Barstool Sports CEO ERIKA NARDINI yesterday was profiled in the N.Y. TIMES' "Corner Office" feature, noting she was "not prepared for how lonely" the job was. Nardini, in her first CEO role, said, "But I like that the buck stops with me, and that I'm accountable." Other excerpts are below.
On her leadership style: "I’m punishing. I have a large ability to grind. If I want something or if I believe in something or I think something should be done better, I will push and push until I exhaust people. I really value stamina and drive. I am bad with stagnation and complacency. It’s not just about winning, but did we do everything possible to make something happen?"
On Barstool's content being "very bro-ish": "I think 'bro-ish' is a convenient stereotype. Barstool Sports is far more layered than that. Does a fraction of our content feature girls? Yes. Are those the pieces I gravitate toward? No. But I’m not the editorial voice; I’m not the target audience. I respect that I’m neither of those things. I’m proud to work for a brand that knows itself and what its audience wants. It’s a rare thing."
On how she makes hires: "I’m a horrible interviewer. I’m impatient. To have a great hire, you need to spend a lot of time with that person and you need to see them in different settings."
On advice she would give to recent college graduates: "Take a job that makes them uncomfortable and that they feel unqualified for. It’s really great to feel uncomfortable, and you change so much as a person from that" (N.Y. TIMES, 7/16).
