by Hessie Jones
I had the pleasure of speaking to Carlos Granda, former VP Customer Success at Google, advisor to corporate organizations, and mentor to startup founders. We dove into the topic of Leadership especially in these uncertain times. It’s clear that leadership is an evolving process. Many times, it evolves in situations for which founders are unprepared.
In the last decade business has slowly shed their comfort in complacency. There was a time when leaders, hesitant to change, would say, “this is the way things have always been done”. There was no room for reinvention, especially if what has worked in the past has been the rule going forward.
The Pandemic has taught us that there are no longer rules. We have to trust our instincts to create an environment that’s productive and effective, without actually risking the loss of team or culture.
I asked Carlos what the qualities of an effective leader should be especially today. This is how he responded:
“There’s no one-size-fits-all answer for leadership qualities but having a clear vision and effective communication are crucial. Leaders must focus on empowering their teams and creating a culture that fosters collaboration and innovation”.
Watch the LinkedIn Live today with Carlos Granda where we dive into the definition of leadership for startup founders, post-pandemic.
Within the Altitude network, there is no shortage of founders who display this vision.
Devin Singh of Hero AI is a doctor and an entrepreneur. He understands the compliance hurdles when it comes to the sensitivity of patient data and how disruption in health care needs to be handled with care and attention. His startup, Hero AI is working with Privacy and industry to integrate artificial intelligence into healthcare to improve patient outcomes. Devin is a visionary and has a clear goal to bring the industry in line with technology in a way that benefits patients and a lagging healthcare sector;
“So, I have my AI researcher hat at SickKids as well, and part of the research I do is around regulatory reform. How do we think through creating streamlined pathways that can ensure we can deliver AI solutions to patients, but do it in a way that is obsessed with privacy?”
Aaron Guan of Neptune Nanotechnologies recently raised $1.8 Million to replace nanoplastics with more sustainable nanocrystals. Aaron has been relentless in pursuing necessary changes in eco-friendly packaging. Despite the adversity he’s encountered, Aaron’s resilience and gumption have influenced how he intends to disrupt this industry,
“Ultimately, we see chitin nanocrystals as platform technology or a physical additive with a broad appeal. The application potential is endless: plastics, composites, rubbers, coatings, adhesives, 3D printing, biomedical. We can also bring more performance and sustainability to all of these products mentioned. The endeavor for stronger, lighter and better engineering materials is a natural part of our product evolution”.
Resiliency is also a product of knowing when it’s time to pivot. Leaders are adaptable and decisive. Christian Delos Santos is the Founder of Biofect Innovations, a biotech company that combines cutting-edge synthetic biology, and genetic engineering technology used in traditional microbial fermentation, to create high-value B2B ingredients for sectors like food and beverage. Christian shares the painful decision to pivot his company from the development of CBD and THC in the cannabis industry to where it is today.
“And us as entrepreneurs, we’re very stubborn and we’re very persistent. It’s so difficult to just say, all right, something didn’t work… Let’s move on to something else. It’s tough to do that and we want to persevere. But as I always like to say, we have to persevere in the right direction. It’s like we must persevere, but we all also must cut our losses. And that’s hard to do for risk-takers like us”.
Carlos Granda also emphasizes that leaders focus on outcomes and outputs. He states;
“Leadership is no longer about rigid authority but about fostering a culture of trust, collaboration, and shared values that support the well-being and success of everyone involved”.
Tauseef Riyaz and Saba Tauseef, Cofounders of Considracare are fully aware of the cracks in the Senior care sector. The conditions created by the Pandemic have not seen improvement in quality elderly care, and the growing demand for health care professionals in a sector contending with pay equity and burnout. Tauseef and Saba are building Considracare that attempts to bridge these gaps by addressing cost, quality of elder care, and caregiver turnover. Their models seek to empower caregivers and shift how they work.
“Tauseef highlights that through the support and connectivity provided through their platform, caregivers no longer feel undervalued or disrespected. Unlike the traditional model where caregivers often felt underpaid and overworked, ConsidraCare ensures fair compensation and a supportive work environment thanks to the efficiency achieved through end-to-end automation of senior home care delivery”.
In this new environment where expectations are shifting about how we work, and how we connect, these are only a few examples of founders we’re proud to know at Altitude, who are paving the way for significant change within their respective industries, but display the necessary leadership traits: vision, empathy, resiliency, focus on outputs and developing cultures that exemplify their values.
