18 March 2024
Since my time at Rocket Internet and throughout building my own company afterwards I've thought quite a lot about Rocket's infamously aggressive management style.
There are endless examples, just read the hilarious Blitzkrieg email.
The thing is, I totally get it. I always compare Oli with Gordon Ramsey. So you tell me you're a chef, and then you can't even cook a f'ing omelet? It is just an offense to the craft. It hurts to pay people a salary and see them not taking it as seriously as you do.
You're a marketeer and you don't know the CAC? Or worse yet you haven't even tried to calculate it? Do you have any self respect? You should be cleaning toilets at McDonalds. I'm not going to let you spend another dollar of my marketing budget. Get. The hell. Out of my kitchen!
That's how it feels, and in my opinion it's totally valid to be angry (and fire someone) for lack of care. I have felt this way more times than I can begin to count as a founder and manager. I just don't think most people get this. Most people just don't live their life with that kind of intensity and care.
But even if I fully understand the emotions, I find it super immature to lose your temper and rip into people like that. And more importantly it's completely ineffective. By the time I joined Rocket most people didn't take leaders like this seriously anymore. They wouldn't be given bad news so they didn't know the true issues in the business.
More damningly they were also often wrong. If you do this and you end up being wrong you lose all respect with your people.
Every ex-Rocket leader I know who had a reputation to be a shouter has learned to control their emotions and deliver messages like an adult.
But the anger is still there and that's a very understandable emotion. As an entrepreneur, apart from doubt, fear and despair, anger is right up there in the emotional rollercoaster.