Want to be more effective, both at work and at home? Then T.R.I.C.K people!

Esther Wojcicki Shares Advice On Raising and Managing Successful People

In a recent presentation at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, Esther Wojcicki shared her 5 principles for raising successful children. As the mother of not one but TWO daughters who are high-profile CEOs (Susan runs YouTube, and Anne has 23AndMe), Esther knows a thing or two about how to raise smart kids. She’s also an accomplished leader in her own right, having launched and run one of the largest high school journalism programs in the entire country.

Esther was all smiles as she addressed the class

At the core of her philosophy is the simple acronym T.R.I.C.K, which stands for Trust, Respect, Independence, Collaboration, Kindness. When these 5 values are upheld, Esther believes leaders can both change parenting, and change the world.

Photo Credit: Esther’s presentation

Breaking down these values a bit further…

1. Trust: To build trust, Esther suggests being honest (especially in tough situations, like admitting mistakes!), and being humble and caring in your interactions with others. A huge aspect of trust is keeping promises, and Esther noted that she is personally very careful about only making promises she can keep — a helpful reminder to us students and our culture of GSFlake.
2. Respect: To Esther, a culture of respect creates an environment where people feel comfortable bringing their full selves to work. One very simple yet powerful way to show respect is to give someone your undivided attention. This sounds like a straightforward task, but think about how often you’re talking to someone and they’re still looking at their laptop or phone (or it’s the other way around, and *you’re* the one multi-tasking). We have never lived in a time where there was greater competition for our attention. So now more than ever, giving someone your undivided focus is one of the most powerful signs of respect.
3. Independence: Giving people independence encourages risk-taking. Whether it’s your children or your employees, Esther suggests avoiding telling people what to do. Instead, she emphasized that it’s important to let people make mistakes, and then learn and iterate on the process.
4. Collaboration: One of the fastest ways to encourage collaboration is to help people really get to know each other — not just as coworkers, but as people. Team offsites can help with this, as can simple “get-to-know-you” exercises, like the ones Esther has her students do in class. These activities, while small in terms of time required, can go a long way in fostering an environment of teamwork.
5. Kindness: Kindness can take many forms, but one form we can all practice immediately is generosity. Esther encouraged us to “be generous with (y)our time, connections, and resources,” and those are assets all of us have to give, regardless of our age or wealth or social status. Another simple way to show you care is to ask people about their families, and their lives outside of work.

In closing, we can all benefit from Esther’s simple yet powerful advice. With more trust, respect, independence, collaboration, and kindness, we will be even better equipped to change lives, change organizations, and yes…change the world.