I watched the video from the AirBNB-Founder Brian Chesky on Founder Mode last year and was immediately intrigued. While I anticipated that many might interpret this as a call for micromanagement, what truly resonated with me was the concept of partnership in leadership. Chesky’s emphasis on working with your team — rather than micromanaging them — struck a chord.
When Chesky elaborated further on the A Bit of Optimism Podcast with Simon Sinek, I was delighted. He dove into the nuanced balance between being a present leader and overstepping into micromanagement. It reinforced my belief that true leadership is not about control but about collaboration, clarity, authenticity and learning.
🚦 Key Takeaways:
👉 “Founder Mode” as a misunderstood concept: Chesky clarifies that “Founder Mode” is not about controlling every detail but rather maintaining a deep involvement without stifling autonomy. He reflects on a period when Airbnb’s vision and values were misaligned with management, forcing him to take a more hands-on approach to ensure alignment. This resonates with my belief that leadership is often about stepping into the trenches, especially when vision and execution diverge.
👉 “Eyes on, hands off”: Originally coined by General McChrystal, this principle is about staying informed and aligned with the team’s progress while avoiding micromanagement. Chesky believes in balancing observation with partnership, ensuring alignment without resorting to negative control. As I often emphasize, leadership is not about control but about clarity and authenticity—something I also discussed in my Master-Class at TOWA’s Tech Day B2B Tech Day 2025.
👉 Leadership is the upper boundary: Chesky points out that leadership sets the ceiling for how much the team cares. “If leadership is disengaged, the company’s culture weakens.” He stresses the importance of being present and setting an example every day, particularly when bridging differences within the team. As a leader, I strive to embody this—understanding, engaging, and contributing directly, not just offering hollow advice.
👉 Shackleton’s Influence: Drawing from Ernest Shackleton’s legendary job ad, Chesky highlights how honesty and attracting the right people for the mission are critical to enduring tough times. He believes that leading with authenticity and clear vision, much like Shackleton, can inspire and guide teams through challenges. This idea of “recruiting for the mission” reminds me of how important it is to set realistic expectations, even when the journey might be daunting.
👉 Your values should be a filter: Strong values should naturally attract the right people while filtering out those who do not align with the mission. Chesky warns against managing by compromise—where leaders try to balance how they want to lead with how employees want to be led. He believes this approach leads to more pain and dissatisfaction, as it often results in a diluted and unclear leadership vision.
👉 Covid-19 as a Defining Moment: Chesky described the pandemic as a near-death experience for Airbnb, losing 80% of business in eight weeks. His response was to refocus on fundamentals, cutting unnecessary projects and aligning the company around core values. This crisis underscored the need for clear leadership, much like personal or startup challenges where loss and uncertainty test resolve. For me, Covid-19 was also a defining moment—standing firm on prioritizing the health of employees over meetings, office space and missing remote experiences, and championing what I believed to be right.
👉 Building Products People Love: Chesky emphasizes that success isn’t about how long a product takes or how impressive the process is—it’s about delivering value to customers. “No one cares how fast you’re growing; they care if your product enriches their life.” This resonates deeply with me, as I strive to create meaningful impact — through substance, and hopefully with speed.
👉 Johnny Ive on Leadership: Chesky references Johnny Ive’s experience with Steve Jobs, highlighting how Jobs’ deep involvement was not micromanagement but a creative partnership. Ive said, “I never felt micromanaged by Steve because he was partnering with me.” As a leader, I aim to build this kind of partnership with my team—present, engaged, but not overbearing.
🎯 At the recent B2B Tech Day 2025, I had the pleasure of giving a Master-Class on Clarity, DORA, and Agile Enablement alongside the great Lara Peters, Senior Agile Coach at TOWA. We as well explored how clarity is a two-way street, demanded by organizations and employees alike coming right back to Cheskys notions of clarity and authenticity.
Chesky’s philosophy is clear: true leadership is about partnership, collaboration, and setting standards that resonate through every level of the organization. His mantra of “Eyes On, Hands Off” aligns with the idea that leadership is not about control but about building trust and setting the stage for autonomy and excellence.
đź”— How do you integrate these principles into your leadership style?