Hilary Doe ─ Committed go-to-market leader with a track record for mission driven growth…
March 30, 2022 • 3 Minute Read
Participant Name
President
NationBuilder
Are you looking for a committed go-to-market leader with a track record for mission driven growth? We know the person—Hilary Doe!
Hilary Doe is the President of NationBuilder, the world’s most used software for advocacy. She is responsible for leading strategy and product vision to engage communities and move them to action. She has a proven track record in designing go to market approaches and business models for mission driven growth, and is committed to building strong democracies and developing leaders to tackle the biggest challenges as a global community. When she is not working, Hilary is a board member and advisor to nonprofits and early-stage companies, the founder of Detroit-based think tank, Scout, and an amateur property developer / designer.
Please meet this IT Wondrous Woman™, Hilary Doe!
Our 10 Questions for this IT Wondrous Woman.
Fun Facts
1. What’s the one thing about you that your business colleagues don’t know about you?
My colleagues know most of my fun facts! They might not know that I wrote and recorded music in high school / college. I still can’t get through the week without my piano.
2. Before the pandemic, how many air miles/KMs did you flying annually?
I’m a pretty loyal Delta flyer, and I love to travel. I was usually at about 100K miles annually, pre-pandemic. Can’t wait to get back to traveling more soon!
3. What is the most adventurous food you have eaten and what city/location did you eat it?
My favorite trip of all-time was to Morocco, in large part because the food was incredible. I didn’t always know each ingredient we were eating, but I loved all of it. Veggie tagines are my favorite.
Your Career
4. What are the top two experiences, achievements or failures that shaped your journey as a successful leader?
- Struggling, learning from it, and moving forward anyway has been the key to unlocking growth in my career. Prior to becoming National Director at the Roosevelt Institute, I hadn’t ever fundraised. Suddenly I was responsible for the nonprofit’s resources, my teams’ salaries, and our success. I made real mistakes along the way, but I didn’t quit. Years later, when I inherited responsibility for my current company’s growth strategy at a really difficult time, I was definitely in over my head. But I kept going, committed to learning, and we went on to accomplish incredible things.
- I’m always striving to have the mix of audacity and humility that it takes to take on impossible challenges while recognizing that you might fail and need others’ help to grow and succeed.
5. Did you have a mentor in the early part of your career and, if so, what is the biggest lesson you learned from your mentor or influencer?
My first boss, Andy, was a great mentor. He demonstrated the importance of courage in the workplace—the courage to chase big goals, and to stand up for achieving them the right way.
Walking In Your Shoes
6. What is one piece of business or career advice you would give to your younger self?
Be kind to yourself. Perfection just isn’t the goal—growth is.
7. As a leader, how do you remain a resource for people early in their careers?
I love acting as a mentor for people just starting out. The best way I’ve found to help folks early in their careers is to listen. Really creating space to listen to others’ contributions highlights their superpowers, as well as the areas where I can offer support.
Today’s Business Environment
8. What is the most interesting project you have worked on in the last few years?
We’re launching a brand new direct-to-consumer product in Q1 of this year! The goal is to democratize access to powerful tools for individuals to take action in their communities.
9. What skills are you currently developing or refining (in yourself) that will make you a more successful leader in the digital economy?
Distributing leadership is critical to get to scale scale—whether you’re leading a social movement or a company. I’m always seeking better ways to equip my teams to lead, in-person or digitally.
10. What is your greatest business challenge today?
Growing sustainably. Pursuing growth in a way that’s unsustainable as a business model, unsustainable for the people on your team, or unsustainable for our environment and the world we live in might be easier sometimes, but it’s always short-sighted. Unlocking true, sustainable growth for the long-term is how I define success.
