--- title: What It Really Takes to Lead a People-First Company with Kate O’Neil description: In this GTM NewsDesk recap, explore why true people-first leadership starts internally, how tech lags behind in management, and what VCs are getting wrong about growth. image: https://www.tackgtm.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/GTMND-YTThumbnail%20(Regular)-Kate%20ONeil-2.png --- [![TACK logo](https://www.tackgtm.com/hs-fs/hubfs/logotype_navy_original_RGB-1.png?width=110&height=29&name=logotype_navy_original_RGB-1.png)](https://www.tackgtm.com) - [COMMUNITY](https://www.tackgtm.com/product) - [THE GTM LIBRARY](https://thegtmlibrary.com/) - [MARKETING LEADERSHIP MASTERMIND](https://www.tackgtm.com/marketing-leadership-mastermind) - [MEMBER TESTIMONIALS](https://www.tackgtm.com/insider-testimonials) - RESOURCES - [WHAT IS PEOPLE-FIRST GTM?](https://www.tackgtm.com/people-first-gtm-model) - [BLOG](https://www.tackgtm.com/blog) - [WEBINARS](https://www.tackgtm.com/webinars) - [PODCAST](https://www.tackgtm.com/gtm-news-desk) - [BOOKS & GUIDES](https://www.tackgtm.com/go-to-market-resources) - SERVICES - [ON DEMAND GTM SERVICES](https://www.tackgtm.com/on-demand-gtm-services) - [PODCAST PRODUCTION](https://www.tackgtm.com/b2b-video-podcast-production) - [DEMO CENTERS](https://www.tackgtm.com/demo-centers) - [CUSTOMER STORIES](https://www.tackgtm.com/tack-gtm-testimonials) - ABOUT - [MEET MARK](https://www.tackgtm.com/about-tack) - [MEET THE TEAM](https://www.tackgtm.com/meet-the-team) [BOOK A MEETING](https://meetings.hubspot.com/kilens)   ### Why Tech Needs a People-First Revolution — Not Just a Rebrand Too many companies say they’re people-first — but only when speaking to customers. Internally, they remain transactional, reactive, and misaligned. In this GTM NewsDesk episode, Nick Bennett, Mark Kilens, and guest Kate from Opsy unpack what true people-first leadership looks like, why tech is trailing behind industries like insurance and farming, and how VCs might be part of the problem. People-First Means Internal First: Brands that tout community externally but fail to support employees internally aren’t truly people-first. Sustainable culture starts inside — with psychological safety, clear communication, and leadership that enables, not just manages. Leadership Is an Operating System: Leadership isn’t charisma or instinct. It’s a system of intentional hiring, onboarding, enablement, and feedback. High-performing companies like HubSpot and Drift invest in repeatable frameworks — not just gut feel. Tech Has a Management Problem: Despite building the future, tech still lags in cultivating effective people leaders. Industries like agriculture and insurance are often better at developing strong management muscles because they take the craft seriously. VC Culture May Be the Root Cause: The VC-driven scale-at-all-costs mentality often rewards fast hiring without slow training. The result? Burnout, mismanagement, and poor retention. Until investors value leadership development as much as growth charts, little will change. People-first leadership isn’t soft — it’s strategic. Building real teams, not just headcount, is the ultimate growth hack. Culture isn’t what you claim. It’s what your employees live. “The companies that say they’re people-first to their customers but not to their employees are not people-first.” — Kate O'Neil   --- EXCLUSIVE CONTENT     ### [![Mark Kilens](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/daf76171ad085aba01bdd0a8f4b54225) Mark Kilens](https://www.tackgtm.com/blog/author/mark-kilens) [![Linkedin Author](https://f.hubspotusercontent10.net/hubfs/8768169/Elements/Theme/icons/social/linkedin.svg)](https://www.linkedin.com/in/markkilens/) ## Similar posts GTM News Desk ### [Network Development Reps, Google Ads, and Demand Gen](https://tackgtm.com/gtm-news-desk/network-development-reps-google-ads-and-demand-gen) We explore headlines from NDR reps to recent trends in Google Ads. And Justin Keller share his insights on building people-first demand generation... Mark Kilens May 9, 2025 GTM News Desk ### [New Trends in Startup Growth, SearchGPT, and Strategic Content Marketing](https://tackgtm.com/gtm-news-desk/new-trends-in-startup-growth) Discover startup growth trends, OpenAI's SearchGPT impact, and Klue’s innovative marketing strategies in this GTM News Desk episode. Learn how to... Mark Kilens May 9, 2025 GTM News Desk ### [Why Vulnerability is Key to Leading Successful Teams with Brie Aletto](https://tackgtm.com/gtm-news-desk/why-vulnerability-is-key-to-leading-successful-teams-with-brie-aletto) Brie Aletto shares how she builds high-performing teams through emotional intelligence, scrappy hires, and radical transparency—especially in the age... Mark Kilens Jul 18, 2025 ![TACK LOGO](https://www.tackgtm.com/hubfs/logotype_white_original_RGB%201.svg) TACK GTM LLC PO Box 913 Newburyport, MA 01950 ### COMPANY - [About Us](https://www.tackgtm.com/about-tack) - [TACK Insider](https://www.tackinsider.com/) - [On Demand GTM Services](https://www.tackgtm.com/b2b-marketing-services-tack-gtm) ### RESOURCES - [People-first GTM Model](https://www.tackgtm.com/people-first-gtm-model) Copyright © 2025 TACK GTM LLC All rights reserved. [Powered by Atlas - a B2B SaaS HubSpot theme](https://www.kalungi.com/atlas-hubspot-theme-for-b2b-saas-software) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Mark Kilens", "url" : "https://www.tackgtm.com/blog/author/mark-kilens" }, "dateModified" : "2025-10-19T12:52:50.529Z", "datePublished" : "2025-06-11T04:00:00.000Z", "headline" : "What It Really Takes to Lead a People-First Company with Kate O’Neil", "image" : [ "https://www.tackgtm.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/GTMND-YTThumbnail%20(Regular)-Kate%20ONeil-2.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.tackgtm.com/blog/gtm-news-desk/what-it-really-takes-to-lead-a-people-first-company-with-kate-oneil", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://www.tackgtm.com/hubfs/logotype_navy_original_RGB.jpg" }, "name" : "TACK" } } ```