What's one big insight you learned about leadership?
Productivity, performance, and profits can go hand in hand with trust, respect, and kindness. Leadership can aim for – and achieve – both!
What do you wish you had known 10 years ago?
The greatest gift as a founder is that I can choose the people I work with. Make use of this gift, both with co-founders and employees. Refuse to work with "rockstars", no matter how smart and capable they might be.
What shift in perspective has allowed you to see things differently?
I realized that I won’t get far on my own. No matter how smart and hardworking I am as a founder, I won’t achieve any meaningful goals if I don’t surround myself with a fantastic team.
What's a skill that we should pay more attention to in the workplace?
Writing with clarity. In most knowledge jobs, writing has become a big chunk of our overall communication with colleagues and customers. And yet, in many teams, it’s still a neglected skill – causing misunderstandings, frustrations, and conflicts.
What do you do to maintain balance in your life?
Surrounding myself with wonderful people (my friends and my god-children). Diving deep into stories (there are incredible TV shows out there). And meditation (because it reminds me that both happiness and suffering originate in the mind).
What's your secret sauce for building a great team?
Becoming intentional about culture, relationships, and communication. These three areas don’t just turn out great by accident. It takes diligence and intention – but you’ll be rewarded in incredible ways.
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Here’s More, From Other Founders Around the World
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.
What motivated you to become an entrepreneur?
After graduating, I worked for an extremely well-paying automotive company. But I always had the feeling that there was more out there. So I quit and went into research with the aim of becoming a founder.
What should leaders understand about their own role and responsibility?
There are no overnight miracles, it's very hard work: both physically and emotionally. Requires resilience, grit, strategic approach and grind.
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.