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Chief in Tech S1E3: A Leader's Guide to Navigating Organizational Change (Kate Prouty, CIO Akamai Technologies) · Chief in Tech Deep Dive Shortcast

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  Ever feel like the company you work for today is like a completely different planet compared
• 0:03
  to when you first started?
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  Yeah, like it's gone through a whole metamorphosis or something.
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  Exactly.
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  And that's what we're diving into today, Akamai Technologies.
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  From its early days as a dot-com era startup back in 99 to the global powerhouse it is
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  now, should be quite a ride.
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  And to guide us, we've got insights from Akamai's very own CIO, Kate Prouty.
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  Pulling back the curtain on what it was really like back then.
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  Seriously, her talk was like, get this, 1999 dot-com boom is in full swing.
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  And at Akamai, rollerblading in the office wasn't just allowed.
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  It was practically encouraged.
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  I know, right?
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  Talk about a time capsule, but it gets even wilder.
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  Oh yeah, Prouty doesn't hold back.
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  15 hour work days were totally normal.
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  They had this Titans Award for people who basically lived at the office.
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  And the phrase, you are behind, might as well have been their motto.
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  It's almost unimaginable now, isn't it?
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  Totally.
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  And the funny thing, it's easy to just focus on the superficial stuff.
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  The rollerblading, the crazy hours.
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  But what I found fascinating was how this whole environment came to be.
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  Because it wasn't just random, right?
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  There were actual reasons.
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  Exactly.
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  So beyond the like quirky perks and stuff, what was at the core of it all?
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  Well, to understand Akamai's culture then, you have to understand the context.
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  This was a startup, a tiny fish in a huge GE pond fighting tooth and nail to survive.
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  So it was sink or swim.
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  Basically speed and innovation weren't just buzzwords.
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  They were essential for survival.
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  And that's where that always on mentality came from.
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  It was like their secret weapon.
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  In a way, yeah.
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  And you can see how in those early days, that intensity, as crazy as it seems now, was directly
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  tied to their success.
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  It's a classic startup story, right?
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  But even back then, Prouty recognized that this pace, this blurring of work and life,
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  it was exciting, but not sustainable.
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  Exactly.
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  And that's where we start to see the first signs of change brewing.
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  Because what works for a company in one stage doesn't always work in another.
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  It's like that saying, what got you here won't get you there.
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  Yeah, exactly.
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  And that same intensity that fuels the startup's growth can actually become a roadblock later
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  on.
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  Makes you think about all those companies that didn't make it, right?
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  It really does.
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  Because to grow, you need to adapt, attract different kinds of talent, and honestly just
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  prevent your team from burning out.
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  And things definitely did change.
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  That they did.
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  Fast forward to today, 2024.
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  Akamai is embracing work from home like 80%.
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  They're all about employee well-being now.
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  And the parental leave policies are light years away from where they started.
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  Something Prouty saw firsthand, actually.
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  Oh, really?
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  Yeah.
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  She talks about how she was one of the first Akamai employees to be pregnant while working
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  there.
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  Wow.
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  And like the difference between the policies then and the support they offer now, it's huge.
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  It's amazing how much changes even in just a couple of decades.
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  Right.
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  Makes you wonder though, was this like a conscious decision they made?
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  Or were they just forced to adapt like a lot of tech companies?
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  It's probably a mix of both, to be honest.
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  Yeah.
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  I mean, think about it.
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  The entire tech world went through a major cultural shift.
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  Totally.
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  Suddenly, everyone's fighting for the best talent.
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  Employee expectations are through the roof.
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  Right.
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  And the workforce itself is way more diverse than it used to be.
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  The companies had to get with the times or get left behind.
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  Exactly.
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  If you tried to stick to those old ways of doing things.
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  You'd be sunk.
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  Exactly.
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  So the question is, how did Akamai actually bridge that gap?
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  Right.
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  Because it's one thing to know you need to change.
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  Totally different to actually do it.
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  For sure.
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  But Prouty points to a few things.
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  Strong leadership was key.
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  They knew they had to evolve.
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  Okay.
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  But the big thing was they were willing to listen to their employees.
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  That's so important.
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  Right.
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  Because a lot of times the best ideas come from the people who are actually doing the
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  work.
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  Exactly.
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  They're the ones on the front lines.
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  So they know what's working and what isn't.
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  And it takes leaders who not only hear that feedback, but actually act on it.
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  Totally.
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  And not just like little surface level changes.
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  We're talking about a complete rethink.
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  Right.
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  Prouty even says their core values had to evolve.
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  Yeah.
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  Like in 99, one of their big values was relentless pursuit of results.
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  Which you know, makes sense in that environment.
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  Yeah.
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  But later on they changed it to sustainable achievement.
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  Muppet better.
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  I know, right?
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  It shows they realized that long-term success depends on employees actually having a life
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  outside of work.
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  Exactly.
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  You can't just slap a work-life balance sticker on a culture that used to be all about those
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  crazy hours.
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  Totally.
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  It's more fundamental than that.
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  For sure.
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  And that's where it gets really tricky for a lot of companies.
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  Yeah.
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  They hold on to the things that made you successful in the first place.
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  Right.
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  The drive, the innovation.
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  Mm-hmm.
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  But at the same time, get rid of the things that are holding you back.
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  It's like walking a tightrope.
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  Exactly.
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  Yeah.
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  It's a delicate balance.
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  Prouty hints at that.
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  Yeah.
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  She mentions that there was definitely internal resistance when they started making these
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  changes.
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  Well, yeah.
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  Change is scary.
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  Even when it's a good thing.
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  Exactly.
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  You're always going to have people who are afraid of it.
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  For sure.
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  In any company, there will be people who see those shifts as a threat.
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  To the company's identity.
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  Yeah.
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  Or even to their own place within it.
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  Which I get.
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  But you can't just stay stuck in the past.
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  Absolutely.
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  But then there's the other side of the coin too.
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  Which is?
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  Swinging too far in the other direction.
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  Oh.
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  Trying to please everyone all the time.
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  Exactly.
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  And ending up with what some people call culture by committee.
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  Ah.
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  So instead of a strong culture.
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  You end up with something that's bland and watered down.
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  Yeah.
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  Trying to be everything to everyone.
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  And that never works out well.
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  Definitely not.
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  It's like that saying.
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  What's that?
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  A camel is a horse designed by a committee.
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  Oh, I like that one.
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  Yeah.
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  It makes me think of this one time.
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  Yeah.
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  It makes me think of this one time I was at this tech startup a few years back.
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  Okay.
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  And they decided to try out this whole flat hierarchy thing.
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  Interesting.
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  Yeah.
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  On paper it sounded amazing, right?
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  Total equality.
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  Exactly.
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  Everyone gets a voice.
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  No more big bosses.
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  Right.
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  But in reality, it was a total disaster.
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  Oh no.
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  And seriously, no one knew who was actually in charge of decisions.
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  Yeah.
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  Projects got bogged down because everyone had to have their say.
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  Wow.
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  It was crazy.
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  And the funny thing is it actually stifled creativity instead of encouraging it.
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  That's so interesting though, because it shows how even well intention changes.
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  Can totally backfire.
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  Yeah.
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  If they're not implemented really carefully, you can't just like slap a trendy label on
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  something and call it a day.
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  It's so true.
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  And it made me think about something Proudy said about how we can all actually impact company
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  culture.
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  Oh yeah.
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  Even if we're not the CEO.
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  Exactly.
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  It's easy to feel powerless if you're not in charge.
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  For sure.
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  That she has this idea of being an anti-mentor.
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  Anti-mentor.
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  That's a new one.
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  I know, right?
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  But it's actually really cool.
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  So instead of just focusing on the people who are doing things right, you also learn
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  from the people who are doing things wrong.
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  Interesting.
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  Yeah.
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  You observe their behaviors and you're like, okay, I am not doing that.
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  I like it.
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  I'm just like learning by bad example.
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  Exactly.
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  And it actually happened to me earlier in my career.
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  I had this colleague who was a huge e-micro manager.
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  Oh no.
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  Seriously.
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  He was obsessed with every little detail.
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  He probably thought he was being helpful.
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  And it probably drove everyone crazy.
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  Oh, totally.
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  It killed the vibe.
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  And seeing that firsthand made me realize, okay, that is not how I want to lead.
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  It's amazing how those negative examples can be so powerful.
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  Right.
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  And the thing is by recognizing those anti-mentors and actively choosing to do things differently.
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  You're actually shaping the culture yourself.
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  Exactly.
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  You become part of the solution.
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  It's a good reminder that culture isn't just some top-down thing.
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  Right.
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  We're all contributing to it in our own ways.
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  Absolutely.
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  Those little actions can really add up.
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  I mean, imagine if everyone at Akamai had stuck with that old obstreperous attitude.
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  Yeah.
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  If no one had spoken up and said, hey, maybe there's a better way.
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  Exactly.
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  Maybe where they are today with such a diverse team and all those amazing products, it's
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  doubtful.
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  It really makes you wonder though, right?
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  Like in a world that's obsessed with hustle culture.
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  Still glorifying those 80-hour weeks.
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  Is there even room for a company like Akamai was back in 99 with that whole you are behind
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  mentality?
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  That's a good question.
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  Has our definition of success actually changed?
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  Right.
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  Can a company actually be both high-performing and prioritize its employees' well-being?
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  Or is there always going to be some kind of trade-off?
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  It's something to think about, that's for sure.
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  And it's not just for tech companies either.
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  No way.
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  This applies to any industry that's going through big changes.
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  Totally.
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  So as you're navigating your own career path, running into all kinds of company cultures.
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  Just remember what we've talked about here.
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  Because challenge equals change.
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  For companies and for us as individuals.
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  And on that note, I love what Proudie said at the end of her talk.
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  If it doesn't challenge you, it won't change you.
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  That is so true on so many levels.
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  It really is.
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  That was our deep dive into Akamai's transformation.
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  Super interesting stuff.
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  It really was.
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  But remember, this is just one company's journey.
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  So take a look around at your own work, your own industry.
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  What challenges are you facing?
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  And how can those challenges actually be opportunities?
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  Something to ponder as you head back out into the world.
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  A little wiser, hopefully.
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  And maybe even inspired to make a difference yourself.