CEO of Communispace, Diane Hessan (A77), Discusses Her Life as an Entrepreneur and Leader

CEO of Communispace, Diane Hessan (A77), took time out of her demanding schedule to visit Tufts and discuss her life as an entrepreneur and leader. Diane began her exciting career after earning a degree in economics from Tufts, summa cum laude, followed by an MBA from Harvard Business School. After speaking with Diane, it is evident that she was destined to be a leader long before she started working in the business world. The life lessons she shared and the principles in which she believes reflect her confidence and ability to run a successful company.

What was your experience like at Tufts? What organizations did you participate in and how did you think about your future back then?
I came from a high school with 800 kids, where only 80 went to college. Before coming to Tufts, I had never even taken a final or midterm. But when I arrived, it was magical. The amount of resources here opened my eyes to another level of learning and gave me a better understanding of what was happening in the world. I got involved in many organizations, played instruments, joined athletic teams, was class president, and helped run a lecture series. However, back then there was nothing like the entrepreneurial leadership program, community health, or communications. If you were interested in business, you had to major in economics. The only way to learn about non-academics was through the Experimental College, which was a popular program at the time.

So what field of study grabbed your interest?
Well, I liked to run things. This is why I knew I was a leader. I actually went to a panel one night, toward the end of my sophomore year. This is the first time I ever heard anything about an MBA. I was immediately intrigued by what was said there, and I wanted to find out more. However, by senior year, I was torn between law school and business school. I asked for help from my advisor. That's one thing about Tufts - professors always have their doors open and are willing to help. He advised me by simply telling me to flip a coin and choose. Once I did and was disappointed at the idea of going to law school, he told me to choose what I truly wanted—business school.

What happened once you left Tufts?
I went to Harvard Business School. While there, I made many strong connections and surrounded myself with a great group of friends - which is actually something I learned at Tufts. I have made close friends over the years. I still visit many of them and try to attend their special events. As an entrepreneur, I definitely believe that having a strong group of close friends is important. Once I made it through business school, I had gathered a great deal of experience. I went on to executive positions at The Forum Corporation and then became CEO of RealWorld Consulting. In 1999, I was one of the founding members of Communispace.

Tell me more about Communispace. Were there any times when the company dealt with serious issues that may have threatened its existence?
Yes, definitely. We raised $10 million in venture capital in 2000 and decided to spend it, like any company would in that time and mindset. However, right after raising the cash, the internet bubble burst. We were facing severe financial struggles, so I took the leadership role and made a decision to share all information with everybody. I figured that stress would be lowered if employees had as much information as possible. It was an effective thing to do. When I opened things up to people, they felt like owners and came up with incredible ideas to lift the company. If you treat people like adults and give them what they need to know, they rise to the occasion. Something else I learned is that when you are an entrepreneur, you do not get penalized by taking risks. Think about it, the worst case scenario is to get another job. This minimizes the idea of risk, so you can move forward. Be open and clear about problems in business, but do not get paralyzed by it. A third lesson is to focus really hard on customers in order to pull yourself out of problems. When your company has problems, try to engage customers. As a leader and a CEO, you do not have to solve your own problems. Gather the most information from your customers and you will succeed. A fourth lesson is that you should have fun at your job. Communispace is an exciting internet company—it's not world hunger. People need to liven up and have fun at their job. I think this mentality increases the productivity of the work environment.

What are the stresses involved with being a CEO?
You carry a lot of weight on shoulders. But like I said, the other side is to have fun while controlling and building the company. Everybody is on the team, but I am the leader. People do not want to me to be a coworker. They want somebody to be decisive and confident, and confidence comes with experience. It's great when young people create businesses, but a lot of their strategy is based on guesswork rather than experience. You have to know what kind of leader you want to be which you can determine by looking at leaders that you have worked for. I have worked for leaders who have been great at running a company, but I have also had bad ones. Leadership is something I felt comfortable with, and after gaining experience from my previous jobs, I knew I could handle the stresses of being a CEO and carry the weight of a company. I knew I could be confident, decisive, and smart while maintaining a great working environment.

Being a CEO is the best job. It is dramatically less stressful than others jobs that are not at the very top. As a CEO, you have control over changes. The biggest thing I am in charge of is the culture. I encourage people to select the ground rules and work hours. It's cool to create a company and then work on it. Start learning what kind of leader you want to be.

Do you have any advice you'd like to give to students at Tufts?
There are some people in the world who know what they want to be when they are born. In those cases, life is pretty easy when it comes to choosing a career. My advice is not to worry about a career. Your future job will probably be one that does not even exist right now. The major jobs do not exist now because technology and the workforce are constantly changing. I tell my daughter all the time: do not worry!  Major in what you love and stay close to friends. Work hard and be nice to people. Opportunities will come serendipitously. Job offers will come through networking. And keep in mind - opportunities cannot be planned.