Andrew Farah is Creating the Future of Workspaces

Andrew Farah is co-founder and CEO of Density Inc., where he has spent the last 10 years building real-time radar technologies for measuring how people use buildings. The company works with many in the Fortune 500, manufactures its anonymous radar systems in the United States, and has raised $227m in venture capital. Andrew lives near Golden Gate Park in San Francisco with his spouse, three daughters, and English Shepherd.

This week, Barrett talks with Andrew about startup culture, building great teams, reading and contextualizing knowledge, and the essence of enthusiasm in leadership. They discuss the journey of personal and professional growth, the significance of humility in conflict, and the importance of feedback in establishing meaningful relationships and impactful businesses.

In this episode:

[00:00] - Intro
[02:34] - "Skateboard Andrew"
[07:47] - LLCs and their impact on global GDP
[14:23] - Seriousness vs playfulness in Andrew's career
[18:53] - The practicality of having multiple founders
[22:05] - Density's three core values
[26:49] - Building ambitious and humble teams
[33:30] - Enthusiasm vs passion
[52:30] - Reading in context
[01:01:24] - How boards help you grow as a leader
[01:08:07] - Building rapport with board members
[01:12:34] - Evaluating and responding to feedback
[01:17:41] - Handling negative feedback and the importance of conflict for growth
[01:26:27] - How Andrew would design an office space starting from scratch
[01:35:39] - How Density's success would change the world
[01:36:52] - Who Andrew is becoming

Key Takeaways

Effective and regular communication is essential in establishing strong relationships within a team. Prioritizing tasks and acknowledging feedback create trust and rapport.
Books can provide permission statements and insights directly relevant to business decisions. It’s important to read not just for knowledge, but within the context of current tasks and challenges.
Startups thrive on humility and the open exchange of feedback. Humility leads to better decision-making, and consistent feedback helps teams align with core values.
Enthusiasm is contagious and essential in leadership. Harnessing and sharing genuine excitement can inspire and drive teams, creating a dynamic and productive work environment.
Overcoming hardship and understanding your response to feedback can lead to significant personal and professional growth.

Quotes

“The companies that historically fail tend to be the ones where pride and arrogance start to wander in, where people get complacent and then they get disrupted.” ~ Andrew Farah

“There's usually truth in almost every piece of feedback anyone's ever given you. And if you're willing to humble yourself in front of that…you earn a completely different level of relationship with someone.” ~ Andrew Farah

“You can't have self-awareness if you don’t actively try to observe yourself, if you don’t actively try to improve.” ~ Andrew Farah

Links