Go-To-Market Enablement Q&A with Sacha Dekker

Sacha Dekker is the VP of World Go-To-Market (GTM) Enablement at HubSpot. Primarily based in Dublin, Eire, Sacha is accountable for scaling HubSpot’s GTM Enablement Technique. Previous to HubSpot, Sacha held management roles at LinkedIn and Oracle in Dublin, constructing and scaling enablement groups from the bottom up. Outdoors of labor, Sacha is a twice licensed government coach, a motivational speaker, and a incapacity advocate who most just lately wrote about the significance of celebrating Incapacity Delight Month.  Learn on to be taught extra about Sacha and the worldwide GTM staff at HubSpot.

Inform us a little bit about your self and your background. 

I’m initially Dutch and moved to Eire ten years in the past this September (did somebody say anniversary?!). I like it right here a lot that I’m about to surrender my Dutch citizenship to change into Irish. Professionally I began my profession in Gross sales after which switched to Buyer Providers, earlier than deciding on my true ardour of business Studying & Improvement (aka Enablement) again in 2007.

What attracted you to HubSpot?

I interviewed with HubSpot for the primary time again in October 2014 however because of private causes, I, sadly, needed to pull out of the method. The corporate made a very outstanding impression on me, although, due to its folks and the tradition, all all through the interview course of. So once they reached out to me in March 2021 it felt just like the universe coming collectively. I reached out to a bunch of former colleagues from different corporations now working at HubSpot to see if it was nonetheless such an amazing firm and so they all instructed me I’d like it. They had been proper, I completely do. 

Describe your staff’s mission

We empower our Flywheel or Go To Market groups (Gross sales, Buyer Success, Advertising) with equitable studying experiences to assist most productiveness and resolve for the shopper.

What makes HubSpot’s tradition particular?

It’s, indisputably, probably the most real tradition I’ve ever been part of. HubSpot doesn’t faux to be ‘probably the most superb firm on the planet’ and also you don’t need to drink the kool-aid on a regular basis. Leaders are open to suggestions and it’s really welcomed. I really like that as a result of it reveals there’s all the time alternative for progress. On high of that, the transparency is superb and, once more, very real.

What are you most enthusiastic about at HubSpot proper now? 

We nonetheless have a lot potential to develop and I’m extremely enthusiastic about that for us as an organization. For my staff I’m actually enthusiastic about additional constructing out our role-based studying paths, guaranteeing each position in Go-To-Market has entry to related studying, once they want it, in a format that fits their choice.

You’re captivated with supporting girls to develop their careers in tech, what recommendation would you give to different girls trying to develop into management positions?

Discover what you’re actually captivated with AND what you’re good at and go for it. Cease doubting your self. I do know this is likely to be controversial however I don’t essentially consider myself as a feminine chief in tech. I’m in tech, I’m a pacesetter and I occur to be a girl. Most of all, on daily basis I get to do one thing I really like, and since I’m captivated with it I’ve had the chance to change into actually good at it and I can now do it at a world degree, with a implausible staff at an organization I really like. 

You’re an enormous incapacity advocate each inside and outdoors of HubSpot. Inform us a little bit about this.

On 24 August 2015, what was presupposed to be a reasonably easy surgical procedure, to treatment me of the epileptic seizures that began in 2009, went mistaken and I awakened totally paralyzed down my left facet. Three weeks later one in every of my medical staff got here to inform me that, primarily based on the outcomes of the MRI earlier that day, it was extremely unlikely I’d ever stroll, work, or reside independently once more. He handed me an inventory of assisted residing services and instructed me I may nonetheless have some high quality of life in there. I instructed him, proper then and there, I wasn’t solely going to stroll once more, I used to be going to stroll on the Nice Wall of China. To the day two years after the surgical procedure, on 24 August 2017, I did simply that. In 2019 I walked the VHI Mini Marathon in Dublin and subsequent 12 months, on 24 August 2023, I’ll stroll into Santiago de Compostela, finishing the final 110 km (67 miles) of the Camino. I stroll with a stick as a big a part of my leg isn’t working and my left arm is totally paralyzed. Previously seven years, I’ve discovered the world doesn’t cater to disabilities. After I went again to work, a 12 months after the surgical procedure I desperately needed a task mannequin. Somebody with an acquired mind damage who’d efficiently gone again to work and rebuilt their profession. I couldn’t discover anybody. In reality, I may hardly discover anybody at a senior degree with a bodily incapacity. And so I made a decision that if I couldn’t discover a position mannequin, I’d change into one. 

What’s one of the best piece of recommendation you’ve ever obtained?

“Don’t take it personally.” I do know that sounds actually fundamental and really logical and but, it’s very straightforward to let criticism get to you when it’s a couple of piece of labor that you simply poured your coronary heart and soul into, or that you simply’re simply very captivated with. Certainly one of my primary stakeholders at a former firm, who later grew to become one in every of my most treasured mentors, may shred me to items in a gathering if she didn’t like my work after which stroll out of the room, put her arm by mine, and say “now how was your weekend darlin’?”. She taught me that how she felt about my work had nothing to do with how she felt about me as an individual. Whereas it nonetheless didn’t really feel nice, as a result of, like everybody else, I really like reward, it taught me to take suggestions because it’s supposed; a possibility to develop.

In case you weren’t in your present position, what would you be doing?

I’m additionally a twice licensed government coach with neuroscience, so I’d most likely focus all my time on teaching. I’d positively be doing one thing that helps folks to appreciate their true potential. It’s what I’m most captivated with and will get me off the bed each morning.  

Study extra about HubSpot’s tradition on our careers web site, and comply with HubSpot Life on Instagram this Incapacity Delight Month as we proceed to share worker highlights, inner celebrations, learnings, and extra.