Letter from the Editor

To say that Barry Silbert is running a rapidly growing company is an understatement. Since its founding in 2005, SecondMarket has conducted an estimated billion dollars of private company share trades, employs 140 people, and conducts business on at least three continents. When I asked him about the growing pains he experienced, they had nothing to do with raising capital or attracting shareholders and investors to his new marketplace. His growing pains were all about culture.   

Last month’s issue shined a spotlight on 10 small businesses that created impressive company cultures by focusing on attracting and retaining top talent. Just when I thought I was done hearing and writing about the importance of culture, Silbert’s story reinforced how essential it is for business owners to consciously decide, not just what type of environment their office will be (fun, collaborative, formal, casual) but what type of a leader they will be.   

In Silbert’s case, he found that as the company grew and he had less and less one-on-one interaction with each member of the team, new hires didn’t consider Silbert a very approachable CEO. While I can attest to the fact that Silbert may be a very approachable person, employees are often initially intimidated by three little letters—CEO. As a result, he has taken deliberate steps to make sure his employees know that he is an approachable leader who understands the contributions that everyone makes to his company’s success. To read about how Silbert shaped SecondMarket’s culture, start reading on page 22.   

NY Report is producing an event in September featuring John King, author of The New York Times’ bestseller, Tribal Leadership. King will discuss how leveraging culture is the next untapped well for organizational performance and provide a few actionable ideas to help you lead your organization to the next level. Visit nyreport.com/tribal for more information and I hope to see you there.