Ep. 610 - FAN FAVORITE | Scale AI General Manager Melisa Tokmak - I Don't Want a Ladder, I Want an Elevator

What does it take to go from Chief of Staff to running your own business unit before turning 30?In this Fan Favorite episode, Cameron Herold sits down with Melisa Tokmak, former General Manager of Document AI at Scale AI and now founder of Netic, to revisit one of the show's most insightful conversations on building teams and leading fast.Melisa's path is rare: a tiny village in Turkey, Stanford, Facebook, then right hand to Scale's CEO. She breaks down what a chief of staff really does, how she wins over senior candidates when she is younger than most, and why doing everything yourself is the hardest habit to break.Whether you are building a team or chasing a bigger role, this conversation is a masterclass in taking the elevator. Listen now.Sponsored by:STS Capital Partners - Your expert guides on the journey to an Extraordinary Exit™. To learn more about STS Capital Partners and how they achieve maximum value by Selling to Strategics™, check out here.Timestamped Highlights05:48 Attracting Top Talent08:42 Leadership Development11:20 Transitioning to Scale AI14:40 Defining Chief of Staff18:59 Overcoming Growth Challenges22:33 Focusing on Priorities26:02 Hiring and Culture30:04 Identifying Candidates33:33 First Principles Approach36:40 Career Advice and ClosingAbout the GuestMelisa Tokmak is the founder of Netic. At the time of this recording, she was General Manager of Document AI at Scale AI, where she led a team of engineers, machine learning scientists, and product, operations, sales, and marketing talent building fine-tuned models for logistics, financial services, healthcare, and government. She joined Scale two years out of college as Chief of Staff to CEO Alexandr Wang, then founded the company's government unit, whose customers included the U.S. Army, the Defense Innovation Unit, and the U.S. Air Force.Mentioned ResourcesScale AIStanford UniversityMeta (Facebook)1-800-GOT-JUNK?Defense Innovation UnitImportant LinksConnect with Cameron: Website | LinkedInExplore the COO Alliance – The World's Leading Community for Seconds in CommandGet Cameron's book: Second in Command, Unleash the Power of Your COO BookClaim your FREE copy: Second in Command: Unleash the Power of Your COO BookTake his course: Invest In Your Leaders Online Course (Use promo code PODCAST10 before the end of the month for 10% off)Chat or video call with AI Cameron via Delphi