Forget technical skills, impressive resumes, or years of experience. Peter Goldberg knows there’s only one quality that will always separate the great leaders from the average ones.
“At the end of the day, there’s only one thing that I think really matters: The ability to create genuine, authentic connections,” said Goldberg. “That's the key to getting your team to believe in the company, to believe in you, and to be able to give 110% every day.”
The founder of PLG Ventures—a venture capital firm in Santa Monica that specializes in early-stage funding—has been studying and practicing this social ability for his entire career. With an advanced master’s degree in leadership development and an MBA in organizational behavior, Goldberg learned early in his career the weight that a company leader’s interpersonal skills can carry. And he has utilized that knowledge at every step of his professional journey, from his early days in the finance world, to his tenure as president and CEO of AmTrust Bank, to his experiences today at the helm of one of Southern California’s most successful early-stage VC firms.
And now, Goldberg is sharing his expertise with the public world. Alongside his investment associate and fellow MBA-holder at PLG Ventures, Ajey Kaushal, Goldberg has distilled his leadership and culture-building philosophy into his flight template series, Assessing, Driving, and Maintaining Company and Team Culture.
Goldberg’s series is divided into four parts—a culture audit, an improvement section, a personal development module, and a leadership assessment—and each one offers an option for team-specific questions and company-wide questions. These flights will help you audit your current company dynamic, envision your ideal culture, and leverage your entire team’s brainpower to make it a reality.
Team Culture Audit
Company Culture Audit
Improving Team Camaraderie and Community
Improving Company Camaraderie and Community
Personal Development for Teams
Personal Development for Companies
Team Leadership Assessment
Company Leadership Assessment
While Goldberg knows these questions will help you sift through the noise and surface the most helpful insights from yourself and your team, he also knows that culture-building is never a one-size-fits-all process—and that his flight series won’t offer a cookie cutter solution.
“Everybody is unique, and there is no right or wrong answer. No one can tell you what you should do or how you should shape your culture,” said Goldberg. “You need to ask yourself, ‘What makes up the DNA of my company? What qualities are integral to its fabric? What kind of interactions and experiences feel true and genuine to me?’ Once you understand that, then creating your ideal culture will come naturally.”
Goldberg has built a prolific investment portfolio by helping emerging companies shape their cultures and, ultimately, drive unprecedented productivity. With his flight template series, you’ll surface new insights, identify areas of cultural misalignment, and brainstorm action plans, all tailored to your company’s mission and goals.
Assessing, Driving, and Maintaining Company and Team Culture is now available for all flight creators on Balloon.