The Anti-Hustle CEO
How Porter Haney runs a fast-growing tech business and lives a well-rounded life.
👋 Hey there. I challenge conventional thinking to help people create well-rounded lives.
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I have spent a lot of time thinking about, working for, and quitting from bad managers. In my software days I was on a mission to rid the world of bad managers.
So when I saw Porter Haney’s nomination for a Roundy Award come in from an employee, I was tickled with delight that he is out there spreading his manager goodness to all his employees.
Here is what Porter’s employee wrote in her nomination:
Porter values people > everything and works hard to take care of all his coworkers by creating policies at his company that encourage a well lived and well rounded life. At his company, Codingscape, full time is considered to be 35 hours a week and you must request to work more/overtime, so that it's very clear it's not expected and so that there is no such thing as "drowning alone, silently in work."
He not only creates our work policies and benefits, but sets an example by using them. This July he will be taking paternity leave. He often shares pics of the home he's building and his beautiful family, showing us all what really matters to him. He sets a great example.
Okay wait…
A CEO that makes his knowledge worker employees request overtime?
A male CEO in the US that took paternity leave? In tech?
And the company made Inc. magazine’s fastest growing company list?
I gotta talk to this guy.
And so I did.
It was a treat to chat with Porter. He’s an anti-hustle CEO that is making conscious choices to create well-rounded lives for himself, Co-Founders and staff.
Here are three things that Porter does to break the rules of almost every for-profit business out there.
1. The Executives Take Advantage Of Flexible Work Just Like Employees
Porter believes in the Golden Rule: “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”.
Porter wished he had jobs that didn’t require relentless hustle and endless working hours. So when creating Codingscape, a software development consultancy, he rebelled against the grain and made it so employees could still have time and energy for themselves and their family at the end of the day. Or better yet, if all was on track, go for a bike ride on a beautiful summer afternoon.
This kind of flexible, moderated pace is typically only taken advantage of by select employees and I’ve never heard of a CEO who works flexible, moderate hours. Porter's philosophy is a beacon of hope in an industry where overwork often prevails. As he puts it, “To be all in on your company you have to work these crazy hours? I just disagree with that completely.”
2. The CEO tells employees to work less
Most companies maximize the hours of salaried knowledge workers. Porter established a different model.
Employees are paid hourly, get full insurance benefits, and are encouraged to work only 40 hours a week. They also receive time and a half for overtime.
Porter recognized the burnout prevalent in the industry and designed a system where employees are valued for the quality of their work, not the quantity of their hours. He observed, “many of the people that join us came from a place where they were overworked”. So when senior software engineers join Codingscape, it’s a relief for them to work manageable hours and still do the work they love.
Finding a senior level, knowledge worker job that pays hourly and doesn’t require overtime to earn a decent wage is unheard of. This conscious choice to focus on the well-being of employees echoes Porter’s commitment to a well-rounded life.
3. The Company Measures success in quality time spent
In a world fixated on endless growth and profits, Porter Haney prioritizes something far more precious: quality time.
He challenges the conventional wisdom that success is solely defined by monetary gains or business expansions. Instead, Porter treasures experiences, building a house next to his brother’s property and spending true quality time (not quick phone calls) with loved ones.
By paying employees hourly, Codingscape ensures a clear boundary between work and personal life, allowing employees to be fully present in their off-hours. As Porter wisely stated, “The nice thing about paying people hourly is when they're done with work, they're not checking Slack or their email. There's a much clearer division for knowledge worker roles of when you're working and when you're not.”
At Codingscape employees earn enough to have a good life and do outcome based work that gives them the time to actually live their life today.
I love it.
Porter’s story is evidence that we create the rules of our world.
Porter didn’t like how the typical tech company operates so he made new rules for his own.
He shows that success does not have to come at the cost of personal well-being. He proves that it's possible to rewrite the rules, fostering a workplace where employees thrive, families flourish, and lives are truly well-rounded.
Porter Haney is an anti-hustle CEO who is showing us that a fulfilling life and a successful career can coexist harmoniously. His approach is a breath of fresh air and a blueprint for a better, well-rounded future.
*Know someone else that sounds like Porter and is making conscious choices to life a well-rounded life? Nominate them for a Roundy Award*
I hope this brings some insight into how you can chart your own life.
Keep well,
✌️
J
P.S. I’m prioritizing shipping over perfection, so this post may not convey all my thoughts perfectly. I’d love comments or questions to keep the discovery going.
P.P.S. With thanks, as always, to my Junior Associate, ChatGPT-3.5.