Reddit CEO says some 'very basic human stuff' makes a good leader at any level

Steve Huffman says his leadership advice boils down to "very basal quality stuff."

The Reddit cofounder and CEO was asked what makes a bully person connected an episode of the podcast "The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway" released Sunday.

His reply comes down to "trust and presence."

"I deliberation the astir important happening is conscionable being honest," helium said. "What are you trying to do, wherefore bash you privation to bash it, what does it instrumentality to get there, what's going well, what's not going well, what are your hopes, what are your dreams, what are your fears? I deliberation it's precise basal quality stuff."

Huffman noted it tin beryllium easier said than done, though.

"Just being straightforward astir what we're trying to bash and wherefore and not sugar-coating things I deliberation is truly important," helium said. "Vulnerability builds spot and past spot is what builds cohesive teams, and past you need, of course, cohesive teams to bash things."

Another characteristic of a bully leader is "presence," helium said, "showing up and moving and caring and being a portion of the squad astatine each scale."

Huffman was besides asked however helium approaches decision-making.

"First, instrumentality your decision, effort to escalate it to a worth oregon a principle, and past marque the determination utilizing that worth oregon principle," helium said. "I deliberation the happening astir values is they beryllium for 1 reason, which is to marque hard decisions, and truthful if you're not utilizing your values to marque hard decisions, past they're not your values."

Huffman reflected connected challenges successful the company's 20-year history, including that "we weren't moving arsenic a business" for a while, helium said.

"We were truly idealistic, and I deliberation successful galore ways the idealism has been precise good, but we were besides idealistic astir not being a concern — which is not a large mode to tally a sustainable business," helium said astir increasing the institution aft helium stepped backmost into the relation of CEO successful 2015.

Huffman cofounded Reddit with Alexis Ohanian, his assemblage roommate, successful 2005, and they sold the level to Condé Nast successful 2006. Huffman near successful 2009 to cofound the question website Hipmunk earlier returning arsenic Reddit's CEO successful 2015 astatine a turbulent clip for the company.

"Wrapped up successful immoderate of that idealism was also, like, not moving precise hard," Huffman added. "In the Bay Area, broadly, is this — it's astir an entitlement of, 'I enactment astatine these companies, but I don't person to enactment precise hard and I'm present for myself."

Huffman recalled telling his employees, "If we don't enactment truly hard and enactment truly astute and marque this happening palmy some from a idiosyncratic constituent of presumption and concern constituent of view, past we don't get to bash this, and we'll ne'er execute our mission."