Welcome to the Forty Over 40 blog. We frequently spotlight one of our honorees and their thoughts on reinvention, mentorship and momentum…plus a peek into what makes them tick.
This Q&A is with Diane Hessan the CEO of Startup Institute, a high-growth company in the next-generation education space. In this new company, Startup Institute, she is leading the charge to disrupt post-graduate education, helping students transform their careers and find jobs they love via an 8-week program that teaches the skills, mindset & networking to get a position in a high-growth company. In return, companies find the talent that can take them to a new level.
She is also Founder & Chairman of Communispace, which sold to Omnicom in 2011. Diane founded Communispace in 2000, which was a major disruptor in the market research space. She pioneered an important new category in consumer research — the use of online communities to help major brands stay continuously connected to their consumers.
1) What was a pivotal momentum of reinvention for you?
Last year, I was sitting in a meeting of my senior leadership team at Communispace, the company I had founded in 2000, and where I was CEO. We were planning for the upcoming year, and as I looked around the table, 2 things occurred to me: 1)This team is freaking awesome; and 2) They could run this company without me – or even better than I could. Suddenly I started to think that perhaps I had “another one” in me – that perhaps Communispace was not THE signature creation of my life, and that perhaps I ought to get going. I jumped. Within one week, I made the decision to leave the company in the hands of the team, and to seek out a new chapter in my life.
2) Who has been a valuable mentor or sponsor?
I am lucky to have dozens of mentors. I believe that in 2015, there is just not one person who can give you all of the advice and support you need. My best mentor is Bob Stringer, who used to be my executive coach, and who is now my life partner. Bob is an expert in organizational climate and culture and also an angel investor. He is outrageously helpful with strategy and with people issues, and now I get my coaching for free!
3) What is your biggest goal right now?
I want to get 100 of my employees to become CEOs.
4) What was the last business book you read?
The last business book I read wasn’t a business book. It was called 11 Walks with Expert Eyes by Alexandra Horowitz. In it, the author has memorized her NYC neighborhood and knows it like the back of her hand, or so she thinks. She then takes walks with 11 different people, such as an urban sociologist, a small animals expert, a typographer, a blind person, and more – and guess what? The way they all see the neighborhood is completely different from her, and fascinating. The point? Diverse perspectives are so important in life and in business. They stimulate new thinking and shake up our brain cells.
5) What cause do you most want to advance?
Right now, I am working with my new company, Startup Institute, to help people get the skills and network they need to find jobs they love in rapidly growing companies. We have a hugely diverse group of students, and it is just insane that people are stuck at work that doesn’t excite them. We fix that, and in turn, it helps to grow the innovation economies for the cities in which we operate. I especially love that 40% of our students are people of color, 40% are woman, and our age range is from 17-61.
6) What is the best piece of advice you ever received?
You owe your children a happy mother.
Check out Diane Hessan’s full 40 Over 40 profile here!
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