Adopt an Others First Mentality: Interview with David Roberts, CEO of Verra Mobility

I recently went one on one with David Roberts, CEO of Verra Mobility.

Adam: Thanks again for taking the time to share your advice. First things first, though, I am sure readers would love to learn more about you. How did you get here? What experiences, failures, setbacks, or challenges have been most instrumental to your growth?

David: I was raised in Marietta, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta, and grew up with traditional, faith-based values. Early on we were taught to serve others. I credit this upbringing with instilling in me my passion for helping to enrich lives and helping others. This was a major influence on my own personal leadership philosophy and inspired me to develop and promote a purpose-driven culture at Verra Mobility. In fact, one of our company’s core values is also one that is most dear to me: lead with grace. 

My dad was very instrumental in shaping my career. He was a salesman at heart, a CEO of a smaller company and an entrepreneur. Yearly at Thanksgiving, we all shared what we were thankful for, and our goals for the coming year. My dad’s mantra was “without vision, the people perish.” The important lesson I learned from him was that by setting goals and having a forward-looking view, I would be teed up for success. He didn’t want me to be satisfied with the status quo. When I was about 20 years old, I wrote on a card that I would be CEO of a $100M company by the time I was 30. It did happen – albeit a little bit later in life – but that coaching helped me get here and provides the motivation to always have a forward vision. Sadly, he passed away when I was young, but he left a significant impact on me. I credit him with why I place so much significance on leading with grace.

Adam: In your experience, what are the key steps to growing and scaling your business?

David: I became the CEO of Verra Mobility during a time of extreme transformation and rapid growth. We were shifting from being a founder-led company to being owned by a private equity firm. Our growth strategy was very accelerated, including two significant acquisitions that expanded our business internationally, a rebranding process, and plans to go public in just an 18-month time span. 

To scale and grow at the pace we chose, I had to determine: First, how far to press the accelerator in order to keep the company stable and ensure employees had balance – even if it meant tempering the growth. Second, how to keep employees engaged with the values-driven culture during a high pace of change. Our amazing, talented employees are critical to our business, and I kept a ‘people first’ focus during this transformation.

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

David: Admit when you don’t have all the answers. I believe in soaring with your strengths and hiring to your weaknesses. This means finding leaders who are better than you are. As a CEO, I have a high-level understanding of everything, but I cannot have a deep expertise in every single aspect of the business. I am self-aware that I need strong talent to fill in these gaps, so we have diversity in thinking, experience and attitudes to help drive successful teams.
Adam: What are the most important trends in technology that leaders should be aware of and understand? What should they understand about them?

David: I’m personally interested in emerging technologies that help augment how teams work and improve productivity. The recent, rapid advances in artificial intelligence for large language models could provide some real benefits, at least to help teams generate ideas or brainstorm. I see a lot of opportunities with chatbots to help improve customer service, by using advanced automation to address standard inquiries and allow the customer service representatives to focus their time on solving more complex and pressing issues.

I think leaders should stay abreast of technology even if it’s not directly related to their business. We must look at how technology can enrich lives, make communities safer and improve the way we work.

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

David: As I mentioned before, I believe leading with grace and demonstrating true empathy are critical components for leadership. This ‘tone at the top’ sets the agenda for employees, customers, community members and so many others. Another element that I find extremely important for leaders is to emphasize clarity throughout the organization. Does your team know what is expected of them and, as a leader, are you able to understand how the team is performing to those expectations? Organization clarity can often be easy in concept but difficult in application.

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

David: Have humility. Jim Collins - in his book “Good to Great” - devotes an entire chapter to the “Level 5 leader who is described as “building enduring greatness through a paradoxical combination of personal humility and professional will.” In today’s ‘me’ culture, greatness is all about likes, followers and mentions. It should be about impact, vision and character.

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

David: Adopt an “others first” mentality. I’ve witnessed several times in my career where character and humility distinguished top leaders. In my experience, leaders who adopt an “others first” mentality almost always separate themselves from those who are more focused on their own personal ego and agenda (e.g. title, position, power, money).

Instill trust. Leading and acting with grace and empathy in an intentional and forthcoming way helps build trust. Putting yourself in someone else’s shoes also helps to build trust. Those you are leading or influencing must know that you have put yourself in their shoes, and you are guiding them in the right direction.

Maintain a high level of focus on culture, leadership actions, and people. Becoming a better leader starts with listening and engaging with your employees since they are the lever to drive your results.  

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

David: Communicate effectively. Candor is always best. Coming from a point of authenticity and clarity helps others understand what you intend to do and what you expect from them. Demonstrate self-awareness. Be mindful of our own true character and limitations. 

Care for others. And be in tune. No matter what external events are shaping the world, we need to care for others — at work, in the community and in our personal lives. This is especially true in the difficult times we are living in.

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

David: “Real significance in life is not possible unless what we do contributes to the welfare of others.”

Adam: Is there anything else you would like to share?

David: I think it’s critical for every leader to have a mentor. If you don’t have one, you should aggressively seek a mentor. There are a lot of excellent leadership resources available – I personally find myself reading books on the subject two at a time – but nothing can take the place of a solid, reliable mentor with whom you communicate regularly. 

Good mentors will leave an impact on you. I still recall one from nearly 20 years ago. This mentor passed on to me what he considered the “Four F’s” of leadership: be fair, firm, friendly but not overly familiar. In other words, lead with grace; be unequivocally clear; be affable and approachable; but be objective in your decision-making. I love that this is succinct, easy to remember but very effective. This guidance has served me well and will likely continue to do so.


Adam Mendler is an entrepreneur, writer, speaker, educator, and nationally-recognized authority on leadership. Adam is 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. 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. Adam has written extensively on leadership and related topics, 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. Adam teaches graduate-level courses on leadership at UCLA and is an advisor to numerous companies and leaders. A Los Angeles native, Adam is a lifelong Angels fan and an avid backgammon player.

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