6 Reflections on My Conversation with President Barack Obama

What an absolute privilege to interview President Barack Obama at Insider 's live event Reshape 2021 . We covered so many topics, and while I’d love to discuss them all, I condensed our conversation into six key themes:

• Youth, innovation, and technology
• Hope and action
• Staying grounded
• Leadership?
• Diversity and inclusion
• Climate change & sustainability?

Youth, Innovation, and Technology

One of the habits President Obama cultivated was bringing together college students and young entrepreneurs whenever he’d travel for his official duties. He’d draw amazing inspiration from seeing their remarkable talent, energy, and imagination.

That practice deeply resonated because I, too, find inspiration in diverse perspectives and the electric energy of startup environments. As CEO, I have so many opportunities to meet people of all backgrounds and values. It's one of my favorite parts of the job.?

What touched me was that he finds young people more aware of the world than previous generations were at their age. Likewise, I am continually impressed by the young people I meet, particularly the young talent we hire and develop into value-based leaders and community at Insider.

Hope and Action

Hope is what we carry with us as we try to make our dent in the universe. For President Barack Obama, hope is possibility. Hope is the faith that the world is not set in stone and that we have the power to change it.

Hope isn’t blind optimism or wishful thinking. It’s about taking action. It's important to me not to sweep issues under the rug. I prefer to have open and honest conversations about what isn't working and how we can make it better.

“Hope is the engine of progress.”?

I find this quote to be deeply meaningful. It comes down to purpose and having a vision of what is possible, but most importantly, being aware of what is probable and taking steps to get there.?

Staying Grounded

President Obama spoke of enjoying life's simple pleasures and not taking them for granted, a valuable reminder for many people caught between the demands of work, family, and service.?

To be effective, he suggests finding ways to be joyful throughout the day. Secondly, he pointed out how leaders, politicians, and anyone who thinks short-term is distracted from long-term goals when they're too focused on today or yesterday.?

Working out and spending quality time with family and friends is how I stay centered and grounded in hyper-growth mode.

Leadership

President Obama has a track record of attracting and maintaining talent over a long period of time. He attributes that skill to:

• Communicating a sense of mission and purpose
• Creating a culture inside the organization where everyone feels valued?

“Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”?

The first job of a leader is painting a vision of purpose that people want to invest themselves in.?

President Obama emphasized the importance of culture and how each person within an organization deserves to be seen, heard, and supported.

Insider's culture has always been to have progressive, learning-oriented, and most importantly, good-hearted people within our organization, and I am proud to be a part of it.

Diversity and Inclusion

I was moved by President Obama’s humility and how he admitted that no matter how hard-working or strategic you are, there are some things you don’t know and some perspectives you don’t have.?

I think it’s tempting to fall into that trap. We can't expect leaders to deepen or to be experts in everything but the reality is that leadership is not getting involved in everything, but having control over things.

Ignoring diversity creates blind spots, misunderstandings, and biases and ultimately disconnects you from the people you want to reach and know.??

At Insider, we have a global footprint, and over the last year, we’ve added new faces and expanded our presence to new cities and countries, including the US.?

One of my biggest takeaways was how President Obama described leadership as the responsibility not just to create a diverse pool of talent, but to watch and shape the group dynamic so that people who haven’t had a seat at the table have an opportunity to be seen and heard.?

Climate Change & Sustainability?

President Barack Obama and I spoke at length about climate change and how clean energy, solar power, wind power, and renewable technologies and tools can make buildings and processes more efficient.

I believe technology and innovation can play a massive role in helping us reduce our carbon emissions. Every industry has immense potential for developing better ways to do things, using less energy, and producing less waste.?

One of the lessons that I’ll walk away with is that greenwashing isn’t going to land with increasingly eco-conscious consumers who expect more from brands and the people behind them.?

Gen Z, which is the next cohort of consumers realizing their total purchasing power, is going to shun and call out products and services that are making false promises and hold them to higher standards.?

Not only does investing in clean energy and green-based values do good for the planet, but it also has the potential to make your process and services more efficient.?

I’m honored for the opportunity to hear incredible insights and perspectives from a history-making leader and to share them with our audience. He's a true inspiration, not only for the leaders but also for the new starters and the rest of the #RESHAPE21 community.