Take 5 with Axon’s Chief Revenue Officer, Joshua Isner

Axon’s Chief Revenue Officer, Joshua Isner, "took five" with First American's Amy Weader to discuss the power of a clear mission, the role of technology in their organization, and his guiding principles of leadership. Read more below:

Amy: Thank you for joining me today. I keep up with the content that you and your company post on LinkedIn and it seemed like such a natural fit for us to sit down and take a few moments to chat. I’ll keep it simple for the first question: Can you tell us a little bit more about yourself?  

Joshua: Sure, Chief Revenue Officer of Axon. I’ve been here almost 12 years now. Right after graduating from Harvard, I began the Leadership Development Program. I had thought that I would only be at Axon for a few years but it’s such an amazing company with an amazing mission and customer base, I stuck around.

I knew I wanted to be in Sales early on, so when the opportunity was presented in 2010, I took it. By 2013 I was running the Video Sales Team that sells cloud software and body cameras. As that grew, I started to work more on the entire Domestic Sales business and took on Global Sales in 2015. Most recently, I’ve added a few other things to my role, including running our Marketing as well.

Amy: It’s always great to hear of someone being able to work their way up within an organization. Since you have accomplished so much in a short amount of time, what do you think those key lessons were that helped you early on?

Joshua: The biggest lesson I learned as I was coming up and becoming a manager was that “it’s not what you say, it’s what other people hear”. You can have the best intentions in telling people what you really think directly, but if it comes across wrong, it can demotivate people.

That is one of the ways business can be different than, say, sports, for instance. A coach can be very direct and intense but in the business world, you have to remember to be intentional with your framing and your word choice to ensure that you’re bringing people along with you.

Amy: I heard a sports reference in there, did you play sports growing up? Do you think that affected your leadership strategy?

Joshua: Definitely. I am a golfer, but I learned most of my leadership philosophy through experience working for Coach Tommy Amaker at Harvard. I consider the lessons I learned from things like how he communicates with players and recruits, how he runs the team, how they set goals and come back from adversity, to be the most fulfilling part of my college career.

Sales is very competitive. Now, I sometimes look at our team as a sports team and try to find ways to motivate people as if they were athletes and keep up that competitive spirit that can be so powerful. You don’t find many institutions outside of sports, other than the US Military, that breed natural leaders like that.

Amy: That is such an inspiring experience. What an honor to be able to work with someone like that. What else would you say guides your leadership strategy?

Joshua: Absolutely. In my opinion, you have two types of leaders: logical and intuitive. I am much more on the intuitive end of the spectrum. I trust my gut instinct and try to be very authentic and myself every day. Transparency and telling people how you feel are key. Ultimately, when people feel like they’re working with other real people that’s what creates a culture that naturally breeds leadership and alignment. When people worry about saying the right thing or focusing on superficial things, that is what leads to trouble down the road.  

Amy: I know that technology and innovation are important to Axon. What is your take on technological advancements and their role in your industry?

Joshua: The reality for us, especially in the government sector, is that technology tends to move faster than legislation typically does. We think of our role as a connector. We strive to introduce technologies that impact the market more effectively and faster than the legislation can.

Amy: I can tell that speed of innovation is a differentiator for you. What else makes Axon unique in your opinion?

Joshua: There are a lot of tech companies on planet earth right now that are doing great things. However, in terms of pairing technology with a mission like ours? You don’t see that other places. “Protecting life” is a bold mission and we’re getting closer to fulfilling that every year. It’s something that really unifies people and brings everyone together.

Second, being a founder-led company is unique as well. It’s a lot of fun to be a part of a culture like this. We still view ourselves much more as a start-up than a big company. We organize in small teams and have an element of autonomy. This empowers employees to make the right decisions to drive outcomes and results that are valuable.

So, it’s the combination of those two things that make Axon such a unique place to be.

Amy: I hear a lot of parallels from those qualities to our work here at First American. It’s great to hear that empowerment translates into a strong culture and results for you too.

With that, we’ve reached the last question! So, Joshua, what does the future look like for Axon? 

Joshua: Amy, we think the future looks very bright for us! We are striving to be the operating system of public safety. We want our technology to power our customers in all the ways they need support. The trust that our customers put in us humbles our team. It is that trust that drives us to keep innovating and finding ways to add value to our customer’s lives. In doing that, our impact on society will be naturally very large.

Amy: I have no doubts that you will reach those high goals based on the conviction I’ve heard today. Thanks again for taking the time, Joshua. 

Joshua: It’s been a pleasure. Thank you, Amy!

To learn more about First American Manufacturing Finance, visit: faef.com/Manufacturing