Building SaaS Teams in the world of AI - Go-To-Market Mini-Series - Leslie Poston - # 62

How can leaders drive company transformation without losing their team’s trust and energy? In this episode of Shift and Thrive, Natalie Nathanson talks with Leslie Poston, a seasoned go-to-market strategist and leadership advisor. Leslie shares how she led Austin Data Labs’ transformation from a small, multi-industry SaaS company into a high-growth leader in food and agriculture, culminating in a successful acquisition. Leslie shares how she prioritized psychological safety, built a customer-first strategy, and kept teams agile while navigating rapid change. The conversation also dives into her current work helping leaders create high-performing, psychologically safe teams, and her perspectives on AI, burnout prevention, and building adaptability for the future.

Takeaways:

• Prioritize psychological safety so team members feel safe to share ideas, admit mistakes, and give honest feedback.
• Keep the customer at the center by building relationships with all customers, large or small, and using feedback to guide strategy.
• Communicate inclusively with a mix of group meetings, open office hours, and written feedback channels to suit all personality types.
• Build a diverse advisory network with complementary skills to avoid echo chambers and strengthen decision-making.
• Use AI thoughtfully, leveraging it for efficiency while protecting creativity, critical thinking, and data security.
• Model healthy work habits by encouraging boundaries, physical activity, and community engagement to prevent burnout.
• Stay flexible and growth-minded, adapting strategies as circumstances evolve and fostering the same mindset in your team.

Quote of the Show:

• “We’re entering an era where there is always constant change. The stable 2019 times are not coming back, even if we want them to. Being flexible is how each of us will survive– and it's how your company will survive, too.”

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslieposton/  
• Website: https://mindmedia.tech 

Ways to Tune In:

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2D1YbT2QhKxIwbREpU7EMb 
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shift-thrive-ceo-insights-on-driving-change/id1740828813 
• Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/fa60b654-1955-4055-93df-fdd40c2a5c8f/shift-thrive-ceo-insights-on-driving-change 
• iHeart Radio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-shift-thrive-ceo-insights-166792501 
• Pandora: https://www.pandora.com/podcast/shift-and-thrive-ceo-insights-on-driving-change/PC:1001086797  

This show is sponsored by Magnetude Consulting, bringing you the thinking-Power of a Growth Consultancy and the Getting-It-Done Power of a full-service B2B Marketing Agency. 

Learn more at: https://www.magnetudeconsulting.com