In part two of our in-depth conversation with Jason Weiss, the former GM and current advisor of Scopely talks about a subject that many leaders shy away from -
Failure.
At Scopely, failure isn’t a dirty word. Far from it - the company recognizes the “Fail of the Week” at their weekly all-hands, during which a team member describes a major mistake he or she made in the past seven days.
The point isn't to call out mistakes, but to acknowledge that failure is part of the process and to share the lessons learned.
In fact, according to Weiss, a healthy relationship with failure should be a part of your culture, particularly at growth-oriented startups, where big risks are a necessary part of success.
“If you’re asking people to work extremely hard, and aim high, and be ambitious, they’re going to fail [at times],” Weiss explains. “So we need to acknowledge that it’s ok to fail, or people are going to stop aiming high.”
Jason delved into this topic and many more during this week's podcast, and we're extremely grateful that he shared his seasoned perspective on culture, retention, and leadership.
Key Takeaways
- Jason explains why open communication is a two-way street, and why employees should voice their concerns rather than internalize them.
- Contrary to the old school view that employees shouldn’t have to be thanked for simply “doing their jobs,” Jason talks about the importance of recognition, citing studies that show that employees work harder and are more productive when you do simple things like thank them.
- Jason talks about the advantage of having a best friend at work, and notes that ideally, a significant portion of your workforce should interact socially outside of work.
- Jason explains why a company is “like a symphony,” relying on harmonious interaction by all, and how a few people playing off key can have an outsized impact.
- Jason shares his favorite interview question and what it reveals about the candidate.
- Jason describes what he sees as the major trends in corporate cultures, and how he thinks the workplace will change in the next twenty years.
- Jason tells us why he feels it’s important to publicize your mistakes, and talks about the development of “Fail of the Week” act Scopely.
- Finally, Jason brings hot fire in the Minute of Magic.™
Links
- Scopely.com
- Jason on LinkedIn
- @jasonaweiss on Twitter
- jason.weiss@gmail.com
Recommended Reading
- Blink by Malcolm Gladwell
- First, Break All the Rules by Marcus Buckingham
- The Leadership Engine by Noel M. Tichy
- Gallup Study - Have A Best Friend at Work
- The Alliance, Reid Hoffman, Ben Casnocha, Chris Yeh
Like this episode? Then let us know! Subscribe, rate, and review the show in iTunes. This show grows by word of mouth, and the more we grow, the more Awesome we can all create together.
Many companies use perks like free onsite food, massages, and elaborate off-sites to attract and retain game-changing talent.
If you’re Scopely, you take a different tack.
Namely? Bricks of cash. Wrapped in bacon.
Scopely is the LA-based mobile gaming studio that has produced six #1 games in a row, including The Walking Dead Road to Survival, Yahtzee with Friends, and Disco Bees.
According to today’s Awesome Office guest Jason Weiss, that success started with creating a culture that could attract and retain the top talent.
And he should know: as the company’s SVP of talent for more than four years, he was a main driver behind the company’s vibrant and playful ethos.
The results speak for themselves. During his tenure at the company, Weiss helped expand the organization from 10 to more than 125 employees, and helped grow revenue from zero to a run rate of more than $70 million a year.
While Jason was there, Scopely also launched one of the most notorious recruiting campaigns in recent memory - a search to find “the most interesting engineers in the world” that enticed top talent with oil portraits, a year’s supply of beer, a tuxedo, a spear gun, and yes, $11,000 in cold hard cash wrapped in cured meat.
We talked about all this and more in this week's epic two-part interview.
Key Takeaways
- Jason shares what he feels is the biggest flaw in the employer-employee relationship, and why the “tour of duty” concept (from Reid Hoffman's The Alliance) might be a little far-fetched.
- Jason tells us the story of Scopely’s infamous “most interesting engineer in the world” campaign.
- Jason opines why he believes the war for talent lies in creating an attractive company culture, as well as why those first few hires are so critical.
- Jason explains why the best managers come from within, but why not all great performers make good managers.
- Finally, Jason tells us what he means when he says that hiring is like dating, while actually working somewhere is more like a marriage.
Links
- Scopely.com
- Jason on LinkedIn
- @jasonaweiss on Twitter
Recommended Reading
- The Alliance, Reid Hoffman, Ben Casnocha, Chris Yeh
Like this episode? Then let us know! Subscribe, rate, and review the show in iTunes. This show grows by word of mouth, and the more we grow, the more Awesome we can all create together.