Read on Twitter
1/ Over time it’s become increasingly clear to me that @gnip’s success wasn’t really about revenue or acquisition, but about people and culture. Nothing has shaped my prof worldview more drastically than understanding first hand what a successful org feels like & what it enables
2/ The experience of being part of an org like that truly shapes how team members and managers continue forward - how they view their own work and responsibility to grow a similarly supportive org. And the expectations they place on a company to deliver a similar environment
3/ This isn’t to say that there weren’t problems and leadership got things wrong. There were and they did. And success can mask a lot of things that go wrong. As a wise @chrismoodycom once told me “Culture is a hell of a lot easier when you’re winning.”
4/ He may not have said Hell. I ad-libbed for flavor.
5/ And Twitter certainly exemplified many of the same characteristics. I was lucky to experience and learn from that as well, but it can be different at that scale than at a startup. Slightly less clear just because if the larger tent.
6/ But I value that education more each day as an input into what I strive for as a leader. A few top of mind items (in no particular order):
1. “How” you do something matters as much as “what” you do.
2. Balance passion & process. Both are needed, but both can derail you.
1. “How” you do something matters as much as “what” you do.
2. Balance passion & process. Both are needed, but both can derail you.
7/
3. Culture can change; values remain consistent.
4. A clearly articulated vision and mission are critical to each team member feeling inspired.
5. You have to trust your team to do the work.
3. Culture can change; values remain consistent.
4. A clearly articulated vision and mission are critical to each team member feeling inspired.
5. You have to trust your team to do the work.
8/
6. Say 'we' when you win, and say 'I' when you make a mistake. Promote those who do the same.
7. Kindness and honesty don't cost you anything in life and that includes in business.
6. Say 'we' when you win, and say 'I' when you make a mistake. Promote those who do the same.
7. Kindness and honesty don't cost you anything in life and that includes in business.
This was a draft that accidentally got sent before the list was done. So we're stopping at an awkward #7. Regardless, they're all things I see in my old colleagues and that I keep practicing at myself.
