Colleagues I Value: Mike Gamson

My first meeting teed up much of what I’d learn from and appreciate about Mike for the next 10+ years.

In late 2009, Mike Gamson interviewed me in a conference room on the ground floor of LinkedIn’s Building 2027 in Mountain View (any LinkedIn OG will remember the building well). After probably 10 minutes of fairly straightforward back-and-forth appetizer questions, he shared that our main course would be my answering his favourite interview question, “How much does the world weigh?” I still remember most of the next 15 minutes of working through it together on a whiteboard - the approach I took and where it succeeded and failed - but those details don’t matter; it’s what came next that matters.

We returned to the table, and he calmly shared something along the lines of, “Well, that was about a B+, the 2nd best of the candidates I’ve interviewed today. [Dan] Shapero told me you’re exceptional; I was expecting a stronger answer.” His tone was warm rather than critical; he just calmly and clearly shared his opinion. I don’t remember my immediate reaction, but I do remember driving home that day back to San Francisco equal parts frustrated and inspired. Frustrated, partially because I thought it was a pretty silly question but mainly because Mike was right; I could/should have answered the question better. And inspired because I couldn’t remember the last time somebody demanded excellence of me in such a direct way, Mike delivering the feedback in a way where I didn’t feel diminished but rather capable of achieving greater things.

Over the next 10+ years, Mike would make me and countless others feel capable of achieving much greater things.

Here are 10 Reasons Mike is such a valued colleague and person:

(1) Mike’s impact begins with grounding himself in his own values system.

About 20 years ago, Mike established a set of core values to live his life by. I haven’t seen his list of values in a decade, but I still remember, “My contributions are obvious”, “I get better every day,” and “I am here by choice” (I am here by choice is an excellent read from Mike on how central that value is to him). I recall there being 3 or perhaps 4 more values, but it’s not the exact values that are important; it’s that Mike has been so intentional about how he wants to show up, first to himself and second to everybody else around him. His self-possession starts with this grounding and is something we can all learn from and look to emulate.

I suspect Mike will enjoy this post, but it won’t be because of reading my compliments (they'll feel like too much); it’ll be because it helps him reconnect with the many of you whom I hope echo and expand upon my thoughts publicly or privately. Mike’s self-esteem doesn’t fluctuate up and down with external validation; it’s just not how he’s wired or approaches the world.

(2) Mike builds upon his own values system to be the strongest Culture & Values leader I’ve worked with.

A relentless focus on Culture & Values is the foundation of LinkedIn as a company. And Mike’s leadership, alongside Jeff Weiner ’s, was the foundation of LinkedIn’s emphasis here. Mike led ~half of LinkedIn’s employees throughout the 2010s and there wasn’t a day where it wasn’t clear that Culture & Values, alongside nurturing talent, was his top priority. I can still hear his voice inside my head emphasizing that our values guide our decision-making, and that, “our culture reflects who we are and who we aspire to be.”

He reinforced this over and over again, not just in what he said, but in what he did. He quickly fired an early sales leader who was crushing his number, but also crushing his team’s spirits. And in a decade when LinkedIn grew revenue from ~$100M to approaching $10B, he never even mentioned sales performance at any of our annual Global Sales Kickoff (GSK) events; instead, the events were entirely focused on celebrating and elevating LinkedIn’s Culture & Values via the teammates who embodied each element most strongly.

(3) Mike exudes inspiring, charismatic energy.

I’ve heard a lot about the “reality distortion fields” of luminaries like Steve Jobs, Bill Clinton, Oprah, and Beyoncé; Mike is the closest to these magic forces that I’ve experienced up close. I remember Mike sharing that once during his childhood his parents had said something along the lines of, “We just hope he uses it for good vs. evil.”

Thankfully for all of us, Mike uses “It” for good. Where “It” is indefatigable energy (I’ve never seen Mike tired) mixed with optimism and positivity (I’ve also never seen Mike grumpy). Southwest Airlines used to screen for candidates who “smile in a resting state” to find employees who offer great customer service; I don’t know anybody who smiles more in a resting state than Mike Gamson. He’s a boundless ball of energy, lighting up everybody and everything around him.

Superstar VC George Zachary once shared that his best heuristic of whether to invest in an entrepreneur was how much more energized he felt after their meeting versus beforehand. If the survival of the human race depended on one human energizing a group of aliens beamed down to earth, Mike would be a great pick (Serena Williams and David Goggins would fare pretty well too).

Mike with Magic Johnson, both larger than life (Magic more literally than Mike, I suppose):

(4) Mike’s joie de vivre brings humour to the workplace and beyond.

Michael Lewis is one of my favourite authors because you can feel how much he enjoys his writing; it shines through on every page. Michael Gamson is one of my favourite all-time colleagues because you can feel how much he enjoys pretty much everything; it shines through in every action. He’s the ultimate example of “take your pursuits seriously, but don’t take yourself seriously.” Mike brings a childlike curiosity to life, diffusing tension during tough moments through his sheer positivity and can-do attitude. And the ultimate "...YET" growth mindset, memorably captured in his "A big idea from our son's second grade teacher."

Mike is adventure-seeking, always game to experiment with new things; this makes him the default first person I’ve sent “crazy” new products to over the years, whether this inflatable lake launcher, this personal flying drone, or this “Jet Engines Strapped to Feet” personal flyer. His default to “Why not?” and “Surely, I can fit that in too, right?” attitude makes everybody around him think more expansively too. Throwing another famous author into the mix, Hunter S. Thompson would have enjoyed hanging with Mike Gamson.

Finally, I’m not sure I know anybody who loves a Talent Show or good costume party more than Mike does:

(5) Mike’s an All-World Performer on Stage.

Right before a performance - “presentation” doesn’t really do it justice - at LinkedIn's annual Talent Connect mega-conference, a LinkedIn colleague once asked Mike, “How are you feeling?” Mike smiled, responded, “I’ve never seen a stage I didn’t like!” and bounded onto the stage. And I mean bounded: any Rafael Nadal fan will recognize his distinctive sprint to the baseline to start every match; any Mike Gamson fan will recognize his distinctive spring onto the stage to start any session. If you don’t know Mike, you could interpret this as his wanting to make everything about him, but that’s not it; it’s just that Mike loves the connection he can create with an audience, whether a tiny group or thousands of people.

Anybody who was in LA at the Kodak Theater in January 2015 for LinkedIn’s Global Sales Kickoff (GSK) knows exactly where I’m going next: it’s a Wednesday afternoon, and, following a great intro session and some lunch, the crowd of several thousand LinkedIn employees assembled is waiting for the afternoon session to begin. The mood is upbeat, and the DJ is spinning a range of high-energy techno. Then "I Love It" by Icona Pop comes on the speakers, and large swaths of the audience start to dance and we've got the beginnings of a low-key rave building. Suddenly Mike bursts onto the main stage - no microphone, just Mike - and starts to dance and orchestrate the crowd as though he’s a mix of trained conductor and hype squad leader. The place goes absolutely F-ing ballistic. Not basic ballistic, Ed Sheeran bringing on Eminem as a surprise guest in Detroit ballistic. There’s no more low-key to this rave; EVERYBODY is looking in disbelief at each other, wondering how a corporate event has turned into a Beyonce concert, shrugging their shoulders, and dancing their hearts out for the next several minutes. That’s Mike Gamson performing on stage, a different but similarly impressive version of “Be Like Mike.”

For any LinkedIner who wants to relive some of that day, here's "I Love It" by Icona Pop on Spotify. Sadly, I don't have a pic of Mike orchestrating the rave, but here's a few good ones performing on stage:

(6) Mike’s an unbelievable communicator, the epitome of responsiveness.

Mike’s magnetism on stage is grounded in his communication chops. He’s crisp and concise, conveying his message clearly the first time. And he’s remarkably responsive. I don’t think Mike missed a single email that I sent him across 9+ years together at LinkedIn. And that’s because he equates being responsive with showing respect for everybody around him; read his excellent The Message I Send with an Empty Inbox post to learn more.

On top of being responsive, he often defaults to phone replies vs email because it strengthens personal connections and reduces back-and-forth. I can’t count the number of emails I sent over the years, where soon after, I’d see “Mike Gamson” popping up on my phone. Just a few weeks back, I LinkedIn messaged him on a topic on a Monday morning, and my phone rang within 30 minutes for him to offer me some immediate counsel. He’s also exceptional at ending the call: we’ve resolved the topic, and we’re done, not in an abrupt way but in a “we’ve both got other things to tackle now” way.

Finally, Mike grounds his communication in consistency: Mike’s meetings always start and finish on time; they’re rarely rescheduled and never on short notice (Mike’s the opposite of a “Fire Driller”); and he’s always fully present, walking the walk on his “I am here by choice” core value.

(7) Mike inspired LinkedIn’s deep commitment to Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DIBs).

In 2014, LinkedIn was flying high: A public company with $1B+ in revenue and 40%+ growth rates, all built on a foundational focus on culture & values. LinkedIn 2014 was magical. Except it was far more magical for white males in the senior ranks of Mike’s org than it was for the many women who felt excluded from his inner circle. A brave woman asked Mike why so many of his leadership team speaking on stage were male; Mike realized he had a major blind spot, apologized, and immediately sprang into gear to improve the situation.

Partnered with Fern Mandelbaum as an instrumental advisor, and with stellar early leadership from Roli Saxena , Erin Nixon , Eda Gultekin , Joanna Pomykala , and others, Mike made it clear the Women’s Initiative (WiN) was now his top priority. And Mike went to work, rallying his team, his org, and the whole of LinkedIn to follow suit. Mike’s initial leadership led to massive progress, including hiring the amazing Rosanna Durruthy to lead DIBs at LinkedIn overall in 2017. More recently, Mike’s successor, Daniel Shapero (he’ll get his own opus), shared about a year ago here that his Director+ leadership team has reached a 50/50 gender balance (up from 16% female leaders in 2014). Ever the teacher, Mike wrote about this experience twice - I Care About Diversity Because Diverse Teams Win and in The Biggest Lesson of My Career #IWD2017 - inspiring others to learn from his initial failings.

Here's a group of early WinNers who inspired Mike and everybody else

(8) Mike is a Learn-It-All Who Has Put in his 10,000 hours.

Mike makes many things look easy, but it’s because he’s put in the time to learn and hone his craft. I heard numerous stories of Mike speaking at Rotary Clubs and tiny gatherings back in 2007-09 - well before LinkedIn was LINKEDIN - to hone his story-telling and public-speaking abilities. In the same way that Chris Rock still practices his materials in “smoky comedy clubs” to prepare for prime-time Netflix specials, Mike puts in the work behind the scenes to “get better every day.”

This “Effort leading to Effortless” approach created a defining public speaking moment I still remember well. Mike’s leadership team was in London for an offsite. On the final day at 1 p.m., Mike was going to address a group of ~50 senior folks from across EMEA. At 12:52 pm, as our final small-group session was winding down, Mike asked Ariel Eckstein, CPCC , LinkedIn’s EMEA MD, the key points to make to kick-off the session 8 minutes later. Ariel shared 3 points - LinkedIn’s a Rule of 3 company - adding a bit of nuance for each one, sharing while walking Mike down to the larger conference room. Mike then spent the next ~10 minutes taking Ariel’s pointers and turning them into poetry, weaving the points together seamlessly, adding lots of additional colour, but never deviating from the 3-point structure. One of many Mike magic moments like this one.

(9) Mike deeply respects the value of mentorship, and he pays it forward.

Mike has a reverence for the role that mentors have played in his life. I’ve never met Dan Nye , Pete Hess , or several other Advent execs (where Mike worked for ~9 years prior to LinkedIn), but I feel like I know them because of all the times Mike has shared his appreciation for the lessons they imparted to him. Mike has taken this appreciation and not only channeled it into being an extraordinary mentor himself, but he’s also inspired everybody around him to follow suit. The GTM side of LinkedIn has a long lineage of incredible leaders who’ve put mentorship at the forefront of their approach, all inspired by Mike’s example. And many GTM leaders have now left LinkedIn to become CROs and Sales leaders across the business world, porting Mike’s mentorship mindset over with them. To hear Mike's own words here, I recommend “Mentorship, Karma, and an equitable value exchange.”

(10) Most of all, Mike invests in the people around him.

He’s been the CEO of two companies and an SVP at LinkedIn over the past decade+, but his LinkedIn profile headline has always read, “Passionate about investing in people.” At LinkedIn, this ranged from 1-on-1 coaching to modeling the right type of leadership in any group setting. From sponsoring initiatives like Data Driven University (DDU) for all his sales leaders to being the best fireside chat interviewer of LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner to unearth his considerable wisdom (he'll also get the long-form appreciation treatment). Outside of LinkedIn warrants a whole new post - better written by others - but suffice to say Mike has inspired the entire Chicago tech community and I don't know anybody who's a more proud and committed family man.

Mike’s investment in people extends to career counseling: at least 20 LinkedIn folks have told me that after they shared they were considering leaving LinkedIn, Mike went into overdrive to help them make the right decision. Not just asking them thoughtful questions - always putting their best interests first vs. LinkedIn’s - but even giving them tips on how to negotiate the best offer. For at least one departee, Laurabeth Harvey , Mike interviewed the CEO of the company she would be joining to make sure that it was worthy of her talents. And these aren’t just senior folks; they’re everywhere across his org. I’d love to know how many employees Mike connected with and inspired in some kind of 1-on-1 manner on a yearly basis while at LinkedIn; I’m confident it was over 1,000.

Mike’s defining framework at LinkedIn is outlined in his “My Promise To You (Our Employees)” post: the core concept is that working at LinkedIn will accelerate the trajectory of your career AFTER you leave. This idea then creates the “LinkedIn Employee Transformation Curve”:

Nobody was more committed to delivering on this promise than Mike: it was his overarching priority at all times.

And he delivered on it in spades, over and over again.

But I think that Mike may underappreciate the role that he specifically played in all our careers.

Without Mike himself, I guarantee the success curves of thousands of people would be far flatter.

Therefore, here’s a complementary concept, “The Gamson Impact Transformation Curve”, to give Mike his due (and a cool curve named after him):

Closing: Share Your Mike Magic Moments

To finish up, my favourite days each year at LinkedIn were during Global Sales Kickoff (GSK): on the afternoon of day one, Mike would celebrate exceptional Managers, followed by celebrating outstanding individual contributors on the morning of day two. He made every award recipient feel on top of the world, sharing how special both their “what” (their contributions) and their “how” (their approach) had been to LinkedIn in the prior year, highlighting specific examples to make it personal and memorable for each winner. This not only further motivated these Rockstar recipients but also inspired the thousands of others in attendance to strive to experience Mike’s special spotlight the following year.

Therefore, I’ll conclude by asking all of you to turn the lens around to spotlight Mike himself; please share memories, lessons, pictures, and more in the Comments or with Mike privately (probably Mike's preference).