“I leave inspired to do even better work after every one-on-one that I have:” Kendra Berner on Lattice’s Coaching Culture

Kendra Berner is an Enterprise Account Executive at Lattice, where she’s worked for over two years. Here, we talk to her about her journey to the Sales team, her favorite part of working at Lattice, why diverse hiring is so important, and so much more.

How did you get started in Sales?

I feel very lucky that Sales found me. Growing up, I would practice reading the weather report to my parents with dreams of being a news anchor, but, in college, I quickly realized early mornings weren't my thing. I graduated with a degree in Communications, and, like many, had no idea what job to apply for or what I could see myself doing.

Most of my friends were pursuing roles in the Bay area, so when a friend reached out about an open Sales Development Representative (SDR) role at a tech company in Mill Valley, I blindly said “Yes!” It was the first job I applied for — the first "corporate" role I took on. It’s a huge blessing I still love what I’m doing and stumbled upon it early in my career.

What drew you to Lattice?

Luck tends to be a common theme in this post. After years of selling to Talent Acquisition professionals, I was unsure whether or not to stay in the HR Tech space or look for something completely different. An article just like this one popped up on my LinkedIn feed, and within a few sentences, I was intrigued. Riki Newton described the Sales culture as “we root for each other and mean it” or “people here are really smart and they care a lot about their craft & the company’s success,” and this matched the collaborative Sales culture I was looking for. 

A specific moment that resonated with me was in my final interview with Dini Mehta, our CRO. I was able to candidly talk about another path I was pursuing in my career and get her advice. Her answer was gentle but honest, and she painted a larger picture for my career at that moment that was incredibly helpful. It wasn’t even our first one-on-one (I hadn’t started at Lattice yet) but it was so easy to trust her judgment and leadership, and this moment showed me that Lattice cares about people here, no matter where they are in their journey.

What’s your favorite part of working here?

One favorite part?! Geesh! There are so many things I love about Lattice. I actually really love the work my team is doing. Our Strategic team is hyper-focused on moving the Lattice product upmarket and serving Enterprise clients. It’s challenging, yet insanely rewarding. Every win feels like a collaborative effort and a huge success.
Secondly, “the people'' being a highlight at a company can be a generalization we hear often, but being a Lattician has more meaning here. I've always described Lattice as a team of A+ players, who, instead of competing with each other, want everyone to be alongside them in first place. Colleagues are intelligent and passionate, and I leave inspired to do even better work after every one-on-one that I have. It seems like individuals here are innately reflecting on their work often and are open to any and all feedback, which is pretty unique and very aligned to our “Clear Eyes” value.
It’s been a treat to see Lattice grow from 100 employees to almost 400. All of us are committed to scaling our culture as we hire, which is insanely difficult, but it’s something I respect most about our leaders and individual contributors here. We’ve changed in parts as we’ve grown, but we’ve also remained true to what’s most important to us.

What ERGs are you a member of?

Lattice Ladies has been a great outlet. I've been on quite a few sales teams where I am the only female on the tier. It can be difficult to vocalize an opposing perspective or offer a new outlook, and having self-identified female mentors to look up to is really important with the highs and lows of sales.
2020 has shuffled how I view the world around me and other humans, so supporting ERGs like #erg-loud-allies and #erg-prideatlattice-allies have highlighted new stories and perspectives for me. Personally, Lattice prioritizing diverse hiring is incredibly important to me, and it pushes us to be better humans.

Favorite Lattice Slack Channel and why?

Our #golf-squad channel has been a fun one during Covid. We’ve been able to safely connect with coworkers outside for some fun golfing events. Jenn Doddridge and Anthony Firenzi on our Sales team have definitely improved my driving skills with their tips and tricks. I could still use some help with my hybrid irons though... 😂

What’s something you’re passionate about outside of your job?

I had spent all my life in California until, in my twenties, I moved to Chicago. I wanted to balance co-worker time with a new outlet of friends and pursued my 200-hour yoga teacher training! I've been teaching yoga now for three years, and absolutely love it as my creative outlet. 

Lattice has offered a unique opportunity to bridge this passion with colleagues. During the pandemic, my co-worker, Emily Del Sig, and I offered Virtual Yoga Sculpt and Flow classes. It was a great way to stay connected amidst work-from-home and offered space for my coworkers to reset and rest during an incredibly stressful season. 

I also led a Chair Yoga stretch break during RFH Virtual in 2020 with over 5,000 individuals in my breakout room, probably my largest yoga class yet! 🤩

How do you think Lattice has helped you grow in your career?

Launching our Strategic team and scaling it from a team of three to a team of seven has been one of the most difficult and rewarding experiences in my career. Deals that we've lost have been heartbreaking, but wins that we've wrangled have propelled us forward. I've developed positive skepticism and deeper sales acumen with the help of seasoned managers at Lattice. It’s exciting — I've never felt like such a strong seller before in my career.

Best day at work?

I still remember this day so vividly. I closed my first big outbound deal at Lattice four months in, and quickly typed up the deal in our #new-deal-alerts Slack group, from the office at the time. After posting, teammates immediately raced up for a high five, a hug, or shouted a congrats from across the room. Riki, my onboarding buddy and dear friend, who was at a conference that day immediately called my cell to celebrate with me. 

Hard work does not go unnoticed here, we love to commemorate these special moments because they can be guiding lights during more testing seasons! 

Cheez-Its or Goldfish?

Goldfish, although I have to say my guilty snack pleasure at the office is usually chocolate-covered almonds!

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Lattice works with People teams across the globe to turn managers into leaders, employees into high-performers, and companies into the best places to work. Interested in joining our team? Check our Careers page for all open positions across a variety of departments.