
Best Manager Ever: Zayd Badwan
10/23/24 • 38 min
Zayd Badwan is a founding team member and VP of Enterprise at Uplimit. Before joining Uplimit, Zayd scaled the Customer Success team at Coursera. With 15+ years of experience in learning and development startups, he brings insights from working closely with global governments and nonprofits, and industry-leading companies including Google and Salesforce.
Zayd is described by his direct reports as a positive leader with a knack for building trust, making work fun, and bringing relentless energy in the face of challenges.
In this episode, Annie Riley sits down with Zayd to discuss the highs and lows of building teams from scratch, prioritizing learning as the best way to win in early stage company-building, and managing burnout and building emotional resilience. Zayd also highlights the importance of authenticity and candor in work relationships, and shares strategies for communicating across the company. Tune in for valuable insights on leadership, especially in very early-stage startup environments.
Check out Fort Light to level up your leadership skills
Connect with our show’s producer Alexis Ramdaou
Nominate your Best Manager Ever for Season 2
This is a Production of Fort Light and Now it’s Hear
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Zayd Badwan is a founding team member and VP of Enterprise at Uplimit. Before joining Uplimit, Zayd scaled the Customer Success team at Coursera. With 15+ years of experience in learning and development startups, he brings insights from working closely with global governments and nonprofits, and industry-leading companies including Google and Salesforce.
Zayd is described by his direct reports as a positive leader with a knack for building trust, making work fun, and bringing relentless energy in the face of challenges.
In this episode, Annie Riley sits down with Zayd to discuss the highs and lows of building teams from scratch, prioritizing learning as the best way to win in early stage company-building, and managing burnout and building emotional resilience. Zayd also highlights the importance of authenticity and candor in work relationships, and shares strategies for communicating across the company. Tune in for valuable insights on leadership, especially in very early-stage startup environments.
Check out Fort Light to level up your leadership skills
Connect with our show’s producer Alexis Ramdaou
Nominate your Best Manager Ever for Season 2
This is a Production of Fort Light and Now it’s Hear
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Previous Episode

Best Manager Ever: Morgane Palomares
Morgane Palomares is the VP of Marketing at Vercel, and is known for her significant roles at GitHub, Zendesk and Change.org.
Morgane's direct reports praise her exceptional leadership, high standards, and ability to create a trusting and safe environment. They describe her as 'superhuman,' 'aggressive,' and 'a winner,' highlighting her unique ability to balance high demands with personal care for her team.
In this episode, Annie Riley, the founder of Fort Light, talks with Morgane about strategies for setting high expectations, creating space for emotions, and fostering team camaraderie. Learn about Morgan's approach to continuous learning, her unique lingo, and her emphasis on early career coaching. Morgan also talks about balancing work-life commitments, organizing her time effectively, being proactive about personal growth, and the importance of sharing information openly with her team.
Connect with Morgane Palomares
Check out Fort Light to level up your leadership skills
Connect with our show’s producer Alexis Ramdaou
Nominate your Best Manager Ever for Season 2
This is a Production of Fort Light and Now it’s Hear
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Next Episode

Best Manager Ever: Brittney Hall
Brittany Hall is the Head of Customer Experience at ReMatter, a series A startup. She is also known for her notable work at companies like GoGuardian, People.ai and DataGrail. Over the past decade, Brittney has built a reputation for her outstanding ability to build and scale customer-facing teams from scratch.
Brittany's direct reports describe her as an exceptional leader who is clear, honest, and genuinely caring. They highlight her ability to build high-performing teams and manage early-stage company challenges.
In this episode Annie Riley, Founder of Fort Light, sits down with Brittney, to discuss the framework for hiring non-traditional candidates, her strategy for timely feedback and team communication, and her approach to self-advocacy and prioritizing tasks. Tune in to learn how Brittany's leadership style and execution mindset drive startup success.
Check out Fort Light to level up your leadership skills
Connect with our show’s producer Alexis Ramdaou
Nominate your Best Manager Ever for Season 2
This is a Production of Fort Light and Now it’s Hear
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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