Carolin Schneider on LinkedIn: Can we please talk about how Roblox is scoring big time with its hiring… (2024)

I was 28 when I took on my first leadership role, heading a team of 3 in 2 countries. Then I was tasked to let them go only a few weeks later. I remember sitting on the train to Germany, with sweaty hands, and thinking "Heck, I don't want to do this."Since I was new to the role and the decision had been made before I joined and without my involvement (red flag on company procedures and trust 🚩), my manager supported me in these conversations (a truly great manager, I loved her). It still turned into a mess:Once we had finished the conversations and offboarding, my manager had "the conversation" herself with her manager and left within a few weeks, too. I was left with the aftermath that got even worse:When I traveled to HQ a few weeks later, they asked why we let go of the whole team, I could have kept one team member but they welcomed the bigger cut (screaming red flag on company communications 🚩).My new manager was a walking red flag himself. 🚩 I tried to make it work but he made clear we would never get on the same page, did not take any effort to build a relationship, and I left a few months later. I've learned incredibly much during that time. Especially by experiencing on the receiving end what 𝗻𝗼𝘁 to do:→ don't make layoff decisions without involving team leads 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 execution→ don't dictate and assume: make clear what the task is, and what not→ stand up and voice concerns or disagreement→ never promote based on tenure alone.Communication, trust, and feeling safe enough to ask questions. And a decent understanding of what a leadership role entails.THAT is how you avoid creating a mess in a layoff. Have you ever been in a similarly painful situation around layoffs? PS. The team I had to lay off hated me afterward. Of course, they did, and rightfully so - I had given them completely different signals when taking over... They felt I said A and did B. Biggest red flag of them all. 🚩————————Hello fellow founder 👋I'm Carolin. I write for tech founders to hire and lead confidently without feeling insecure. Their result? They build a team that takes off together. 🚀 The ppl.Kickstarter: 🙌 Advisory, Mentoring, Workshops 🎧 Podcast People & Culture Stories ✨ Don't miss the free resources featured on my profile➡️ Follow for more

7

3 Comments

And this is why a memes channel isn't a waste of time but - a means to build connections, team cohesion, and ultimately: part of a culture flywheel with buzzing relationships that allow people to → feel safe to give effort, → talk about failures, and → keep going no matter what.Do you like or hate memes? 🙋🏼♀️ Are you viewing them any differently now?————————Hello fellow founder 👋I'm Carolin. I write for tech founders to hire and lead confidently without feeling insecure. Their result? They form a team that takes off together. 🚀 The ppl.Kickstarter: 🙌 Advisory, Mentoring, Workshops 🎧 Podcast People & Culture Stories ✨ Don't miss the free resources featured on my profile➡️ Follow for more

3

8 Comments

Here are 3 reasons why it is CRUCIAL to hire for cultural alignment (And 3 practical ways how to find it)Cultural alignment is crucial for many reasons. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝟯𝘅 𝘄𝗵𝘆:1️⃣ Those who really click with your team, or add to its culture what has been missing in a meaningful way, are happier, more motivated, and more engaged. They are more likely to go above and beyond in their roles, contributing to a more productive and positive workplace.2️⃣ The sense of community and teamwork among the team is stronger: fast track to your business goalsWhen team members share common values and work ethics, it facilitates smoother interactions, better communication, and more effective collaboration = less friction all around. 3️⃣ When a team lives and embraces the company's values, the customer experience more likely aligns with those values, too. Ideally, every customer interaction reinforces the brand's reputation and promises: such consistency is crucial for building customer trust and loyalty.𝟯 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝘁:→ Explicitly add a culture description or statement of values into job descriptions and advertisem*nts to attract those who resonate with these values.→ Use behavioral interview questions to assess how candidates have demonstrated the core values you are looking for in their past jobs.→ Include diverse team members in the interview process to review cultural fit from multiple perspectives.𝗠𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗸𝗶𝗰𝗸𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂: Get my free "Ultimate Culture Alignment Interview Questions Set" with 64 (!) ready-to-use questions and start asking behavioral interview questions today. It's featured on my profile (free, no email required) Anything I've missed?🚀————————Hello fellow founder 👋I'm Carolin. I write for tech founders to learn hiring and leading confidently without feeling insecure. Their result? They build a team that takes off! 🚀 The ppl.Kickstarter: 🙌 Advisory, Mentoring, Workshops 🎧 Podcast People & Culture Stories ✨ Don't miss the free resources featured on my profile➡️ Follow for more, DM for your kickstart today

14

8 Comments

Tuesday Tool Tip: compare country cultures before you hire remotely or expand your operations into themIt's a common approach for high-income countries: hire talent in low(er)-income countries.Or a typical expansion strategy, especially now that tech is borderless: just set up shop overseas and make a fortune.What is often overlooked is the hidden cost of miscommunication, culture conflict, or the risk of a complete failure of the undertaking because of:A culture gap too wide to bridge. 🤯Lost in translation is a coined phrase for good reason!When you look to hire remotely or expand into another country -Or you already have and you realize things aren't running too smoothly - Here's a tool that can help you explore and learn about the culture of the country you (want to) expand to:The Hofstede Culture Comparison Tool at https://lnkd.in/egrGsZcVIt's easy and fast: Select the countries you want to compare, then get the essence of similarities and differences across 5 categories in life and business. Backed by decades of research.Happy culture exploring!🚀Have you ever looked to find such info on other cultures? Did you find any other good resources to share?————————Hello fellow founder 👋I'm Carolin. I write for tech founders to hire and lead confidently without feeling insecure. Their result? They build a team that takes off together. 🚀 The ppl.Kickstarter: 🙌 Advisory, Mentoring, Workshops 🎧 Podcast People & Culture Stories ✨ Don't miss the free resources featured on my profile➡️ Follow for more

12

6 Comments

Last week I had to cancel the request for a speaking engagement because I can't make time for it for two reasons: → I get more client requests (yes, inbound) and my time is limited. → I prioritize paid engagements that have come in for the same period (= the gig I canceled isn't paid). The event and platform sound great and I would have loved to do it. But the times are challenging and time is limited.I need to take extra care of where and how I invest my time.I think many of us can relate to choosing pro bono gigs with extra scrutiny.𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: → What is not a fit for me right now, might help someone else. So with my cancelation note, I recommended two other female founders who might add value to the event AND get something out of it for themselves:→ visibility for their services and personal brand→ new connections with their target group→ eventually (potentially) new businessI don't know whether they take pro bono gigs right now, maybe not. But I intentionally created an opportunity for them.It took me 3 minutes to think who might fit and benefit and to add them with their LinkedIn profile links to my email. That is how I live collaboration and support other founders. Would you have done it, too?🚀————————Hello fellow founder 👋I'm Carolin. I write for tech founders to hire and lead confidently without feeling insecure. Their result? They build a team that lasts. 🚀 The ppl.Kickstarter: 🙌 Advisory, Mentoring, Workshops 🎧 Podcast People & Culture Stories ✨ Don't miss the free resources featured on my profile➡️ Follow for more

16

11 Comments

Writing down your values ≠ articulating your cultureHere's how to do it (plus a limited giveaway 🎁):Most startup accelerators or programs tell you to articulate your values instead of "just" defining them.I've seen it in videos from YC, First Round Capital, Stanford Venture Program, and so on.Often they don't tell you, how to exactly work through this process so I'm sharing with you right here and now how you can do it:1️⃣ You start with the values you put at the core of your business; the classical list. Pro tip: align them with your mission and product; they need to make sense together.2️⃣ Then you articulate what this value means to you and the actual 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘳𝘴 you want to see for each of these values. 3️⃣ Next you translate them into your daily practices across your business. 💡 Practices are team rituals, exemplary role model people or outcomes, and symbols recognizable as tokens of your culture for outsiders.4️⃣ Then you live them, reinforce them, iterate them, keep them alive, and watch how a team aligned culturally runs on a culture flywheel and takes off like a rocket into the starlit sky. ✨🎁 For my workshops and 1:1 work with startups, I developed a structural template toguide founders through these steps.I'll put the link in the comments for 24 hours for you to grab for free.🚀(Share this with a founder friend who could use the template, too.)PS. The next group workshop to work through this template and more practical resources like a values test or my Company Culture Canvas with me personally is Monday 24 June at Impact Hub Zürich in Zurich. The booking link is featured on my profile. 5 seats only.————————Hello fellow founder 👋I'm Carolin. I write for tech founders to hire and lead confidently without feeling insecure. Their result? They build a team that lasts. 🚀 The ppl.Kickstarter: 🙌 Advisory, Mentoring, Workshops 🎧 Podcast People & Culture Stories ✨ Don't miss the free resources featured on my profile➡️ Follow for more

7

4 Comments

It was a first for me and a packed day I enjoyed to the max! 💡📊🍦I couldn't have felt more welcome by the coaches community at Innosuisse yesterday at my first National Coaches Meeting. I came with no particular expectations and an open mind and it did not disappoint. 🙌 I left with: → new and refreshed insights by fascinating keynote speakers Lorenzo Massa and Alexander Fries (loved all the cultural underlinings in both your inputs)→ first-hand learnings from fab female founders Cristina Rossi from b-rayZ, Olga Dubey from AgroSustain SA, Stefanie Flückiger-Mangual of TOLREMO therapeutics (thanks for your honesty and openness) → a much broader understanding of all the fantastic offerings for entrepreneurs and startups across all stages by Innosuisse from idea to internationalization (great job, team Innosuisse Maria Anselmi, Christoph Falk, Ana Soares, Kathrin Plüss, Marcel Hofstetter, Benedetta Scrascia, and all the others!)→ and so many wonderful new or deepened connections to my co-coaches with such a depth of experience like Daniel Puerta Diaz, Boris Manhart, Katharina Brandenberger, Brigitte Sommer, Penny Schiffer, Sanja Hauser, Anina Wissner, Vincent Tresno 🚀, Christoph Heidelberger, Dr. Heiko Visarius, Beat Walther, Thomas Kessler, Egle B. Thomas, PhD, MBA, Jérémie Perreaud, Christoph Bally, Matthias Frieden, Arturo Nicora, Jan Fülscher, Michael Mosimann, and more. I would have loved to meet everyone there! What a pleasure and honor to be among such capable coaches and wonderfully done, dear Innosuisse team 🚀————————Hello fellow founder 👋I'm Carolin. I write for tech founders to hire and lead confidently without feeling insecure. Their result? They build a team that takes off together. 🚀 The ppl.Kickstarter: People & Culture for Startups✨ Don't miss the free resources featured on my profile➡️ Follow for more

34

13 Comments

During the current Founder Institute spring semester, I ran 11 business hours with founders already - with more scheduled for later this week. (And I absolutely love it!)We speak about:pitch improvement, employment basics, idea or product feedback, market research challenges, remote team challenges, co-founding questions,and much more.I am sharing:insights, experience, practical tips, connections, resources, and more.They walk away grateful (I can tell from their faces and words) and with practical next steps on hand. And in the current cohort alone, I have already mentored 3 HR Tech founders. 🤩With them, I also touch on a more specific value proposition, product positioning options, and "HR lingo buzzword bingo". I couldn't be more proud of their ideas, progress, and boldness.And I'd love to shed some more light on their innovation, too.(I have an idea... 😅)If you are a Founder in HR Tech in Switzerland, please reach out. I'd love to hear about your venture, too. 🚀PS. Follow Founder Institute Switzerland to not miss when the Fall Semester Application opens later this year. 🌱————————Hello fellow founder 👋I'm Carolin. I write for (HR) tech founders to build, hire, and lead confidently without feeling insecure. Their result? They build a team that takes off and a product that gets attention. 🚀 The ppl.Kickstarter: 🙌 Advisory, Mentoring, Workshops 🎧 Podcast People & Culture Stories ✨ Don't miss the free resources featured on my profile➡️ Follow for more

28

5 Comments

Diversity isn’t just a buzzword or colorful parade on a Saturday; it’s much more than that (and pays in cash dividends)A non-inclusive culture can limit innovation and growth, leading to hom*ogeneity in thinking and decreased employee satisfaction. And building an inclusive and diverse team starts with your recruiting activities.In interviews, we tend to fall victim to:→ similarity bias (I hire who is like me)→ blind spot bias (I make hiring decision without knowing I am biased)→ in-group bias (I hire who is part of my group like same university grad)→ recency bias (I hire the latest interviewee because I remember them best)To name a few... And yet: 📊 McKinsey research shows that companies in the top quartile for diversity are 35% more likely to have financial returns above their respective national industry medians.How to solve this challenge practically:💪Deliberately promote diversity and inclusion through intentional hiring practices, team training, and guidelines and procedures that actively support a diverse workforce.Your Kickstart for Today: 🚀 Review your hiring practices this month to ensure they support diversity and inclusion.→ Look for a semi-structured format for your interviews (same vs individual questions)→ Look for a diverse interviewer 'panel' (you and someone not like you)→ Compare facts not gut feeling (with a point ranking, for example)To name a few... And one more hands-on tip:🎧 Find "People & Culture Stories" on Spotify or YouTube and tune in to my podcast episode with Priska Burkard - stuffed with practical tips on how to build a more diverse startup team beyond gender diversity.Happy building🚀PS. Join my next workshop on 24 June in Zurich and learn how to align your people management practices like recruiting with the culture you are looking to establish. Featured on my profile ✨————————Hello fellow founder 👋I'm Carolin. I write for tech founders to hire and lead confidently without feeling insecure. Their gain? They build a team that stands out and takes off. 🚀 The ppl.Kickstarter: 🙌 Advisory, Mentoring, Workshops 🎧 Podcast People & Culture Stories ✨ Don't miss the free resources featured on my profile➡️ Follow for more

15

8 Comments