“I set up Oyster as a software platform to enable any company in the world to tap into the global talent pool without setting up entities, hiring lawyers, accountants, payroll providers, benefit providers. I established it as a mission-driven company, first and foremost, because what I realized was if I align what I do with what I believe in, I feel more fulfilled. I feel happier in my life,” shares Tony Jamous, the CEO and co-founder of Oyster, a company that’s shaping the future of work by embracing borderless, flexible, and human-centered principles.
In this episode, Tony joins Alex Raymond to talk about the challenges and opportunities of building culture in a distributed workforce. How does one lead with trust in a world where connection often feels distant? Tony’s journey to creating a $1.2 billion company during the pandemic highlights how belonging and empathy can transform workplace culture.
With a team spanning 80 countries, Oyster proves that diversity and flexibility can fuel both fulfillment and productivity. Tony shares how his personal experiences, including overcoming PTSD, shaped his leadership approach and commitment to creating workplaces where people truly thrive.
This episode will challenge how you think about leadership and belonging in a post-pandemic world. Can culture evolve to meet the needs of a global workforce? Tony’s story suggests it must.
Quotes
- “We are a talent magnet. We have diversity that is unheard of. We achieve a level of engagement and fulfillment for our employees that leads into productivity that is unheard of, because people feel cared for. They feel that we are designing a work model for them that makes them successful no matter where they live.” (05:36 | Tony Jamous)
- “We believe that democratizing access to global job opportunities has a massive potential in creating more equal worlds. The reason why emerging economies remain emerging is because they lose their best talent to the West, and they don’t come back.” (06:58 | Tony Jamous)
- “It’s really about having a clear and strong vision and strategy, and then assembling and empowering the best team to deliver on it. That’s been my formula.” (15:32 | Tony Jamous)
- “Leaders at the very top of their game have to learn how to recognize themselves and not expect recognition from the outside. You can even push it to the extreme and say they can thrive on neglect. They are here to build the systems on which a business can thrive in a healthy way, including fostering a healthy culture. That’s what I believe leaders should be striving toward.” (16:57 | Tony Jamous)
- “The reason we’re not moving as fast as we need to toward a better future is because leaders are caught in a cycle of meeting quotas and delivering results, such as hitting numbers. There’s immense pressure, and the ability to handle stress and pressure is diminishing as stress levels rapidly increase for leaders.” (18:21 | Tony Jamous)
Links
Connect with Tony Jamous:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/teljamou/?originalSubdomain=cy
Connect with Alex Raymond:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afraymond/
Website: https://consciousentrepreneur.us/
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