What's a perspective that we should pay more attention to in the workplace?
Breaking down psychological safety barriers as early as possible. Teams need to be able to feel safe to speak up, to take charge and to criticize if necessary.
What shift in mindset has allowed you to see things differently?
First-time founders are obsessed with product. Second-time founders are obsessed with distribution. This is so true, especially in B2C as B2C is not about who has the best product, but who has the best distribution, marketing and growth strategy implemented.
What book do you recommend the most?
It is a personal one, but dealing with life’s challenges, “The Untethered Soul” has had such a huge impact on my life so far that I can recommend it to every living human being.
What’s an important belief that informs the way you build and run your business?
Only through vulnerability can we create empathy and connection.
What motivated you to become an entrepreneur?
I love "0 to 1" and I love building new products and solutions for problems that have not been solved before. I love small teams, that are just forming out and I love creating a culture with in a team and company.
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Here’s More, From Other Founders Around the World
What’s an important guiding principle that informs the way you build and run your business?
One of our core values is experimentation. Rather than get stuck in arguing about what solution may best solve a problem or play to our ego, we focus on the smallest step we could possibly take to learn whether that’s true. It moves our minds away from thinking too big without sweating the small stuff and from getting stuck in discussions rather than actually doing something to understand the possible solutions better.
What should leaders understand about their own role and responsibility?
Your own time and energy is the most precious resource you have. Use it wisely, and learn what gives you energy, and what saps you. In the early years of building something, you need to throw a huge amount of time at it - and do many things you perhaps don’t like doing. But as you scale, it’s vital to take a step back and build a business that can grow rapidly beyond the time you put into it.
What shift in perspective has allowed you to see things differently?
It may sound simple, but realizing and truly understanding that we are all different and driven by different things has made a significant impact on me. This insight has changed the way I approach relationships and leadership.
What’s a guiding principle that informs the way you build and run your business?
One of our core values at Cozero is radical candor. It is the idea that the willingness to repeatedly enter uncomfortable situations to speak the truth benefits everyone in the long run. We believe that in order to grow and improve as an organization, we need to create an environment where our team is not afraid to challenge processes and decisions. Making this a core value guides us in difficult situations when it’s not clear which road to take.