Pt. 2: How $11k Wrapped in Bacon Helped Build a Mobile Gaming Hit-Factory

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
• [e-mail] 

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

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