Inspired to lead: Meet Yannick Koger of Pinterest Chicago

While on-site in Chicago for an employee photoshoot, the Life at Pinterest team met Yannick Koger, Sr. Manager of US Retail Measurement. Inspired by Yannick’s zest for leading his team and dedication to mentorship, we caught up with him after the shoot to learn more. In this blog article, get to know Yannick, how he empowers his team and his advice to other managers. 

Hi Yannick, we’re looking forward to connecting with you again! Can you start with a brief introduction and an overview of your role at Pinterest? 

Hi, my name is Yannick Koger and I lead measurement solutions for Retail advertisers across the United States. If you’ve seen an ad on Pinterest around home decor, grocery items, do-it-yourself projects, large online, and traditional mass merchandising advertisers, it’s quite possible my team is working with that client. My department, Measurement Solutions, helps advertisers understand if their ads are working well through analytics.

Describe your management style. 

My leadership style is focused on a positive vision for the future, demonstrating authenticity, adaptability, growth, and high trust. A large part of what I enjoy about managing a team is seeing them deliver great results. My hope is that by showing up as an authentic leader with a positive vision of what we can accomplish, it provides the team support they need to excel. I trust them to operate well, and they deliver great results for our clients and cross functional partners. That creates opportunities for their career growth. The consistent positive feedback on my team affords me the ability to bring meaningful opportunities for impact where they can continue to learn and grow.

How do you support your team in achieving their professional and personal goals? What tips would you share with other managers? 

I believe the key ways I support my team to achieve their goals is to set clear expectations, build impactful goals, provide meaningful feedback, and focus on both short-term and long-term career growth. Pinterest professionals are so good at what they do; my role is to help clarify how company goals translate into their day-to-day. Also, I enable my team to autonomously deliver their goals. Sometimes that’s through truly listening and supporting them. Other times, it is removing barriers that may exist. I view my role as one of enablement – setting the stage for my team’s success versus being very hands-on. 

Some tips I would provide to other managers are to deliver meaningful feedback and big picture career growth. I am far from finished in my journey on improving my ability to deliver feedback, but I’ve found that team members are genuinely interested in improving at their craft.

For feedback, “don’t wait” and “be specific”. 

• Don’t wait means providing feedback at the right moment. You don’t have to wait until a formal feedback cycle to help your team grow. After a meeting, send a note to a team member or, if needed, hop on a quick video call to discuss how the meeting went. 
• Be specific; phrases like “Great job” and “Nice work” are not enough. It’s a wonderful start to feedback, but it’s far from sufficient to lead effectively. “Great job today, you managed the meeting well by having a clear agenda, redirecting the team to focus when needed, and accomplished all your goals. Excellent client meeting management!” Specificity shows both authenticity and gives tangible areas of focus for your team members. As a manager, it can be surprisingly tough to provide honest feedback, but we owe it to our team members to help them grow.

Speaking of growth – balance the here and now, with the bigger picture. As the complexity of the day-to-day tasks and workload increases, your team’s ability to see their longer term vision may dim. I would challenge managers to create the space for their team members to take a breath, focus on their bigger picture, and re-calibrate to longer term career growth opportunities. Creating space for these conversations helps me understand what my team needs and how I can show up for them as a leader going forward. When I can help professionals understand their values, strengths, and establish a vision for their career, it’s time extremely well spent. 

You’re based in Chicago, and Pinterest Chicago moved to a new office space last year. Which room in the office brings you the most inspiration? 

First off, I have to give a huge congratulations to the Design and Construction team that brought the IRL Pinterest board, aka the Chicago office, to life. It is a wonderful representation of what happens when aspirations manifest into the real world. The Stadium gives me the most inspiration, I am a former athlete that currently coaches youth teams. Seeing the historical success of great Chicago sports teams is inspirational to me. For me, athletics is a great example of how the little things you do everyday lead up to championship moments in life.

What Pinterest board is currently inspiring you? 

Right now, I’m inspired by basketball workouts and drills to put together for the three on three summer team I’m going to coach. 

Inspired by Yannick's story? Discover opportunities to join our sales team and apply here.