May 10, 2024
Billionaire and CEO of Blue Origin Jeff Bezos has suggested co-founder of WeWork how to conduct effective meetings.
The advice was revealed by Adam Neumann, who is the former CEO of the co-working space company founded in 2010.
Jeff Bezos advised Neumann to speak at last during the meetings, revealed by the 45-year-old WeWork co-founder while speaking at the Bloomberg Tech Summit in San Francisco Thursday.
"I was so happy he wanted to give me any type of advice," Neumann was quoted by Business Insider as saying.
"I have investors around the table who are not only comfortable pushing back, I think they like it."
The 60-year-old founder of Amazon’s style of leadership has been the center of study, unlike Neumann’s conduct at WeWork.
Neumann conducted meetings that could stretch too late at night, however, Bezos's meetings are more organised and preplanned. He encourages leaders to bring their junior staff to challenge the thinking of senior management which is corroborated by the data.
"I know from experience that if I speak first, even very strong-willed, highly-intelligent, high-judgment participants in that meeting will wonder, 'Well if Jeff thinks that, I came in this meeting thinking one thing, but maybe I’m not right,'" Bezos told Lex Fridman in December.
Adam Grant, who is a professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania also recommended speaking at last and hearing what others have to say during the meetings.