Leadership Tips from Marc Benioff and Mark Cuban ??

This week, I was grateful to spend some time watching part of the Harvard Business Review conference on leadership (hopefully you'll be able to watch the archives at this link).

I couldn't watch the entire session, because tactical work and meetings (oh the meetings!), but I was able to wedge in time to catch the interviews with two leaders I've admired for a long time: Marc Benioff of Salesforce and entrepreneur Mark Cuban (https://markcubancompanies.com/), who has his hand in many things right now including a venture solely created to (as he put it) F-up the pharmaceutical pricing model (https://costplusdrugs.com/).

I wanted to share random takeaways from each of the talks that got me thinking. Here goes:

Marc Benioff: How Business Can Be a Platform for Change

?? Know your company's values (these aren't necessarily the same as your own). The best way to navigate a crisis and know how to steer your way out of it is to draw on your company's mission. Too many leaders are out of touch with that, he suggests. "Every CEO has to have a business plan that operationalizes those core values into what you do and into the budget. If you get into a crisis and don't have it well thought out, it can be a very difficult moment." Benioff has become known for taking public stands against state policies that Salesforce and its employees deem inequitable. A recent example, the company will help employees move out of Texas, which has passed a draconian anti-abortion law and is now considering laws that impinge on the rights of the LGBTQ+ community.

?? Are you listening to your employees? They are the ones who can help teach you about all the things CEOs face today that they didn't learn in business school — in particular, how to become a net-zero organization and set key performance indicators to map progress. "If you're not deeply listening, you're going to pay a price for that."

?? What other CEOs does Benioff admire? He actually named a name: Doug McMillon, president and CEO of Walmart. I must admit to having mixed feelings about that choice: Walmart's past history on labor issues isn't something to be proud of. Plus, McMillon was head of the Business Roundtable last year, when the group was still lobbying against Build Back Better. But under McMillon, Walmart has created some of the most ambitious corporate sustainability strategies around — including really good work on renewable energy, mitigation of toxic chemicals, Scope 3 emissions, and a bid to become regenerative. That is, to restore more of the earth's resources than it uses. Another thing that Benioff admires: Walmart's new corporate campus will be one of the largest mass timber projects in the world, using locally sourced materials. "He is focused on improving the state of the world ... a very different narrative than the past," Benioff said.

Mark Cuban: Deploying Technology for Good

?? You need to get educated on crypto. Stat. Ok, some background. How many of you know that Mark Cuban started his career selling local area networking technology and other data center gear? I do, because he used to write a column for the publication where I spent 17 years of my career, Computer Reseller News. So, he's obviously more educated than the average business leader. But here's the thing, the noise around bitcoin and blockchain and non-fungible tokens and so forth is so cacophonous that it's easy to tune it out. Cuban encourages business leaders to start looking at the potential for smart contracts. "You can't look at this as just one big opportunity," he said.

?? Your youngest employees are free agents, so you need to figure out how to keep them around. Drawing on his experience as owner of the Mavericks basketball team, Cuban encourage leaders to help employees build an emotional connection to the company. That's the only thing that will keep them engaged. "Kids today don't go into jobs looking for careers. Everyone is a free agent. They are always going to be looking for a better of circumstances."

?? What does Cuban consider his superpower? Curiosity. "I love to learn and I'm agile about that ability." That's one reason the 63-year-old entrepreneur keeps starting businesses, such as the online pharmacy he started in January 2022. It's one thing, Cuban argued, that everyone faces at one point in their lives, either for themselves or a loved one. "The idea that in 2022, there are people choosing between rent, food and medication ... that is obscene," Cuban said. Using artificial intelligence — and his lobbying savvy — to help level the playing field just makes sense to him. It isn't the sexiest business Cuban has ever started or backed, but it could have a profound impact if it succeeds. "Entrepreneurs will tell you that when you're all-in on a business, you dream about that business." Listening to him talk about that venture this week, it's clear what's invading Cuban's REM sleep stage.

#leader