The CEO who leads one handwritten note at a time
Twilio boss Khozema Shipchandler shares how personalized analog messages shape his leadership.
Twilio CEO Khozema Shipchandler writes personalized notes to each of his company's 80-plus leaders before their annual retreat. This analog ritual stems from his memories of being a junior employee at GE and helps him build relationships with potential future C-suite members. Writing the notes can cause Shipchandler right hand cramps, but he takes a 30-minute break after every 10 notes.
The notes include information about a project or initiative the leader is driving, a compliment about their leadership style, and encouragement for what's next. Shipchandler aims to be transparent with employees, emails, texts, and Slack messages, and he values the insights of middle managers, believing they bring judgment that AI cannot replace.
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