What's your secret sauce for building a great team?
Trust and fairness. In a creative industry like software we cannot control and measure team members with traditional management methods. That's why we have to trust that everyone is contributing their best work. At the same time we have to be frank and fair, if someone is not – and help them to do better.
What’s your favorite ritual or meeting in your team?
Random check-in questions. I found questions like “What school subject is your favorite?” or “What fictional world or place would you like to visit?” to get the team into an excited state, in which the meetings are a lot more productive (and fun). Also, the answers can get really deep, and the bonding within the team gets a lot stronger. We have a free App for Confluence that generates the check-in questions.
What motivates you to work as a leader / entrepreneur?
For me, the most rewarding thing as a leader is to see people grow — and contribute to their growth. For example, one of my best moments as a leader was when a colleague, who had switched roles from engineering to product management 2 years earlier, shared with me that he had seriously questioned if software was the right industry for him – and that he had finally found his calling in product management at K15t.
What quote or saying has stuck with you?
"Tell me and I forget, teach me and I remember, involve me and I learn." by Benjamin Franklin. — I have to remind myself about this quote every time, when I want to achieve real change and the process is stuck. In most of those cases, more involvement is key.
What book do you recommend the most?
One of the most influential book for me was 'Reinventing Organizations' by Frederic Laloux, because it describes a new, more soulful and purposeful organizational model. And provides proof that there are small and large organizations who use this organizational model.
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Here’s More, From Other Founders Around the World
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.
What's a mistake that you're happy you've made?
When I was 16 (way before the internet) I founded a travel-partner agency to connect people from different backgrounds seeking travel companions. After a year, I had to close the agency due to a lack of customers and the confusion some callers had regarding the nature of the “service.” Despite this setback, I gained invaluable insights into sales, communication and people’s needs, solidifying my desire to run a business that helps people.