What quote or saying has stuck with you?
"People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." -- Maya Angelou
It shifts the focus from the what to the how we should communicate or meet.
What book do you recommend the most?
“The Tools” — It consists of 4 easy applicable methods to tackle mental states which helped me coping with feelings like fear, anger and ponder.
What's your secret sauce for building a great team?
Hire people who match our values. Because values are hard or impossible to change.
Important: Find your company values first. We used the "mission to mars" method and it was great.
What do you wish you had known 10 years ago?
That I knew so little about entrepreneurship and leadership. Fortunately, with EO ("Entrepreneurs Organization") I have found a very valuable place to learn and exchange ideas among entrepreneurs.
What’s your favorite ritual or meeting in your team?
Our monthly TownHall Meeting: Where the managing team shares updates on several topics, like Vision, Financials oder Product Development to improve transparency in our company.
What personal habit or behavior has shaped you as a leader / entrepreneur?
In conversations with other entrepreneurs, I always try to be honest, humble and inquisitive. Only then can I receive good experiences from others as a gift.
What motivates you to work as a leader / entrepreneur?
Having the opportunity to create a very good workplace for my colleagues and myself. And the freedom to make my own decisions.
When times are tough, who or what is an anchor for you?
Thinking about times that were tough (or seemed like). Most of them never turned out to be as tough as my brain thought they would be.
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Here’s More, From Other Founders Around the World
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.
What's a mistake that you're happy you've made?
I'm happy I chose a highly regulated market, even though it was tough. It taught me a lot about patience, attention to detail, and the importance of doing things right. These lessons have made me better at what I do.