The 'Flying Formation' Operating Model
by Melissa Tan • Former Head of Growth at Webflow & Dropbox at Webflow / Dropbox / Advisor
A seasoned growth leader who built Dropbox's B2B self-serve business and led growth at Webflow. She is a sought-after advisor for unicorns like Canva, Grammarly, and Miro, specializing in scaling growth teams and go-to-market strategies.
🎙️ Episode Context
Melissa Tan shares her deep expertise on building high-performance growth teams, drawing from her experiences at Dropbox and Webflow. She discusses the transition from PLG to sales, unique hiring frameworks like 'First Principles Thinking,' and specific operating models for aligning cross-functional teams.
Problem It Solves
Prevents the Growth team from stepping on toes or functioning as a disjointed layer on top of Product/Marketing.
Framework Overview
A structured approach to cross-functional alignment that combines clear role definitions (DACI), specific metric ownership splits, and rigorous operating rhythms to ensure teams move in unison.
🧠 Framework Structure
Define the DACI: Clearly identify the...
Split Metric Ownership: Example - Gro...
Establish Operating Rhythms: Implemen...
When to Use
When a growth team is formed and friction arises regarding who owns which part of the user funnel.
Common Mistakes
Assuming 'everyone owns growth' without assigning specific accountability for decision-making.
Real World Example
At Webflow, Melissa created a document defining that Growth Marketing owned signups, while Product Growth owned everything downstream. They held weekly meetings to review metrics together.
Growth shouldn't feel like a layer on top of product. The best way to execute is to have growth infused into how you think about product development.
— Melissa Tan