Insights from Tech Influencer Experiences

As a technology executive with over 30 years of experience, from my early days at AOL and Add This to founding Surefire Local, I've had the privilege of observing and working with super successful people. This journey has given me unique insights into the mindsets and practices that drive success in our rapidly changing world. Here are ten key observations that I believe are essential for anyone looking to achieve breakthrough success in today's dynamic environment: 🌟 Embracing Failure as a Learning Opportunity: In my career, I've seen that the most successful individuals don't fear failure. Instead, they use it as a catalyst for growth, learning valuable lessons that guide their future strategies. 🚀 Developing a Growth Mindset: The belief that skills and intelligence can be developed with effort and persistence has been a game-changer. This mindset fosters resilience and a willingness to embrace challenges as opportunities for improvement. 👉 Mastering the Art of Saying 'No': Effective leaders understand the importance of focus. Saying 'No' to good opportunities allows you to say 'Yes' to great ones, ensuring that your time and resources are invested in the most impactful endeavors. 🔍 Solution-Focused Approach: Throughout my career, I've noticed that successful people spend less time dwelling on problems and more time finding solutions. This proactive approach is key to overcoming obstacles and moving forward. 📚 Commitment to Continuous Learning: The tech world is ever-evolving, and staying ahead means being a lifelong learner. Embracing new knowledge and skills is crucial for staying relevant and innovative. 🏋️♂️ Prioritizing Health and Wellness: A healthy body and mind are foundational to success. Integrating wellness practices into your routine enhances your ability to perform at your best. 🤝 Investing in Relationships: The value of building and maintaining strong relationships cannot be overstated. These connections provide support, open doors to new opportunities, and enrich the journey to success. 👌 Accepting Imperfections: Embracing your flaws and focusing on progress, not perfection, is a trait I've seen in many successful individuals. It's about continuous improvement, not chasing an unattainable ideal. 🙏 Cultivating Gratitude: Acknowledging and appreciating what you have brings a sense of contentment and positivity, essential for maintaining motivation and perspective. 🎯 Goal-Oriented Action: A common trait among successful people is setting clear goals and diligently working towards them. It's about turning aspirations into actionable plans. These observations, gleaned from decades in the tech industry, are not just principles but practical tools for navigating the complexities of our digital age. They are the cornerstones upon which enduring success is built. PM me to explore how these insights can be applied to your unique journey toward success. #founders #saas #saasfounders #saascoach

I watched brilliant engineers get fired while influencer developers got promoted. Here's why. 847,000 engineers got laid off recently, and here's what struck me: the ones who survived weren't necessarily the best coders. They were the ones who had built personal brands around their technical expertise. The pattern is clear across every tech hub—from Silicon Valley to Bangalore, from London to Singapore. While most engineers optimize inference pipelines in isolation, smart ones document their architectural decisions and share lessons learned. They're turning debugging sessions into teaching moments, production failures into viral case studies. But here's what "personal brand" actually means for engineers: It's not about becoming an influencer. It's about making your expertise discoverable. When a CTO searches for "production RAG implementation issues," your detailed post-mortem should appear. When startups need LLM cost optimization strategies, your benchmarking guide should be the reference. They're already generating $3-8K extra monthly through technical content while employed at companies like Microsoft, Google, or even Series A startups across the globe. The revenue streams are diverse: sponsored technical deep-dives, tool partnership content, advisory calls, workshop facilitation. All while maintaining their day jobs. Here's what makes this shift profound: Your code becomes obsolete, but your insights compound. Every shared solution builds your reputation. Every documented challenge establishes authority. The math is brutal but simple: 847,000 layoffs, but engineers with established thought leadership had 5-10 competing offers within days. This observation is exactly why we built Synnc —to connect professionals across all industries with brands that value authentic expertise. The new career insurance isn't just your GitHub profile—it's your ability to communicate what you've learned. What's your most valuable technical insight from this quarter?

Thank you to University of Michigan, University of Michigan - Stephen M. Ross School of Business, and to Mike J. for inviting me to join the inaugural San Francisco Innovation Day. I enjoyed a great discussion with Dean Sharon Matusik , Ross alumni and students about talent, career paths and the evolving expectations of leadership in the tech industry. A few of my favorite topics worth sharing here (paraphrasing a little for length): -> How has leadership become more complex during your career? We used to say, “If I can get it right for my customers, then I’ll get it right for my employees and my investors.” Now there is a wider range of stakeholders that require attention. And today’s CEOs face more dislocation and crises in a given year than we used to in a decade of leading companies. Understanding, engaging with and serving all of your stakeholders, demonstrating empathy and stamina have all become important aspects of the modern leader’s role. -> What kind of leaders do we need in the tech industry now? We need leaders who thrive on change and disruption and who genuinely care about all of the communities in and around their businesses. People who can think about the opportunity to disrupt and carve out competitive advantage while doing so in an ethical and thoughtful way in service of the consumers and users who put their trust in you. We need leaders with both breadth and depth in their experience and education, who have a combination of technical skills, financial acumen and commercial expertise, as well as the ability to motivate and engage diverse stakeholders. -> What #careeradvice do you have for people who want to lead tech companies? * Find places where you can cross-train in the businessabd drive impact and value through different functions. Get experience managing a P&L, not just a headcount budget. You can differentiate yourself by getting broad experience because most people are managing their career by taking the elevator straight up to the top in a narrow shaft of specialization. Think of technology as a revenue center versus an enabler. With AI you will need to manage people and compute. * When job-searching, instead of asking, “What can this company do for me?” Ask, “Where can I make a measurable impact fastest? Where can I conquer the steepest learning curve?” * Prioritize opportunities with companies and managers who have a track record for invest in their people’s growth and development. -> What do you like about being CEO? It’s the best job I’ve ever had. If you are a systems thinker, you have visibility to everything. You can orchestrate and coordinate, imagine and deliver something that didn't exist or seem possible before. If you like developing people, there's no more fulfilling job. The look on someone's face when they achieve something they didn't think was possible is the most fulfilling joyful thing. And it never gets boring. Go Blue!! #LeadersAndBest

There are some technical leaders that are just elite... on a completely different tier 🏅 I have had the opportunity of working for many exceptional technical leaders, and continue to. Sometimes watching them in-the-zone when the stakes are high feels like a TV show (seriously). What is it about them that puts them on a different level? I have thought about this a lot, and I have come to the conclusion it's not really a defined of standardized factors that can be optimized for- It's actually a mindset and way of interacting with others. [Oh, and also being extremely technically skilled + experienced in one or more areas. But we already knew that.] ~~~~~~~~ Three traits of exceptional technical leaders: 1) They trust but verify ✅️ 》These leaders always exercise system-level thinking and can also zoom into specific technical areas as-needed. They will delegate and divide out work and then trust their teams to execute and report back. They always trust the positive intent of teams and individuals however they always verify the outputs. Often, this takes the form of Socratic-style questions. Sometimes, it is a yellow circle around an area that needs to be looked at again. With their strong soft skills they are always to provide this direction without offending, demeaning, or upstaging the affected parties. 2) They quickly boil down complex problems statements into concise decision points 🔴🟡🟢 》Complexity stacks very quickly, especially in engineering problems. These leaders boil down the cloud of complexity into a few key decision points that need to be made. In order to make these decisions, they often request further information-gathering and analyses from the team. Then they make these decisions and clearly communicate back out to the team. They stay open to reevaluating the decision in the future. 3) They care about developing others 📚 》These elite leaders don't play the intellectual one-up game. They are laser-focused on the right answer... no matter who finds it. Instead of putting people down, they are always training them up. It is not a coincidence that these leaders are often widely known for their strong interest & skills in mentoring. Helping others grow and supporting wherever needed gives them joy. They want to teach people how to fish, as opposed to always jumping in and fishing for them. ~~~~~~~~ Elite technical leaders bring out the highest potential of the team. I'm sure you have specific leaders from your experiences that come to mind. What was it about them that specifically made them elite? We can all strive to approximate them - easier said then done. #leadership

I transformed Influicity from a crummy tech business into a world-class agency. And I did it with one key insight. Here’s what happened 👇 Rewind to 2015. I've spent a few years brokering deals between brands and influencers. And I see a big opportunity to create a marketplace connecting them directly. Think airbnb for influencer marketing. We build the tech platform and then I go into sales beast mode. I pitch marketers and ad agencies. Starcom. Group M. Nike. L'Oreal. Anyone who will give me 5 minutes. Full access for $3,000/mth. You can run your own influencer campaigns from start to finish. There's a ton of interest. But no one's buying it. I can't figure out why. And then one meeting changes everything. ______ I pitch a guy at a big telecom company. Give him the full rundown. Then he asks me a question: "Jon, do I find the influencers and run the entire campaign myself?" "Yup," I said. "We give you all the tools you need." “And it’s $3,000 a month?” “You got it,” I replied. He stares at me for a hot second and then speaks again. "Can I just cut you a cheque for $30,000 to do it all for me? I don’t have time for this." Holy sh*t, I thought. I've been doing this all wrong. ______ My team had spent so much time building fancy tech. Obsessing over product. Fine-tuning every pixel. But all this guy wanted was a turnkey solution. That's what everyone wanted. I was trying to teach him how to bake bread. He just wanted a sandwich. That day changed everything. ______ Since then, our client list has grown exponentially. We're lucky to work with some of the coolest brands around. And we've expanded from influencers to podcasts to social media management to content marketing and beyond. It all came down to one insight: No one cares about your product. They just want to solve their own problems. Figure out how to solve them. And they might just pay you 10X more. ______ #marketing #brand #growth P.S. I share business breakdowns and marketing playbooks. Is that your thing? Then follow me here. And join my email list for my best stuff.

One of the biggest questions I get from companies, large and small, is: How can we be more innovative? This past Wednesday I was invited by Constanza Cortés Moya, Javiera Correa Urzúa of Comedy corp and the amazing team at Banco BICE in #Chile to share my stories, experiences and thoughts on what I believe it takes to be innovative in today's fast-paced, AI driven world. But I didn't talk #AI, #technology, #marketing or new processes.  Instead I focused on something far more subtle, time proven and yet difficult. #Psychological safety.  I broke down my talk into 5 Key Rules or insights that I've found are indispensable if we really want our people to step out of their comfort zone and take risks, challenge us, admit mistakes and challenge each other. Through a combination of powerful, brutally honest and practical stories I used the stage to drive home the 5 things I've seen that #leaders must do if they want to promote more psychological safety on their teams and drive innovation: 1.  Don't hire based on education and skills.  Hire based on values, grit and diversity of experience. A person with the right values, who has pushed through tough times to get where they are can more easily pick missing skills than someone with the skills but with the wrong values and a fear of stepping outside their comfort zone. 2. Never stand still.  Create a space for people to be continuously learning and growing.  Whether it's courses, coaching, training or just a simple quarterly book reading club.  Always be learning. Share what you're reading as a leader and encourage others to be constantly learning and discuss what you learn as a team. 3.  Delegate and empower your teams.  Never be afraid to delegate tasks or projects even if your people fail or if it scares you.  People need to grow and leaders need to delegate in order to focus on their own growth. 4. Give and request feedback constantly.  I only learned about my failure to listen and actively "hear" others through feedback.  Give and ask for feedback often so it becomes a habit and less uncomfortable. 5. Shift your perspective on failure.  Using #okrs while I was at Google many years ago forced me to spend as much time revisiting failures of the past as planning for the future.  Failure is a cruel mistress but the only one that helps us learn. There are few things I love as much as public speaking and sharing stories.  Being on stage brings me joy, purpose and energy.  It's an opportunity for me to share many of the failures I learned from and share some successes. But more importantly it taps directly into my own personal Ikigai or reason for being: To bring the energy to move people to work on things that give them meaning and purpose. And that...makes it all worth doing. Thank you team BICE for your attention, warm welcome and for this chance to share the stage with you.  You all make this work worth doing. Be True, Be Curious, Be Driven. Patrick.

And a Jedi Returns: Insights on Tech Thought Leadership from Sam Altman's Drama The recent upheaval at OpenAI, with the board's failed attempt to oust CEO #SamAltman, delivers a crucial lesson for tech marketers and communication pros. Unlike past tech history incidents, such as Steve Jobs' departure from Apple, the #OpenAI saga didn't stem from scandals or poor business results. Instead, it underscored the founder's role in becoming an irreplaceable part of a company's brand. 💡 The lesson is clear: thought leadership wields immense power for tech leaders. As communication experts, our task is to amplify this facet of their public persona Here are some actionable tips, inspired by Sam Altman's style: 👉 Keep the Conversation Flowing: Share insights, opinions, and company updates consistently to engage and inform your audience. 👉 Involve Key Stakeholders: Actively engage stakeholders in discussions and company developments. 👉 Champion Transparency: Encourage open dialogue regarding company goals, challenges, and achievements. 👉 Foster Community Engagement: Cultivate and nurture a robust, supportive community around your brand. 👉 Spotlight Ethics and Vision: Align public communication with the company's ethical standards and long-term vision. Thought leadership isn't just a role; it's a pivotal element in securing a company's future and legacy. "Be a doer, not a talker" - Sam Altman emphasized this in an interview and validated it through his actions. How do you anticipate the evolution of thought leadership in the tech industry? What strategies can marketers employ to champion this essential aspect of a company's identity and success? Share your thoughts in the comments! 💬🚀🔮

🌟 The Superpower of Connecting the Dots: Thoughts on High Impact Communication 🌟 In my career at companies like Meta and Google, I learned that effective leaders possess a unique superpower: organizational awareness. This isn't just about having information; it's about connecting the dots across a complex organization to drive impactful efforts. 🚀 Consider this: On any given day, tech leaders spend 70 to 90 percent of their time communicating. Yet, effective communication is much more than mere information exchange—it’s about informing, influencing, and inspiring. 🗣️✨ Consider this common scenario in large organizations: multiple teams working in silos, unknowingly duplicating efforts on similar efforts. This is not merely about redundancy but represents a significant missed opportunity for collaboration. When leaders facilitate connections between these teams, allowing them to share insights and understand each other’s projects, the result is often a merging or improvement of projects. This not only enhances the outcomes but also improves organizational efficiency. Such strategic collaboration underscores the power of effective leadership in fostering organizational coherence and productivity. 🛠️🤝 This experience underscored a critical lesson: Great leaders don’t just operate within their teams; they have the vision to see beyond, identifying overlaps and opportunities across the organization. Here are some actionable insights for leaders aspiring to master this superpower: 1) Step back to see the big picture: Engage with different teams, join cross-departmental meetings, and keep abreast of broader organizational goals. 2) Communicate with context: Always provide the 'why' behind your messages. This not only informs but also empowers and aligns your team with the organization's vision. 3) Be a conduit, not a bottleneck: Share knowledge freely unless specifically instructed otherwise. Your team's trust in you grows when they see you as a source of valuable information. 4) Foster connections: Encourage your team to network within and beyond their immediate circles. This builds a more interconnected team and enhances problem-solving capabilities. Remember, information is plentiful, but the ability to connect the dots to form a clear, actionable picture is what sets true leaders apart. #TechLeadership #Communication #Teamwork #OrganizationalAwareness #Influence #Inspire

𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗰 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗼𝘀 𝗵𝗶𝘁𝘀. 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲. Many tech leaders believe the real test of leadership is in the wins, the launches, the smooth rollouts, the success stories. But the truth? You're being watched most closely when everything is on fire. I once inherited a failing project. After a week of digging, I had to deliver bad news. To senior execs and the board. My heart was racing. My stomach was in knots. I had every urge to spin, soften, or stall. But that moment taught me something powerful: We have more control over our thoughts, emotions, and body than we realize. You don’t need to be the calmest person by nature. You just need to learn how to access calm under pressure. That’s what executives are looking for. Not perfection, but presence. I worked with a mentor who helped me: • Frame the story clearly • Focus my breathing and posture. • Show confidence Executives don’t need every detail. They need: • What happened • What it means • What we’re doing • And that you’ve got this. When you deliver with clarity, control, and conviction, you build trust. That’s what gets remembered when promotions are on the table. Every leader gets tested. The ones who rise are the ones who stay grounded, clear, and committed to doing the right thing, especially under pressure. #LeadershipUnderPressure #ExecutivePresence #TechLeadership #Promotability

I’ve had the great fortune to have some exceptional mentors in my career. Like most senior execs, there’s not a chance I’d be in the position I am without their guidance and insight. Here are a few lessons I’ve learned from a few very generous mentors: 1. Details Matter – I had the opportunity early in my career to work for a young executive who would eventually become the CEO of a Fortune 100 company. During this time, I was constantly amazed at how he knew the most minute details of my piece of the business.   Back then it inspired me to be extremely knowledgeable about every aspect of my product line so as never to be caught off guard in a meeting with him. I try hard to carry that to today. 2. Integrity Matters – A tech CEO to whom I reported as VP of Marketing said one of the reasons she hired me was due to a story she was told during the reference checking stage of my candidacy. It involved a time where I refused to move forward with an initiative due to unresolved integrity issues with the folks involved in the deal. This impressed her and she always modeled this in her own leadership style. Working with her was a constant reminder to NEVER compromise your integrity. 3. Humility Matters – Another CEO to whom I reported once, after a particularly contentious senior leadership team meeting, pulled me aside and told me, “Marc, not every conversation needs to be a contest. You don’t have to ‘win’ every discussion.” That really hit home with me because, in my quest to be right, I took the debate one (or more) steps too far. I learned how to dial it down after that. 4. Curiosity Matters – One business leader I worked for at a Fortune 100 company demanded everyone on his team attend at least three professional development classes/courses every year. He wanted everyone to be as skilled in their role as possible. His theory: In a highly competitive industry, talent is the difference between winning and losing. He wanted us to always be at the top of the talent food chain. 5. Relationships Matter – Finally, very early in my career, I reported to the president of a trade association in my first management role. He taught me to go out of my way to build and maintain strong relationships as they are the building blocks of strong network. This was a concept that I had to learn at point in my career and, boy, am I glad I did! What are some lessons from mentors you carry with you? #mentorship #mentors #Leadership