My co-founder paused, and very calmly said something like "X, if this isn't a good use of your time then tell us so we don't waste ours, either". He immediately put his feet down, his phone face down on the table, and politely paid attention the rest of the pitch. He obviously didn't invest but we walked out of there with our heads held high.
We could’ve pitched to ourselves on a blank zoom call and come out more confidente. The worst part, we spent a bit of time on that presentation and really tried to make it less boring.
Fuck you Icehouse ventures.
The NZ startup funding scene is bare and so the guys with money now think they're gods.
But very true, ultimate beta move.
I have a little tingling sensation that we could use more women in positions of power in tech.
We might benefit from slightly different ways of thinking about working with fellow human beings.
(In case that wasn't clear, I agree with your point. I'm just a bit sad about the language and mindset you're describing!)
If you look up the origin of the phrase "shit test", you will find a lot of irony in this statement :)
When i worked at Tesla everyone was on their laptops answering emails/ working in meetings. I don't think it takes your full attention to listen to someone, but i guess it's a bit different if you were just pitching him and not a room full of people.
Rapidly changing from topic to topic but having everyone in a conference room while everyone is working is highly effective. People can jump in and give input on the topic they were half listening too. How many times someone has said "Oh, i have a supplier for that" or "I wrote a script for that".
The above example is really off topic from "He was on his phone while we were pitching" but i think it applies to the fact that smart people are actually really good at multi-tasking, bad a social ques and norms but you shouldn't take it as a sign of disrespect.
- During a retro decide to have a quota of meetings left early/skipped as a team action/working agreement. - Keep inviting people as you are, but mark everyone as optional. - No phones, no laptops (unless they're for taking notes)
I disagree to this with every fiber of my being. If you're multitasking doing something that requires anything beyond mechanical tasks then you're not really listening.
I challenge you to actually try and listen to a person with a completely silenced mind. It's surprisingly hard.
I often listen to podcasts and videos on 2x or even 3x speed because the speaker talks so slow.
When they talk slow and the amount of information they're relaying is relatively low or mostly familiar, my mind tends to drift and I can actually multitask relatively well.
It's when I speed up the rate at which they're speaking that it becomes more difficult to multitask, until at last I really need to concentrate in order to follow what they're saying and then my focus remains glued to the speaker.
That said, I do think it's rude to focus on anything else when one is interviewing someone. They should have your full attention, or you shouldn't be there.
I'd just ask if this is a good time. Otherwise, we can reschedule.
Then, I can decide later whether I will actually reschedule.
It is never a good idea to add shading like that.
> perceived power differential
Not really. It is game theory.
You earn nothing by throwing shade apart from emotional satisfaction.
It is only beneficial to go above and beyond to ensure nobody feels any shade to anybody. You never what you will need in the future.
> everyone's time is equally valuable
Trying to repeat a tautological statement is a shade, IMO.
If you never see the person again and you've held your head high you will feel more confident.
If you play game theory the emotional damage might haunt your next interview.
Getting revenge emotionally is a passing pleasure with no real benefit. There is only possible downsides.
This is why high EQ people are generally more successful.