Angela Ceresni founded the company Orchard Platform and became her executive director.
In 2016, she took on the same role at Climb Credit, which provides student loans for vocational education and continuing education programs. In the same year, the organization increased financial investments through a loan from Goldman Sachs by $ 50 million. And in the previous month, it closed a deal for $ 9.8 million in a high-risk investment cycle.
In 2018, Angela Ceresni was offered a high post at Climb. As a result, she received an appointment, as she had "grown to him."
Delegation Skills
Angela recalls that she could always correctly evaluate new tasks, dividing them into its component parts, and then figuring out how to solve them. In high school, she was well versed in mathematics, and also at a fairly high level she knew logic, which is still considered the traditional skill of senior management.
During her time as an Operations Director at Orchard, there were a lot of difficulties with Climb, so she was often visited with thoughts: “Hooray, I managed this! Another company, too. It's not a high mathematician.”
When Angela's candidacy approached a key position at Climb, the question arose as to whether she wants to be a CEO. She consulted with many professionals on this subject, but being top in the organization is how to raise someone else’s newborn baby. It can be explained all millions of times, but it is difficult to understand the essence of "not having experienced all the charms in one's own skin."
New possible scenarios of the development of the situation constantly appeared, previously not familiar to our protege. That is, you can learn to become an executive or general director only in the process of work.
Inner core for successful post filling
The essence of Angela’s work was to know important indicators and make people understand that someone is in charge of a “strong hand”. This was especially important for raising funds. As an executive director, she did not think about what a common solution the task has. She wondered which solution would be most appropriate.
When a person has to perform the duties of a CEO, he learns to anticipate the emergence of great opportunities and manage change decisively and firmly. The company’s top manager also has moments when at a meeting or a business meeting a really difficult question is asked, which is urgent, which no one knows for sure how to answer correctly. And the CEO must be able to give a decent answer.
There are few employees inside the company who want to resolve issues directly with the CEO. Most will prefer to be at some distance, since being part of a complex "showdown" is a dubious pleasure.
Angela Ceresni tried to understand when not to intervene in order to give staff the opportunity to independently understand the essence of the problem, but also not to miss the moment when the situation reaches its level of competence.
Work with difficulties and self-development
While working at Orchard, Angela was often bothered by "impostor syndrome." She lacked experience with startups and she felt "out of place". She was overcome by the stereotype that only 22-year-old men can successfully lead them, and she is a woman. And this is fraught with consequences for the business. Therefore, Angela felt as if she were clamped in a vise.
She picked up advisers and mentors, and also tried to hire a head coach. This approach is increasingly found in large companies.The main mentor (coach) becomes the first person with whom difficult situations are discussed, about which the director does not want to prematurely inform subordinates, as well as investors.
But Angela Ceresni independently developed this skill, which does not need additional verification. Now she has an idea of the threats and her capabilities. Sometimes she was new to taking an uncertain task and trying to solve it in a given way. Until now, Ceresni has always managed to achieve her goals.