The founder received harsh 360 feedback, with colleagues labeling him 'Hurricane Ben' for his disruptive behavior. Instead of being defensive, he recognized the feedback as a critical inflection point, forcing him to fundamentally change his leadership style to effectively scale with the company.

Contrary to the common ambition of top executives, Snowflake's sales and marketing leaders found fulfillment by mastering their specific domains. They had no desire to become CEO, allowing them to shed their egos and focus purely on the craft of their functions, a rare and refreshing mindset in Silicon Valley.

Snowflake's CRO, Chris Degnan, kept his job through multiple growth stages where he could have been replaced. His longevity wasn't due to a pre-existing "scale" playbook, but his intense coachability and ability to "morph" and adapt his strategies based on direct feedback from the board and new leadership.

A senior hire was instrumental in getting Snowflake's CRO promoted. Eighteen months later, that same person was found to be 'cancerous to the organization.' The CRO had to fire them and go on an 'apology tour,' a painful but necessary act of leadership to protect the company culture.

Even after reaching the C-suite of a hyper-growth company, Chris Degnan maintained the mentality that he had to re-earn his job every quarter. This mindset, driven by a fear of failure, ensured he never became complacent and constantly adapted to the scaling demands of his role, which was key to his long tenure.

As a company scales rapidly, a leader's biggest challenge is discerning truth-tellers from those who manage up effectively but perform poorly. The solution is getting into the field and building direct, trust-based relationships with frontline employees to get the real story.

A top-performing CEO adapted the board practice of an "executive session." He periodically removes himself from his own leadership meetings and asks an HR leader to gather candid feedback on his performance. This powerfully models vulnerability and a commitment to continuous improvement for the entire organization.

Despite immense success, Snowflake's CRO Chris Degnan operates as if he has a 90-day employment contract. This self-imposed pressure, rooted in a fear of failure, ensures he never becomes complacent and continuously adapts to the company's evolving needs, a key to his long tenure.

Snowflake's CRO survived multiple attempts by the board to replace him because he was highly coachable. He embraced a mindset of 'I don't know everything' and was willing to get 'punched in the mouth' with feedback. This openness to being told he was screwing up was essential for his evolution and tenure in the role.