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What I’ve come to realize over time is that, far from being contradictory, being demanding and supportive are inextricably linked. It’s the way you are when you believe in someone more than they believe in themselves.

Over the next year, the Instacart team turned the company around. We went from losing $15 an order to making $3 an order. Without raising additional capital we built a cash buffer that was good for another year plus. We accomplished more in that 12-month period than I ever thought possible.

Most people think of demanding and supportive as opposite ends of a spectrum. You can either be tough or you can be nice. But the best leaders don’t choose. They are both highly demanding and highly supportive. They push you to new heights and they also have your back.

Mike Moritz was our board member from Sequoia. Anyone who has ever met Mike or read his writing knows that he has a special way with words. In this meeting, he delivered a simple and devastating message: if we didn’t change – immediately – we would go out of business. It was the single worst meeting of my career.