On a plane the other day I listened to a Tim Ferris podcast with Chip Conley. To be honest, I’m not usually a fan of Mr. Ferris or his long format podcasts, but I do scan his guest list from time to time to look for interesting topics. Chip Conley was one of those. He is the founder of the Joie De Vivre boutique hotel chain, which he sold several years ago, after which he joined Airbnb as Head of Global Hospitality and Strategy. Mr. Conley is also the founder of the Modern Elder Academy, which tries to improve the midlife and aging experience.
In the podcast he describes a rather unique perspective on life, partly driven by dealing with cancer. For example, in his latest ventures he is no longer focused on growth, but on developing successful company and organizational models that can then be used by others to create their own success. He’s looking to create impact and legacy, not wealth.
But it was his stories of Airbnb that were really intriguing, in particular how he uses a deep questioning process to develop strategy.
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