StarZero All shows Try the podcast clipper →

Mar 24, 2022 · 28m · saastr

Top 5 Mistakes Building & Scaling Global Product Teams | HubSpot GM & VP, Products Poorvi Shrivastav

Poorvi Shrivastav · 24m spoken
0:00 / 0:00
▶ Watch on YouTube →

gold bands on the timeline = statements, start to end. Hover to read, click to jump. CC turns on captions

HubSpot VP of Products Poorvi Shrivastav breaks down five essential leadership lessons and an organizational scaling framework designed to help leaders hire effectively, deliver timely feedback, and manage high-performing global product teams.

How this conversation actually went

Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. How this is scored →

Jason as informed peer 0.0 Guest teaching 0.0 Guest disagreement 0.2 Jason pushing back 0.0
05100:0010:0020:001:13–6:48 · Jason as informed peer 0/10 Preview of Five Key Leadership Lessons Poorvi delivers a solo presentation previewing her five management mistakes and establishing a three-part framework for building, scaling, and evaluating teams. There is no host interaction.6:50–10:31 · Jason as informed peer 0/10 Lesson 1: The Critical Need for Timely Feedback Poorvi shares a personal case study about delaying critical feedback and using a feedback sandwich, which led to heavy team attrition. This is an uninterrupted solo case study presentation.10:35–15:11 · Jason as informed peer 0/10 Lesson 2: Hiring for Culture Fit Over Raw Intellect Poorvi explains the risk of hiring high-performing individuals who lack value alignment and prioritize self-advancement over team execution. Monologue format continues.15:21–20:06 · Jason as informed peer 0/10 Lesson 3: Establishing Early Performance and Leveling Frameworks Poorvi reviews establishing early leveling systems and managing cross-geographical post-merger integration. Monologue format with no active host dialogue.20:08–23:39 · Jason as informed peer 0/10 Lesson 5: Navigating Internal Transfers and Peer Relationships Poorvi shares a vulnerability about breaching internal recruiting etiquette and learning to navigate peer and partner relationships. Uninterrupted presentation.23:44–28:21 · Jason as informed peer 0/10 Audience Q&A: Recruiting Values, In-the-Moment Feedback, and Terminations Poorvi fields questions from audience chat, lightly pushing back on an audience member's characterization of an employee as toxic by reframing it as a lack of awareness and managerial feedback.1:13–6:48 · Guest teaching 0/10 Preview of Five Key Leadership Lessons Poorvi delivers a solo presentation previewing her five management mistakes and establishing a three-part framework for building, scaling, and evaluating teams. There is no host interaction.6:50–10:31 · Guest teaching 0/10 Lesson 1: The Critical Need for Timely Feedback Poorvi shares a personal case study about delaying critical feedback and using a feedback sandwich, which led to heavy team attrition. This is an uninterrupted solo case study presentation.10:35–15:11 · Guest teaching 0/10 Lesson 2: Hiring for Culture Fit Over Raw Intellect Poorvi explains the risk of hiring high-performing individuals who lack value alignment and prioritize self-advancement over team execution. Monologue format continues.15:21–20:06 · Guest teaching 0/10 Lesson 3: Establishing Early Performance and Leveling Frameworks Poorvi reviews establishing early leveling systems and managing cross-geographical post-merger integration. Monologue format with no active host dialogue.20:08–23:39 · Guest teaching 0/10 Lesson 5: Navigating Internal Transfers and Peer Relationships Poorvi shares a vulnerability about breaching internal recruiting etiquette and learning to navigate peer and partner relationships. Uninterrupted presentation.23:44–28:21 · Guest teaching 0/10 Audience Q&A: Recruiting Values, In-the-Moment Feedback, and Terminations Poorvi fields questions from audience chat, lightly pushing back on an audience member's characterization of an employee as toxic by reframing it as a lack of awareness and managerial feedback.1:13–6:48 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Preview of Five Key Leadership Lessons Poorvi delivers a solo presentation previewing her five management mistakes and establishing a three-part framework for building, scaling, and evaluating teams. There is no host interaction.6:50–10:31 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Lesson 1: The Critical Need for Timely Feedback Poorvi shares a personal case study about delaying critical feedback and using a feedback sandwich, which led to heavy team attrition. This is an uninterrupted solo case study presentation.10:35–15:11 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Lesson 2: Hiring for Culture Fit Over Raw Intellect Poorvi explains the risk of hiring high-performing individuals who lack value alignment and prioritize self-advancement over team execution. Monologue format continues.15:21–20:06 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Lesson 3: Establishing Early Performance and Leveling Frameworks Poorvi reviews establishing early leveling systems and managing cross-geographical post-merger integration. Monologue format with no active host dialogue.20:08–23:39 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Lesson 5: Navigating Internal Transfers and Peer Relationships Poorvi shares a vulnerability about breaching internal recruiting etiquette and learning to navigate peer and partner relationships. Uninterrupted presentation.23:44–28:21 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Audience Q&A: Recruiting Values, In-the-Moment Feedback, and Terminations Poorvi fields questions from audience chat, lightly pushing back on an audience member's characterization of an employee as toxic by reframing it as a lack of awareness and managerial feedback.1:13–6:48 · Jason pushing back 0/10 Preview of Five Key Leadership Lessons Poorvi delivers a solo presentation previewing her five management mistakes and establishing a three-part framework for building, scaling, and evaluating teams. There is no host interaction.6:50–10:31 · Jason pushing back 0/10 Lesson 1: The Critical Need for Timely Feedback Poorvi shares a personal case study about delaying critical feedback and using a feedback sandwich, which led to heavy team attrition. This is an uninterrupted solo case study presentation.10:35–15:11 · Jason pushing back 0/10 Lesson 2: Hiring for Culture Fit Over Raw Intellect Poorvi explains the risk of hiring high-performing individuals who lack value alignment and prioritize self-advancement over team execution. Monologue format continues.15:21–20:06 · Jason pushing back 0/10 Lesson 3: Establishing Early Performance and Leveling Frameworks Poorvi reviews establishing early leveling systems and managing cross-geographical post-merger integration. Monologue format with no active host dialogue.20:08–23:39 · Jason pushing back 0/10 Lesson 5: Navigating Internal Transfers and Peer Relationships Poorvi shares a vulnerability about breaching internal recruiting etiquette and learning to navigate peer and partner relationships. Uninterrupted presentation.23:44–28:21 · Jason pushing back 0/10 Audience Q&A: Recruiting Values, In-the-Moment Feedback, and Terminations Poorvi fields questions from audience chat, lightly pushing back on an audience member's characterization of an employee as toxic by reframing it as a lack of awareness and managerial feedback.

speaking balance: gold is Jason, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)

0:00 · Jason 0% · guest 100%0:00 · Jason 0% · guest 100%3:00 · Jason 0% · guest 100%3:00 · Jason 0% · guest 100%6:00 · Jason 0% · guest 100%6:00 · Jason 0% · guest 100%9:00 · Jason 0% · guest 100%9:00 · Jason 0% · guest 100%12:00 · Jason 0% · guest 100%12:00 · Jason 0% · guest 100%15:00 · Jason 0% · guest 100%15:00 · Jason 0% · guest 100%18:00 · Jason 0% · guest 100%18:00 · Jason 0% · guest 100%21:00 · Jason 0% · guest 100%21:00 · Jason 0% · guest 100%24:00 · Jason 0% · guest 100%24:00 · Jason 0% · guest 100%27:00 · Jason 0% · guest 100%27:00 · Jason 0% · guest 100%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 25:45 Reframing toxic label to awareness deficit

Poorvi directly corrects an audience member's phrasing, clarifying that the difficult employee was not toxic but suffered from a lack of self-awareness and timely guidance.

 Hardest push from Jason ▶ 27:09 Audience question pressing on avoided terminations

An audience question challenges why managers avoid using the word firing and asks how to practically handle terminations in day-to-day operations.

 Biggest teaching moment ▶ 9:30 The danger of the praise sandwich

Poorvi educates the audience on why softening constructive feedback with compliments led to 50% team attrition and failed behavior change.

 Jason holds their own ▶ 27:39 Handling terminations with dignity and pride

Poorvi shares her structured philosophy on role eliminations, demonstrating her leadership maturity by insisting departed staff leave with respect.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicJason as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementJason pushing backWhy
Preview of Five Key Leadership Lessons 0000 Poorvi delivers a solo presentation previewing her five management mistakes and establishing a three-part framework for building, scaling, and evaluating teams. There is no host interaction.
Lesson 1: The Critical Need for Timely Feedback 0000 Poorvi shares a personal case study about delaying critical feedback and using a feedback sandwich, which led to heavy team attrition. This is an uninterrupted solo case study presentation.
Lesson 2: Hiring for Culture Fit Over Raw Intellect 0000 Poorvi explains the risk of hiring high-performing individuals who lack value alignment and prioritize self-advancement over team execution. Monologue format continues.
Lesson 3: Establishing Early Performance and Leveling Frameworks 0000 Poorvi reviews establishing early leveling systems and managing cross-geographical post-merger integration. Monologue format with no active host dialogue.
Lesson 5: Navigating Internal Transfers and Peer Relationships 0000 Poorvi shares a vulnerability about breaching internal recruiting etiquette and learning to navigate peer and partner relationships. Uninterrupted presentation.
Audience Q&A: Recruiting Values, In-the-Moment Feedback, and Terminations 0010 Poorvi fields questions from audience chat, lightly pushing back on an audience member's characterization of an employee as toxic by reframing it as a lack of awareness and managerial feedback.

Statements from this episode (7)

Insight
Shrivastav: Prioritize Hiring for Culture and Values Over Raw Intellect
“Hiring, specifically relevant in the crazy market we are in right now, but hiring for culture and values over smartness and raw intellect.”
Poorvi Shrivastav Mar 24, 2022 ▶ 1:58
Insight
Shrivastav: Growth Requires Balancing Promotions, Dismissals, and Successor Coaching
“Growth is two dimensional. One needs to constantly evaluate promoting, but also letting go of people and in the middle is coaching to have a successor.”
Poorvi Shrivastav Mar 24, 2022 ▶ 5:19
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Shrivastav: A 'Feedback Sandwich' Approach Sparked 50% Team Attrition
“The effect was that Sam took the feedback very lightly and did not make any changes. The long-term effect of this, the giving this kind of feedback, you know complements around constructive criticism, aka the shit feedback sandwich, was that 50% of the team at…”
Poorvi Shrivastav Mar 24, 2022 ▶ 9:17
Insight
Shrivastav: Hire Ambition That Prioritizes the Company Over the Team
“As you scale the right, you need the right kind of ambition on the team, which is company over business, over team, over yourself. And that's an indicator of people who will ride the wave with you as you scale.”
Poorvi Shrivastav Mar 24, 2022 ▶ 10:42
Insight
Shrivastav: Companies can never establish leveling and growth frameworks too early
“Having a clear performance, leveling, competency, and growth path, and that can never come too early. You know, you can never be too early for establishing those guidelines.”
Poorvi Shrivastav Mar 24, 2022 ▶ 16:31
Insight
Shrivastav: Out-of-Cycle Promotions Signal a Deficient Performance System, Not Growth
“Number two is really avoiding out of cycle promotions and raises because they signal deficiency in the performance system as opposed to growth.”
Poorvi Shrivastav Mar 24, 2022 ▶ 16:44
Insight
Shrivastav: Terminated employees must be let go with pride and respect
“If someone is leaving the company, let them leave with pride and respect, and don't take that away from them. So I always have that in the back of my mind that this person provided huge value when they were there in the company, and because of whatever reasons…”
Poorvi Shrivastav Mar 24, 2022 ▶ 27:52
Made with StarZero

Turn any episode into a week of clips.

This entire site, over 400 episodes transcribed, diarized, checked and made playable, runs on the StarZero media pipeline. Drop in your own episode and the podcast clipper finds the moments worth sharing, cuts them, captions them, and reframes them for every feed.

Try the podcast clipper Learn more