20VC: Why "Hire Great People and Get Out of the Way" is Total BS, Why Your Upbringing Can Make You a Worse Leader & A Bentley, Two Nissan Cubes and Becoming One of Macedonia's Largest Employers; The Story of Slice with Ilir Sela
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Episode Highlights
Delegation Norms
Ilir Sela challenges the conventional wisdom of hiring great people and then stepping aside. He argues that this approach often leads to failure, as each business situation is unique and requires active involvement from leaders. Sela emphasizes the importance of aligning on details and making small, strategic pivots rather than large, sweeping changes.
I just don't believe in, like, getting out of the way of anybody. I think it's teammates and going along the journey together.
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By staying engaged, leaders can ensure that decisions are made with a clear understanding of the company's trajectory 1 2.
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Upbringing Impact
Sela's upbringing in a small town in Macedonia significantly influenced his leadership style. Moving to New York at a young age, he was driven by the opportunity to prove that anything is possible through hard work. This background instilled a hospitality-first culture in him, which sometimes conflicted with the assertiveness needed in leadership.
Things that we've been taught when we are young, actually, I believe, sometimes create a lot more damage than good.
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Sela acknowledges that these cultural values can hinder decisiveness, but he continues to work on improving his decision-making skills 3 2.
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Communication
Effective communication is a cornerstone of Sela's leadership philosophy. He stresses the need for frequent and clear communication, especially as a company grows. Sela believes in explaining the 'why' behind decisions to empower team members to make informed choices.
If you're not feeling nauseous because you're communicating the same thing over and over, that you just feel like, why am I saying this again? Do it one more time.
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By embracing geographic diversity, Sela has developed communication frameworks that respect cultural differences, ensuring cohesive operations across global teams 4 5.
