Sam Lessin
Partner at Slow Ventures
Sam Lessin is a partner at Slow Ventures, former VP of Product at Facebook, and two-time founder, known for his unconventional advice on professional etiquette and interpersonal dynamics in tech.
Dimension Profile
Key Themes
Episode Summary
Sam Lessin offers unconventional advice on professional etiquette for founders, arguing that showing up with a low heart rate and the calm of abundance is far more effective than the desperate transactional energy most young founders bring to networking. Drawing on experience as Facebook VP of Product and venture investor, he explains why nobody is teaching founders the basic social skills that build lasting trust.
Leadership Principles
- → Etiquette is a skill for showing up in a room with a low heart rate — calm and confident
- → Show up with the self-confidence and calm of abundance, not the desperation of scarcity
- → If you show up like an energizer bunny at networking events, you'll scare people off
Notable Quotes
"Etiquette is a skill for how to show up in a room with a low heart rate. Show up with the self-confidence and the calm of abundance."
— On why professional etiquette matters for founders and tech leaders
"Young people have been holed up in a room coding and they show up encouraged by Silicon Valley to be abrasive on purpose. You want people to say, 'This is someone I can work with and trust.'"
— On why tech culture's celebration of abrasiveness undermines founders
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