GRIT Ed. 11 | 5G, Web3, NFTs... - Magazine - Page 21
HOW HAS THE TECH SECTOR’S CHALLENGES MADE YOU A MORE RESILIENT LEADER?
HF: It certainly has. I have always believed that the hard times,
not the good times, that show a company’s true colours. More
than ever, the last year has reinforced that I will always be a
leader who “grabs their surfboard” when the waves come and
jump in. I’ve been an entrepreneur my entire life. Entrepreneurs
are fundamentally problem solvers - this mindset has made
me a more resilient leader in all areas of my life, from my little
tea company, Firebelly Tea, to my role as the President of
Shopify
WHAT IMPACT HAS ELIMINATING STANDING MEETINGS HAD AT SHOPIFY?
HF: At Shopify, supporting entrepreneurship is at the
heart of everything we do, so we encourage our teams
to continually embody the entrepreneurial ethos of
thriving on change. We began 2023 by introducing
changes to reimagine how we can make the biggest
impact on our mission of making commerce better
for everyone. Uninterrupted time is the most precious
resource of a craftsperson, and we are giving our people
a “no judgment zone” to subtract, reject meetings, and
focus on what is most valuable. Shopify is building a
100-year company that requires us to focus on what
really matters: being merchant-obsessed builders and
crafters. Over the years, we’ve seen excess meetings
creep back into our day-to-day. We deleted 12,000
calendar series and events, many of which are recurring
and all of which had multiple attendees. If netted out
across the year, this results in over 322,000 hours –
for context, that’s 36 years of meetings. This frees up
loads of time for people to actually get work done. The
intentional chaos is supported. It’s a feature, not a bug.
And it’s part of working and thriving at Shopify.
HOW CAN TECHNOLOGY HELP CREATE A MORE EQUITABLE SOCIETY?
HF: I certainly believe that we are, at Shopify, on the right path
to creating a more equitable society. We solved a real problem:
lowering the barrier to entrepreneurship. The companies
that launched on Shopify have become the leading brands
of our time. It’s always been challenging to turn your idea
into a business. You can have a great idea in the shower and
have a website up and running within 24 hours. Everything
we have done has been democratizing entrepreneurship and
improving commerce for everyone.
WHAT RISING SHOPIFY INNOVATION EXCITES YOU THE MOST?
HF: We prefer to avoid picking favourites from within our
ecosystem, as we firmly believe that different products
work best for different types of merchants. Inside Shopify,
though, Commerce Components is going to be huge. For
nearly two decades, we’ve shaped the future of commerce.
We’re applying that to our next frontier of innovation:
enterprise. Commerce Components is Shopify’s new modern,
composable stack that gives enterprise retailers the choice
and flexibility to integrate and innovate without restrictions.
Today, an enterprise needs speed, flexibility, and extensibility.
By opening our infrastructure, enterprises don’t have to worry
about building critical foundations that Shopify has already
perfected. Instead, they can focus on building dynamic
and differentiated customer experiences with composable
components that integrate seamlessly with existing services.
It’s like we’re giving brands an F1 engine, and letting them
customize the exterior - and I’m pretty excited about it.
HOW DO YOU ACHIEVE WORK-LIFE HARMONY AND WHAT ACTIVITIES DO YOU
HF: The past couple of years has challenged all of us. For
business leaders and entrepreneurs, challenges have forced
us to get creative about prioritizing our mental health and
how we help our colleagues do the same.
The notion of work-life balance is now antiquated. We are now
moving toward work-life harmony, which helps all aspects
of life to co-exist. Working on your family relationships is
important, just like you do in business. I want to be the best
father and husband I can be, and that takes work, so I practice
ruthless prioritization to manage my energy - everything from
thinking time to meals to my morning walk. This allows me
to reduce the time I spend thinking about things that aren’t
important, so I can focus on what is essential. I also believe in
being active - I love skiing, mountain biking, yoga, and playing
tennis.
SPRING 2023
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