Building trust-based cultures and environments

I was having breakfast with my friend Raman, who is currently in the process of building a social space, called Good People Homes. Over the past few months he had rented a space and established a group of 500+ people whose members he would regularly invite to organized dinners. He would bring in a great chef, compose a delicious menu, and have interesting people come to the dinners. Only rule to stick to: leave your agenda at the door. So it was all about getting interesting people to meet and converse over great food. He proved the concept and is now in the process of finding a proper space to build out the idea. 

As he was explaining the concept of the space, I realized that much of it was very trust based. He is planning to build a social space that should be accessible to its members (think of a membership-based subscription to the space) to come, sleep, work, hang out and meet other great people. In fact, the bar would be called “honor bar” and one should contribute as much as one would take. So as we were talking, the question quickly became: "how does one make sure that members don’t abuse such offers, respect the trust and contribute as much as (or even more than) they take?” 

The discussion reminded me a lot of our culture at Google. When I have foreign companies visiting the campus, they often ask how the employees can stay so focused despite all the distractions. My answer is always the same: we overemphasize the importance of hiring. In our hiring process, we carefully look for people who have a track record of “not being defined by their job descriptions/responsibilities.” That means that at Google we often look for people who weren’t defined by what they had to do, but always did more than that. People with such profile tend to take their “core responsibilities” very seriously, yet always look for ways to perform beyond them. It’s those type of people who value the freedoms given to them and besides appreciating it, also look for ways to “give back” in return. 

That’s why “adopting a Google-like culture” is so difficult for a company that already has a pool of employees that wasn’t established based on such hiring profile. Turns out that you can’t just forcefully change the mindset and attitude of your employees. Not that it wouldn’t be impossible, but it’s really challenging. That’s why so damn important to care about your culture at the point of foundation. Culture can’t be an afterthought, it really needs to be thoughtfully crafted. And if you are looking to build an environment that is highly trust based, make sure you look for those people who have demonstrated throughout their lives and careers that they were all about “core + x”, meaning that they not only did what they were asked to do, but did much more than that. 

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So.. what is YOUR passion project these days?

I was emailing with a fellow classmate the other day, and we were asking each other about our pre-MBA plans for the summer. At first the conversation was centered around where we would travel, but he later wrote me sharing some of his non-travel plans. Not only was I impressed by what he had lined up (one of the projects was to do a stand-up comedy show at one of the best clubs in NYC), but I was also surprised that he referred to those plans as his “passion projects.” A term that I, too, have been using a lot lately to describe my projects outside of work. 

In the last two years, I have started to pursue a lot of these passion projects, which I would describe as energizing and creative projects that can be pursued next to one's full-time job. Projects that result from your interests when you are simply curious about something and want to validate certain assumptions, hypotheses or ideas that you have, or your passions when you already know what you like to dedicate yourself to. 

Some of the things I did on the side, were for example hosting a photo exhibition, taking a User Experience Design class, or writing a blog. Turns out that really anyone can do such reactive side projects. Sometimes these projects might end up unfinished as we discover that we were not as passionate about them as we thought we would (which is totally awesome .. we had an idea and tried to validate it. Better than just having ideas and not taking any action on them). Yet other times these projects might uncover a completely new side of us and excite us to do even more. The UXD class that I took was a nice experience, but it wasn’t the start of much more to come. The blog, however, really had some deeper meaning for me and became an ongoing effort that grew into even bigger projects. 

I like the concept of having passion projects so much that I even think that it’s a fun question to ask someone as a mean to skip the smalltalk … "so, what is your passion project these days?” I think it can only be healthy to pursue such side passions. In fact, I was talking to a friend earlier today. She is currently traveling the world to speak at various conferences, building her company during every free minute that she has, and searching for investors to keep the project afloat. In other words, she has every reason to solely focus on her “work.” But she told me how she will be spending half of her day tomorrow playing with socially underprivileged children. “It’s my passion project, … it gives me the energy that I need.” 

What she said reminded me of an analogy I once heard. Even race cars that drive at full speed need to make pit stops to refuel. We sometimes put ourselves under pressure to always operate at full energy, but we need such distractions from time to time. Passion projects could be such creative outlet to refill one’s batteries. From scrappy entrepreneurs like my friend to busy VPs at Google (here an example of Clay Bavor), it's important to have such passion projects in life.

If you prove your interests, you might turn them into your passions. And if you pursue those passions, you might actually grow them into your next profession (one of my friend’s companies, The Passion Company, is actually dedicated to helping people pursue that path). But even if you don’t, doing such passion projects will help you keep your mind sharp and have some healthy distraction, your pit stop, from whatever your 9-to-5 is. 

Who knows, maybe my friend ends up becoming a comedian. That’s exactly how some careers are born after all. So ask yourself … what is YOUR passion project these days? 

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How a 86-year old became my role model and a source of inspiration

What kind of person do you normally think of when I ask you about "role models"? Chances are you think of someone who is successful, at the peak of their career, well-connected, mentor-esque. If you are much younger – let's say a student – you might think of someone in their late 20s/30s who is ±10 years ahead of you and whose career path you'd like to replicate for yourself. When we think of role models, we often think of their success and career as the "model" that we aspire to achieve. 

I don't know about you, but I never thought of a role model being old. Like very old. Also, I never considered my definition of a "role model" to go beyond elements such as success and career. But life taught me a pretty cool lesson about this. 

Upon my return from Iran last year, I was on the search for a venue to host my pictures and share the stories we had experienced in Iran. After many conversations, applications, visits and disappointments, I finally found a gallery and an owner who did not respond with "smartphone pictures from Iran? You are nuts!"... well, actually, he *did* say that, but he also said that it's great and that we should do it. That one person is Zach, a 86-year old architect who has become one of my best friends here in San Francisco.

Zach is magic. Zach is a well of energy and inspiration. Zach has become my role model. 

He is someone who is in complete disregard of his age. He comes to work (his gallery space) riding his bicycle. He writes emails like a boss and has taught me one or two things about technology. Zach went to Yale and studied architecture. As a matter of fact he co-worked on the design for the campus Stanford. I also learned that Zach fought in the Korea war from 1950 – 1953. He is full of life lessons, wisdom and experience. And each interaction with him has become a true delight. 

I remember with how much excitement I would come to the gallery space to discuss the logistics of my exhibition. Not because I was getting closer to the event, but because each visit was an opportunity to learn from Zach. Like the one time he pulled out his iPod Touch and showed me this amazing App which was WiFi-connected to the lamps in his gallery. He started changing the lights and said: "look, they even have disco mode" and suddenly the entire gallery turned into a dance floor as the lights were switching from one color to the next. Another time I saw Zach holding a Nest thermostat in his hands with a letter that was "I don't know if the SFFD approves this, but if they do, I want 8 of these!"

I had rarely met someone so full of life. So energetic, sharp, passionate and curious. At that age especially. And in the weeks after the exhibition, I couldn't stop thinking about how much I wanted to be like him once I would be his age. Not sick and tied to a bed, but full of life and energy, doing something I truly love. "Art keeps me alive" he once said – knowing that life is limited and that he needed to keep doing the things that gave him a sense of meaning and purpose. 

As I was thinking about this, I realized that we need more old people as a source of inspiration. Not just role models who are successful in their careers, but role models who show us that nothing should stop us from doing the things we love, especially not our age. That we can and should take risks and be open to the unknown. Similarly how Zach invited me to do a smartphone exhibition about Iran – two things he wasn't familiar with.

Every time we come together to drink a coffee, he asks me about my stories and travels and then often reacts with a flattering line along the lines of "Amazing how you are maximizing your life." Lost in words, I sometimes wish I had a mirror in my hands because that's exactly what *he* is doing with his life – maximizing every second of it. Thanks Zach. 

Seeing Zach being so active and energetic reminded me of an ad that I had once seen and which thematizes this topic. 

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Reason #2473 why I love Google: they donated $24K on my behalf!!!

Something absolutely incredible happened today. Something that reminded me of what makes this company so extremely inspiring and different. Something that made me pause for a second … and realize that the Googs will always be my first and biggest company crush (yes, I just invented that expression… I’m pretty sure though that I’m not the only one with a company crush!). 

Just like myself, there are many people who travel a lot for work. And in order to keep people within budgets and under cap (each destination has certain spending limits for flights and hotels), Google rewards us with credits. If I go to Rio de Janeiro where the hotels have a cap of $240 and I end up in a hotel that costs less, I get some of those savings as "trip credits". This system encourages us to be frugal, but it’s also meant to reward us. I can accumulate credits for being thoughtful in my spending, and I can then take those credits and redeem them … for an upgrade, a better hotel, a flight route that might be more convenient but also more expensive, etc... 

So over the years, I accumulated close to 24K USD of trip credits – a LOT of credits! As I’m approaching my last few weeks with Google before heading to business school, I’ve been thinking a lot about how to best make use of those credits (especially because I don’t have any business trip coming up anymore). So I was delighted to hear that we now have an internal auction system that would allow me to bid on certain loyalty programs with the credits I have accumulated. Sounds great? Believe me it is. 

But today, the really amazing thing happened. I got an email, saying that I’m among those in the company with the largest number of credits… and that I could take those credits and make donations to some specific pre-selected charities. MY. JAW. DROPPED. My company allows me to make monetary donations worth about 24,000 USD??? … YES, Google did just that. And it wasn’t the first year they did, but the first time I got such heads-up to use my credits for a good cause. 

So I clicked on the link and ended up on a portal where I could choose how I wanted my trip credits to be donated. I felt like I was Santa Claus … $5K to Doctor’s without Boarders, $5K to the International Justice Mission, and so on… I really don’t know the last time I was *that* happy. This felt so good, and it felt so “right.” Google could have been dead-quiet about my credits and not encouraged me to use them in any way, but they didn’t. And that’s exactly what makes Google, Google. They wanted to give me a chance to do something good. To reward me for begin frugal and allow me to have impact in this world. 

Google … I’m leaving you this summer, but you will always be my first big company crush. XO, Omid.

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How your resume can suck the fun out of your career!

Looking back on my time as an undergrad student and my first couple years as a young professional, I can very well remember how much my career decisions were driven by one simple thing, my resume. I remember how I wanted my resume to be “comprehensive and complete” … a little bit of consulting, a little bit of finance, some specific industry-experience, and "oh, I need to be president of some sort of student club.” Whatever it took to not be locked down into a specific industry but to keep as many options open as possible – hoping to collect all those puzzle pieces I needed to compose a specific picture that recruiters wanted to see.

Afraid of unexplainable gaps and experiences that might not fit into the “story” I was meaning to tell, I walked around not asking myself whether I was passionate about the work or if I was aligned with the company’s mission, but rather how something would look on my resume. Simply because I cared a great deal about how others would judge my decisions. Fast forward to today, and I can’t even remember the last time I thought about my resume. So what has happened since then …?

Well, I blame Silicon Valley (not the “oh, that’s shitty”-type of blaming but the “feck that’s awesome”-type of blaming)! The last 4+ years here have very much shifted my mindset. The last time I cared about my resume must have been the very decision to move here: “that working experience in the US would certainly look good”… but I feel that the Valley ripped this sort of thinking off me.

Ever since I moved here, I’ve been surrounded by a spirit and by people who deeply care about pursuing the things they are passionate about. People who take risks to follow their dreams and who don’t fear any judgement of others. Folks who decline well-paid jobs to rather do things that make them happy. Not afraid of having to justify anything to anyone, they push themselves to try new things. They know they might fail, but they don’t care … because every little failure gets them closer to pursuing the things they are meant to be doing in their lives.

Of course, not everyone here thinks this way, but there are many. There is one of my best friends who left an amazing full-time job working closely for Google’s Chief Business Officer to learn how to code and then returned to Google working as a Software Engineer (as a contractor!). There is this transgender guy who quit his sales job a few weeks ago explaining: “I decided to leave my job last week so that I can pursue a path that better aligns with my values and my interests.” Or the GSB grad who had a stellar career at AirBnB but then decided to quite her job and help people pursue their passions (shout out to Jessica who runs The Passion Company). There are many examples of people who don’t shy away from making career decisions based on what they desire to do and not what looks good on paper.

And this really got me thinking…. thinking about what a unhappiness trap it can be to make resume-based decisions. I say unhappiness trap because a resume is nothing more than lens through which other people will evaluate and judge you. And there is nothing worse than to make professional decisions based on how others will look on it as opposed to making decisions based on how much a decision brings you closer to what you actually, really want to do in your life.

Don’t believe me that this is a thing? There is even an idiom in English language that describes decisions/opportunities as 'resume builders’: "Oh, you landed a job at X? That’s such a resume builder.” Too often I see young people ending up in companies doing jobs that don’t fulfill them – afraid of quitting because it might not look good on their resumes: "Oh man, how am I going to justify in my next job interview that I worked here for less than a year." They know they are not happy, but their resume paralyzes them to effect some change to the situation they are in.

I have to clarify that there is nothing wrong with trying out different ideas, working in different verticals and industries to gain experience. This can all be part of the process of figuring out what you really want to do in your life… but I *do* caution against making decisions that will help tell a specific story or depict you in a certain light – similar to how I walked around some years ago.

I’ve come to believe that those who don’t care about their resumes end up being happier and, yes, also more successful in their careers. We tend to forget that careers can go for more than 45+ years and that there is nothing more important than to pursue the things that really get us excited and passionate. Those things will not always be clear to us and it will always require some failures and experiments to figure out what our true calling is. Trying new things and potentially taking a “wrong turn” is absolutely human and should be celebrated, not judged. I rather see someone taking three wrong turns until they find their path as opposed to spending a lifetime doing things that they are not aligned with their true spirit.

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After 36 trips to Latin America – here is what I learned

This is it.. my last business trip for Google. Most importantly, my last trip to Latin America. The region that I’ve come to call my home. Actually... not true. I should rather call it my playground. Yeah, that does it more justice.

It all started 3.5 years ago when I got the offer to move to the States to build out our partner ecosystem throughout the region. At that time, my former colleague, friend and mentor, Carlos G, had launched this new team for Latin America out of the US for which he was recruiting Spanish-speakers (talk about the importance of networking). 

Living in the States? Working our of our headquarters? Dedicated to the Latin American region? That sounded like a dream. And yes, looking back, the last few years certainly felt like a dream. But more so, they were an incredible blessing. As I’m reviewing the stamps in my passport which is now filled with the exception of one single page (oh, dang!), I count 36 entries to various countries in the region. I still haven’t visited them all, but the ones I have, I know inside out.

The funniest reactions I get are the ones when people find out that I’m a German-born Iranian living in the US, but working for Latin America. Exemplary reaction (to be read in your surprise-voice): "Wait, what? Latin America? How did that happen? And you speak Spanish and Portuguese?” 

I never really knew what attracted me to this region until I was sitting over my Stanford application essays. People always say that even if you don’t get accepted, at least you wrote those essays. The reason they say that is simply because the essays are known to be very profound and an revealing self-finding process. The main essay topic “What matters most to you and why?” is often considered one of the most difficult business school essay questions. And it was exactly that essay topic which kicked-in a very profound self-finding process for me. 

The very essence was that my exchange semester in Argentina, which was my first-ever experience with Latin America, was an important moment in my life when I realized how close I felt to the Latin American culture. Much closer than I felt to the German culture in which I was raised. In Germany I was often considered a “well-integrated foreigner” where I felt pressure to “fit in.” In Latin America, however, I felt I could just be me and that I was propelled (and not inhibited) by my differences. That exchange semester was like a seed that was planted in my mind and which I nurtured going forward (learning Spanish, then Portuguese, networking with people in the region, reading about it, visiting it, etc.). 

36 trips later, an amazing chapter of my life is coming to an end. But it’s one that is filled with incredible memories: paragliding in Rio (thanks Humberto), surfing at the coast of Chile (thanks Pablo), a date at Bogotá airport in between my connection flights that was followed by a spontaneous “I-hardly-know-you-but-I’m-gonna-buy-a-ticket-and-visit-you-in-San-Francisco" (you know who you are!), my self-finding trip to Machu Picchu (where I never felt so close to human history), 3 visits to Cartagena in less than a year (Carlos R – you are the man!), a $300K wedding in Mexico (aka the Mexican version of Kim & Kanye). The list of experiences I was able to gather knows has no ending. 

Anywhere I went, people welcomed me with an incredibly open heart. The only (negative) experience I had was a cloned credit bard in Brazil. And Salvador airport … uggh! I just can’t stand Salvador airport. Apart from that, I never felt or was exposed to danger during the last years frequenting the region. Not a single thing was stolen or went missing. I can’t recall a single flight that was delayed, yet I do remember how I got to Lima and then realized that I had booked my separate connection flight to Cusco wrong by an entire month (clearly my bad). Almost all over Latin America, I have someone to call and ask for help next time I get there. 

While these experiences look like the effortless perks of a travel-heavy tech job, they did come with a hefty price tag on my personal life. My constant trips to the region oftentimes kept me from living a proper life in San Francisco – anything from taking classes that required continuous participation to many important events that I would miss due to travels. And yes, being gone every other week also made it hard to date. One of my friends, Jessica, actually – and seriously – thought for the first 6 months of our friendship that I was living in Latin America and that she was only seeing me on my business trips to the US (you can’t imagine what an incredibly awkward yet hilarious moment it was when she figured that out). 

Yet no matter how high that price tag was, I always pushed myself to go on every single trip. Sometimes I dreaded them, but I always knew that with each trip I would be investing in my experience and knowledge – two investments with a life-long ROI. 

I learned that São Paulo is the city with the largest number of Japanese immigrants (next to Lima in Peru), I saw how Argentinians managed to live their lives under strict economic regulations (on product imports and trading USD), I experienced first-hand the "respect for authority" that people show in Colombia (which is also cited among the reasons why Avianca flight 52 crashed over New York – Malcolm Gladwell’s "Outliers" has an entire chapter on this). Every cultural insight that I learned, I tried to share through my practice of World Culture Storytelling on Instagram. 

As this chapter is coming to an end, I’m delighted for what the future holds. Each ending is the beginning of something else, and as one of three co-organizers of the unofficial Stanford trip to Colombia, I can’t wait to return to the region – with ±250 fellow classmates! 

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How I ended up backstage with Robin Schulz in Buenos Aires

I want to tell you a short story of how I ended up backstage with Robin Schulz at the Lollapalooza festival in Buenos Aires. This all happened within the last 1-2 days, and it’s very much one of those stories that boil down to one essential thing: disrupting my status-quo thinking and doing things differently. 

6 months ago my year-long friend from Buenos Aires, Luli, talked me into buying a ticket for this popular festival called Lollapalooza in Buenos Aires (it’s a “festival franchise” that they take to different places in the Americas and soon to Berlin, too). I wasn’t expecting to be there, but I thought myself: “Who knows? Best case I have to be there for work and can go. Worst case I sell the ticket.” At this point you need to know that I get to go to Latin America quite a few times a year .. so while it was unlikely, there was still a marginal chance.

A month ago my travel plans at work solidified and it turned out that I would indeed be in Argentina around the weekend of the festival – FANTASTIC. I then checked out the line-up, but didn’t put much thought into it: Pharrell, NoFX, The Kooks, Chet Faker, Robin Schulz, Foster the People. I just thought myself it would be a great time either way. My first time attending a music festival in (my beloved) Latin America. 

Fast forward to a Friday afternoon, I was sitting on my flight from San Francisco to Houston. Just happened that this guy sitting next to me looked like a very nice, same-age fella. I fly a lot, but it doesn’t happen very often that I feel compelled to strike a conversation. But that guy looked approachable and I just went ahead and said something nice about his jacket (note: I always say “hello” to people sitting next to me but I don’t always intend to strike up proper conversations). They guy responded nicely, but he clearly wasn’t into talking. Soon enough he put his headphones on and sat there quietly for the remaining 3 hours of the our flight. You know, fair enough .. not everyone has to be in that mood.. bummer, but I had the benefit of the doubt that I tried. 

A few hours later I found myself on my second leg from Houston to Buenos Aires and the very same situation happened (this time with another guy though). He came, signaled he was sitting on the aisle seat next to me on the window seat and while he was putting his passport into his carry-on, I noticed that he was German. As he sat down, I was in the very same situation like before. For a few seconds I debated with myself whether I should start a conversation or not (I mean, my earlier attempt of talking was shut down, so why try again?), but then I just went ahead with it. He was wearing some wristbands from music events, so I asked him about it – in German. 

Long story short, Robin Schulz and his tour manager were on the same flight, flying down from Houston to Buenos Aires to play at the Lollapalooza. If you don't know who Robin Schulz is, listen to Prayer in C or Waves – I'm sure you have heard his songs! We ended up talking for hours with no break about his rise as an artist, his tour around the world, the grammy nomination – but also serious topics ranging from immigration issues in Germany, the Arab-Israeli conflict to the current economic situation of Argentina. Time flew and I was just so delighted that my little push to strike a conversation turned out to be so “rewarding” in terms of "cool people to meet and talk to."

Upon arrival, as we were bidding farewell, Robin and his tour manager invited me to join them during Robin’s performance at the Lollapalooza festival. We exchanged numbers and bid farewell. Hour later, before Robin was playing, I whatsapped Gena the tour manager who then waved us backstage from where we watched Robin's live performance. 

It was an amazing night and it was just great to briefly "be part" of someone’s incredible rise as an artist. As a frequent festival goer, I was further delighted to have a different experience during a show and as a smartphone photographer, well, HEAVEN :). I learned a ton about the music business in the last 24 hours and this was all the simple result of me “disrupting my status-quo thinking and doing things differently.” The status-quo would have been to just mind my own business, not talk and sit through my flight … but something told me it would be worthwhile do things differently. Well, little did I know! 

With Gena (his tour manager), Robin Schulz, Stefan (his manager) and my friend Luli!

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Good-bye Google, Hello Stanford!

After over 5 1/2 years with Google, it will be time this summer for a new chapter in my life. Starting September, I will join the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) to pursue my Master in Business Administration (aka MBA).

The reactions I got so far ranged from heartfelt congratulations and encouragement to (equally heartfelt) skepticism and questioning. Especially over the past few years, people have gotten to know me as a very entrepreneurial, creative and energetic person whom they would rather like to see kicking arse in the start-up world as opposed to pursuing a degree that is not only highly controversial (especially in Tech) but also intimidatingly costly.

And frankly speaking, it wasn’t the easiest call to make. I got admitted in early December, but it took me several weeks to accept it and many more to feel ready to share it with my team and friends (I don’t think I have ever been able to keep a secret for that long). I’ve always wanted it, but moving from 90% to 100% certainty was a hurdle I had to overcome first. And believe me, with decisions of that magnitude, you want to be in the range of 100%+! So consider this is less an attempt to “defend" my decision, but more one to explain the rationale that stands behind it.

While many people pursue an MBA to change their careers, sharpen their business acumen or increase their compensation (among many other “primary goals"), these are just byproducts of why I decided to go down this path. 

The reason why I decided to pursue this opportunity at the GSB very much roots in who I am and how I see the world – my life philosophy if you want. The last few years have taught me one of many life's truths, namely that there are two things in life that no one can ever take away from you: the things you learn and the things you experience. Your friends, fortune and family – all of that might vanish before you die. But education and experiences are the two things that you will take with you into your grave. This idea goes hand in hand with my three objectives of making every single year of my life as i) unique, ii) rich and iii) growth-fueling as possible. If there is one thing I can say for sure, then it’s that the next two years at the GSB meet exactly the aforementioned criteria I have set for my life and every single year of it. 

Also, what I have come to realize about myself is that I thrive in communities. Most of my creativity and energy come from the people I surround myself with and the stimulating environments that I make myself part of. I’ve seen that during my 3 years at the European Business School (my undergrad alma mater) and during my many years with Google. What I’ve found in the GSB is exactly that type of environment where one can find very smart and accomplished people who can help me unlock more of my own potential. An institution that is at the forefront of education and a place of boundless intellectual liberty. 

Needless to say, business school isn’t the only place that allows me to achieve such goals. I would be lying if I told myself that this is the only path that can help me reach those goals. But for me, this has never been about the MBA as a degree. If it was, I would have applied to many schools, trying to get into some program after all. Also, this is not about leaving Google. I couldn’t be any happier with my job, team and the impact I’m fortunate to be having on other peoples’ lives. 

Living and working in the Valley has clearly shown me that I don’t need such degree to be successful in life. But as time went on and as I got to know myself better over the past years, I started to look for new opportunities of "transformational growth.” Ways for me to learn from the best, to both contribute and to take away, to change my perspective on things and challenge my underlying beliefs based on which I act and interpret the world. Turned out that I didn’t have to look far to see that Stanford was the answer for me (actually, I sometimes just had to look out of the window on my shuttle ride from San Francisco to Mountain View as I drove by Stanford almost every day of my last ±4 years).

The admiration that I had always held for that school soon turned into an aspiration – fueled by the interactions I was fortunate to have with many students and alumni from that school. To this day, I yet have to meet someone from the Stanford GSB who does not impress me with his heart (kindness), brain (smarts) and vision (ambitions). The more I learned about the school, the more I desired to be a part of it. So much that I decided to apply to Stanford only. 

So while I was able to see different ways to reach my goals, this was the single most exciting path that accompanied me throughout the years. After my first application to the Class of 2016 was rejected (as one of the last 40 people under consideration on the wait list), I was frustrated and initially walked away from the idea of reapplying (this was last year). But the more I walked away from it, the more I realized that I can not. This feeling of wanting something really bad can be quite daunting, but it’s also a feeling that is hard to ignore. That’s how I ended up reapplying and getting in.

I hope this gives you an idea into my thought-process behind this decision! ...and on the topic of kicking arse in the start-up world – well, stay tuned :)! 

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Interview on storytelling, side projects and starting small!

I recently did an interview with the new Berlin-based start-up Jobspotting. Carrie King interviewed me about how I balance personal life with my work responsibilities. Find below the entire interview in which I share some of my advice on how to be successful in both life and work. 

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Being able to spin several plates at once can be hard to pull off, especially when you have a full-time job. Omid Scheybani works for Google and is a bit of a master at balancing side projects with his full-time Googling. I asked him about why he chose the projects he’s working on, and what his goals are. Read on for the low-down on how to make those nixers work for you.

Omid, while you have a full-time job with Google, you manage to have an impressive array of side projects. Can you tell me about them?

There are three major non-work areas to which I dedicate my spare time these days. First, it’s the “World Culture Storytelling” that I practice through mobile phone photography. I amassed a vast followership on Instagram and my objective is to share cultural insights from the many trips I’m taking around the world. Second, there are my blogs through which I hope to inspire others by sharing thought-provoking perspectives. My blog ThePositude.com roots at the intersection of life, love, and happiness whereas Moonstorming.com is all about challenging the status-quo in the areas of society and technology. Lastly, I’ve been doing an increasing amount of public events – from keynotes at conferences to a photo exhibition that I’ll be hosting in San Francisco early 2015.

Do you have any specific goals with these projects, or are they just for personal fulfillment?

While I truly enjoy my “9 to 5” (which is never from 9 to 5 by the way) it is not enough to make me feel alive. How dull would life be if I could only grow through the work I do? Therefore yes, they give me a lot personal fulfillment and keep my world spinning. More specifically, they help me grow the boundaries of my comfort level. What unfortunate waste would it be if we didn’t maximize the opportunities given to us but let the years go by without taking advantage of all the amazing things we could be doing.

Were these passions always something you had pursued or were you using them to stretch yourself and add new strings to your bow?

I think I’ve always had a reputation for doing things on the side. During my teenage years I produced over 100 short movies including a documentary about Iran which was shown at movie festivals. But if you had asked me exactly one year ago, none of my blogs would have been online, my public speaking experience would have leveled around zero and my photography would have only been seen by my family and friends. To answer the question: I have always pursued passions, however passions are rarely static but evolve over time. And so did mine. Chances are that in one year’s time I will have a completely different set of passions.

How do you balance working full-time with pursuing your passions?

I think it all starts by being aware of how you spend your non-work time. I don’t smoke, I don’t play computer games, I don’t have a TV, and I don’t have Netflix. I see these things as time wasters and I rather spend that time on things that give me fulfillment.. At the same time, I have had a very open conversation with my manager about this topic. At Google we have something called Personal Development Plans (PDP). In my PDP, I outlined some of my personal projects and my manager is committed to helping me accommodate those personal goals alongside my work responsibilities. The best managers I’ve had were the ones who understood the importance of aligning personal and professional growth.

Why is it important to you to have a large portfolio outside of your ‘9 – 5’?

One question I often ask myself is: “If I were fired today, would I apply to the same role tomorrow?” If your answer is yes, then you seem to be doing what you enjoy. But what if your answer is no? What else would you want to do?

Many of us have stumbled into our jobs. You might have chosen a career in banking not because it’s your true passion, but because it felt like the most achievable and plausible thing to do when you graduated. That even goes back to the subject you chose to study in college. I believe that most people walk through life unaware what their true passions are. That’s why it’s important to do these projects outside of work and to “plant such seeds of passion.” Some might grow into beautiful flowers, others might not. And that’s all fine. But by knowing where your true passions lie, you will make it much easier for yourself the next time you ask yourself that question and answer it with a no.

How can working on side projects improve your career?

They can help a great deal. One of my mentors was once on the shortlist for an executive role at a well-known and fast-growing geolocation start-up. The reason why he was chosen over other candidates who were more senior and with more work experience was simply because he was able to demonstrate that geolocation had been an area of interest to him for many years (he had blogged about it even before the start-up was around). Our day to day jobs could by no means encompass all the passions and interests we have.

If someone was thinking about developing a side project, how would you advise that they manage it so that they don’t bite off more than they can chew?

How do you eat an elephant? You cut it into small pieces. Same with these projects. They all need to start small. The Moonstorming project for example, which I’m doing with a friend, is starting out as a blog. But the real objective behind it is to write a book one day. We could sit down and start with the book right away, but that would take too much of our time and we would not be sure it would lead to the best outcome. Starting out as a blog helps us test ideas, get feedback, build followership. Once we feel more secure about our theories, we can sit down and put it all into a book. So whatever you want to do, visualize what the grand final result would look like. But then break that down into manageable small pieces and start with them. This will help you get live feedback and give you the opportunity to change as you go. And if you notice it’s not the right thing, you can always disinvest at little opportunity cost given that you started small.

What’s the best way to get the word out about side projects?

I’m fortunate to have a strong network of friends and supporters who often help. But if you can’t count on that, you need to become creative. For example, if you wrote an article that you want to expose to a big audience, search for Facebook pages that have a big followership and which rely on great content to share. Most importantly though, you need to be patient and consistent. You won’t get massive attention on day one, but you will get it over time and as long as you consistently deliver qualitative content (be it written text or music or whatever your project is about).

Do you have any advice for people about the oft-used phrase ‘personal branding’?

In my opinion, it’s not used enough. We live in a generation where there is always a better person for the job you are applying to. So how do you make sure you get what you want without solely depending on being “at the right place at the right time?” Well, you gotta build that personal brand of yours which might eventually benefit you over others. Being known for certain qualities will help you build trust with others and have others trust you. Your personal brand can be within the company or extend beyond. The farther it reaches, the better. But be careful not to force how others should perceive you. Their perception of you should result naturally from your genuine personality and authentic style. Being fake or forced won’t get you anywhere.

Any last advice to impart about why someone should take on a side project?

If you are 100% happy with your life and your job, then keep going. If not, start challenging yourself by doing new things that will help you learn more about yourself.

Good advice, Omid! I’m a big believer in taking on an extra task to help you find what you truly want to do. Omid sets a great example about what it takes to add strings to your bow. Remember: start small and build outwards and upwards. This time next year, you could land your dream job!

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When you're torn: call your mom!

I have this theory that there are two types of decisions in your life. Low-calorie decisions (LCDs) and high-calorie decisions (HCDs). 

So LCDs are decisions you take on a daily basis. All the time, over and over again. Decisions as simple as what shirt you put on or what route you take to work. For these decisions, you can easily draw upon one thing: your experience which is shaped by your preferences and your values. We take them at ease because we have taken them before and we understand ourselves well enough to know what’s best for us. I call them low-calorie decisions because you hardly use any brainpower or emotions (or time or effort for that sake). 

On the other hand, you occasionally have to make some tough decisions, decisions that are HCDs, high-calorie decisions. Some examples that come to mind are: choosing between two weddings happening on the same weekend. Choosing between various business school offers. Breaking up with someone. Moving to a new location. I think you get the idea. 

These are the decisions that require you to think, consider, debate, ponder and [insert fancy verb here]. You think and think, but no matter how much you think, you are still torn. Sometimes you go to bed feeling you know what you want, but that elusive certainty dissolves in your dreams and the next morning you feel thrown back to square one. At times you are desperate and you start talking to your friends and colleagues about it so you can pick their brain and get their perspective – what would they do if they were you? So these HCDs burn a lot of mental calories because they soak up all your brainpower, emotions, time and effort. 

And while we can use our experiences and the understanding of ourselves to solve the LCDs, the HCDs can only be solved if we draw upon our inner compass. The problem with this inner compass, however, is that it doesn’t always reveal itself to us upon request. Our inner compass is a system that is nurtured and maintained far away from our active consciousness. It is hidden and rather difficult to read. Sometimes you have an idea, an inkling, but it’s hard to interpret clearly. 

That said, I have figured out a way which helps me surface my inner compass for these high-calorie-type decisions. It’s the simple act of calling my mom. Wait what? Yes! Calling my mom! Before I explain why calling your mom can help you read your inner compass, let me establish a second theory that I have. Namely that the inner compass in you often carries the answer before you actually know it – and by "you" I mean your active consciousness, your brain, your mind. 

Let’s say you are torn between two options. Option A and option B. You have thought about it for days, you have talked to all your friends, you did your research, but you still can’t make up your mind. BUT, what happened during all this process of racking your brain is that you secretly nurtured your inner compass. While you are still agonizing in your mind, your inner compass already has the answer. You simply can’t see it yet. Remember? The inner compass is this uber-nebulous thing which is super hard to read. 

And this is why calling my mom comes into play. When I call my mom and I want to tell her about how I have to choose between A and B, something very funny happens. While I'm explaining to her what my options are, there is this very quiet feeling me which secretly hopes she says (for example) A over B. And when she says B, I become defensive and challenge her. But when she says A, I get this feeling that "this is what I wanted to hear." This – ladies and gentlemen – is your inner compass revealing itself to you. 

It doesn't really matter if your mom says A or B, her preference regarding your decisions dilemma is actually completely irrelevant. What is relevant though is what you were secretly and quietly hoping to hear. If calling your mom about not necessarily something you'd wanna do, you can always flip a coin and then listen to how you feel about the result of the flip. Will you be ok with "heads" or did you quietly hope you had tossed "tails?" Again, that's your inner compass talking to you, so listen up! 

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