The Art of Saying No — Brad Fehler’s Guide to Setting Work/Life Boundaries
The Growth Lead at Prolific and 5x head of growth was stuck between doing the right thing as a husband and dad and keeping a demanding founder happy.
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“I was at a terrible point”
“My founder boss was making me feel that I was in the wrong, that I was making decisions that were harmful to the business. I felt like my job was under threat.”
Brad Fehler (the Growth Lead at Prolific and former 5x head of growth) was stuck between doing the right thing as a husband and dad and keeping a demanding founder happy. Not a fun place to be.
With baby #2 on the way, Brad's responsibilities as a partner and a parent increased. There were scans and checkups to attend, usually during the workday. At the same time, his boss started ramping up his work demands.
“He tried to guilt me into prioritizing the startup over my personal responsibilities,” says Brad. “He'd question whether I was sure I should be going for a particular scan, for example, saying we had important work to do in the office. But in reality, the work wasn't that important. He just wanted to exert power and control over me.”
If ever there was a case for better personal/work boundaries, this was it.
Given the chance for a do-over, Brad would have pulled that founder aside for a frank conversation. He’d be crystal clear about what was going on in his personal life, and he would spell out how those real-world priorities were going to shape the way he balanced personal responsibilities and work obligations.
Having survived this and other tough experiences early in his career, Brad went on to become a five-time growth leader and an important member of the London growth community. We had a great conversation, covering a lot of territory including:
The time he had four pints during a job interview (and how that interviewer became an important mentor) 🍻
What it felt like to be the IC head of growth at a failing startup 😬
When he had to suffer the tough consequences of inflating growth goals in order to land a funding round 🙈
Watch or listen below 👇
Things to listen for:
[10:13] When your boss shared their concerns about hiring you
[11:30] Choosing between work and a pregnant wife
[16:19] The moment Bradley learned when to set boundaries
[20:08] Overcoming a place of guilt because Bradley didn’t stand up for himself
[21:56] Pulling aside your manager for a serious chat
[26:25] The intense pressure that came with setting unrealistic expectations
[36:31] Declining calls and not answering Slack
Resources:
One last thing: The dust has finally settled after our family move, and (for the first time in 18 mos) I have a few coaching and advising roster spots I'm looking to fill!
So if you've ever been interested in working together, nows a great time for us to chat!
-Andrew
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