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ZenBusiness co-founder and CEO Ross Buhrdorf made his workplace philosophy his company’s WiFi password. Two words, clear and simple: “No assholes.” “My mother’s voice is always ringing in my ear,” Buhrdorf said during a panel conversation at last month’s Inc. 5000 Conference in Phoenix. ‘Ross, just treat people decent.’ She’s from the Midwest, and we’re always trying to treat people decent.” Buhrdorf, whose compliance and corporation formation company is based in Austin, Texas, was joined on the panel by Sylvia Kwan, CEO of Ellevest, a New York City-based financial services company focused on female founders. The CEOs shared their insights into clear, intentional leadership as AI and an uncertain economy transform workplaces and company culture. Here are three takeaways from their conversation. Featured Video An Inc.com Featured Presentation Don’t just gain trust — earn it. Whenever you communicate to your employees, whether giving an assignment or even just saying hello, every decision has to come with the intention that you are trustworthy, Kwan said. And there are a number of ways to keep building that trust. “Trust is so hard to gain and so easy to lose,” Kwan said. “Every single communication that you have out there has to enforce that.” Buhrdorf said he rewards people who make mistakes—sometimes. Why? Encouraging mistakes also encourages people to move quicker and make more assertive decisions, creating a more empowered company culture, Buhrdorf said. Remember that leaders need to listen—and explain themsleves. If your conversations are truly dialogues, where you and your employees are both being heard, it’s a lot easier to be a leader, Kwan said. And communicating not just what to do, but why it’s being done, makes it easier for people to get on board with you, she adds. Buhdorf encourages his employees to ask him lots of questions. Most of his employees are smarter than him, he says, so being transparent with them encourages them to be transparent with him. And overall, better decision making comes from that. Focus on the value transaction. When your company is still in its early days, you’ll have a million possibilities and ideas for how to run your business. But, Kwan said, “there’s only so much you can do.” So, instead of just seeing what sticks, Kwan advises focusing on what you, your company, and your audience value as soon as possible. According to Buhdorf, the easiest thing to focus on initially is your company’s transactions. Scaling and other things will come, but you need to understand the value exchange, he added. Why are customers choosing you? What service do you offer them? In the start-up stage, it’s more important to follow the thread of what customers are telling you, he said. “Early on, you can focus on an idea, but it’s usually wrong,” Buhrdorf said. “You need to be in the right neighborhood.”
