I think taking a step back everything always needs to be as fast and it is important that like you bring people on the journey of what you're doing
Laura Nicol: when you then had those conversations what did you learn about yourself based on feedback
Rach: I pride myself on being someone who is super self aware really struggled I found it really difficult but also I am someone that as I've said I'm direct I'm open what you see is what you get And so for me I really could not let that simmer and not not approach it and not have discussions I'd never worked with such a big team I have been focused in the past on working differently with different execs because that's what they need but I hadn't really extended that to the leadership team I focused on Alex and I think a learning for me was I needed to understand what each of them needed and I was so focussed on doing the work that hadn't really done that but I also learned That I'm resilient and that I can overcome And I think one thing that it easier for me or that gave me the courage to really not just like throw my hands up and be like I'm perceived in a way that is so the antithesis of like who I am you know it's heartbreaking and it was only from people that had never really spent time with me in person or people that I felt intimidated by learning to have the courage to just be enough and to go in and take their time and have that conversation and having friends within the business who really supported me through it Like I've been so lucky really close friendships and to be able to be like fully transparent with them and to have them affirm for me what I believed and give me the courage to go out and and have those conversations
Laura Nicol: I'm so impressed because they're pretty senior execs as well so then to build those relationships in a series C company now
Rach: Yes
Laura Nicol: Well done
Rach: Thank you
Laura Nicol: Claps over the mic Yeah Yeah
Rach: to talk about these things that can have negative connotations like to talk about was a real like tough time for me and it might make me come across as someone who has difficulty with relationships but I do think being open about growth and being open about the struggles is so important
Laura Nicol: I think it's really important and I think it actually shows self awareness and that's what every leader needs and not every team or relationship is a one size fits all it's just taking the time and learning different needs From a global company is extremely challenging and I'm sure that so many Listeners listening will have had their own experiences At whatever level they're sitting at So thank you for sharing today you're a senior program manager more ops based How are you mastering building the plane while flying it maybe share some examples of successes and failures at Linktree and the things that you've learned
Rach: we like to say we're building the rocket ship while flying it and I think I will talk about Linktree in this sense of our values is act and adapt And I probably anchor on that at least daily I'm constantly just doing that I think everything in tech moves so fast As you know you've got to and as I've mentioned you've got to be comfortable with change and ambiguity And part of my role is creating some order and calm in the chaos even though I love the chaos I need to make it orderly for everybody else I deliver like structure where I can simple things to me that seem simple because organization is one of my personality traits so simple things like being involved in a program at the moment we have Three GTMs in flight and bringing them all together with clarity for everyone like where they can find what they need and who they can come to Even simple things like yesterday I structured out Slack structure for you know where things are going to go And and I put the Dacies you've got the driver approver contributors and informed in the Slack channel And I got a message from one of the girls who was like is incredible Thank you And just those simple things that I am supporting the building Do you know what I mean Like I'm probably the structure while everyone else is putting the fancy bits on the rocket example I don't like the word failure but an example of a learning that I've definitely had doing that at Linktree is had this big operations project that was actually before my time working in operations but I was sort of tangentially involved it was a big bang when it came out and a lot of work went into it and ultimately it was a learning for the company that like we are not the company that needs that or that can handle that with the pace that we move I'm thinking back on that now as I work on something similar but I'm focusing on strategic restraint How we do just enough to really like 10X these things that are happening without putting so much on the team that it's like It's too much so that nothing actually gets embedded and just being conscious of like what battles to fight and what processes or projects are going to take off and like learning when to move on If you know you start something and you're like this is clearly not aligned with the business priorities at the moment because no one It's paying any attention to it
Laura Nicol: and delivering structure and bringing your systems thinking superpower but adapting it to what the business needs is actually there's just so much tension between those two things all the time
Rach: even knowing our exec team as deeply as I do You don't fully understand the limited involvement that people in the business have with that team Do you know what I mean and so being able to go this is great in theory like it's not right for our business for these reasons And how about we do it this way I think gives me a really unique ability to bring that to things that are happening outside of leadership because ultimately like if leadership isn't brought in it's not gonna fly I think that applies everywhere in terms of a success I think Leaky Leaps that program that I mentioned earlier has been a real success working with people in culture for me was great and I think you do get a lot of satisfaction out of making people happy doing the things that bring joy to the team
Laura Nicol: I think naturally we've spoken about your superpowers quite a lot through this discussion but if you had to name them what would you name as your superpower strength or genius zone
Rach: would definitely say my ability to manage a million things all at once and to context shift throughout the day constantly I never really knew that that was a thing until quite recently it's sort of something that I can just do with ease and jump around I think my efficiency Organizational abilities and my drive to achieve a thing I will run down any path to get something done like I said sitting back and waiting is not really my style I think what underpins it all is that I'm extremely systemized I actually have a really terrible short term memory but I have systems to ensure that I never forget or miss anything and I think that's probably what underpins my ability to do all of the other things
Laura Nicol: these are very aligned with what your sister Rebel and Janey said Janey said you have such a great entrepreneurial spirit You're so resourceful You just have this natural problem solving nature which makes you so good at your job something that Janey also mentioned actually was you're excellent at being balanced and taking care of yourself I'd love to know what your secrets are
Rach: I have chosen a life that affords me the downtime that I need which I know is not a solution for everyone I know Who I am and like what I need to be my best self also don't run it 200 percent constantly I love those crazy times where it's hour days and I really do thrive off that But like when the downtime is available I take it I think I said this to you when you were sick last week taking that one day don't know if it's a product of my mom raised us on Chinese medicine versus Western medicine So I think our immune systems are good but I don't really I take that one day when I need it and I don't ever tend to need any more days if that makes sense listen to my body I need to take the time I take the time
Laura Nicol: Love that I also love the Chinese medicine we should talk about that at some stage as we're talking about Formula One looking back what's been the toughest moment of your career
Rach: The things I went through last year with Those relationships was really brutal it was brutal but it was beautiful I think there's a huge period of growth and really grateful for that am really lucky to have people in my corner Who see me better than I see myself sometimes Alex is probably one of Alex Zachary is probably one of those who's See me at my worst and to come out the other side stronger secondly it would definitely be unlocked administration losing that first community the first job where I like felt truly inspired And you know the beauty of tech is that The next thing is unknown do you know what I mean Like you're building things that don't exist and I just think that's so cool as I said before what came after that was like a really transformational period for me but that was really hard losing that And also seeing the impact it had on Janey and Matt was a lot yeah
Laura Nicol: Yeah your human centred approach would have been Well your human centre would have just been very sad
Rach: It's interesting because even then I didn't really know myself like I do now so I just kind of switched to the next thing I was just like here we go Like I was still in that high functioning I never really felt the sadness of it But looking back now I can I was just like so tightly wound at the time that I couldn't ever really go there
Laura Nicol: And seeing all the things that you've seen how do you detach because they're really hard things that you're working through how do you detach emotion from those situations like the administration when you really really care
Rach: I mean I think for me actually a learning that I've had is that emotion is like good And I can show it a lot more now than I used to I really just just get on with it I tend to like try and process them and move through them I do think like obviously sadness and you know took me about three days after I had that initial conversation about things last year really be like okay I'm going to tackle this I'm not really someone that allows myself to fall into negative feelings you've got to go through the emotions and feel the feelings and ultimately my career is a really and my work is a really big part of my life and it's something that's really important to me you know part of my identity So when that feels at risk it's really scary
Laura Nicol: we're going to look ahead to the future now and I'd love to hear your take on the future of work for tech operators
Rach: I'd be remiss to say AI is not going to have a huge impact I think for operators it would be about where do we find the optimizations and how do we embed them across businesses But I'm also seeing like this surge of new startups popping up everywhere at the moment that's really exciting And I think there will always be a place for operators I don't think AI is going to take It was interesting I was listening to one of your podcasts where I think it was Annie maybe Oh yeah talked about that there will be AI workforce managers as a future is that was that her
Laura Nicol: yeah it was Annie
Rach: yeah And that was really I thought that was a really interesting point I don't disagree with that Like there has to be people to run and and embed AI
Laura Nicol: Yeah and be really clear on all the workflows of the business to see where you can optimize whether with automation or AI It's actually part of my job that I'm just loving so much at the moment
Rach: I love that I think there's learning for me there in terms of really understanding the things that can be done
Laura Nicol: So we're now at the point of our quickfire round Thank you so much to Harry Uffindell for the inspiration and co building the podcast I love hearing new ideas for the podcast and implementing them right away to see what's working So let's begin tech stack for operators
Rach: I don't know if I'm the best person to answer this but I'm a notion Stan and I also recently linked granola AI to my notion and that is a game changer The notes go automatically into a notion database It's a dream
Laura Nicol: Amazing One book framework or tool you swear by and why
Rach: I really swear by touch things once Like if something comes along that is a really quick fix I will just do it and I think that is something that helps me move through large quantities of work
Laura Nicol: One thing that has helped you level up as an operator
Rach: Learning to hear really hard feedback and learning about myself to open capacity that I didn't know that I had
Laura Nicol: Yeah that's so powerful One skill every operator should master and why
Rach: I think balancing hard and soft power for influence it's one I work on daily I'm naturally much more of a hard power person because I default to efficiency but learning to balance both can just like 10x your ability to have impact So that's something that I'm on
Laura Nicol: misconception about your role
Rach: I think this is less common but I think for an EA or an executive business partner like that you only do calendars and emails I think is just not true I don't know if I could answer that for the program manager role at the moment though
Laura Nicol: Still learning
Rach: think Too new yeah
Laura Nicol: why is there space in my day
Rach: yeah basically what am I supposed to do here Have a life
Laura Nicol: A leader you're aspiring to be like
Rach: Like I said before I think I just take pieces of all the leaders I've worked with with me And I think each person past and present continues to teach me I'm aspiring to be like parts of all of them
Laura Nicol: Who's your current leader
Rach: his name is Zach Zach Roche he's our head of SNO but I think our whole leadership team there's like pieces of all of them that I really admire
Laura Nicol: The coolest way you've used AI recently
Rach: I actually and I might be late to the party here but I found this app called Snipped and I actually use it on your podcast predominantly is like an AI it you just hit like Snip and it creates an AI Snip of the piece of information that you really found interesting it catalogs them and shares them to your notes And it's for me I love to listen to podcasts when I'm on the move driving or walking And so just being able to like hit it and have a note captured there is like I love it
Laura Nicol: I love that I love to hear calling operator being snipped
Rach: Yeah use it a lot
Laura Nicol: what superpower would you want
Rach: Probably the ability to read minds I think my anxiety would love that I
Laura Nicol: A piece of advice you've received that you'd love to pay forward
Rach: This is a random one I think as someone who struggles At times with small talk and networking it doesn't come naturally to me I remember when I started at Sharp and Carter Stephen Carter said to me when someone asks you how your weekend is don't just say good thanks how was yours Say good thanks and then add something about yourself to like give them something to talk to you about it seems simple And for someone that's like naturally a networker like you I admire the way that you're so good at that really for me is like something that I really remember when I'm going into a new conversation and use it to some of the awkwardness that I tend to have in those situations
Laura Nicol: The hardest decision you've ever had to make as an operator
Rach: like I said a lot of the hard decisions have not been mine That I've been privy to or that I've been around and I've more so been to support and provide counsel on some of them I think deciding to move on from a job there's no reason to move except for like putting yourself first to take new opportunities can be hard or deciding to stay and fight when things get hard I think is also another one
Laura Nicol: Your fav way to spend a Sunday afternoon
Rach: you know the answer to this one Watching F1 when it's on in my time zone but I do sort of have this thing Sundays are my no people day So I tend to really just have low key Sundays when I can to like energize myself for the week ahead think you would struggle to find me anywhere but at home
Laura Nicol: And then who is an operator I should have on the show next
Rach: She will kill me my sister rebel she's basically running all operations of a tech startup based out of Adelaide and the founder are doing amazing things but she won't say yes So I would love to recommend Olivia Luka She is someone I worked with at Unlocked and she's finance and operator and she's recently just founded a startup app called Maggie with another girl I worked with at Unlocked So I think they're doing really cool things and I think she would bring a really interesting perspective she's also worked a bit as well with Em at Kic So she's yeah she's got a lot of great experience and I think she'd be really good
Laura Nicol: as we all work to become better operators what's a tactic or piece of advice that has helped you stay grounded
Rach: I heard this phrase once and it's kind of stuck with me And it's worrying is like a rocking chair it gives you something to do but it doesn't get you anywhere And it's just how I frame myself is this a problem I can solve If it's not if it's out of my control I have to put it out of my head And I think that really helps with the clarity on the things that you can control and the problems that you can solve and you know spinning your wheels Which is probably much more common for someone that has anxiety but spinning your wheels on things that are really out of your control it's not productive
Laura Nicol: thank you so much for showing up today with such vulnerability and sharing your story Where can people find you
Rach: on LinkedIn rage matters on LinkedIn Is that what I'm supposed to say
Laura Nicol: I need to change that question to where can people connect with you
Rach: Yeah I mean they can find me at my house most of the time I'm generally here
Laura Nicol: Oh my goodness I'm keeping that in yeah so note to self change it to where can people connect with you
Rach: Yeah I'm Rach and that is on LinkedIn Feel free to hit me up