Social Responsibility Intuit’s Marianna Tessel on Her Trusted Advisers The chief product development officer at the software company’s biggest unit turns to four sources for career guidance Marianna Tessel A chief product development officer at Intuit When the veteran software engineer was hired last year as the first chief product development officer for Intuit’s biggest unit, she faced a tough task: Transform an Written by Intuit Blog Team Published Aug 20, 2018 - [Updated Nov 7, 2022] 2 min read The chief product development officer at the software company’s biggest unit turns to four sources for career guidance Marianna Tessel A chief product development officer at Intuit When the veteran software engineer was hired last year as the first chief product development officer for Intuit’s biggest unit, she faced a tough task: Transform an operation that develops software for QuickBook products while taking charge of the largest number of people—more than 1,500—she had ever managed. “I worked quickly to immerse myself in the team,’’ says the 50-year-old daughter of engineers. Here are four trusted advisers who have offered career guidance at critical junctures. Tayloe Stansbury Intuit’s chief technology officer Mr. Stansbury—who was Ms. Tessel’s boss at a small web-commerce company called Ariba—brought her to Intuit after she requested his recommendation for a position elsewhere. His best leadership tip? Face an issue head on by digging deep into details. You uncover solutions “that you didn’t see before,’’ she says. Bill Coughran Sequoia Capital partner; former Google engineering executive Mr. Coughran helped recruit Ms. Tessel to Docker, the software startup where he is a director, in 2014. He has urged her to maintain her technical expertise, no matter how many engineers she leads. ‘‘To be able to steer a ship in a particular direction, you need to understand the sea,’’ she says. Aileen Lee Partner at Cowboy Ventures Ms. Tessel tapped Ms. Lee’s startup expertise before joining Docker. The venture capitalist also shaped her view of career moves as a chess match. “It’s important to think several steps ahead,’’ Ms. Tessel says. Lee Franklin Executive coach at California Leadership Center Mr. Franklin taught her that effective leaders understand the importance of telling the truth without blame. In other words, Ms. Tessel says, be authentic and accountable. Previous Post National Inventors Month: 5 Customer-Favorite QuickBooks Features Next Post Coding With Compassion: Q&A with Intuit Accessibility Leads Ted Drake… Written by Intuit Blog Team More from Intuit Blog Team Browse Related Articles Intuit Experts The Support to Grow your Tax and Bookkeeping Career, Your Way Intuit Experts Flexible Work that Works: Revolutionizing Tax and Bookkeeping Careers with Intuit Intuit Experts How to Become a CPA (A Comprehensive Guide) Intuit Experts 5 Weekend Accounting and Tax Jobs to Boost Your Income People & Culture Closing the gap for women in tech: why mentorship matters Social Responsibility Building Inclusion: supporting career transitions of veterans through mentorship Social Responsibility Building a strong network to grow your career Tech Innovation Global Engineering Days 2023 – a week on the road to beautiful code Global Stories How Intuit’s tech culture helped me grow as an individual and engineer Social Responsibility DEI: Powering prosperity for all