Guy Kawasaki, New York Times Best Selling Author, Investor, and Chief Evangelist of Canva, joined me on a live broadcast podcast a few weeks back and shared his views on talent and leadership in his charming, authentic way. We started the episode with a few snippets from Guy’s bio (You can find the full bio on his website.) and spent a few minutes diving into his book, “Think Remarkable”. We covered the topic of having a growth mindset, selling your dream, and embracing vulnerability. We also talked about sustainability, diversity, and accountability.
One of the topics I personally enjoy is FUN. We talked about the importance of having a fun work environment and having a sense of humor- and how that translates inside the organization. As a firm believer in the growth mindset, Guy shared why someone needs to have the willingness to grow and take risks. He also gave a few advice to young professionals and entrepreneurs- make your boss look good and be indispensable. Ending the episode on a high note, he shared how he started with Canva and why he considers it luck.
If you are interested in learning more about the topic of being remarkable, Guy recommended a course from Canva, which you can check out below:
Listen to the full discussion here:
Connect with the Guest:
Guy Kawasaki is a New York Times Best Selling Author, Investor, the Chief Evangelist of Canva, and the creator of Guy Kawasaki’s Remarkable People podcast. He is an executive fellow of the Haas School of Business (UC Berkeley), and an adjunct professor at the University of New South Wales. He was Apple’s Chief Evangelist and a Wikimedia Foundation trustee. He has written Wise Guy, The Art of the Start 2.0, The Art of Social Media, Enchantment, and eleven other books. Kawasaki has a BA from Stanford University, an MBA from UCLA, and an honorary doctorate from Babson College.
Questions I Asked:
- What is the purpose of having a fun work environment?
- What did you mean by “Don’t follow your passion” in your book?
- Can you share more about the advice you give to sell your dream?
- Can you share anecdotes about your quote, “If you don’t toot your own horn, don’t complain that there’s no music?”
- What piece of advice would you give professionals starting their careers, entrepreneurs, or students?
- How did you end up as an Evangelist with Canva?
Show notes:
- [05:06] What do you think is the purpose of fun and just having a fun environment? Does that help leadership? Does that help companies?
- [07:52] In the book, you talked about not following your passion, I want you to share some anecdotes about that. Tell us a little bit about that.
- [10:40] “I truly do believe in the growth mindset. So when I encounter something that I find interesting, I dive in.”
- [12:36] There’s this big social construct that society puts on us of what you should do, how you should be, and how you should live. How was it for you? What helped you break free?
- [14:30] Talk to us a little bit about selling your dream part.
- [17:45] Can you share anecdotes about a quote of yours, “If you don’t toot your own horn, don’t complain that there’s no music.”
- [19:50] I wanted to bring up one topic you had in the book about gender discrepancies. What is your perspective specifically on gender?
- [24:06] “Growth mindset is primarily in your head, right? Do you believe you can grow? But for you to grow, you also need to be in an environment that supports growth.”
- [29:03] “They’re probably not too many examples of companies who died because they were too diverse or companies that died because they were too worried about sustainability.”
- [38:31] “If you’re the executive of a Fortune 500 company, and you don’t see the switch to electric cars, or you don’t see cloud-based computing coming or something like that. I mean, isn’t that your job?”
- [39:06] What piece of advice would you give professionals starting their careers, entrepreneurs, or students?
- [45:12] How did you end up with Canva?
Quotes from the Episode:
Soundbite from the Episode:
About the Host:
What a great discussion I had with Guy Kawasaki. I am your host, Radu Palamariu, Managing Director of Alcott Global for APAC and Europe, working on C-level and top management executive search assignments with Top Fortune 500 companies and local conglomerates in value chains for manufacturing, logistics, transportation, supply chain management, and e-commerce and also the co-author of “From Source to Sold – Stories of Leadership in Supply Chain”.
Alcott Global provides Executive Search Solutions for key positions at all pillars of the end-to-end value chain: planning, procurement, manufacturing, logistics, e-commerce, and overall supply chain operations.
After a successful event in Singapore last April 18, we are excited to meet everyone in Zurich on May 16 at the Makers & Movers face-to-face event. We bring together value chain executives to connect, collaborate, and innovate—a forum focused on business value creation.
The case study submission for the Leaders in Supply Chain Awards has started and will end on May 31st. We look forward to celebrating and awarding the Top 30 Leaders in Supply Chain of 2024 for their achievements in digitizing operations, decarbonization, sustainability, and creating a diverse and equitable environment for supply chain teams to thrive and excel.
Related Episodes:
#178: New Balance Story – How Innovation and People Helped Double Revenue
#179: What Makes the Beauty Supply Chain Beautiful
#180: Managing Retail Transformation, Talent, and Leadership
