One of my favorite podcasts that I have recently started listening to is ‘Masters of Scale‘ by Reid Hoffman. In the latest episode with Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s COO, there is this one point that really spoke to me. This is something that I will personally internalize and imbibe in our company culture.
Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook COO: “Leadership is about having people follow you enthusiastically. People will do what they are supposed to do if they work for you. That’s not what you want. You want to have an aligned mission. Rather than tell people to march four steps, you want to tell people where we are heading and encourage them to get there as quickly as they can. You have to repeat your mission and your purpose and the values you care about over and over again. Sometimes you think to yourself, ‘doesn’t everyone else know this already’? It doesn’t matter. Starting out your meetings with your mission…why are we running Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp…is very powerful. Even if everyone knows it by heart… because it reminds you where you are headed and why you are going there.”
Reid Hoffman, Linkedin Founder, agrees: There is one plan you can’t break. There is one variable that must stay constant. And that’s the company’s mission. It’s the true North Star that everyone orients around. For Linkedin, it is ‘Connecting People with Opportunities’. For AirBnB, it is ‘Belong Anywhere’. For Facebook. it is ‘Connect the World’.
