Episode
The Art of Managing Diverse Personalities | Oscar Hedaya
- Published
- Mar 6, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 3856
- Processing state
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Summary
Serial entrepreneur Oscar Hedaya, founder of SPACE and The Space Safe, joins Bill Lennan on the 40% Better podcast for a wide-ranging conversation on what real leadership looks like across industries. Oscar's career has taken him from visual merchandising in New York to touch-screen gloves, electric mobility, and now the world's first smart safe with a built-in camera, touchscreen, tamper sensors, and app connectivity. Along the way, he's built and led teams of 25+ people across hardware, software, firmware, and design, and he shares the hard-won lessons that came from managing very different personalities under one roof. The conversation digs into the messy, human side of leadership: how to handle conflict without letting it fester, why getting quiet team members to speak up can completely transform a team's output, and how psychological safety and employee happiness aren't soft extras but core performance drivers. Oscar and Bill also unpack the challenge of getting cross-functional teams speaking the same language, the power of extreme ownership when things go wrong, and why small gestures like better coffee or Friday pizza often matter more than a pay rise. Key Takeaways Leaders who come from under-resourced backgrounds often develop stronger creative problem-solving instincts early on Managing larger teams means spending significant time on interpersonal issues, not just the work itself Bringing clashing team members together socially is often the most effective way to defuse conflict Getting promoted doesn't mean doing more of the same job; the role fundamentally changes Quiet, high-performing team members need time and consistent encouragement before they'll speak up in group settings, but it's worth the investment Cross-functional teams (hardware, firmware, soft…