by @abhia90 // newsletter // youtube

https://youtu.be/7HDO1p3VdYg

To succeed in building a big company in the long-term, founders must become good at leading, motivating, and retaining great people. Ali Rowghani, YC Partner and CEO of the YC Continuity Fund, takes from his experience working with great leaders to share his three observations on leadership.

  1. There's no single archetype for a great leader
    1. They come in all shapes/sizes, personalities, and characteristics
    2. There's no single way you need to act or be
    3. So, it means anybody can be a great leader as long as they're being themselves.
  2. Great leaders share 3 fundamental attributes
    1. They think and communicate clearly (otherwise it's hard for ppl to actually follow) and simply
      • How to do this?
        • Practice, practice, practice
        • Free up time to practice writing out your thoughts
        • Try preparing for every informal meeting you hold
      • Ex: Woodrow Wilson said he would need 2 weeks to prepare for a 10 min speech but 1 week to speak for 30 —> so, it takes time and preparation to be precise
    2. They have good judgment of people
      • The decisions you make on who to empower in your company will have a huge impact on the company (these ppl are extensions of you)
      • Try meeting with people you don't plan on hiring —> gives you exposure to understanding many diff types of people
    3. They have strong personal integrity and commitment
      • Standing for something meaninful beyond themselves and motivated by things outside their narrow interest
      • Avoiding behavior that diminishes trust or credibility (ex: favoritism, conflicts of interest, inappropriate language or work relationships)
      • Transparency test
        1. If all your communications and behaviors were visible, would you be embarrassed by it?
  3. 360 degrees of Trust— The best way to measure great leaders is by the amount of trust they're able to generate in the people with/for/around them
    1. This is tough— it's an art and science:
      1. Science of trust = You're good with Empirical decisions (ex: let's do this instead of this)
      2. Art of trust = Being able to show empathy, good judgment, good timing, not being self-centered