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Awesome Office: Lead. Create. Inspire.

The Awesome Office Show is all about helping you lead people, create culture, and inspire Awesome at your company. Each week we talk to a business leader, entrepreneur, HR pro, or engagement specialist at the most successful and buzzed about companies in the country, and learn their most actionable tips, tactics, and best practices - and share them with you. This is a behind the curtain look that you’re not going to find anywhere else. If you care about developing stellar cultures that provide lasting value for employees, customers, and shareholders, then this is the podcast for you. The Awesome Office Show is hosted by Sean Spear. Similar to Entreleadership and HBR Ideacast.
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Now displaying: November, 2015
Nov 26, 2015

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.™

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Nov 21, 2015

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.

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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.

Nov 12, 2015
 
The speed at which people grow a business is proportional to the time invested in creating trust.
 
In the second part of our interview with 15five's David Hassell, we learned that this notion - that trust is fundamental to growth - is more than just a mere axiom to the engagement software chief. Far from it - it's a strategy that applies to all areas of business.
 
Need proof? The notion is embedded in the company's core values, and is a tenet of their internal culture.
 
David takes us deeper into the culture question in our conversation, and tells us why it's so gratifying to create an environment where trust is granted at the outset, and to watch as this inspires employees to perform beyond their own perceived capabilities. Additionally, he shares his strategies for finding those employees who'll be willing and able to experience personal breakthroughs.
 
David dropped a wealth of actionable knowledge on the AO audience, and we are grateful that he spent some of his valuable time with us. As always, we wrapped the dialogue with the minute of magic... and David definitely brought the magic.
 
Key  Takeaways
  • David tackles the question of whether, ethics aside, the Wolf of Wall Street Jordan Belfort's Stratton Oakmont brokerage house was actually an example of a successful culture.
  • David tells us why he believes culture is like an ecosystem, and why high performers can only flourish under the right conditions.
  • David explains why trust is fundamental to a great culture, and why vulnerability and trust go hand in hand.
  • David tells us the most important trait he looks for when interviewing potential employees, and gives us his strategies to help find people willing to experience personal breakthroughs.
  • David tells us how his first job as a car salesman helped him clarify how he didn't want to treat people.
  • David explains why he thinks money is a threshold, and tells us what motivates people once that threshold is achieved.
  • David explores why Warren Buffet can walk into a room and make a multi-million dollar deal on nothing more than a handshake.
  •  Finally, David shares his number one tip to help create an engaged atmosphere at your company.

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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.

Nov 7, 2015

Whether your realize it or not, employee happiness should never be your goal.

Not according to today’s Awesome Office guest, David Hassell, a serial entrepreneur and “the most connected man you don’t know in Silicon Valley,” according to Forbes magazine.

His current venture is 15five, a technology solution that helps improve transparency and communication between managers and employees, and provide critical insights for your company.

As you’ll hear, 15five was inspired by ESPRIT founder Doug Tompkins, who realized that if he asked all of his employees to spend 15 minutes writing a report that took their manager no more than 5 minutes to read, he’d have a more engaged company.

We talked to David about a wide range of subjects, but what we found most interesting was his belief that the goal of his software is not to make employee’s happy, but to help them be their best selves, and ultimately to create an environment where they can perform at their highest level. Sometimes this means harnessing the power of good discomfort - or eustress. 

Often, this is extremely fulfilling for employees and their managers, but happiness isn’t necessarily the goal - nor should it be.

David joined us via Skype from 15five’s offices in San Francisco. This was a fantastic conversation, and one that we decided to release in two parts.

Key  Takeaways
  • David explains why Forbes described him as “The most connected man in Silicon Valley you’ve never heard of,” and talks about the power of networking.
  • David tells us how he discovered the concept of 15five, and why he decided to create a company around the practice.
  • David stresses the importance of having a purpose in one’s work, and tells us why he struggled with starting the right company before landing on the idea for 15five.
  • David explains why CEOs shouldn’t be firefighters, and why you’ll never innovate if you’re always reacting to emergencies.
  • David explains why he thinks the term “Human Resources” should be phased out immediately.
  • David breaks down the difference between eustress and distress, and explains why discomfort actually breeds innovation.
  • David clarifies that the goal of your organization shouldn’t be happiness, but high performance, and explains why.

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