Editor’s Note: Each week Maynard Webb, former CEO of LiveOps and the former COO of eBay, will offer candid, practical, and sometimes surprising advice to entrepreneurs and founders. To submit a question, write to Webb at dearfounder@fastcompany.com.
Q. Our company has grown quickly, and we now have more than 100 people. I once had tight relationships with everyone; now I find that not everyone understands who I am, my values, or what I’m about. What can I do to allow us to get to know each other better?
—CEO of a fast-growing company
Dear CEO,
The more you grow, the harder it is for you to get to know everybody.
You have to be overt about who you are and have to be accessible to people let them know how you handle yourself in good times and bad times. You are a leader, and while you may not be able to get to spend time with as many people, it is still your job to inspire everyone. Real leadership is more about helping people reach their potential than is having them like you. Be the kind of leader that helps other people achieve their dreams (and go even beyond their dreams).
I understand that at a certain point, you can’t meet with everybody individually, but there are ways you can still connect:
- When I was at LiveOps, I met with every new person the week they started, and we talked about values. I think that helped get us off to the right start.
- I’ve always also done “skip level” meetings with groups or individuals as a way to reach more people and hear what was really going on.
- I also did meetings with my direct reports—and their direct reports—to get a fuller picture of what was happening and build relationships throughout the organization.
You may think that it’s impossible to be accessible to people when you have an organization of a certain size, or during a particular trying time that leaves you with little bandwidth, but great leaders show us otherwise. Throughout the pandemic, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff has done an amazing job of connecting with 50,000 employees weekly through virtual all-hands meetings, which even includes many board members. He uses these opportunities to connect and cover current events, coronavirus, systemic racism, and the economic crisis, as well as company topics.
Every experienced leader knows that you can earn or lose respect every day. Therefore, you have to bring your best self forward on good days and bad days and make it your mission to go beyond you and bring out the best in others.
