So Many Questions Podcast: Connecting the Dots: How Curiosity Built a Nonlinear Career with Guest Marci Weisler, Managing Director, Business Development of Oaklins DeSilva+Phillips
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“I didn’t end up there by design,” says Marci Weisler, managing director of business development at Oaklins DeSilva+Phillips, of her path into technology. Early on, she learned from the technologists and product leaders around her how to work alongside the people building the products. One manager even handed her a copy of “XML for Dummies.” It wasn’t an easy read, but it gave her a working knowledge of data she still leans on today.
In this episode of So Many Questions, host Rebecca Goodman-Stephens talks with Marci about her work at Oaklins DeSilva+Phillips, an investment bank that handles mergers and acquisitions for mostly founder-led companies in media and technology. Marci credits curiosity with helping her grow as a leader and carry lessons from one role to the next. She brings that same curiosity to her relationships, often connecting people who she believes simply “should know one another.”
They also discuss how curious leaders can stay focused without missing unexpected opportunities, and why more executives are becoming the public face of their companies.
In this episode
01:06 – A nonlinear career in emerging tech
06:59 – Falling into technology and learning from mentors
12:48 – How the creator economy pushes leaders to build an audience
19:26 – Reading the fine print before giving away rights
25:51 – Building relationships years before a sale
29:56 – Introducing people who should know one another
32:33 – Prioritizing as a horizontal player in a vertical organization
35:29 – Focus vs. serendipity and the 20% rule
37:47 – Being the only woman in the room and talking salary
45:09 – Advice to a younger self on being bold
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