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The Heartbeat Interview: Hiten Shah, Founder of KISSmetrics, CrazyEgg, FYI and Product Habits
21 segments available
See more at http://theheartbeat.news //////// Claire Lew, CEO of Know Your Company, asks one question to a founder, CEO, or business owner she respects. This week, she interviews Hiten Shah, Founder of KISSmetrics, CrazyEgg, FYI and Product Habits. She asks Hiten: "What's the one thing you wish you would've have learned earlier, as a leader?" Watch what he has to say here :-) Want to see more leadership interviews by Claire? Subscribe to The Heartbeat: A bi-weekly newsletter on leadership that features an interview (just like this!): http://theheartbeat.news
Segments Timeline
Meet Hiten Shah
Claire Lew introduces Hiten Shah, a prominent entrepreneur known for founding KISSmetrics, CrazyEgg, and other startups. She expresses her admiration for his work and sets the stage for a discussion on leadership.
"I'm Claire Lu and I'm the CEO of a major company and I am super excited to have with me today Keaton Shah who many of you I'm sure familiar of Keaton is an amazing entrepreneur who's founded a lot of ..."
Meet Hiten Shah
In this segment, Claire Lew introduces Hiten Shah, a prominent entrepreneur known for founding KISSmetrics, CrazyEgg, and other startups. She expresses her admiration for his work and sets the stage for a deep dive into leadership insights.
"I'm Claire Lu and I'm the CEO of a major company and I am super excited to have with me today Keaton Shah who many of you I'm sure familiar of Keaton is an amazing entrepreneur who's founded a lot of ..."
The Leadership Question
Claire poses a pivotal question to Hiten: 'What's one thing you wish you would have learned earlier as a leader?' Hiten reflects on the significance of this question and prepares to share his insights.
"yeah I think we met a microcon if I'm not mistaken I think you're right - yep yeah we're excited to answer the question and I don't know what it is yet and I love also that you're calling from a car y..."
The Leadership Question
Claire poses a pivotal question to Hiten: 'What's one thing you wish you would have learned earlier as a leader?' Hiten reflects on the complexities of leadership and the importance of continuous improvement in this role.
"yeah I think we met a microcon if I'm not mistaken I think you're right - yep yeah we're excited to answer the question and I don't know what it is yet and I love also that you're calling from a car y..."
Honesty Over Niceness
Hiten discusses the importance of honesty in leadership, emphasizing that being a leader means being responsible for others. He reflects on his past focus on being nice and how it sometimes hindered his ability to be honest and direct.
"need a couple seconds to think cuz I good question I've been I guess doing this for a really long time so and you know I think not very good at it to be honest so I I would say that like I'm just look..."
Honesty vs. Niceness
Hiten shares his realization that being a leader is about responsibility, not just being nice. He discusses the importance of honesty over niceness, emphasizing that leaders must be objective and truthful, even when it’s uncomfortable.
"means the one thing yeah I think that the one thing that I feel I wish I would have understood and knew previously much earlier and I wish someone would have told me or even if they did maybe I'm gonn..."
The Dangers of a Nice Culture
Hiten shares his experiences with the pitfalls of a 'nice culture' in teams, where being overly nice can prevent honest feedback and lead to toxic environments. He stresses the need for leaders to prioritize honesty over being liked.
"want to be honest and I think a lot of times and especially this applies of founders I've met they're nice people and that prevents them from being honest and that's the aspect that really putting mys..."
The Dangers of Being Too Nice
In this segment, Hiten reflects on the pitfalls of prioritizing niceness over honesty. He explains how this mindset can lead to toxic culture and hinder effective communication within teams, especially in remote settings.
"there's a nice way to be on honest but I don't think I think we think about honesty and and being nice I don't think they're related I think that there are that they aren't like instantly you're like ..."
Learning from Mistakes
Hiten discusses the mistakes he made by not being honest with team members, particularly in difficult situations. He highlights the importance of addressing issues directly to foster a healthier team dynamic.
"focused on being honest first in a nice way when when did you realize this Keaton so did you get burned by a situation is this a pattern that you sort of accumulated over time do you feel like there w..."
Learning from Mistakes
Hiten reflects on his past mistakes of not addressing issues directly with team members, which led to a toxic culture. He emphasizes the importance of open communication and honesty in maintaining a healthy team dynamic.
"way when when did you realize this Keaton so did you get burned by a situation is this a pattern that you sort of accumulated over time do you feel like there were some sort of big wake-up calls where..."
The Culture of Nice
Claire and Hiten explore the concept of a 'culture of nice' in organizations. They discuss how this culture can stifle open communication and feedback, making it difficult for teams to address mistakes and improve.
"somebody who I'm advising or a friend or you know anybody that's more of acquaintances or what-have-you and then I should be nice yeah there's really nothing at stake there yeah to be honest in those ..."
The Importance of Outcomes
Hiten discusses the distinction between personal and business relationships, highlighting that business relationships should focus on achieving outcomes. He argues that being nice can sometimes distract from the goals that need to be accomplished.
"somebody who I'm advising or a friend or you know anybody that's more of acquaintances or what-have-you and then I should be nice yeah there's really nothing at stake there yeah to be honest in those ..."
The Challenge of Feedback
Hiten shares insights on the challenges leaders face when giving feedback. He emphasizes the need for leaders to transition from being perceived as nice to being honest, which can be a significant shift for many.
"wants to help people get better to do that and I personally struggle with it I'm not sure how that relates to anybody else in their experience necessarily yeah but your question was a good one yeah we..."
Navigating Feedback Challenges
Claire and Hiten explore the challenges leaders face in providing feedback without compromising their 'nice' persona. They discuss the need for leaders to shift from being perceived as nice to being honest and constructive.
"yeah but your question was a good one yeah well to that point so this is something that has come up a lot in the leaders that we talk to you and that we work with we run this online leadership communi..."
The Role of Reflection
Hiten shares practical advice for leaders, emphasizing the importance of reflection and post-mortems in business. He encourages leaders to seek honest feedback from their teams to improve processes and outcomes.
"there just to sort of poke at you know both of us here which is is it because we want to be liked this is because we care like a lot about what people think about us and you should really want to be l..."
Outcomes Over Relationships
In this segment, Hiten discusses the importance of focusing on outcomes in business relationships rather than just maintaining a pleasant atmosphere. He argues that honesty is crucial for achieving business goals.
"people because I like being nice trust me you don't know pretty Smiley's you know I like to think I'm a kind person right like I I know what you're talking about Keaton so why is it so hard for us peo..."
Aligning Personal and Business Goals
Hiten discusses the necessity of understanding team members' personal goals and aligning them with business objectives. He believes that fostering this understanding can enhance honesty and productivity within teams.
"other so to me the outcome changes construct relationships and we tend to treat our relationships that work the same as our personal relationships if we're nice people people are want to be not percei..."
Aligning Personal and Business Goals
Hiten emphasizes the need for leaders to understand their team members' personal goals and how these can align with business objectives. He advocates for open discussions about outcomes to foster a productive work environment.
"there's things we're looking to accomplish so our basis isn't we have a family or there's two of us and we're partners and like that's just how it is yeah this is outcomes there's a third factor it's ..."
Creating a Culture of Honesty
In the concluding segment, Hiten emphasizes the need for leaders to cultivate a culture of honesty while still being supportive. He reflects on the balance between being nice and achieving business outcomes, encouraging leaders to prioritize transparency.
"it's it's actually even why I hate even the buzzword employee engagement right because it's this idea that like everyone just needs to be engaged it's like yeah people who feel good about their work t..."
Reflecting on Leadership
Hiten shares practical advice for leaders, highlighting the importance of reflection and post-mortems in business. He encourages leaders to seek feedback and continuously improve their leadership approach.
"actually not accomplishing anything and it's it's actually even why I hate even the buzzword employee engagement right because it's this idea that like everyone just needs to be engaged it's like yeah..."
Creating a Culture of Honesty
In the final segment, Hiten discusses how to cultivate a culture of honesty within teams. He stresses the importance of being direct and supportive, ensuring that team members feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and feedback.
"honest so anymore nice yeah you know I think one of the most powerful tools is the ability to reflect and do the equivalent of a post-mortem in as many areas in your business as possible yeah and like..."