The best board members aren't elected by default. CEOs that set themselves up with their choice of board member - which means getting more than one term sheet and doing extensive reference checking - are better off. Scott Weiss More Quotes by Scott Weiss More Quotes From Scott Weiss Whatever vocation you decide on, track down the best people in the world at doing it and surround yourself with them. Aim high and be ridiculously persistent. Your happiness is at the intersection of your passions and learning from great people. Working at a big company sucks--avoid it. Smaller companies are 10 times better for learning. Be generous with your time and money--it has an amazingly fast payback. Be in the moment with everyone you love--and this frequently means tuning out work completely. And drive slow in parking lots. Scott Weiss passion mean people The first day, week and month of an employees experience carries a lasting impression. Scott Weiss lasting-impressions months firsts Whatever vocation you decide on, track down the best people in the world at doing it and surround yourself with them. Scott Weiss track people world Your happiness is at the intersection of your passions and learning from great people. Scott Weiss great-people passion people Feedback for leaders is often nuanced and difficult to deliver. That said, hearing you are passive-aggressive from 10 different people described 10 different ways becomes hard to ignore. Scott Weiss leader people way Trust leads to approachability and open communications. Scott Weiss open-communication communication With the IoT, we're headed to a world where things aren't liable to break catastrophically - or at least, we'll have a hell of a heads' up. We're headed to a world where our doors unlock when they sense us nearby. Scott Weiss hell doors world As CEO, I had a standing 30-minute meeting every Monday to greet and connect with new hires. Scott Weiss meeting new standing monday Being on a board is not just about showing up for the meetings. A board member needs to materially contribute to the success of the business. Scott Weiss being meetings business success At Andreessen Horowitz, we talk about the notion of being 'too hungry to eat.' That's to say, we often see startups that are so entrenched in the product that the founders forget they need muscle to grow. Scott Weiss grow say see forget I see many founders waste too much time trying to work their networks and/or ultimately settle for mediocre but available candidates. You will definitely have to interview hard for cultural fit, but the best talent isn't cheap. Scott Weiss best you work time Developing a good, healthy culture is extremely important at a startup. Culture reflects the essence of a startup's operation because it directly affects the success of a company's hiring practices and overall strategy. Scott Weiss good important success culture As a decision maker, you rely on information being passed to you by the people who report to you. As the CEO, however, you cannot rely solely on this information. You also need to 'dip' down into your organization and learn directly from employees at all levels and virtually all skill sets. Scott Weiss skill you decision people When a team has to work over a weekend, make a high priority of being there as well, even if it's just to stop by and buy them a meal to show your appreciation. Scott Weiss stop team work appreciation Hold at least one all-hands meeting every quarter and, to underscore the startup's team concept, make sure at least one additional executive joins you in leading the meeting. Scott Weiss meeting make you team As a first-time CEO, I wasn't sure if I would scale to run IronPort long-term. But I wanted a legitimate shot at it. Scott Weiss ceo shot sure run The thorniest business problems will surface at the board meetings, and the different, sharp opinions help to better explore the poles of the arguments to make better decisions. Scott Weiss problems will better business Most companies don't have a good mechanism to give the CEO real, honest feedback. Scott Weiss give good feedback real It's important for a leader to hear about his blind spots on a regular basis so working on them is periodically top of mind. Scott Weiss blind important leader mind I don't like sweating the details, and I'm pretty disorganized. To be a better leader, I need to stay on top of these shortcomings, and being reminded really helps. Scott Weiss stay better details leader
