I recently went one on one with Benjamin Talin, CEO of Initiative MoreThanDigital.

Adam: Thanks again for taking the time to share your advice. What are the key technology trends that executives should know and understand? What should they know about them? 

Ben: There are thousands of technologies that have an impact on business. It always depends on what your company, industry, business model and target market is. But it's definitely paramount to understand consumer technologies well. After all, phone usage directly impacts business results.

We live in an attention economy where everyone wants to get a piece of a customer's attention. So B2B and B2C are fighting for the same resource - "give me your attention." It's no wonder these media technologies have such a vested interest in B2B and B2C content, as there is a lot of overlap and the new trend is H2H (human-to-human) marketing. So if we look at technology trends as a bigger picture, there is definitely a need for a good understanding of media, social media and the dynamics of the attention economy. 

Another thing I would add here is that companies should spend time understanding platforms. Not just e-commerce, but true two-sided platforms. Unfortunately, there are many misconceptions and false assumptions about platforms and digital ecosystems (What is a digital ecosystem?) out there. Platforms and especially digital ecosystems understand customers and their entire customer journey very well. The only thing they do is collect data, optimize that process, and make sure they can combine the power of different partners and vendors to create a great customer experience and monetize at every single step of the customer journey. This is important to understand because these massive platforms will gain a lot of traction and have the power to impact entire industries, and even cross-sector value chains could be transformed. 

Adam: What do you believe are the defining qualities of an effective leader? 

Ben: Having an overview, having a shared vision and mission, but also supporting where needed. True leaders don't have to be experts on a particular topic, but they can be experts on the bigger vision. It's important to see that it's hard for team members to focus on the big picture, such as team interactions, company finances, or even the 5-year strategy, when they're struggling to meet project deadlines and struggling with their work packages. A good leader has the ability to reassure them that he or she is controlling the environment, monitoring the team, and steering them in a different direction when necessary.

Leaders and managers are very different in my world. Leaders try to provide direction, while managers focus more on controlling what exists. Of course, there is overlap, but the ultimate goal differs in those leaders create positive results for the group and managers control and monitor the results.

Adam: How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their leadership skills to the next level? 

Ben: Listen and learn. Most leaders think they are leaders because they are the loudest in the room, they might even be the narcissists in the group, or they just want to be leaders for the prestige. The real challenge is that in reality, the leader is always second. This image of "Steve Jobs" and "Elon Musk" has created a false image in people's minds. Being a true leader means being committed to the vision and mission of the company and giving everyone else the support and guidance they need to achieve that great vision and mission. 

That's why I said at the beginning that listening and learning play a big role for me when it comes to leadership. Leaders need to learn to listen to changes in the company, in the department, or even in the group. They must learn to accept the challenges and only act and lead when necessary. It is important to practice this patience and to put yourself on hold to listen and learn. I too had to learn this the hard way, thanks in part to my mentor. Sometimes being the dumbest person in the room and asking "dumb questions" is enough to get someone to think and change their mind. Good leaders also let others find a solution, and then they have to stand behind those solutions.

Because learning, the second part of my original statement, is about giving people the freedom to fail. The human species works on dopamine responses, and the fastest and most efficient way to learn is to fail and get back up to change it. So this freedom should be there and even supported.

Adam: What is your best advice for building, leading and managing teams? 

Ben: Be honest and establish a clear shared vision and mission. I know that's always the first thing people say, but when I see how startups and companies operate, most of them still don't have a vision/mission or the employees don't understand it. Being clear about what you want to achieve and being open about how everyone's work impacts the company - whether it's profit, visibility, trust or other metrics - can align them very well without constant oversight.

When assembling a team, also make sure you bring together different mindsets and backgrounds. Often teams tend to look for similar members, which leads to internal bias that can result in tunnel vision. It's best to assemble teams from different perspectives and backgrounds so they can ask questions that wouldn't otherwise be asked. Finally, it's important to build teams that ask the right questions so you don't always have to jump in and "redirect. 

Adam: In your experience, what are the most important steps for growing and scaling your business? 

Ben: The team is a critical factor, as I think everyone would say. But when it comes to really growing and scaling the business, many now need to move to a more process and data-driven business model. There are actually many situations where one product, one service, or one piece of software is just not enough. It's important to really think about all the connection points in the process and automate or simplify them. The more you can automate and the better you get at those processes, the less you need to rely on highly skilled labor. Break the processes down into small pieces, make sure there is a reasonable amount of time for quality control, and make sure customer service can keep up with increasing demand, because there will always be bottlenecks as you scale, and you may even break as a result, no matter how good your product is.

Adam: What are your three best tips applicable to entrepreneurs, executives and civic leaders? 

First and foremost, you should get a comprehensive picture of the whole picture of what is changing in the world. Many still believe that they are already at the top with their industry knowledge. In the end, everything you've learned in one industry is worth nothing because there are so many different forces out there. What if I told you that a software programmer who knows nothing about banking is worth more than a banker in the banking system these days? Really good entrepreneurs and executives have a sense of the big picture, because industry-specific knowledge can be acquired in a few months, while it takes years to master the complexity of all the evolving issues and interconnections. 

Second, it is important to better adhere to the 80/20 principle. Too many people focus too much on "perfect solutions" and wait and approve 100 times to make it perfect. Not only does this waste time and resources, but it can also have a negative impact on a company's performance. Just read about the different approach of "trial & error vs. perfect management" between Tesla and the rest of the auto industry. To be fast, you have to fail fast and learn quickly from your mistakes.

The third tip is to think outside the box. Many companies have great potential for future business models behind what they are currently doing. For example, a company I once advised built and printed offline display stands that sold cosmetics. But in the end, they didn't realize they had a huge advantage - all the brands were paying them to put a product in front of customers. So instead of putting dead boxes in front of customers, they could have put screens with cameras to analyze content, optimize engagement, and even collect data for the brands. This would transform the business model from print and design to an integral data provider for offline advertising and entirely new revenue streams. - So think outside the box and try to understand where you have a great untapped value that could be interesting for others.

Adam: What are your best tips on the topics of sales, marketing and branding? 

Ben: There's a big push now towards "brand before content," and that's right. People have a limited attention span, and as mentioned earlier, it's important to understand that everyone is now fighting for customers' attention and trust. This means that the most important factor for a company is to build a brand that is easily recognizable, that people trust, and that also gets some of the attention of customers. Because sales will be easier if word gets around, if your customers trust you, and if you have a reputation that can be the basis for discussion.

So, when you're building a brand, try to become a trusted brand and resource, not just a sales-driven company. HubSpot did a great job of this, literally shaping the content marketing industry by using helpful articles, whitepapers, and brand awareness to sell their services at the top.

Adam: What is the single best piece of advice you have ever received? 

Ben: Dare to achieve great things, but never forget to keep your eye on the next step. - It's hard to keep one eye on the horizon while knowing where the next step should be. So take your time and enjoy dreaming big to align with your vision. But 80% of the time should be spent on taking the first steps and planning the steps after the first step. Highly motivated founders and leaders in particular get lost in thinking and dreaming and miss taking action. Sometimes it is better to just start something instead of waiting for the big event.


Adam Mendler is the CEO of The Veloz Group, where he co-founded and oversees ventures across a wide variety of industries. Adam is also the creator and host of the business and leadership podcast Thirty Minute Mentors, where he goes one on one with America's most successful people - Fortune 500 CEOs, founders of household name companies, Hall of Fame and Olympic gold medal winning athletes, political and military leaders - for intimate half-hour conversations each week. Adam has written extensively on leadership, management, entrepreneurship, marketing and sales, having authored over 70 articles published in major media outlets including Forbes, Inc. and HuffPost, and has conducted more than 500 one on one interviews with America’s top leaders through his collective media projects. A top leadership speaker, Adam draws upon his insights building and leading businesses and interviewing hundreds of America's top leaders as a top keynote speaker to businesses, universities and non-profit organizations.

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