Stacy Brown-Philpot has found success in many different fields; accounting, sales, technology, and now, as an entrepreneur. She is currently the CEO of TaskRabbit, an online platform that pairs freelance workers with local projects, and on the board of Directors for both Nordstrom and HP. As a DISC Captain (D), she has passionately pursued her ever-changing and evolving goals. She works toward growth, even if that means trying something new.
Throughout her life and career, Stacy’s skills - motivation, dedication, and leadership - as a Captain personality type have helped her climb mountain after mountain, readily moving onto the next big goal.
Motivation
Stacy was born with the motivation to succeed. She excelled in high school, went to Wharton, one of the most prestigious business schools in the world, worked at Goldman Sachs, got her MBA from Stanford, and moved up the ranks at Google until she was the Senior Director of Global Consumer Operations - all before she had even started at TaskRabbit. Her ability to consistently set and achieve big goals has helped her succeed in so many different realms.
When Stacy became CEO of TaskRabbit in 2016, she set goals for what she hoped to help the company achieve. She helped define the company’s vision, implement more rigorous efforts to build a diverse team, expand TaskRabbit internationally, and lead the company through Ikea’s acquisition of it in 2017. Her constant motivation to do better has helped TaskRabbit reach new heights.
Dedication
While this trait plays heavily into her persistent efforts to achieve sizable goals, Stacy’s dedication is perhaps most evident in her pursuit of diverse workspaces. She has consistently pushed for further inclusion in company hiring processes. She understands the importance of creating diverse, welcoming workplaces, and has gone out of her way to ensure the companies she works for hires people of all backgrounds.
When she worked at Google, Stacy created the “Black Googler Network”, which recruited students from historically black colleges and began one of the most diverse internships in tech at the time. Now, at TaskRabbit, she continues her dedication to this goal of inclusion. Nearly 60 percent of leaders at the company are women, 48 percent of employees are Hispanic, African American, or Asian, and 16 percent identify as LGBTQ. Her ability to push for her beliefs has helped her see ideas and hopes come into fruition as she leads one of the most diverse teams in Silicon Valley.
Leadership
In the early 2000s, Stacy knew that she didn’t want to be an accountant, and after a couple of stints at Goldman Sachs and Wily Technology and earning her MBA from Stanford, she was hired as a Financial Analyst at Google. While she worried at first that she might be settling for less than she deserved, since internet companies seemed like a less stable path at the time, Stacy ended up finding a mentor in Sheryl Sandberg, who helped encourage her leadership habits. As Google began to grow quickly, Stacy found herself going from managing a team of 14 people to managing a team of 60, and, eventually, a team of more than 2000 people. She adapted her leadership style to fit each team and managed to find her place in management.
Since her transition to TaskRabbit, Stacy has continued to lead effectively and set an example for the rest of her team. Now, she regularly sets aside time to experience what it is like for TaskRabbit users. She uses the app to post tasks that she needs help with and complete other tasks as a “Tasker”, so she can understand what it is really like to be a part of the TaskRabbit community. Her experience doing this has helped her relate to her customers, catch potential problems, make necessary changes, and lead by example.
Taking Advantage of Her Strengths
Stacy’s ability to use her strengths as a Captain to her advantage has helped her continually achieve her goals. No matter what position she finds herself in, Stacy is likely to work hard and use her power to get things done. As TaskRabbit continues to grow and expand, we can expect to see Stacy’s vision become even more prominent in the company.
