What do you wish you had known 10 years ago?
To see the projects as what they are: projects, not a part of my identity. To manage my energy better and not follow the hustle harder myth for too long. Building a company from scratch is a marathon, not a sprint. To listen and to trust my gut feeling/intuition more.
What should leaders understand about their own role and responsibility?
You gotta love what you do. You have to be the biggest fan of your solution and the vision behind it in order to ignite the desire in others to follow you or to buy your product/service. At some point you, as a leader, also have to stop working at your company (micro management) and rather work on your company`s future (macro perspective).
What personal habit or behavior helped you accelerate your personal growth?
Regular exchanges with other entrepreneurs in different formats (1:1, groups), taking enough time for my personal growth / healing / inner work, learn from and mingle with the best.
What do you do to maintain balance in your life?
I switched into remote-first collaboration model, reduced travel time significantly, made exercise a fixed appointment in my weekly schedule, try to drink de-caffeinated coffee – if possible.
When times are tough, who or what is an anchor for you?
Increase me-time and rituals that allow me to stay connected to my true self not to be carried away from the current noise/chaos.
What can we do to create a great workplace for our colleagues?
Be really interested in the person you're dealing with, try to understand the person in depth, take time to be informed about what is going on in their lives – even outside work.
What’s your favorite ritual or meeting in your team?
It's a combination of regular meetings that allow everyone to focus on their daily work without unnecessary interruptions (weeklys, monthlys) and regular in-person activities, e.g. lunches, dinners, workation.
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Here’s More, From Other Founders Around the World
What's a question you like asking — yourself or others?
I like asking, "What can I learn from this experience?" This question helps me reflect on challenges and successes, fostering continuous improvement and a mindset of growth and learning.
What’s an important guiding principle that informs the way you build and run your business?
“Lead by ideas, not by hierarchy.” The “position” of a person has nothing to do with the ability to contribute great ideas to improve the company. You should always strive for a company culture where everybody can talk to everybody.
What shift in perspective has allowed you to see things differently?
Understanding that you cannot control the decisions other people make, you can only influence and inform them. Not every deal or decision will go your way and this mindset helps avoid self-loathing, anger, and depression.
What was a pivotal moment where your business made a big leap forward?
Understanding the 80/20 principle or even 64/4 and that it's a law of nature applicable everywhere. It's one of the biggest levers for doing more with less or in less time. (E.g. 20% of the streets in the world handle 80% of the traffic.)