What advice would you give to someone joining a startup today?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Be prepared for the unexpected, seriously. The most important skill in a startup isn’t coding, pitching, or even making great coffee (although that helps). It’s being able to adapt when the unexpected hits. I know that sounds like a motivational poster, but it’s true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thinking flexibly, being open to feedback, and never ever uttering the words “but we’ve always done it this way” is exactly the mindset you need in a startup. And that’s how we still work at Invesdor today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Change is the only constant. Yes, Heraclitus said it first, but we live it daily. And honestly, that’s what I love most about working at Invesdor. No two days are alike. Just when you think you’ve seen it all, surprise! Something new lands in your inbox. Everyone at Invesdor has embraced this mindset in their own way. It’s what enables us to push boundaries together, keep each other motivated, and achieve results for our customers that others would have given up on ages ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Obviously, it can be intense sometimes, but routine is far more draining for me than change will ever be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What’s a leadership lesson you always carry with you?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Listen carefully! No skill is as underrated as genuine listening. Really, most problems don’t arise because people don’t talk, but because others don’t actually listen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Usually, people tell you exactly what’s bothering them, what they need, or how you could help. It’s all there, loud and clear. You just have to resist the urge to start composing a clever reply in your head before they’ve even finished their sentence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sure, leadership is also about balancing interests and finding compromises, just like in relationships, family dinners, or group holidays. But making your team feel heard, seen, and genuinely taken seriously? That’s the core of good leadership, at least in my book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And honestly, this isn’t just about the office. It applies just as much when you’re grilling with friends (“yes, your tofu sausage matters too”), in a relationship (“yes, I am listening this time”), or dealing with a grumpy government clerk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you take a moment to really listen and show a bit of empathy, most problems dissolve faster than you can say “Was that so hard?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes I joke in the office that if I weren’t working at Invesdor, I’d probably be in the secret service (she laughs), you know, trench coat, sunglasses, mysterious phone calls, the full package.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because honestly, if there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s finding missing information and connecting the dots. No matter how well something is hidden, give me a hint and a cup of coffee, and I’ll track it down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maybe it’s no coincidence that I have a soft spot for spy movies and political thrillers. The mix of classified intel, shadowy alliances, and high-stakes decision-making? That’s totally my thing, minus the car chases. Usually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Dr. Oppenheimer. I was deeply moved by the recent film, especially his inner conflict between scientific innovation and moral responsibility. As someone who also strives to act with good intentions, I’d love to discuss how decisions can ripple through a lifetime… ideally over a glass of wine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”<\/em> – Mahatma Gandhi<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our conversation with Franziska is a reminder that startups grow on passion, adaptability, and strong leadership. Stay tuned for more stories from the people behind Invesdor, the ones making impact investing happen every day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Franziska Haeßler is not just the COO of Invesdor, she’s one of the very first people who helped build the company from the ground up. Since joining in 2015, she’s witnessed every stage of Invesdor’s journey, from a small German startup to a leading European platform for impact investing. In …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":16183,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[121,124,90],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16179","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","category-interviews-en","category-invesdor-insights"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.invesdor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16179","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.invesdor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.invesdor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.invesdor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.invesdor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16179"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.invesdor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16179\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16486,"href":"https:\/\/www.invesdor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16179\/revisions\/16486"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.invesdor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.invesdor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16179"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.invesdor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16179"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.invesdor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16179"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}If you weren’t working in finance, what would you be doing?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
If you could have dinner with any historical figure, who would it be?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What’s a quote that inspires you?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n