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Episode 21

From FBI Dreams to Big Tech Legal: Alice Bisgrove, VP & Associate General Counsel, Procore

Episode summary

Introduction: 01:07

  • Introducing Alice Bisgrove, VP & Associate General Counsel of Procore Technologies.
  • Closing a solid year and meeting or exceeding the targets.
  • Working on corporate strategic planning.
  • How can salespeople make life easier for commercial layers?

Moving into the tech field: 04:36

  • Trying to join the FBI and failing the background check.
  • Working in the non-profit sector.
  • Finding a role with a tech startup.
  • Recognizing your passion for energy, creativity, and innovation.
  • Finding a job at Cisco in the commercial legal department.
  • Accepting the positives of being passed over for a role.

Sensing when an applicant is hungry to work: 09:57

  • Detecting energy and enthusiasm.
  • Approaching questions as an opportunity to show your excitement.
  • The advantages of hiring an applicant for whom the job is slightly out of reach.

Staying curious as a corporate generalist at Cisco: 11:01

  • Starting as a commercial lawyer
  • Being encouraged to move to different departments within the legal department.
  • Learning more and branching out.
  • Getting to move around, learn new skills, and understand the business at Cisco.

Driving alignment after identifying a major problem: 15:03

  • Being a part of the team that helped the company transition from hardware to software.
  • Examining legal problems before expanding into bigger issues.
  • Tackling problems from the bottom up to find a solution.
  • Being willing to share the credit in order to nurture collaboration and partnership.

Building trust with stakeholders in your business: 20:24

  • Understanding who your key allies are.
  • Being invested in building relationships.

Finding ways to maintain customer centricity: 21:42

  • The advantages of being formed as a lawyer in-house.
  • Understanding clients and building long-term relationships.
  • Owning a solution to a problem, then handing it off.

Transitioning to Procore Technologies: 25:46

  • Desiring to use the knowledge she gathered at Cisco in a new setting.
  • Going public with Procore.
  • Diving into cross-functional projects.
  • Analyzing the problem together and identifying how to function better.

Working cross-functionally: 27:38

  • Creating a unique opportunity to build a team from scratch.
  • Learning from other people and own mistakes.

Book recommendations: 32:11

  • The Candy House by Jennifer Egan.

Advice to younger self: 33:54

  • Relaxing and allowing things to unfold.

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Host
Tyler Finn
Head of Community & Growth, SpotDraft
Guest
Alice Bisgrove
VP & Associate General Counsel, Procore

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