Peoplelogic Spotlight Interview: Meet Mike!

This month, we are excited to highlight Mike Ciulla, our outstanding VP of Growth!

Hailing from Massachusetts, with a professional background in fostering people-centric growth, Mike finds joy in cooking delicious meals; relaxing with his Bernedoodles, Cali, and Crosby; and strumming tunes on his guitar.  

Join us in extending a warm welcome to Mike as we delve into his unique personal journey in our exclusive interview.

Employee Spotlight Q & A:

• Ashley Alderman: As a leader, how do you prioritize your time and maintain a healthy work-life balance, and how do you encourage your team to do the same?
• Mike Ciulla: There is always more work to do. And that doesn't change if you work 12-hour days! For me, prioritization is the key. For example, what is the work that I can do today that will have the biggest impact towards our goal? This is the work: I will prioritize, today. Repeat tomorrow. I encourage my team to work the same way. Know the goals we are working towards; know where we stand against our goals; prioritize your work to give us the best chance at hitting or exceeding our goals. It can be difficult to disconnect in a remote-first workplace. But it’s also nice to have the flexibility to take your dog for a walk, meet a friend for lunch, or run to the store during the workday. I think the biggest thing I can do to help my team maintain a healthy work/life balance is to create a safe work environment. Most importantly, great workplaces are built on trust, accountability, and open communication. This combined with getting to know people on a more personal level makes it easier to see when things get out of balance.

• AA: If you could get the answer to one question in the universe, what question would you ask?
• MC: Why can't we all just get along?

• AA: What type of recognition and appreciation do you value most and why?
• MC: For me, results are the ultimate form of recognition when it comes to work. I want to know if the effort I put in had an impact. Sure, it feels good to get praise and to be appreciated, publicly. But it feels better to generate results!

• AA: What do you believe are the most significant challenges and opportunities in the industry right now, and how is Peoplelogic positioned to address them?
• MC: I believe an incredible opportunity exists for businesses to improve the way their leadership teams lead. The world has changed. The way people work has changed. Market conditions have changed. Buying patterns have changed ... and all this change happened very quickly over the course of roughly 2 years. But ... businesses are still made up of people. And people use technology to get work done. So, the opportunity is to understand how your company is performing (baseline activity, engagement, and satisfaction) and then act to drive improvements. Do you know how long it should take for a new sales rep to ramp up to full capacity? Do you know how much activity your marketing team typically generates in a week or month? Any idea how engaged your team is each day? Are employees happy? Do you know how burnt out your top performers are? Who are your most/least effective leaders? And what are you doing to help them be more effective? These are the questions businesses need to answer to drive efficient, predictable growth and this is where Peoplelogic helps.

• AA: If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?
• MC: Tacos. Because what's better than a taco?

• AA: If you could have a growth-related superpower, what would it be and why?
• MC: The ability to write irresistible offers - copy so good people can’t just ignore it and do exactly what I want them to do every time.

• AA: Can you share a specific success story or project that you are particularly proud of during your time at Peoplelogic?
• MC: I don't know that there is one story ... but more of a collection of events. When building at a company this stage/size (pre-seed, <20 people) there is constant change. Constant change. Sometimes you spend weeks working on something and then decide not to ship it and instead pivot to something else. This can wear on people and teams. And, as VP of Growth it’s often me that is spinning people up and down and sometimes not using the work people have been asked to do! That wears on me because I know how buried everyone is doing their part to ensure we win. So, getting back to the question. I guess I'm most proud of the team and how committed and focused everyone is on both the mission and the daily grind to figure it all out in time!  

• AA: How would your closest friend describe you in three words?
• MC: Honest, trustworthy, and practical.

• AA: If you got a full year off with pay, how would you spend your time?
• MC: I would spend that year in the woods away from technology and the developed world. I would probably head straight to North Maine's massive 3 million acres of wilderness for some quality time in nature – you know, fishing, hiking, kayaking, etc.

• AA: What is your go-to tactic for unwinding after a stressful day?
• MC: Most days I transition from work directly into cooking dinner. This gets my mind onto something else and allows me to unwind. I also play guitar and exercise to unwind.

• AA: If you had to describe the role of VP of Growth at Peoplelogic using only emojis, which ones would you choose and why?
• MC: 🥳 😱 🧐 🤪 😅