Closing Comments

Thank you everyone

The past 9 months have been amazing, and I have all of you to thank for it.  Meghann, Katherine, Clarence, Jed, Avid, Jeremy, Emily, Susie, Xiling, Ben, and Will, you have been the greatest group to share ideas and learn from.  And Tina, Thomas, Tom, and Bob, your dedication to us and your teaching skills have made the Mayfield Fellows Program one of the most wonderful experiences I have had at Stanford.

Overall learnings

The people are everything.  From our discussions and from working both with the fellows and at Zaplet, I learned that it is the people who make or break it.

Communication, or lack of it, it what causes problems.  Problems are caused often because people do not know how to effectively communicate with each other.  Many of us experienced this at our start-ups.

Set your vision, mission statement, and values.  Setting these three things creates a common mindset at a company and makes sure everyone is on the same page.  By decreasing ambiguity, conflict can be greatly reduced.

Setting personal goals is just as important as setting company goals.  While I expected to learn a lot about entrepreneurship through MFP, I did not expect the program to be introspective.  I realized that just as companies need to set and focus upon their goals, I need to do so for myself.

Manage your manager  While managers should effectively manage their employees, the employees must properly manage their managers as well.  Tell your manager what you need, how you work, what you expect from him or her.  This will greatly help your relationship.

Just ask.  I have been amazed how often people say "yes" when you ask to meet or talk with them.  I have become much more assertive in asking for what I need or want.