Sam Corcos, CEO of Levels, a health tech startup, shares his strategies for delegation and leadership. He discusses the benefits of transparency and building in public. They also touch on personal topics like minimalism and intentional thinking. The podcast explores the role of executive assistants, challenges and benefits of delegation, tracking health data, optimizing diet, limitations of blood tests, connecting after events, and a conspiracy theory about insulin prices.
Virtual assistants are crucial at Levels, providing leverage and assistance with tasks like reporting and accountability.
EAs at Levels manage entropy, monitor processes, review documents, and prevent balls from being dropped.
Having an efficient executive assistant (EA) can save time and streamline work, both for business-related tasks and personal tasks like time management and taxes.
Deep dives
Using Virtual Assistants at Levels
At Levels, a health monitoring startup, virtual assistants (VAs) are a crucial part of their team. Approximately half of the team members have access to an EA, providing leverage and assistance with tasks such as reporting, accountability, and drafting. Levels has a pool of available talent for dedicated tasks and assigns specific EAs as the workload increases. The company works with an agency called Athena for EA training, cybersecurity, and proactive skills development. By offloading tasks to EAs, executives can save time and increase productivity.
Entropy Management with EAs
EAs at Levels have been effectively used for managing entropy within the organization. As the company grows, communication pathways become more complex, making it challenging to ensure processes are being followed and tasks are being effectively handled. EAs monitor processes, send reports, and perform tasks like reviewing documents and validating internal wikis. They also provide context for calls by sending information beforehand, take notes, and even assist with follow-ups. EAs play a crucial role in keeping the company organized and preventing balls from being dropped.
The Minimalist Approach and Tracking Personal Health
The CEO of Levels, Sam Corcus, embraces a minimalist lifestyle, simplifying his belongings, including having only one pair of pants. When it comes to personal health tracking, Sam emphasizes the 80/20 rule, focusing on essential metrics rather than overwhelming himself with extensive data. He pays attention to blood sugar levels as part of lifestyle-driven health management. Sam also emphasizes the importance of movement, with steps and weight training being key factors. Protein intake is another area he tracks to ensure adequate levels for muscle maintenance and overall health.
The Benefits of Using Virtual Assistants
Using virtual assistants can save time and effort in completing tasks. The podcast highlights how having an efficient executive assistant (EA) can streamline work and provide quick turnarounds. It is recommended to have some synchronous overlap with the EA to ensure coordination and access to necessary information. Virtual assistants can be utilized not only for business-related tasks but also for personal tasks such as time management and help with taxes. As long as the tasks add value to work or save time, it can be acceptable to delegate them to an EA.
Remote Work, Asynchronous Communication, and Hosting Effective Dinner Parties
The podcast discusses the advantages and challenges of remote work and asynchronous communication. Remote work and asynchronous communication are closely linked, and having both can significantly improve productivity and energy. It is important to find a balance and use synchronous communication when necessary. Hosting effective dinner parties involves managing group size, guiding conversations, and setting the right context. Engaging participants, focusing on relevant topics, and creating a comfortable environment are key to successful dinner parties.
Sam Corcos is the CEO of Levels, an a16z-backed health tech startup. While Levels’ mission is amazing, what really sets the company apart is how Sam runs it: Levels is highly transparent, asynchronous first, and serious about leveraging delegation for maximum productivity.
In this episode of World of DaaS, Sam gives a master class on the art of virtual assistance and delegation. Levels uses VAS to allow team members much greater leverage over their work. Sam himself has four EAs that allow him to get an extra 90-120 hours of work done each week.
Auren and Sam also delve into transparency and building in public, a principle Sam champions as a CEO. Sam discusses the leadership skills that allowed him to build enough trust in his organization to try out experimental management techniques like radical transparency and asynchronous-first communication.
Sam isn’t just an optimizer in his professional life– he’s a hardcore minimalist (he owns just one pair of pants), a digital nomad, and a deeply intentional thinker on matters in his personal life. Sam shares the mathematical formula that led him from single to married in six months, how he thinks about consumerism, and his formula for throwing the perfect salon dinner.
