EKMH Innovators Interview Series
Special Edition: Working during COVID-19
An interview series spotlighting global tech influencers, disruptors, visionaries, and of course, innovators.
First and foremost, thank you to those in the medical field who are working tirelessly around the world. We cannot thank you enough for your sacrifice and determination.
Teamwork and collaboration have never been so essential. Global work force patterns have shifted dramatically these last weeks with many people now quarantined and working from home to prevent the further spreading of COVID-19. While we physically distance ourselves from others, more and more people may realize that the social distancing will become even more difficult in the upcoming weeks; I know for some readers, working from home initially may have been a distinct pleasure…
Valuing each team member and understanding both the MEs and the TEAMs —including those new young and furry team members who now share our home workspaces— will make a difference during and after the quarantine. Keep collaborating! Reach out to others and keep in touch virtually. Entrepreneurs and innovators must continue to disrupt and create new solutions to global challenges such as these. We must work together and support innovation.
Over the last months, EKMH Innovators has had the pleasure to interview tech leaders who not only praised their teams but also shared advice about how to build exceptional, diverse and inclusive teams. Excerpts from these inspiring interviews follow.
Talent knows no borders
Securrency Chief Strategy Officer Patrick Campos: I have personally been living and working outside the US for many years and in many different capacities, so my advice is, first and foremost, to understand that talent knows no borders. What is critically important is establishing an accessible central philosophy around which you can unify talented people from many different cultures and backgrounds. The Golden Rule is universal. Merit-based advancement is universal. Giving people a sense of ownership of their achievements is universal. Respect is universal. If your organization reflects those principles, you can operate anywhere….
I love football and I love coaching football. It is, in my humble opinion, the greatest sport in the world and the one that best combines human athleticism, strength, aggression, and intellect. No coach in any other sport has as much second-by-second intellectual engagement during a game as does an American football coach, so that is quite appealing to me.
I particularly like coaching American football in the UAE. We have such an incredibly diverse group of residents here, that I have coached players from over 50 different countries, ranging in ages from 8 to 50. You asked earlier about leading global and diverse teams – this is the ultimate form of that concept. I have on my men’s team right now, for example, quarterbacks from England, Ireland and the US, running backs from Egypt, Cameroon, and Syria, wide receivers from Canada, Lebanon, and South Africa, and an offensive line consisting of a Turk, a Hungarian, an Englishman, an American (Texan, no less), and an Iranian. And yes, the Iranian lines up right next to the Texan; the Texan, who is a 40-year old man, has taken the Iranian, who is an 18-year old high school student, under his wing. And I haven’t even begun to describe the defense, with its Mexicans, Russians, Algerians, and others, all led by a larger-than-life lawyer from Tennessee.
My wife and I got involved with the league back in 2012 so we could create an American football experience for our son who was 11 at the time, and since then I have had the absolute joy of coaching him and working with other young athletes and seeing how this sport, more than any other, helps to mold their character and build their confidence. He is now a freshman at Tulane but I’m still coaching kids and adults. I have also taken our teams to play in places like Shanghai, Singapore, Nur-Sultan (Astana), Düsseldorf, Amsterdam, Madrid, Cairo, Kiev, Bucharest, and lovely Antalya. I would like to think that the intellectual side keeps my mind sharp while the mentorship part enhances my empathy. Hopefully, that contributes positively to my role as CSO of Securrency (if any of my colleagues are reading!).
To lead or not to lead?
Geeq Co-Founder and COO Stephanie So: In some sense, I think you have to know when to lead and when to follow, and be very clear about which role you are taking at any given time. Everyone I work with at Geeq shines at something and I think our atmosphere is healthy because we all make a real effort to understand what each person brings to the table. Feedback in my group often takes the form of “I need help with” or “Do you mean ..?”. I know we share common values but come from different backgrounds, so my default when someone makes a request or has a question is that they’re probably framing it from a point of view that I haven’t considered, which makes me intrinsically curious about what and why they’re trying to raise a specific point.
CoinSwitch.co/CRUXPay Co-Founder and CEO Ashish Singhal: Leading teams is more about defining objectives and setting the path to achieving it. With good teams the only tasks for a leader are to explain to them what they are trying to achieve and why that matters. I have learned that to the best way to lead teams is having a single metric that defines how to measure your team's success or failure and get out of their way while they work to achieve that goal.
On diversity and inclusion
Startupbootcamp Scale Fintech MD/Finnovista Partnerships Director Christine Chang: There are a lot of discussions, especially in developed markets such as in my native US about diversity and inclusion. The first step is asking what does that even mean? To you, to your team, to your company?
For me, personally, I am always for the diversity of opinions and perspectives and creating room for different voices to be truly heard. It has been proven that more diverse teams have better results over the long term. It is important to think of the long term because it is highly probable that it will not be easy at first to lead or be in a diverse team, with differing opinions and different work styles. Sometimes it is exhausting, but I would say the end result is always worth it and it is way more challenging and rewarding to work with people who don’t just agree with you all the time.
What I would say that diversity is NOT: diversity should not be a policy you put in place to cover your a**. Diversity should not be avoiding lawsuits or saying that no one has complained that they feel discriminated against. There is a huge difference in avoiding negative situations and outcomes versus proactively creating a workplace and a company where people are encouraged to think critically and problem-solve in different ways.
In the same way, successful teams are those who are not just ticking the box with all the things they have to do or the bare minimum. Successful teams are those that are clear about and aligned toward the same goal, have the right tools to get there, and are all pulling toward a common objective, including stopping and picking up other teammates when they are down and out and are enjoying the journey as well.
Nvoicepay Co-Founder and CEO Karla Friede: I think it's a huge mistake to hire diversity for diversity’s sake. At Nvoicepay we try to hire the best person for the job. Now, that may require you to examine your biases and broaden your definition of what the best person can look like. It may require you to rethink “culture fit,” because in many cases that simply means people who look and think the same as the people already there—so they won’t debate or disagree or take anyone out of their comfort zone.
On tactical level, you can make sure your job descriptions are written so that it's clear that all kinds of people are welcome to apply. We have a wonderful VP of People who is very attuned to how much these words matter.
Look at your interview teams. Are they diverse? These things are very telling, and applicants will often self-select out of companies that don't seem welcoming to them.
I do think diversity begets diversity and makes it easier. But, if you're starting from a culture that is not very diverse and you want to get more ideas around the table, start with how your job descriptions are written, who's on the interview team, and what you communicate verbally and non-verbally about your culture.
Vouch CEO and Founder Sam Hodges: The right team is one that has the right mix of skills, where people share common values (which I define as a cultural script for how one should do work, and what behaviors are rewarded) and a shared purpose. Diversity in backgrounds and perspectives is critical in this -- if you can’t create a work environment that’s attractive to a wide range of people, you’ll be short-changing your ability to get the people with the right skills, and you’ll miss out on opportunities to include perspectives which will make you better.
Kabbage Co-Founder Kathryn Petralia: We take inclusion, diversity and equality very seriously at Kabbage, and have a team dedicated to making Kabbage a place for everyone. It starts with your people. Our culture is one that doesn’t just tolerate diversity but embraces it. We want people to bring their whole selves to work, so we’re constantly listening to our team and evaluating our processes to improve.
There are small, immediate tasks a company can take to improve equality. For example, don’t use words like “ninja” or “superhero” in job descriptions which don’t resonate with women, and be sure you have a diverse leadership team which studies show make companies more successful.
From a paternity and maternity standpoint, we know having a child is a big life adjustment and we give new mothers and fathers the flexibility needed to take care of life at home. We also ensure our new mothers have private nursing rooms in each office. One of our core values at Kabbage is to care deeply, and that extends across our customers, our team members and community. For example, Kabbage provides a bias-blind lending platform for our customers, and as a result we see a higher percentage of women and minority-owned businesses in our portfolio than the national average. We also have our Kabbage Kares program which provides our teams opportunities to go and serve in the local communities at each of our offices.
DiversiTech Hub Founder Gemma Young: We have found there to be lots of small groups doing great things in the space, but there is not a community as yet which is for EVERYONE in Fintech and that is what we are creating. Diversity has taught us the value of a group of people from different backgrounds can have, so we already know that this will be a winning formula, we just have to all come together now to create it.
Collaboration is key
Finnovista Co-Founder / Managing Partner and Rainmaking Partner Fermín Bueno: Undoubtedly, I would mention my ability to collaborate as the skill that has allowed me to effectively lead teams working remotely around the globe and in different time zones. Both at Rainmaking and Finnovista collaboration is the most relevant principle to be able to deliver the positive impact we aim to achieve. At the core of our work, we require a comprehensive collaboration between startups and corporates; during our years of experience we have developed proven methodologies that allow and support effective collaboration. This skill is part of all Finnovista and Rainmaking team members’ DNA.
Go-getters unite!
Brightback CEO and Co-Founder Guy Marion: Working at an early stage start-up requires individuals who possess grit, creativity, ambition, flexibility and collaboration. We want people who are go-getters that have the drive to succeed, and are willing to go the extra mile when necessary. Even though we’re based out of San Francisco, the Brightback team is spread across the country with most team members working remotely. We do annual and semi-annual offsites to collaborate and bond and we use tools like Slack, Zoom and Guru to work together. Our goal is for Brightback to be a transparent workplace where people are motivated and inspired to do their best work wherever they are. It’s exciting to consider every city in the world a possible place for us to find our next team member.
Readers, keep in touch and take care. Keep innovating, imagining, trouble-shooting and problem-solving! Innovation and solutions depend on your creativity, resourcefulness and research.