Chris Saad, Ex-Product Head at Uber Developer Platform on Leadership Traits

Use Case

There’s no template to success. That’s for sure. But, there are traits.

In this episode Chris Saad, who was previously the Head of Product for Uber Developer Platform and is presently a strategic advisor to several startups joins us to share his learnings on what leadership characteristics set our favourite CXOs apart.

Chris fundamentally believes that leaders look at the world in a special way. In the episode he shares concise, pragmatic insights into how leaders think and act - their lens; and gives actionable advice on how to implement those strategies in our daily lives.

3 important traits we discuss in the episode are:

* Intention: Most people do not fully understand or shape their intentions. Instead, they allow them to remain subordinate to the whims of the current circumstances. Consequently, their intentions haphazardly change from moment-to-moment without being subject to a deliberate process of critical reflection. It is such carelessness that translates to ineffectual behavior - which, in turn, leads to failure, anxiety, frustration, and anger.

* Curiosity: Curiosity-suppression has been institutionalised in our world. With few exceptions, the education system is mostly anachronistic - designed around the conditions and requirements of the industrial age. During that era, workers needed to remember facts, sit on an assembly line, repeat the same task over and over - responding to bells and queues. The thinking was done by rote. Consequently, the education system designed to cater to that era’s needs is effectively a regime of Pavlovian conditioning, bereft of edification, wherein critical thinking took a back seat to being able to remember and follow the rules. In the 21st century the strategies for learning will be completely different.

* Agency: Do it as a thought experiment. Ask yourself, “In an ideal world, if I had no constraints or obligations, how would I want this aspect of my life to change?”… Have an abundance mindset. Remember, almost everything is possible - you just have to figure out how. The most successful people, especially among entrepreneurs are those that have the ambition and drive to go out there and achieve what they want. Cultivating that agency is what matters.

The episode is filled with examples and some very fun anecdotes about Uber India. This is such a wonderful way to start a Monday with! Hope you enjoy this episode:

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