Best Manager Ever: Jared Erondu
Building a selective umbrella over your team. Explaining the why behind changes. Shifting into hard mode leadership when things get tough. The power of bespoke communication.
Jared Erondu is a seasoned design and startup leader, and is currently the Head of Design at early-stage startup Span. Jared spent eight years at Lattice, where he went from a solo designer pulling all-nighters in the early days to leading a 50-person design organization, with stints as GM and Head of Marketing as the company scaled. Earlier in his career, he was a design leader at Teespring and Omada Health.
Jared is known for his design mentorship and community-building, and is an active advisor and angel investor.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
How to build a selective “sh*t umbrella” over your team
The right way to communicate destabilizing intel
How to recondition your mindset for “hard mode” leadership
How to build a bench of resources to support yourself
The best way to recruit exceptional talent
Why managing your own mindset is the ultimate leadership unlock
Direct reports praise Jared for:
Bringing steadiness to chaos and challenges
Setting (and holding!) and exceptionally high bar
Thoughtful, astute observations about people and team dynamics
Great at coaching and championing the team
Long-term relationship building
🎧 Listen now wherever you get podcasts: Apple | Spotify
Some takeaways:
Build a “sh*t umbrella” over your team, and then poke holes in it - Cover your team with a “shit umbrella” to protect them and help them focus. But then poke specific holes in the umbrella to decide what you’ll allow through. Allow information that will help them with clarity and stability, and protect them from details that will be destabilizing.
Explain WHY as you make changes - Make the changes required to lead— even when it’s hard. But always explain why the change is happening, so your team understands the goals and rationale. In the absence of clear context from you, direct reports will make up stories (it’s human nature!)— which may or may not be accurate.
Know when and how to shift into leadership “hard mode” - When you face turbulent moments, shift your leadership mindset. Invest in your well-being to manage your energy. Change your operating cadence to meet the needs of the moment. Don’t expect the normal ways of working to get it done during abnormal moments.
Bespoke communication stands out - Jared is thoughtful and deliberate about bespoke communication, both in recruiting and when sharing information with his team. In the age of AI slop, tailored communication stands out. To replicate his success, take a moment to pause. Ask yourself what you need to share, with whom, and at what time.
Your bar is the lowest quality work product that goes out the door - The gravitational pull will always be towards atrophy so when you’re trying to push great products, you need to fight against that negative force. Can you delay that as long as possible, by holding up the bar as much as possible?
Have the humility to seek advice - Have the humility to admit someone is great at something and the extra humility to seek out their advice. Mentors are experts at a particular skill or topic, and you can reach out to them as needed. Coaches are long-term partners who share accountability for successes and failures. Build a bench of both to support yourself through the challenges of startup leadership.
🔍 Where to find Jared
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erondu/
X: x.com/erondu
🙏🏻 Thank you
Thanks also to Jared’s team for sharing stories and feedback about working together: Cap Watkins, Cassie McDaniel & Elliot Dahl
📚 Referenced
Span: https://www.span.app/
Lattice: lattice.com
Teespring: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teespring
Jack Altman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackealtman/
Eric Koslow: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erickoslow/
Mindset by Carol Dweck: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40745.Mindset
Pitch Anything: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10321016-pitch-anything
7 Powers: The Foundations of Business Strategy https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32816087-7-powers
Katie Dill: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-dill-79168b3/
Malthe Sigurdsson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/malthe/
Bob Baxley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bbaxley/
Greylock Partners: https://greylock.com/
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Best Manager Ever is a production of Fort Light and Now It’s Hear.
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