{"id":3000009942,"date":"2019-10-31T18:58:37","date_gmt":"2019-10-31T22:58:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/deconstructed.wework.com\/?p=2699"},"modified":"2020-09-03T05:53:17","modified_gmt":"2020-09-03T09:53:17","slug":"soft-skills-leaders-movable-ink-vivek-sharma-podcast-recap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/professional-development\/management-leadership\/soft-skills-leaders-movable-ink-vivek-sharma-podcast-recap","title":{"rendered":"Movable Ink’s top soft skills for leaders"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It\u2019s nighttime at Vivek Sharma<\/a>\u2019s home in Brooklyn, and the cofounder and CEO of Movable Ink<\/a> is winding down his day. His next stop will be putting his kids to bed with a story. That’s when he caught up with John Henry for WeWork’s Up At Night podcast<\/a> to talk about his company\u2019s amazing story of growth, soft skills for leaders, and why he thinks Movable Ink\u2019s people and culture are critical to its success. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Movable Ink uses customer data to personalize visuals across email, web, and display, working with brands like Nike and the NBA. Last year alone, the company drove 500 billion emails. From two employees in 2010, it\u2019s grown to more than 300 working out of WeWork offices in San Francisco<\/a>, London<\/a>, and Chicago<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a business that relies heavily on hard data for its customers, it\u2019s surprising just how much Vivek relies on people skills for his own company\u2019s success. In fact, he says hiring the right people with the right qualities is critical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Intangibles like empathy and curiosity don\u2019t just support the company\u2019s success. They\u2019re critical to it.<\/p>Vivek Sharma, Movable Ink<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Over time, Vivek and his team have identified three key qualities that make for superstar employees: curiosity, grit, and empathy. \u201cWe want to send a very clear signal to the company that these are extremely valuable to each of us,\u201d says Vivek. \u201cAnd to me personally.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Movable Ink looks for and measures those three top soft skills for leaders in interviews with job candidates, as well as recognizing them in current employees on an ongoing basis. Vivek says, \u201cWe do a founder\u2019s award once a quarter where I talk about the values, people are nominated around those, and we pick a winner and celebrate them in front of the company.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why empathy matters more than being a top performer<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Recognizing empathy as one of the most important soft skills for leaders initially caught Vivek by surprise. He admits, \u201cIf you\u2019d asked me on day one of the company, it wouldn\u2019t have occurred to me.\u201d Now he equates a person\u2019s empathy to their ability to genuinely work with others and collaboratively problem-solve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

But it took a few mis-hires for Vivek to learn this lesson. He says, \u201cI\u2019ve even mis-hired people where this person was a high performer. They were so intelligent, so articulate, seemed like they could do all these things. But that empathy bit was completely lacking. And they were managing up to me, but treating their own team and their peers with contempt.\u201d These \u201ctoxic\u201d hires seemed to amplify negativity, while hires that were empathetic decreased stress in the company. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scaling culture and transparency at Movable Ink<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Hiring the right people has only become more important to Vivek as Movable Ink has scaled, and learning to delegate has been key. \u201cIt simply isn\u2019t possible for you to hang on to every little thing in the company. If you want to build something that is really going to be monumental, (that) is going to stand the test of time\u2014it\u2019s about the people. It\u2019s about the culture.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trust is essential to this approach, and Vivek attributes that trust to the open, two-way communication and a \u201cculture of transparency\u201d at Movable Ink. He believes employees need clarity of direction in the long term. Vivek explains, \u201cPeople really need to know where they\u2019re heading, because the biggest decisions aren\u2019t being made by me. They\u2019re being made by the people in the front lines\u2026 It helps them get motivated, and it helps them make smart decisions about how to invest their time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But that transparency goes both ways. Movable Ink employees are strongly encouraged to provide feedback either directly or anonymously, so the lines of communication stay open. \u201cAnd it\u2019s not always easy,\u201d according to Vivek. \u201cThere are some really uncomfortable questions that we get. But you know, you\u2019ve got to bite the bullet, because people are talking about it or thinking about it, even if it isn\u2019t vocalized in that way. So, better to just get it all out in the open.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That was a moment for some people in the company. They thought, Wow, we’ll get a direct answer from our management team.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

At this point in the podcast, Vivek\u2019s children can be heard getting restless for story time in the background. Before saying goodnight, he shares one unusual practice he has for clearing his mind and getting some sleep: Filipino martial arts. He says getting in a great workout elevates his mood and takes his mind off the day\u2019s problems. Meditation is also on his list to try. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To learn more, tune in to episode two of the Up at Night podcast<\/a>. You can also read the full transcript here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n