I recently went one on one with Glenn Booth, CEO of Kiswe.

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? 

Glenn: Before I joined Kiswe, I worked for years in the telecommunications industry. I always wanted to feel like my work mattered and that I was having a real impact.  I found this feeling early in my career in Product Management, where even though I had responsibility for a modest set of products, I felt like I was running my own small business.  I continued to work my way up through the ranks by seeking diverse experiences that pushed me outside of my comfort zone so that I could learn, and I took positions in marketing, operations, strategy, and M&A. 10 years ago, I took on a big life experience by moving my family to the UK to start what ultimately because a multi-billion dollar global business.  After running a big business for a few years, I decided to take the leap and thrust myself into another really uncomfortable situation - I left big corporate to join a tech startup.

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

Glenn: Be aware of the ambitious leader’s dilemma and don’t go too broad too soon.  In the early days, belief and momentum are everything.  Relentlessly focus on a singular goal, make your team feel vested in that goal, and move heaven and earth to achieve it together.  Distractions are excuses, they are everywhere, and they will fragment the team if you let them.  Get rid of potential distractions by defining north for your business and singularly focus energy in that direction.  Wins drive belief which drive more wins, which builds momentum, and then you can scale.   

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

Glenn: Teams and people are everything.  I probably take this to an extreme and decide first who I want to work with, and then what we’ll work on.  Don’t settle when it comes to recruiting top talent with high ambition.  A small group of extraordinary people can create enough magic to change the world.  Great people know great people, so getting the core team right is critical - they’ll recruit other top performers.  The key is to make sure that everyone is aligned on the mission, knows their lane, and that they feel accountable.  Everyone has a superpower, and the team structure needs to make sure that each person is in a position that they feel like they can be the best in the world at what they do.

Adam: What are the most important trends in technology that leaders should be aware of and understand? What should they understand about them? 

Glenn: It’s no secret that linear TV is moving to digital platforms at a breakneck pace as consumers find alternatives to cable and satellite.  Similarly, physical events like concert tours are becoming less profitable and more stressful for artists and fans alike due to strains on the economy and public health concerns.  So new mediums are emerging to enjoy live events from home, but they are often isolating as people watch on their individual devices - often alone.   So the demand for live digital events is exploding, yet the fundamental need for humans to feel connected to each other remains.  This increasingly requires cloud-based video technologies that cost-effectively scale to the masses while delivering beautiful, engaging experiences to consumers.  Ultimately, the at-home audience wants to feel like they matter, and technologies that leverage the newly emerging “digital stages” will become more prominent.  

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

Glenn: Lead from the front.  People always appreciate and respond to authenticity.  I also always surround myself with high-performing people that are smarter than I am.  I want to work with people who aspire to be the best in their field and that complement my skill set.  I try to help connect these people so that we have a bold vision, have fun, make smart bets, and learn fast with the willful intention that our collective result is greater than we could have individually accomplished.  

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

Glenn: Get your hands dirty.  You can study and ponder forever.  You can and should seek advice from mentors and experienced colleagues, but ultimately you need to take the plunge and stretch yourself by trying new things.  In college, I always felt that my best teachers were the ones who had experience outside of academia and ultimately returned to share their knowledge.  Similarly, developing professionals should constantly be challenging themselves by doing new things in a disciplined manner.  Don’t change too many variables at once - leverage what you’re great at while trying something new.  I’ve changed job functions in the same company, changed countries in the same industry, and changed industries for jobs that I’d previously had success in.  But there was a logic and order to each change that was built on strength and familiarity while allowing me to stretch in a particular dimension.  That mentality can give you a sound foundation for success while strategically making change to grow. 

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

Glenn: 

• Dream big. You’re spending a big part of your life in a company or on a project because it matters to you.  It takes ambition and guts to do big things!

• It’s never about you.  You are only as good as your customers and your team. It sounds simple, but if you remember that you’ll alway be focused on the right things.

• Change modes often.  Work can be overwhelming and requires intense focus, but after a while you won’t be at your best.  Vary your schedule to break things up - workout, catch up on the news, meditate, take a call on a walk outside.  I have so many of my best ideas when I context switch.

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

Glenn: When I was graduating college, I was really upset that I had no idea what I wanted to do professionally.  My brother pulled me aside and told me don’t let a 22-year-old decide the rest of your life.  This resonated with me and helped me to see that at each stage in my life, I want to shoot my shot without regret.  Sometimes I’ll succeed and sometimes I’ll fail, but as long as I’m relentlessly challenging myself to learn and grow, everything will work out.


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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