WE ROAR Issue 02 - Flipbook - Page 15
What advice can you give those
looking to build their first team?
I’ve got so many thoughts bubbling,
but my lessons are to ensure you
don’t just hire lots of versions of
yourself, don’t hire too early, but
don’t try and do everything yourself
forever. Get to know everyone
individually and invest in their
development, and they will feel like
they belong. Encourage them to
share ideas and listen to them; they
usually have
something of
real value to
add. As a
leader,
do
what you say
you will share
the vision and
celebrate the
differences
while
amplifying the
shared goals.
If you could
hire anyone,
who would it
be?
This question made me think. The
people who come to mind are not
famous or revered. They all happen
to
be
neurodivergent
female
entrepreneurs, all brilliant, whom I
greatly respect and am in awe of,
and I can’t afford to hire any of them!
Speaking of women in business,
why do you believe you're such a
strong ally for us?
I’ve always had a pillar within me
that is very social justice-centric.
Imagine me as a child. I’d end up at
the headteacher’s office because I’d
challenge something that wasn’t fair
or consistent, and because it didn’t
make sense, I struggled to accept it.
But as a young man, you’re unaware
of some of the challenges women
face in society because you don’t go
through them yourself. I had a 70/30
gender split in my video game
business in 2012, which was seen as
groundbreaking, but I hadn’t done it
with intention; I just hired without
asking for years of experience.
When I lost the ability to walk, it
stripped back some of my
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