What personal habit or behavior helped you accelerate your personal growth?
I like to find “role model” companies that are where we want to be in a few years. Then I look for long-form interviews (Podcasts, YouTube, etc.) from when they were at our stage today (or a bit later). These might be companies in similar verticals, competitors or relevant to me in another way. The smaller and more niche the better, since people will be more honest and less worried about leaking information.
What's a mistake that you're happy you've made?
We rejected some candidates for senior roles that - in hindsight - would likely have been good hires. I don’t regret missing out on them as we went on to hire other good candidates, however, it could’ve saved us a lot of time and energy. I’m still glad we did though because it’s better to hire slowly than to hire fast and end up firing people.
What do you do to maintain balance in your life?
Running has always been the best way for me to clear and reset my mind whatever the situation. The benefits to me are similar to what others gain from meditating (which has never worked for me).
What’s your favorite ritual or meeting in your team?
We’re a fully remote team and once a month, we do a remote team lunch where everyone can order food paid for by the company. We love it because it’s a great way to recreate some of the moments you’d only get in person otherwise.
What's a skill that we should pay more attention to in the workplace?
Good listeners are heavily underrated. Most leaders are great at talking and presenting themselves, but only some can really hear out their team and understand what people are trying to tell them.
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What do you wish you had known 10 years ago?
I always thought that my life can be balanced between personal, business, health, family, finances and love. In that sense how much energy I put in and get back. But with the years, I learned that life is imbalanced by nature. It's still a goal for me and I believe if all parts are some kind of balanced, this speaks of a highly valuable life, but accepting that there will always be a certain imbalance, helped me a lot.
What's the biggest insight you learned in recent years?
It’s always a good idea to be connected to your product – even if you have to deal with high-level topics, always remember the things you offer.
What personal habit helped you accelerate your personal growth?
In one of the hardest times of my life so far, I started journaling for 1-2h on Sundays. Not digital, but with paper and pen. Always answering the same questions related to self, social life and work. This brutally honest and regular reflection once a week helped me identify problems early and iterate fast.
When times are tough, who or what is an anchor for you?
My co-founders are my anchor in work-related topics. Having an environment where failure is welcomed with a helping hand and where weakness is valued as openness, once you are down those people will drag you up.