Being a CEO is the worst job on the planet, according to Cory Munchbach.
But, Munchbach said she has learned more in the past 10 years serving as the CEO of BlueConic than she has in her entire life.
“Would I maybe be a happier person without those lessons?” Munchbach, BC ’09, said. “Yeah, possibly. But here we are. I’ve learned them, so we’re gonna keep on keeping on.”
The Shea Center for Entrepreneurship hosted Munchbach on Wednesday afternoon to discuss her journey to and experience as a CEO of one of the world’s leading consumer data platforms.
Munchbach said when she graduated with a degree in political science from BC, she originally had plans to pursue a Ph.D. in public policy but realized she wanted something different.
“There’s sort of a perception that to get into technology and into startups you need to be a founder or developer/computer science person,” Munchbach said. “That’s not true—again, political science [major].”
Munchbach said the critical thinking and writing skills she learned as a political science major have been extremely valuable to her.
“I am a really good thinker, Munchbach said. “I am great with logic. I make a really strong written argument—all the things that are very, very good to me in my role—so I’m a big believer in liberal arts. As CEO, when I think about making the case to our board, for example, to invest in the company, I need to make a really strong, clear, concise argument, and poli-sci was great for that.”
Munchbach explained that there are many different career paths in tech and that she worked multiple different jobs before landing at BlueConic, many of which she did not enjoy.
“I’ve done probably half of these jobs—I hate a good chunk of them,” Munchbach said. “That was good learning, too. If you can dabble in it, figure out what makes sense, what you like to spend your time on.”
Alongside trying different jobs, one of the most important parts of becoming a leader is staying constantly curious, according to Munchbach.
“When I think about who I hire for, [curiosity] is a core value of ours at the company,” Munchbach said. “I’m so uninterested in people who think they’ve already gotten a problem solved before they’ve even seen it.”
Being a female CEO also comes with its challenges, Munchbach said. When she is in a meeting with her male partners, people do not always show her the same amount of respect, she explained.
“Someone once asked me, ‘Do you think that everyone who you’re meeting with thinks that you’re just in the room as eye candy or that… you’re sleeping [with your boss]?” and I was like, none of the above,” Munchbach said. “Actually, I’m here because I run half the f—g business.”
Munchbach said that serving as CEO is like being the center of an orbit with the whole company circling around you, which comes with a lot of pressure.
“I’m going to take a nap when this is done,” Munchbach said. “Then, I’m gonna keep doing the best I can.”
