Thank you for joining us for episode 16 of the Hole in The Whole Podcast. Today Yana and Tom discuss filters in business conversations. Yana thinks It can be a sticky situation if an employee feels like they are being chastised and get their feelings hurt. Tom believes that people with thin skin have no business being in the FinTech startup world.

Tom and Yana give their views and opinions on the topic of filters, and you don't want to miss what they say. If you enjoy this episode, please share it with friends and leave comments.

Today's Episode:

• [01:09] Welcome to the show!!
• [01:31] Yana gives examples to illustrate how it can play out in business decisions.
• [02:50] Tom says it's unbelievable that she couldn't provide feedback to an employee because the employee felt like she had too much authority.
• [04:13] If people are thin-skinned, maybe they shouldn't be in the FinTech world.
• [04:40] Yana thinks that perhaps there are times to moderate your language.
• [05:37] Tom believes you can deliver a clear and hard message without being personally hurtful to anyone.
• [06:46] Yana says it has been suggested to her more than once that she should be careful with expressions when dealing with jr employees.
• [08:12] Tom thinks there are two sides to this; he doesn't believe there is a situation with no filters.
• [09:13] Yana wants to explore the concept a little more with fact-based or data-based information.
• [09:59] Do you have someone trying to implement something that works for them but won't work for the whole company?
• [11:18] Can you differentiate when you can be more blunt and direct as opposed to when you catch yourself moderating the language?
• [12:32] The recommendation is that feedback has to be where you compliment the person then give them constructive criticism. Tom says that it doesn't work in the FinTech world.
• [13:27] Yana shares an idea that she has had for a long time.
• [14:41] Tom says that the startups that succeed are the ones that play hardball, you can't be successful and be politically correct.
• [15:53] How would you identify a person who isn't ready for this type of experience? How would you prepare the newcomers to go through this experience?
• [17:27] Yana says when she interviews newcomers, almost 90% of them say they are ready when they are not.
• [18:47] Tom chats about the two questions he asks in an interview to see what their degree of hardness is.
• [19:39] Filters are not the problem in and of themselves; it's more about how do they help or prevent you from achieving your goals.
• [20:29] Yana says it's not about filters; it's about whether you get the results you want.
• [21:01] They end with agreeing about filters!  See you next time.

Show links:

• How to get in touch with us, if you'd like to tell your startup story: Yana on Instagram, Tom on LinkedIn