Zero Direct Reports Strategy

Dharmesh Shah shares his unconventional approach to leadership at HubSpot, where he deliberately chose to have no management responsibilities despite being a co-founder. This strategy allowed him to focus on his strengths while avoiding areas where he felt less competent.

Key Points:

• Co-Founder Agreement:

  • Had an early "heart-to-heart" with co-founder Brian
  • Decided Brian would be CEO because Dharmesh "sucked at being CEO"
  • Established zero direct reports arrangement

• Management Philosophy:

  • Acknowledges he's not a good manager
  • Could potentially improve with coaching but chose not to
  • Believes in amplifying strengths rather than fixing weaknesses
  • Maintains zero direct reports despite company growing to 4,000+ people

• Work Focus Strategy:

  • Focuses on just 3 things at any given time
  • Changes focus areas every few years
  • Previous focus areas included:
    • Brand
    • Culture
    • "Boldness" (pushing organization to take risks)

• Work Style:

  • Maniacally focuses on chosen areas
  • Says no to almost everything else
  • Prefers diving deep into details rather than high-level oversight
  • Example: Spent 300 hours on HubSpot culture code deck
  • Gets involved in detailed work like reviewing copy with marketing team

• Results:

  • Finds work enjoyable due to ability to choose focus areas
  • Maintains this arrangement for over a decade
  • Avoids the "grind" by keeping work discretionary and optional