When Patrick Spence describes the corporate culture at Sonos (SONO), he begins by saying “I’m Canadian.” What that means, explains Spence, who was born in Kitchener, Ontario, “I’m big on the whole notion of people really coming together.”
Speaking with Fortune, Spence says, “I think in tech in general, there’s been a bit of a narrative of kind of the jerk. You know, the genius jerk, that then can get away with anything. That’s not the kind of culture that I think is sustainable or the right one for the long term.”
Spence has been CEO of Sonos for one year and “caring candor” is the way he describes his leadership style. “I try to bring people on the team that care about one another”, he says, “and care enough that they’re going to give you feedback in a constructive way to help keep building the company.”
The Santa Barbara, California-based company is best known for pioneering wireless speakers with high end audio quality that’s become a popular consumer brand. The 16-year-old company recently went public in an IPO on the Nasdaq. Sonos has annual revenues of nearly one billion dollars.
Watch the video above for more from our interview with Spence.