Welcome to The 6 a.m. CFO, where finance chiefs share how they jump-start their days and engage with the tasks that are in front of them.
Today, Sysdig’s CFO, Karen Walker, shares her morning routine.
Be sure to check out the entire 6 a.m. CFO series, and if you’d like to be featured in a future post, please email us here.
Sysdig
- Real-time cloud security company
- Year founded: 2013
- Number of employees: 600
- Revenue: Three-year growth of 135%
MORNING ROUTINE
Walk us through your normal workday morning routine: My favorite way to start the day is with a workout, but no morning is complete without a cup of coffee! For a while, CrossFit was my go-to. But Sysdig is a global company and mornings can start pretty early, so running or weightlifting have become my staples.
Can you share a recent morning when things didn’t go according to plan? Typically, my fabulous executive assistant jumps into action when meetings need to move or priorities need to shift. Those are the two most typical culprits of a crazy day, and she is a great partner with a strong understanding of our businesses and my priorities who can help me pivot without dropping the ball.
I’m thinking specifically of an 8 a.m. company “all hands” that I was tagged into overnight. I woke up to a flurry of Slack messages explaining why I needed to run the call. I happened to be traveling to the Sysdig San Francisco office that day, and I always take the ferry into the city. So that morning, I spent my boat ride prepping for the company all hands on my way across the bay. Looking back, I find that pretty funny.
How do you structure your first few hours after you log on at work? Making the time to go through Slack messages and emails at the top of my work day helps me feel grounded, especially when it’s chock-full of back-to-back meetings. It allows me to respond to the most urgent messages and see what I’ve missed overnight.
Likewise, before logging out for the evening, I always look at my calendar for the next day. It allows me to make a note if I need to review or prepare something before a meeting, and generally helps me be more productive with my time.
LEADERSHIP AND INSPIRATION
Favorite quote or mantra: There’s a well-known African proverb I’m fond of: “If you want to go faster, go alone. If you want to go further, go together.”
I’m built for speed, and I often prefer to do things myself. Over time, I’ve learned to check that mentality. A big part of leadership is bringing people with you, helping hone their skills and inspiring them. In turn, I’ve learned so much from my team’s perspectives, and I’ve seen that they bring many skills and traits to the table that I don’t possess. Together, we have gone much further than I ever would have gone alone.
Can you share your favorite leadership lesson? I’ve been fortunate to learn many leadership lessons, but one that has served me well is being open about what I know and honest about what I don’t. Having taken on a broader set of responsibilities over time, I came to realize the power of understanding what questions to ask and then actively listening to the experts around you. Early in my career, I put pressure on myself, like I needed to be an expert in every function to lead it. With time, I’ve come to realize that great teams balance each other, and as a leader, my job is to set the strategy. I also now realize that no matter how much experience you have or what you already know, there is always something new to learn and someone to learn it from.
What is something important to know about you that you wouldn’t know from your business bio? Oh, I don’t think this is important – unless there is money on the line – but I have a fun fact! When I play any card game or board game with my family, and I’m winning, I get the giggles. I know it is very juvenile and maybe not that sporting, but I can’t help it. My family finds it mildly amusing, and I recently learned that my niece does the exact same thing. It must be genetic! In addition to sharing winning giggles, she’s a real inspiration to me. She is so focused and tenacious, and I can’t wait to see what’s ahead for her.
What was the last job you did at your company that fell outside your traditional scope of work? Being a company spokesperson and building a thought leadership platform was a totally new concept to me just a couple of years ago. What started as a LinkedIn Live opportunity about the SEC disclosure guidelines in 2023 bloomed into much more than I expected. As it turns out, there is a contingent of people who want to hear a CFO’s perspective on risk, AI and cybersecurity, and that’s given me the chance to work with journalists at publications like CFO.com, Forbes, Bloomberg, Nasdaq and NYSE.
While I was out of my comfort zone to begin with, it helped me sharpen my product and industry knowledge, and practice has certainly pushed me to become more media savvy.
How do you manage work-induced stress? There are three things that I focus on. First, exercise is key for me — and it is even more important to stay on routine in stressful times. Second, even small connections with family and friends help. Even a quick text to a close friend can lift you and keep you going. Third, prioritize ruthlessly. Sometimes you just have to figure out what you can delegate and what to let go of.
What is your favorite number? Three. It’s the perfect number to land key points that support your argument or viewpoint. (See my response above!) People often struggle to remember more than three things, and it helps give you greater command and clarity around your message. I always try to think in terms of the “rule of three.”
What are the most noteworthy items in your workspace? Without question, the unannounced visits and sometimes pounces from two lovely young cats we adopted from a rescue 1.5 years ago are the best part of my workspace. Lola and Lucy! Sometimes they are not great assistants, especially when they stand in front of my monitor, but I still love them.
Do you have a pet sitting in your office right now? Yes! Two, in fact. Even though three is my favorite number, two is the purrfect number of kitties.
What is your favorite phone app that is unrelated to work? The New York Times app is my favorite, and mostly for the games. I love Connections and Wordle, and I like to compare notes (read: compete) with my husband — any mistakes we made or how many tries it took us.
What was the make and model of your first car? My first car was a Volkswagen Jetta. I had it forever, and even when I got a newer, nicer car, I missed it. It was great in the city, and even a bit like a go-kart — four cylinders and all.
Can you share the most important thing you’ve recently read? I love to read memoirs. I have read so many. I recently read “Burnt: A Memoir of Fighting Fire” by Clare Frank, who was one of the highest-ranking women in Cal Fire. She started firefighting at a time when there were very few women. She was truly a trailblazer, and it really inspired me as I saw the parallels in my own career, albeit not quite like her experience.
