The Last Day

After attending Joe Allanson's staff meeting and interviewing Mark Hawkins today, it was with a heavy heart that I swiped my badge at 50 Fremont for the last time. With great sadness, I left behind the packed days of interviews, lively meetings, and of course the business casual attire. But like many stereotypical graduation speeches start, today was not an ending, so much as it was a beginning. Leaving Salesforce meant that for the first time, I have the ability to apply what I have learned to the world beyond 50 Fremont. I can't wait to take all the lessons I have accumulated with me as I graduate high school in the coming weeks, approach a college education, and begin a hopefully long and successful career. As an old photographer David Bailey once said, "The best advice I ever got is that knowledge is power." So I finish my three weeks at Salesforce with an incredible amount of power, the power to recognize, accept, and utilize the incredible words of wisdom I have received. I feel grateful to have had the experience I did. I feel grateful to have had conversations that made me not only a better perspective employee but also a better person. I feel grateful to have been a part of the truly special community of qualified, intelligent, and engaging people that Salesforce is even if I wished for more time. I consider each person I interacted with in these last three weeks a mentor, and if I have learned anything these past weeks, it's that no one can have too few mentors.

Gilead Sciences, Inc

The main event for today was a meeting with Robin Washington, board member at Salesforce and CFO at Gilead Sciences, Inc. I had never been to Foster City before, but this meeting was definitely worth the drive. The interview was incredible; she was poised and ready for any question I threw at her. If there was an award for most quotable interview, she would win by a landslide. Every comment she made had purpose, intention, and great thought behind it. For example, when asked if she felt her gender had any impact on her career, she confidently stated, "I feel that sometimes what I do is not only for me but for generations of other females and African-Americans." It is that depth that truly makes her interview stick out in my mind. It takes an incredible leader to lead by example but an even more incredible leader to aspire to make a bigger impact, bigger than the people she knows, bigger than people in the United States, and bigger than just her generation. Similarly, she again brought the conversation to a more global perspective when she explained that "the youth of America need to be sure that our skills continue to get honed" as globalization becomes a clear reality. I love that she always thought about the bigger picture; business is no longer a matter of one country but of an entire world. The last thing that really stood out to me in my interview with Robin Washington was her humbleness. As she stated, "We'll never be in a time or place where I know everything I need to know. So I think you have to learn how to teach yourself new things constantly." It is this dedication to being a lifelong learner, recognition that there are always new topics to explore, and acceptance that her knowledge is limited but constantly expanding that makes her an incredible executive, employee, and person.

Staff Meetings

I began today with an extended staff meeting. I found the team reporting to Don Rigler, America's Controller was energetic in spirit, productive in tasks, and well-intentioned in collaboration. At the start of the meeting, each member of the meeting was engaged in finding new hires and then ensuring that those new hires were compensated appropriately for their expertise, work experience, and job level. It was interesting as well to see how the group meshed in spite of employees located in Indianapolis and others temporarily visiting offices in New York; location made little to no impact on the impressive group dynamic. Following this meeting, I met with Meredith Schmitt, Senior Vice President of global revenue operations. I found her enthusiasm, spirit, and vitality contagious; I left her office ready to take on the world, feeling more energized than a cup of coffee could ever provide. I later attended her staff meeting, where the contagious energy continued with jokes and friendly banter. We moved through the agenda quickly, which included discussions of international exchange winners, a management meeting for the team in June, and the CFO's GBO summit. I ended the day with an interview with Art Perez, Vice President of compliance, whose calm and friendly demeanor left me in awe. I thought he spoke nicely to a theme I have seen present in most of my interviews: "What you realize after being in the work force for a period of time is that communication is incredibly important." The most repetitive message from those I have met is that the ability to connect with others, whether through technology or in person is a fundamental necessity at Salesforce and more broadly in any business and even more broadly in any career.

"Business Is Problems and Overcoming Obstacles."

I started my final week at Salesforce with a bang. Interviewing board member and former CEO of PeopleSoft, Craig Conway was nothing short of amazing. His sophisticated sentiments, eloquent answers, and well-told stories made this interview not only fun but also very valuable. I particularly appreciated his take on business: "Business is problems and overcoming obstacles. And if you approach those as annoying, you're not going to be as happy and you're not going to go as far. If you view you career as an opportunity to overcome and achieve things with a sense of excitement, you'll be more successful." Following this interview was yet another with Kurt Hagen, CFO of Salesforce's foundation. He was nothing short of composed and thoughtful. I liked that he took a different stance on taking opportunities: "It's ok to take a pass at something you don't think is the right opportunity." Unlike many of the people I have interviewed, he focused on the value of individual opportunities not the breadth, span, or amount of them. To finish the day, I met with John Somorjai, Earned Value Professional of corporate development and Salesforce ventures. I loved his M&A perspective of the company; his expertise outside of the world of finance was refreshing and new. I liked how he emphasized the importance of prioritizing, especially regarding email: "Step back and ask what the most important thing to accomplish is for the day and let that drive how you work versus letting email rule your work day." It is so easy to get caught in an inbox brimming with to-dos and urgent-response-neededs, something I can attest to during my time here. But it is clear that to step back and define, evaluate, and then act upon the importance of tasks is critical if you are ever going to be successful here.

Learning to Take Opportunities

Today started with an interview of Daryl Yee. I thought his tax perspective of Salesforce was new and interesting. I loved his idealistic view of career goals: "I believe you can really accomplish a lot. The world is your oyster. You can do anything that you want and set your mind to if you work hard." I loved this positive outlook; it is something I will definitely keep in mind as I approach college and eventually enter the work force. I finished the day with an interview of Tim Lynn, Senior Vice President of the chairman's office. We bonded over USC; his stories of the business program, the language classes he wished he had focused more on, and the rushing process made me even more excited to be living next to Tommy Trojan this fall. But beyond our college common ground, I loved his perspective on careers: "You can decide where to go to school, what to study, and where to go for your first job. But those are the only things you can control. Otherwise, who knows who is going to come in your life or what opportunities will show up." What I've learned from being at Salesforce is that fear of the unknown is all too real in career choices; not knowing how the decisions you make today will affect your success tomorrow often prevents individuals from taking risks they later wish they had taken. What I've learned from being at Salesforce is that sometimes it is important to jump off that cliff, take a chance on something that will pay off in the long run, and do not be bound by anxiety of what will come next.

"If You Can Create Sunshine Where There Is Darkness, That Puts a Smile in Your Heart."

My morning was instantly brightened with a phone call to Alan Hassenfeld, board member at Salesforce and former CEO of Hasbros Toys. His kindhearted approach to life, infused with often humor and ever-present happiness was inspired. He even responded to my question of why he enjoys what he does with an excited, "If you can create sunshine where there is darkness, that puts a smile in your heart." I quickly rushed down a flight of stairs afterwards to catch my 9am meeting on the 8th floor. The weekly revenue management team meeting was a hodgepodge of voices, some of which I knew and some that I did not and some from within the room and some who dialed in to participate. Overall, I enjoyed the experience. I enjoyed learning more about topics I knew little about. I enjoyed observing Alex Buldrini's envious take-charge, intelligent, yet synergetic demeanor. And I enjoyed the dedication to collaboration, which I have come to know as indicative of the Salesforce culture.

Interviews, Interviews, Interviews

I began this morning by talking with Jake Stanbury, Finance Manager, who was visiting San Francisco from the Indiana offices. He was personable and answered all of my questions in an extremely thought-out fashion. I feel lucky to have met with him given that he was only in the city for a short time. I then met with Kim Bollin afterwards, an equally thoughtful human being. She answered each interview question carefully and with much consideration. She had one of my favorite answers after I asked her to define corporate finance: "Corporate finance is much like skin on a body." I liked that she took a unique approach to the question, looking for a metaphorical response rather than a straightforward definition. After lunch, I talked to USC alum Michelle Zauss, who was incredible self-aware, strong, and intelligent. I appreciated her take on the structure of companies: "The idea of a hierarchical pyramid is slowly over time evolving away from how companies like us operate and succeed." I liked that she took a step back to answer the question from a broader and more futuristic standpoint; I am sure this ability to see the bigger picture has helped her achieve the success she has made for herself.

Business as Usual

I began today with an interview of David Havlek, Senior Vice President of Finance; his intellect was without question impressive and he embodied a lively persona of his own. He had a way with humor and a mastery set of skills when it came to team bonding; I can confidently say he is an incredible leader. I then took a phone call with Larry Tomlinson, Salesforce board member and former executive at Hewlett-Packard. I appreciated how open he was; he continuously told me stories of his children and grandchildren, making the conversation more personal. It was incredible to get advice from someone who had been in the corporate world for so long. While I do believe age is for the most part just a number, his years of experience and expertise that could only come from time were incredible. For lunch I attended a "Lunch and Learn," which is best explained as a forum to connect employees with executives to promote a sense of camaraderie, connectedness, and togetherness. After lunch, I met with Shea Malcolm, Partner at Ernst & Young, whose kind nature was almost palpable. I finished the day with a Q1 Cash Flow Review Meeting, where I took notes for the group and watched as they furiously debated the depreciable assets; it was a great feeling to actually contribute to the team's work in the small way that I could.

Week Two

Fresh off the weekend, I arrived back at Salesforce offices today to interview Sam Chung, Senior Vice President of finance and emerging businesses over coffee. His sense of humor and good-spirited personality was contagious. He had an incredible skill in that he made himself completely relatable whilst establishing my respect, a tactful ability that is hard to come by. My favorite quote from the interview was: "If you are the person that says 'I'll take that job' regardless of what it is, it shows you have the drive and the attitude. And that's going to go a long way." My interview with Sam was followed shortly after by an interview with Scott Henderson, Vice President of sales compensation strategy and operations. I appreciated his openness and willing to share his experiences, stories, and expertise with me. I even recommended he take a good look at Marin Academy when his kids are ready for high school. I attended the Q1 Consolidated Results Review during lunch, where I enjoyed the meeting dynamic; much like a socratic seminar, nearly everyone readily participated, sharing their own perspectives, insights, and understandings in order for the group to succeed. It did not matter which individual had which job focus; everyone had something integral to contribute. To finish the day, I interviewed Ross Meyercord, Chief Information Officer. He was personable, intelligent, and engaging, three things I am sure have certainly helped him reach the position he is in today. I appreciated his approach to a career: "While it's great to have a plan and an idea of where you want to go, let the path lay out before you; don't force yourself to stay on that tight narrow path." It is this flexibility I am sure that has contributed to his success.

Je Ne Comprend Pas

I kicked off the morning by sitting in on a phone call with European employees discussing their quarter results. I understood little of what I heard in part because of the thick french accents and in part because of the detail-oriented, highly technical vocabulary; but what I did understand was interesting. It was nice to gain an international perspective of Salesforce; the needs overseas are completely different but just as complex, critical, and influential to the business as they are here in the US. After lunch at a trendy sushi restaurant with two Salesforce USC alumni (fight on!), I grabbed coffee with Jessica Faulkner, Senior Manager of revenue management, who is currently visiting San Francisco from the Seattle office. With her stories from working around the world in places like London and Switzerland, her friendly demeanor, and intelligent sentiments, it was clear she was an incredibly talented businesswoman. I finished the day with an interview of John Cummings, Vice President of investor relations. I appreciated his unique political science background (even though it came from UCLA) as most of the people I meet are strictly finance, equipped with finance degrees, work experience in the Big Four, and expertise focused mostly on accounting. One of my favorite quotes from the interview was: "Come to the table with a good attitude and a willingness to get along with other people." I will definitely remember that snippet as I move forward in my Senior Project.

Never Too Many Interviews

My day began quickly with an interview of Craig Smith, Parter at Ernst & Young. I found his emphasis on having a breadth of interests and hobbies refreshing in a world where so often it seems employees can be boxed in by titles, positions, and specific responsibilities. I then moved an entire two conference rooms to the right to meet with Doc Tran, Vice President and International Controller. He came equipped with a slideshow outlining what exactly he does on a daily basis and was more than happy to provide nicely composed answers to my questions. After lunch, I met with Nicole Cleary, Director of sales compensation crediting operations, whose innovation and vision were truly inspiring and Jeffrey Snyder, Nicole's energetic and kind employee. Despite their different journeys to Salesforce, their message was very clear: people building skills are crucial in any business setting. My last meeting of the day focused on the FY16 quarterly close, where new customer accounts, current obstacles, and future issues were discussed in great detail. While I am prohibited from publishing most of the content, this was definitely one of my favorite meetings. I found the presentations and ensuing discussion comprehensive, interesting, and thought-provoking.