Guest podcast appearance on The Quantum Experience
Where I get to share my thoughts on leadership
Toward the end of last year, I was a guest on The Quantum Experience podcast, hosted by Matthew Evans from IntaPeople
I’ve hosted a couple of podcasts before12, but I think this might actually be my first podcast appearance as a guest!
In any case, it was a lot of fun for me.
Here’s an overview of the discussion:
Tell us about yourself and what you are up to.
Where I talk about my background in quantum optics, my time in academia and at IBM Quantum, and why I eventually started Quantum Salon, a mix of tiny think tank and consultancy, and how it fits into the deep-tech ecosystem.
What was your first leadership position? How did it go?
Where I talk about leading a research group in academia and only later realizing that this was, in fact, a leadership role.
Did you make any mistakes that were a big learning experience for you?
Where I talk about servant leadership, managing up and down, and missing the fact that you also have to manage yourself, which can lead to burnout.
How do you create a culture of creativity and innovation whilst focusing on company needs.
Where I talk about hiring good people, communicating a clear vision, and then getting out of their way.
When interviewing, what traits do you look for and what do you ask?
Where I talk about attitude and team fit beyond technical credentials. As well as understanding what hiring managers actually need and treating interviews as a two-way evaluation.
Who are any memorable or impactful leader you worked under? Why?
Where I talk about why I don’t love ranking ‘good leaders’ and instead think about people I’ve wanted to emulate.
You can watch the full episode below.
Thanks, Matthew, for your kind hospitality!
About Aggie Inc.
After my PhD, I spent 10 years in academia doing quantum research, then 4 years in quantum tech (things move ~2.5x faster in industry, so let’s call it even!).
Now I’m building Quantum Salon, a communications consultancy that helps deep tech teams explain what they’re building and why it matters.
In the Aggie Inc. Substack, I share my behind-the-scenes journey building the company. If you’re interested in creating a life and work that feels right for you, or if you’re just curious to see how this experiment unfolds, subscribe below.
Physicists in the Wild (also available on streaming apps)