Welcome to The Remote Series, where CEOs of remote-first companies share guidance on how to lead an organization when everyone’s working from home. The Remote Series is hosted by Alex MacCaw, CEO at Clearbit, and coach Matt Mochary, author of The Great CEO Within.
In Episode 2 of The Remote Series, Zapier’s co-founder and CEO Wade Foster discuss hiring, feedback, and cultivating authentic relationships in a digital-first company. COVID-19 pushed CEOs and their teams to turn remote, and even though plenty of people are willing to go back to the office, the experience will never be the same.
Resources
Zapier’s The ultimate guide to remote work
The key talking points for this episode:
(02:04) - Strong values are the core of remote companies - “In a remote company you could become this odd collection of individuals doing random assignments, you really don’t want that.”
(06:30) - Interviewing and evaluating prospects remotely - “When you look at these situations, how far does a person go? How far do they try and push it to uncover a thing that seems worth working on?”
(08:33) - Growing through feedback - “The best thing you can do for yourself, whether you are a CEO or not, is show that you’re a person that likes to get feedback and is good at getting it.”
(15:08) - How camaraderie and real connections are built in remote companies - “If you get this stuff right, the culture takes over. The people and the company take over and just start to expand it and build on it.”
(31:09) - Why the hybrid model may not be ideal for most companies - “It requires a level of discipline that’s even above and beyond what you see in a fully remote company.”
(36:25) - Home is the new office: how to upgrade the remote environment - “When we do come back into the workforce, it’s not going to be the same office experience that folks have come to love.”
(44:55) - Why you should stick to fully remote permanently - “To me, having access to this massive talent pool is just so beneficial to our success.”