It’s About Clarity: Interview with Justin Grooms, CEO of Bolt
I recently went one-on-one with Justin Grooms, CEO of Bolt.
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?
Justin: I came to Bolt from another successful startup in San Francisco called Leap Motion. On a Friday, I finished my time at Leap Motion and closed that chapter. By Monday morning, I was stepping into Bolt's office.
The twist? I had laryngitis. Imagine starting a new job where you physically can't speak – it turned out to be an unexpected gift. For that first week, I was forced to listen, really listen, in every introductory meeting. No interjecting, no quick responses – just pure, unadulterated absorption of information.
Bolt brought me in with a specific mission: to build their enterprise sales from the ground up. It was new terrain for the company, and honestly, for me too. I had experience selling to large organizations, but retail was a different ball game. The goal was to develop a scalable process for enterprise sales.
As for instrumental challenges, the exit path from Leap Motion was particularly enlightening. We had secured acquisition offers from Apple and Qualcomm, but we thought we could do better. Our leadership team's strategy was to play it safe, taking no risks. In retrospect, this cautious approach left a lot on the table.
This experience taught me a simple but powerful lesson: you achieve big things by taking big swings. Yes, it's riskier. Yes, it can be uncomfortable. But it's necessary if you want to truly innovate and disrupt.
Adam: In your experience, what are the key steps to growing and scaling your business?
Justin: Scaling a business isn't just about processes and infrastructure – it's about people and narrative. It's about helping every single person in your organization understand how they fit into the bigger picture.
Think of your business as an epic novel. Every employee, every partner, is a character with a crucial role to play. Your job as a leader is to be the author, constantly narrating the story, helping each character understand their part in the plot. When people grasp their role in this grand narrative, they can make decisions independently that align with the overall story arc.
Where we've hit home runs in scaling at Bolt, it's because we've brought everyone along for the ride. We've painted a vivid picture of where we're going and how each person contributes to getting us there. But here's the flip side: when we've stumbled, it's because we've fallen into the trap of relying solely on processes or fancy infrastructure, assuming people will just figure it out over time. Spoiler alert: They don't.
The key is to keep coming back to the story. You've got to reinforce it, retell it, maybe even revise it as the plot unfolds. When everyone's reading from the same page, that's when the magic happens. That's when you can scale not just in size, but in impact and innovation.
Adam: What is your best advice on building, leading, and managing teams?
Justin: Building and leading teams is like conducting an orchestra. You don't need to be the best violinist or the most skilled percussionist – your job is to bring all these virtuosos together and create something greater than the sum of its parts.
First and foremost, it's about clarity. You need to be crystal clear on what the goal is, and then you need to be a broken record about it. Say it once, say it twice, say it a hundred times, maybe in different ways, but keep hammering that message home. Your team should be able to recite the goal in their sleep.
As a leader, you're not just a conductor; you're also a translator. You're taking in a cacophony of data and information from all corners of the business, distilling it down to its essence, and then communicating it out in clear, repetitive points. This isn't about micromanaging – it's about helping your team make decisions that keep all the moving parts aligned.
It's important to surround yourself with people who are better than you in their respective areas. Your product strategists, engineers, finance people, and salespeople should all be experts in their fields.
Adam: What are the most important trends in technology that leaders should be aware of and understand? What should they understand about them?
Justin: There's a seismic shift happening in tech that's flying under most people's radar. For decades, we've built our financial world on networks that act like central nervous systems. Visa, Mastercard, bank transfer systems – they're all elaborate infrastructures designed when we were moving from paper to digital. But in a world where we can instantly send gigabytes of data across the globe for pennies, why are we still paying premium prices to move digital dollars?
We're witnessing the rise of point-to-point connections, especially in fintech. Suddenly, you can pay someone by tapping phones together, no intermediary required. It's like we've built a new set of roads that bypass the old toll booths.
For business leaders, this isn't just some abstract trend to nod at in board meetings. This is a revolution that could reshape entire industries overnight. We're talking about potentially slashing those hidden fees that are baked into nearly every transaction we make. It's a chance to redraw the maps of finance and commerce.
Adam: What do you believe are the defining qualities of an effective leader?
Justin: In my experience, effective leadership boils down to a few key qualities. First and foremost is clarity of goals. A great leader can articulate what they're aiming for in a clear, concise manner that resonates with their team. The best leaders I've seen have the ability to repeat their vision and key points over and over again, sometimes finding new ways to express the same ideas to ensure they truly sink in.
Equally important is grit in delivery. Leadership isn't just about setting a direction; it's about having the determination to see things through, even when faced with significant challenges. This resilience is what separates good leaders from great ones.
Another defining quality is the ability to synthesize information. In our data-drenched era, you've got to be part analyst, part translator. A great leader can take in a firehose of information from all directions, distill it down to its essence, and then communicate it so clearly that everyone from the intern to the CFO gets it. This isn't just a nice-to-have skill; it's what keeps your organization nimble and informed in a complex world.
Perhaps surprisingly, one of the most important qualities of an effective leader is humility. The best leaders I've seen aren't threatened by having people smarter than them on their team. In fact, they seek them out. They know their job isn't to be the expert in everything but to bring together a dream team of experts and point them in the right direction.
Adam: How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their leadership skills to the next level?
Justin: This often comes down to mindset. You have to will yourself to make it to the next level. What often holds people back is either laziness or imposter syndrome.
First, ditch the imposter syndrome. Believe that you have the capability to move to the next step. Here's what I've learned: when you finally make it to that next level, you'll look around and realize that these "big shots" are just normal people, like you and me. They're not wizards or superheroes; they're just folks who decided to be there.
Secondly, it's about making a decision. Decide that you want to be at that next level and commit to it. Believe in yourself enough that when you fail, you don't see it as a reflection on your self worth.
Lastly, focus on continuous learning and self-improvement. Seek out new challenges, ask for feedback, and be willing to adapt your leadership style as you grow and as your team's needs change.
Adam: What are your three best tips applicable to entrepreneurs, executives, and civic leaders?
Justin: First, embrace the power of self-belief. Your trajectory is a direct result of your mindset. If you can't envision yourself reaching your goals – be it a groundbreaking partnership, a business triumph, or a policy revolution – you're setting the stage for your own downfall. Success starts with a decision, a commitment to yourself that you will get there, no matter what.
Second, maintain an unwavering focus on your objective. The moment you entertain doubts about your success, you open the door to distractions. It's like a magnet pulling you off course. These diversions might seem innocuous, even logical at times, but they're often just elaborate forms of self-sabotage. Keep your eyes locked on the prize, always.
Lastly, and perhaps most crucially, cultivate your inner circle. Identify those few individuals who form your unshakeable foundation – your confidants, your cheerleaders, your truth-tellers. Often, this includes your life partner and close family members. This core group isn't just emotional support; they're your safety net, allowing you to take bold risks and push boundaries without the paralyzing fear of complete failure.
Adam: What are your best tips on the topics of sales, marketing, and branding?
Justin: In the realm of sales, marketing, and branding, storytelling isn't just important – it's everything. Your primary task is to craft a narrative so compelling that it becomes the heartbeat of your brand. This isn't about distilling your essence into a story that resonates deeply with your audience and sets you apart in a crowded marketplace.
Consistency is your ally in this narrative journey. Think of your messaging as a symphony – every channel, from social media to sales pitches, should play in harmony. But don't mistake consistency for monotony. It's about creating a cohesive experience that reinforces your core values, regardless of where a customer encounters your brand.
In sales and marketing, calculated boldness can be your secret weapon.
Always keep your customer at the center of your universe. The most potent strategies aren't about what you want to say; they're about what your customer needs to hear. This customer-centric approach should inform every decision, from product development to marketing messages.
Finally, never underestimate the power of your network. It's not just a list of contacts; it's a living, breathing ecosystem of opportunities. Nurture these relationships like they're your most prized assets – because they are. In the world of sales, a strong network can open doors you didn't even know existed.
Adam: What is the single best piece of advice you have ever received?
Justin: The single best piece of advice I've ever received is: Don't have a Plan B.
When you have a backup plan, it creates confusion around what the real target is. It can eliminate urgency and reframe your primary goal as a "stretch goal" that no one actually anticipates hitting. By not having a Plan B, you force yourself to focus entirely on making Plan A work. It creates a sense of urgency and commitment that can drive you to achieve things you might not have thought possible.
However, this advice comes with a caveat: you need to believe in yourself enough that when you fail, you don't see it as a reflection on your self-worth. Failure is always a possibility, but it shouldn't deter you from giving your all to your primary goal.
This advice has been my North Star, pushing me to commit fully to audacious goals and driving me to succeed in situations where others might have settled for less. It's not just about achieving more; it's about transforming your entire approach to challenges and opportunities.
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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