Sean Behr: Fountain CEO: Transforming Hiring for Frontline Workers

Sean Behr, the CEO of Fountain, the company transforming the hiring process for hourly workers. Sean and the team have helped over 80M applicants in 75 countries at places like Stitch Fix, Sweetgreen, and goPuff. Fountain has raised $225M to date, most recently through a $100M Series C last June.

Sean joined Fountain as CEO in 2020 after founding fleet infrastructure platform Stratim, serving as SVP of Adap.tv through its acquisition by AOL and holding various management roles at Shopping.com.

Sean and Adam discuss the importance of building strong partnerships, Sean's background in product development and sales, and the unique challenges of hiring and retaining frontline workers. They also delve into the differences between hiring knowledge workers and frontline workers, including the absence of resumes and the reliance on mobile communication.

They discuss the importance of speed and innovation in the hiring process, using the UPS case study as an example. They also talk about the need for leaders to listen to their teams and understand what is important to them. Behr shares his insights on hiring the right people and the importance of taking ownership of mistakes. He also discusses the changing landscape of work and the need for leaders to adapt and evolve.

To learn more, please visit: https://www.fountain.com/?utm_source=shrm-2024&utm_medium=event&utm_campaign=shrm-2024-podcast-adam-posner.

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Takeaways

- Building strong partnerships is foundational to business growth and success.
- Having experience in both product development and sales can make for a well-rounded CEO.
- The ability to quickly get a product in front of real users and gather feedback is crucial for success.
- Frontline workers have different needs and challenges compared to knowledge workers, including the absence of resumes and the reliance on mobile communication.
- Fountain's mobile-first platform is designed to meet the unique needs of frontline workers in the hiring process. Speed and innovation are crucial in the hiring process, especially for frontline workers.
- Leaders need to listen to their teams and understand what is important to them.
- Taking ownership of mistakes and learning from them is a key aspect of leadership.
- The landscape of work is constantly changing, and leaders need to adapt and evolve to be successful.