Leadership Lessons from a VP of Product: How Getting Shushed in a C-Suite Meeting Redefined My Career
For Heidi Gibson (ex-GoDaddy, Typeform, Bill.com), it became a turning point that reshaped her leadership style, confidence, and career trajectory
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Heidi Gibson was in the middle of a conference call, presenting to hundreds of people, when her boss quietly shushed her.
She froze. Unsure if anyone else had noticed.
And at first, she felt embarrassed. But instead of reacting, she reminded herself that this was someone she trusted.
They’d given her candid, helpful feedback before:
how to use stories to engage the room
how to frame her message for busy leaders
how to strip away the extras and get to the point
So even though it stung, she knew he had her best interests in mind.
The truth is, nobody trains us how to give executive updates. Especially in product and growth roles. And almost never if you work at a startup.
Most of us are too embarrassed to ask for help.
You got promoted because you were a top IC, and suddenly you’re in rooms with execs, without ever being taught how to communicate at that level.
That was Heidi’s headspace.
And for weeks afterward, she second-guessed herself in meetings.
When should she speak?
How much should she share?
Was she was striking the right balance?
The turning point came when that same boss pulled her aside and said:
“Heidi, we all trust you. Start with your punchline - not your rationale.”
That advice changed everything.
She realized executives don’t share their work, they share their takeaways, lessons, and next-steps. And she realized the best leaders framed that same information differently depending who was in the room.
“It was humiliating. But it eventually taught me how to communicate up,” she shared.
Our full conversation dives into that moment, the bigger arc of Heidi learning executive presence, and the lessons she picked up the hard way.
If you’ve ever walked out of a meeting wondering if you said too much (or not enough) you’ll want to hear this one.
Watch the full conversation on YouTube:
Or, listen on Spotify
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