How Leaders Lead with David Novak #254: Tom Hale, CEO of Oura – Be a balancing force
Aug 28, 2025
Tom Hale, CEO of Oura, leads a pioneering health tech company known for the innovative Oura Ring. He discusses balancing growth with mindful leadership, emphasizing self-awareness and the ring's personalized health insights. Tom shares a game-changing approach for subscription businesses and the importance of customer feedback. He reflects on effective communication and the need for empathy in leadership, as well as how to differentiate in the competitive wearable market. Listeners gain valuable insights into leadership and product development from his unique experiences.
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Nighttime Measurement Enables Reliable Readiness
- Measuring physiology overnight produces consistent, comparable data across days.
- Oura translates those metrics into a readiness score predicting next-day performance.
Using Data To Notice A Partner's Hidden Strain
- A colleague tracked his wife's biometrics during chemotherapy and changed his behavior to support her.
- The ring made subtle signals visible so he could help without her explaining how she felt.
Practice Impactful Brevity
- Work toward impactful brevity: say little but say a lot.
- Give a clear brief, let teams explore widely, then narrow to the best concise idea.
