Editor’s note: This is the first post in a 2012 series, by Atlas Venture Partner Jeff Fagnan, celebrating the individuals making a difference and giving back to the New England Tech ecosystem.

I first met Chris Lynch 10 years ago when I was looking to recruit a CEO for DataPower.  Chris was everyone’s “first call” CEO candidate at the time.   He was at Cisco and leading their content networking group.  Previous to Cisco, Chris was VP Sales and Marketing at Arrowpoint and instrumental in selling it to Cisco for $5.7B.  Chris didn’t have to meet with me.  He was busy and I was a young no name venture capitalist at a no name Cambridge seed stage venture firm.  Chris had his pick of venerable Winter Street GPs looking to buy him coffee, but he took the time to meet with me anyway.

We spent a charged two and a half hours together.  We white boarded the competitive landscape, brainstormed ways to position the company and discussed people we should try to hire in a variety of roles.   I left the meeting feeling absolutely jazzed about DataPower’s potential despite Chris turning down the CEO role.  I also left the meeting acutely aware of Lynch’s actual substance and his ability to connect and motivate people.  He and I have stayed in contact ever since that first meeting.  To date, I have personally witnessed him help scores of start-up companies and mentor dozens of individuals.

Late last week my attention was called to a local media post on Lynch titled “How not treat your employees (and journalists).”  The post stated that Chris needed to learn some humility.  I know and like the reporter, but this is a case where he clearly got it wrong. Here is what I know to be true:

1. Chris cares about people – He has a rolodex of several thousand people and he amazingly seems to be able to stay in close contact with all of them.   He builds real personal bonds.  He probes deeply into people’s psyche and their individual values.  I know this firsthand and it is why customers, partners and colleagues all follow Chris from company to company.
2. Chris wants to help entrepreneurs – He worked with me at Atlas as an Executive In Residence in 2010.  The single frustration I had working with Chris is he wants to help every entrepreneur he meets.  Lynch is genuinely interested in everyone with a dream.  He will invest his time, connections and personal money helping just about any entrepreneur that has the guts to lay it on the line.
3. Chris wears it on his sleeve – He is not a colorless platitude drivel-spewing drone.  Lynch will never be plain vanilla.  He will tell you what he thinks.  He is direct and you always know where you stand.  He takes great personal pride in his work and staunchly defends his teams and their accomplishments.  Justly so.

Bottom line: Chris Lynch is rare air for New England.  He is a selfless and tireless serial tech executive focused on giving back through developing people and furthering the ecosystem.  He may have a bit of an exterior rough edge but that is all part of the charm.  To truly grock Chris, one should view his recent Bentley commencement speech. It is as self-deprecating as it is motivating.

BTW, Chris calls me a putz often …

Bentley Commencement Part 1

Bentley Commencement Part 2

Editor’s note: The comments on the original piece also do a great job in defending Chris. Some of them are not easily navigable, so I have included them below.

——-  Written by : Andy Franklin

Kyle-I had to comment because you could not be farther from the truth about Chris Lynch. I have worked with and for Chris for many years. He is a great leader who inspires us to be a bit better in everything we do. Working around Chris is like joining a family, he takes genuine interest in our personal and professional situations and helps us stretch to exceed our goals.

You really should consider retracting these hurtful statements.

——-  Written by : Glenn Gerhart

Kyle –

I’m the regional SE for the Pacific NW and I have to say that your conclusions regarding Chris are totally unwarranted. Vertica is one of the best places I’ve ever worked (and I’ve been all over). This is a direct result of management’s positive regard for Vertica’s employees, starting at the very top with Chris. The few personal interactions I’ve had with him have engendered nothing but respect for the man. You simply missed the boat on this one.

——- Written by : Walter Maguire

In my time with vertica, I’ve seen Chris stand behind his team one hundred percent.  Shortly after starting with Vertica, I had a legal issue I won’t detail here. Chris and his entire team rallied to help me out without hesitation.  You always know where you stand with Chris- something I find refreshing.  He cuts through the fluff and bs and gets things done.  In my opinion, he’s an ‘A’ list leader.

——- Written by : Ari Daskalakis

Kyle,

Your blog is so out of line and a totally off base characterization of Chris.  He is a tremendous leader who has always put the success of his employees and company before himself.  He has built a loyal network of people that continues to work with him which only grows after each venture.   I have seen this up close and personal for these past 20 years across 5 different companies.  Before you go off half cocked common sense says you should know something about a person before you actually write about them.

——– Written by : Mingsheng Hong

Kyle, I’m Mingsheng Hong, a Vertica employee. Here is my background: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mingshenghong.

I’m deeply upset and offended by your false characterizations of Chris Lynch. Chris is a leader with strong passion and the highest level of integrity. He not only recognizes talents, but *empowers* them. He is the main reason many of us choose to stay at Vertica, and that includes me. I can continue to describe who he is and what he means to us, but instead let me share a few personal stories. I’m usually private, but feel compelled to shed some lights for those whose opinions towards Chris may have been unfairly damaged by this horrendous post.

1. When Chris came on board in April 2010, I was a software engineer working on a Vertica component named Database Designer. During the first meeting between our team and him (he scheduled meetings with each team), we were discussing what he saw Vertica would become in a few years. After Chris gave his views, I asked him why his didn’t see Vertica become as big as some of the IT leader companies with tens of billions dollars of revenue. Because of young naivety, I did not realize that constituted an open challenge to the new leader. It was not a politically smart move. Since Chris knew nothing about me at that moment, my intention behind that question might have also raised concerns.

Let’s do a thought experiment. The Chris in your fiction clearly would have called me names, and fired me on the spot, right? Instead, the Chris in life handled the question in a calm and objective manner, and explained to us the reality and the constraints we as a company were facing. The arguments were convincing, and I was satisfied that his answer educated us about the cold facts of the market, not painting a “rosy picture” just so that people can be “motivated.” This is real leadership.

2. Upon Vertica acquisition by HP, I decided it was time to move on, having spent a few years and become comfortable with engineering work at Vertica. Through personal network, I interviewed and received offers from a few IT companies for software engineering positions. I felt excited about the potentials of starting afresh, learning new verticals and technology, not to mention the concrete financial rewards (one offer provided 3x of my Vertica compensation).

I submitted my 2-week notice at Vertica to my manager at Engineering. On that night, I received a phone call from Chris. Among the many things we talked about, here are the few things that I would never forget: He told me that only two things matter in life: “What you do for a living, and who you spend time with.” He told me that he never chased after money, and advised me to do the same (Chris’ philosophy in life is detailed in this commencement speech of his: http://commencement.bentley.edu/chris-lynch-addresses-graduates. I would recommend it to all my friends — it’s worth the time).

After I hung up the phone, one hour has passed without me noticing. I was fully convinced that I should stay at Vertica and continue to pursue my passion for entrepreneurship and start-ups. Vertica’s culture and my years’ of contributions at Vertica together made it the most ideal platform for me to continue to grow towards fulfilling my aspirations. More importantly, I stayed because of Chris — I cherish a real leader when I see one. After all, how often will they show up in one’s career or life?

I withdrew my notice, and rekindled my passion working at Vertica. Did I stay because I received a promotion, or did Chris promise me on the phone that my compensation at Vertica be improved to keep me stay? Neither happened.

One more detail here: On that phone call, I noticed that Chris kept coughing. I then realized that he was sick and being hospitalized. Yes, he was calling me from a hospital room.

Kyle, your description of Chris and how he allegedly treats employees is an insult to those of us who work at Vertica, and who deeply appreciate what Chris has done for the company and for us.

Shame on you.