This week we’re going back to the archives for one of our very favorite episodes, our conversation with Jason Nazar.

Jason Nazar, is the co-Founder and CEO at Comparably, a company whose mission is to make work better by providing the most accurate and comprehensive compensation and culture data available anywhere. He’s also the  the former CEO of Docstoc, an entrepreneur in residence for the city of Los Angeles, and an active investor, writer, and speaker. He definitely knows a thing or two about creating strong teams and inspiring cultures, and he brought his A-game in this classic interview.

In our conversation Jason describes his first foray into entrepreneurship at age seven, explains why he did a 180 on the importance of culture, and reveals the three hiring rules that helped make DocStoc go from a mere idea to a massive online repository of business intelligence with more than 50 million registered users.

Key Takeaways

• Jason explains why the ability to handle pressure and uncertainty is a defining characteristic of good leaders.
• Jason’s a firm believer that a certain amount of internal pressure is a necessity, and discusses how to develop good pressure within an organization.
• Jason tell us why, at a certain point, it’s more important to be a coach/cheerleader rather than the sprinter at the front of the pack.
• Jason talks about how the What and How will always be an obstacle if your company doesn’t have a strong Why.
• Jason describes his complete 180 on the importance of culture, and how it became an afterthought to the thing he starts with first when building a new company.
• Finally, Jason reveals the three hiring practice that helped make DocStoc great.

• Jason explains why he thinks of himself as a D1 coach, and why he sees it as his job to help his employees “go pro.”
• Jason talks about the importance of transparency, and how to create a shared sense of accountability in outcomes.
• Jason talks about why it’s important to have a best friend at work, and how you as a leader can facilitate the opportunity for employees to make personal friendships in the workplace.
• Jason talks about what he considers his greatest accomplishments as a leader, and why looking out for yourself at all costs is generally bad advice.

Links

• Comparably
• DocStoc.com
• Jason's writing on Forbes.com
• Jason’s writing on WSJ.com
• @JasonNazar on Twitter
• Jason Nazar on LinkedIn

Recommended Reading

• The Alliance by Reid Hoffman, Ben Casnocha, and Chris Yeh
• The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
• People Over Profit by Dale Partridge
• Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh
• Talent is Overrated by Geoff Colvin
• The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
• People Over Profit by Dale Partridge
• Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh
• Talent is Overrated by Geoff Colvin

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