Fortune reporter Natalie McCormick here, filling in for Brit Morse.
In his 17 years running Airbnb, CEO and cofounder Brian Chesky says he’s ignored popular leadership advice that he’s found imprudent. Within that category is the belief that leaders shouldn’t play favorites.
He concedes that the idea of heralding certain employees has a negative connotation. “At most companies, there’d be a protest if the CEO picked [favorites],” Chesky said in a recent interview with Fortune. “It would be considered unfair and not systematic.”
But Chesky argues that when done well, employee favoritism allows leaders to spotlight top performers, tap their skill set and knowledge for strategy planning efforts, and demonstrate to other employees who they should emulate.
To be sure, so-called favorites should be selected based on fair criteria and concrete success metrics rather than sheer cronyism. “You can have people making sure there’s no unconscious bias,…
Boutique Travel VC raises investment cap from $1.5M to $10M to lead rounds and support portfolio companies through growth Travel...
Read moreDetails
