How to overcome isolation and self-doubt with Connor Bradley
How to overcome isolation and self-doubt with Connor Bradley
Hear why the Director of Growth at Jobber had to rebuild their growth team from scratch - and how it impacted his confidence
Hey - it’s Andrew
We spent the last two weeks cleaning our house, putting it on the market, and having showings. Definitely not an easy task with a 3 year old and his 75 hot-wheels cars. Needless to say, I’m exhausted. But we just accepted an offer to sell our home, so it was worth it! I’m super grateful for all the positive momentum right now.
Below you’ll find highlights from my conversation with Connor Bradley - Director of Growth at Jobber. Connor and I first met back in 2015, when we were first starting our growth teams, and have kept in touch ever since. Today, he leads a team of 35 folks in Jobbers growth org. In our convo, he shared some of the mistakes, bumps, bruises, and self-doubt he’s had to navigate along the way.
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“I felt like everything I had worked to build was gone. It just broke me.”
Connor Bradley had built the growth team from scratch at Jobber, and things had been really going well … until Covid hit.
“The first version of our growth team was me, two engineers and a designer — and we were hitting on all cylinders,” Connor recalls. “It was exactly what I wanted it to be — experiments flying off the shelf, and we were really impressing Jobber.”
But when Covid sent everyone home, everything changed.
First the senior engineer decided to move back to Sweden. Then - only three weeks later - the second engineer also left the company.
Connor was gutted. He was back at ground zero, and wondering if growth would even exist at Jobber any more.
Fast forward to today: Connor now oversees a team of 35 across four teams that ladder up into his growth org: acquisition, activation, expansion, and retention.
Connor gives a tremendous amount of credit and respect to Jobber’s executive team who supported him through that early rough patch. But the credit also goes to Connor, who clearly managed up well and created a culture of believers who were committed to rebuilding the growth practice.
And that’s exactly what they did — got back on the horse, hired, and rebuilt the team from the ground up.
This experience taught Connor a lot about resilience, vulnerability, leadership, and the value of staying calm in a crisis.
We covered all this and more during our convo, including:
The importance of building relationships with other growth professionals — inside and outside your org — so you feel less alone in your challenges.
How to compensate for the lack of hallway conversations when you’re managing a cross-functional team remotely.
Tips for getting more comfortable with vulnerable conversations, whether with your boss your your direct report.
👇Watch below, or catch the show on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you prefer.
In this episode, you’ll learn how:
Approaching growth problems calmly allows you to remain focused on what’s most important for your company
Vocalizing your feelings is critical in remote work since so much non-verbal communication is lost through video calls
Building solid relationships at work helps you overcome the common problems of growth
Things to listen for:
[03:33] Why curiosity is critical to growth
[06:44] The period of his career Connor’s most proud of
[10:27] Hitting your lowest low and what comes next
[14:24] Maintaining a 10,000 foot view
[19:21] Advice for anyone feeling lonely or isolated
[22:49] Struggling with self-doubt
[26:55] Avoiding a reactive mindset
[30:41] Being okay saying “not right now”
Resources:
One last thing
This is my first major email from Substack.
Like it? Love it? Think I’m making a huge mistake? Or, have ideas on ways I can make this more valuable? I’d love your 10c.
Share your feedback in the comments (or respond via email).