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From washing dishes to running a tech giant, Huang's hands-on approach inspires Nvidia's success.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang believes a good leader must be willing to get their hands dirty. Long before he co-founded the tech giant now worth over $3.1 trillion, Huang worked as a busboy at Denny’s, where he cleaned tables, washed dishes, and scrubbed toilets. These humble beginnings still influence his leadership style today.
“No task is beneath me,” Huang said during a March interview at Stanford Graduate School of Business. He emphasized that his past experiences taught him the value of every job, no matter how small.
Huang’s hands-on approach is a cornerstone of his leadership philosophy. He insists on helping employees directly, reviewing their work, and offering guidance. This dedication extends to asking employees to email him their top five tasks each week, and he often visits their desks to provide feedback.
“I show people how to reason through things,” Huang explained. He believes this method empowers employees and enhances the company’s performance.
Huang also prefers to have around 50 direct reports, allowing for fewer layers in the company and more fluid information flow. This structure supports Nvidia’s rapid growth and innovation.
His leadership is about inspiring and empowering others to achieve greatness. “The management team exists in service of all the other people that work in the company,” Huang said, highlighting the importance of supporting employees to drive success.
Jensen Huang’s journey from a dishwasher to a tech industry titan is an evidence to his belief that no task is too small and that hands-on leadership can build a trillion-dollar company.
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