On March 19, during a closing keynote of the Adtech Economic Forum at the Times Center in New York, I was asked to summarize and build on the thoughts of all of the other speakers from the the Angel Investing, Venture Capital, Private Equity, Corporate Strategics and Hedge Fund businesses who invest in Advertising and Marketing Technologies.
As one grows more seasoned one dislikes complexity, confusion and constipation.
The best photographers become so not because of their equipment, or the exotic locations they are sent to, or the incredible opportunities to photograph celebrities or events they are offered, but because they have perfected the art of seeing.
Competition is not necessarily about besting other people but to get better every day and to get closer to what we believe are our ideals.
In the distant past, if one wanted to listen to music one had to go to where the musicians and the musical instruments were. The music, the musician, the musical instruments and the listeners were in the same place at the same time.
Earlier this month I recorded a conversation with Jack Klues whom I directly reported to for over 15 years and the podcast titled “Collaborative Leadership in the Age of Churn” resonated far and wide. Many appreciated in the very simple and human lessons he conveys about the importance of talent, humility, integrity, trust, and sensitivity to the different perspectives/ backgrounds as keys to winning and excellence.
We have entered an age of de-Bossification.
If we are lucky enough to live long lives we all will age.
These days everywhere the mood seems to be war like and belligerent.
Successful leaders, teams and companies that endure over the long run seek to find balance, unity, and integration.
We spend our time in meetings.
To be financially successful in the coming years, it’s not just about capitalizing on the new ways to make or save money.
“What you end up remembering isn’t always the same as what you have witnessed.”
1. Align with emerging trends.
A smart and worldly man, Tobaccowala has produced a deeply informed book about brand marketing, data science, and humanity that is a remarkably lively read. Name another book about business (or any other subject) that in one breath urges the reader to acknowledge “the turd on the table” in the boardroom and references François Truffaut’s The 400 Blows and Joan Didion in the next. Marketing+Strategy Magazine Best Business Books 2020.
David Kenny is the Chairman of Nielsen, Best Buy and Teach For America.
Work is central to the human experience.
Everything is easy but people get in the way.
The conflation of five major forces from 1)technology to 2) demographic change, to 3) the growing importance of marketplaces where one can access both resources or customers with minimal to no capital, to 4) the rewiring of work due to Covid and 5) the rise of an economy of free-lance workers and rise of the side hustle, will impact every job but particularly those of knowledge works very significantly.
"Everything that has a shape breaks”- Japanese Proverb
