Tech leaders share one thing they wish they’d known

If you’ve been following the LEAP blog for a while now, you’ll know that we love talking to the tech industry’s best minds and sharing their wisdom with our readers. One of the questions we’ve been asking them lately is this: 

What’s one thing you wish you’d known at the beginning of your career? 

And their answers are always insightful and inspiring. We thought we’d put those answers together in one place – to help you learn from their experience (and mistakes) and make your own career journey in tech a little smoother. 

The pursuit of passion came up time and time again

Bill Diamond (President and CEO at the SETI Institute) said: 

“I think I knew, but I probably didn’t appreciate how important it is to pursue one’s passion, and if possible, to pursue or create career opportunities that embrace those things we find most exciting and interesting.”

And for Fabien ‘Neo’ Devide (Co-Founder and CEO at Team Vitality), passion is closely linked with a willingness to take risks.

 “In the early years, you need to be a little reckless in making risky decisions,” he said, “and a lot more adaptable in dealing with any type of situation. Secondly, you need to be passionate about what you do, so that you don't give up at the first sign of failure. And finally, you need to have as little ego as possible, to be able to change tack quickly if a project doesn't work out.” 

Never stop asking questions

“I am far away from the world’s most clever person,” Diamond said, “but I appreciate now more than ever how important it is to never stop asking questions.  Indeed, I have really grown to appreciate that science is not about providing answers, but rather, it’s about asking questions – and asking the right questions. And each new answer we obtain simply raises ten new questions!” 

And Taavi Rõivas (Chairman at Auve Tech) added, “Never assume anything, check the facts.” This speaks to that same willingness to ask questions; to consider alternative options, to verify claims, and to never be afraid to admit that you don’t know something. 

Be prepared to settle in for the whole (long) journey

Success is rarely instantaneous – and a career is built through tiny increments, with plenty of mistakes along the way. 

Wiktor Schmidt (Executive Chairman at Netguru) said: “Things take time. Remember, we tend to overestimate what can be done in one year but underestimate what can be achieved in ten years.” 

And Nabil Malouli (SVP of Ecommerce and Returns at DHL) said, 

“Focus on your personal and work goals but keep a very open mind on things that are happening in other businesses and other industries around you. In the early days of my career I had such a strong focus on my career development that I didn't see other major opportunities (which I realised later). Be curious about areas that are not obvious, and work in places where there is an accelerated development – like in Saudi Arabia today.” 

Natalia Brzezinski (Journalist and Communications Strategist) couldn’t choose just one thing. “There are so many things I would have advised myself, to save a lot of stress and anxiety,” she said. 

Among those things are knowing that you’re good enough; knowing when to leave, and knowing that “it’s great to listen to advice, but you don’t need to follow it. You need to follow your gut and your heart.” 

“I had my daughter quite young,” she added, “and have been a mother throughout my entire career. I was eaten up with guilt so often when I had to travel for work and be away from my daughter, to the point where there were times I was boarding a long-haul flight and would experience panic attacks.” 

“Today, my daughter is so proud of me and wants to be a young mother and entrepreneur just like me. So I would tell myself: ‘Do not be guilty, it will all work out, and your daughter will grow up to be utterly amazing, wise and brilliant, because you worked and hustled, and she saw it all.’” 

Don’t be afraid of your wildest ideas 

For those of you pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in tech and life, we asked two very different innovators, Dr. Nadine Hachach-Haram (Founder of Proximie) and Jack Withinshaw (Founder and CEO at Airspeeder), what advice they’d give to entrepreneurs with visionary ideas that everyone else thinks are too outlandish – or just impossible. 

Hachach-Haram said:

“Don’t be afraid to ask for help and advice on your visionary idea. The power of networks is vital and the sooner you realise your blind spots and have people around to help coach, mentor and teach, the more confident you will be in your vision and what next steps you need to take.  

“It is also important to build a strong team around you – and follow your gut. I’m a big believer of trusting my instinct. For example, our last raise (Series C) came about earlier than we had planned because I had a sense it was the right time – and it worked.  

“Finally, the ‘fail fast’ ethos might sound cliche but it’s very useful. If you have a visionary idea, don't be afraid or put off by the initial hurdles; learn what you can, and keep going.”

And Withinshaw added: 

“I have two [pieces of advice] that jump to mind. One, starting with an outlandish/impossible idea is great (that's where true disruption is found), but the very next step is the hardest: taking the leap and getting started. From there, it gets easier as you take each step one at a time, slowly proving the impossible is possible and eventually turning that idea into a reality. 

“The second is that the world will constantly try to push back on outlandish or impossible; it doesn't necessarily want to change. That's how you know you're heading in the right direction.”