Artificial intelligence (AI) marks the next great crossroad for CEOs. Will they look at AI simply as a disruptive force that is overwhelming and overrated? Or will they see it as a powerful opportunity to reimagine and transform businesses and lives?
Two AI pioneers — Brandon Powell, CEO of HatchworksAI, and Rajeev Kapur, President and CEO at 1105 Media and a YPO member — are firmly based in the latter camp. Both are not only driving AI business strategies but also shaping conversations with executives, including speaking at YPO EDGE, the premier event of the world’s largest leadership community held in Sydney in February 2026.
Powell and Kapur recognize and emphasize that this digital revolution enables leaders and their teams to future-proof their businesses — unlocking more time, sharper focus and greater potential than ever before.
“AI has the power to transform not just businesses, but families and communities. The leaders who embrace it will be the ones who shape the future,” says Kapur, who recently was named No. 1 on Forbes’ Top 5 AI Leaders Bringing Artificial Intelligence to Everyone. Powell was No. 3 on the list.
This urgency to embrace AI into organizations is real, and the stakes are high. CEOs can’t wait on the sidelines — or they will fall far behind their competitors. Every industry has processes that can be enhanced by AI, Powell says. The difference between those who experiment now and those who wait “will define the competitive landscape in the years ahead,” he says.
Kapur believes many CEOs are at a beginner level when it comes to AI. They might have dabbled with ChatGPT, but they don’t yet understand how to weave AI into the core of their businesses. That’s where Kapur and Powell come in — they are helping CEOs address the most pressing decisions around AI, so they can lead with confidence and clarity.
Building a roadmap
Kapur calls AI “the greatest development for business and humanity since electricity.” But to benefit from it, CEOs must move from skepticism to experimentation and begin asking the questions: What should we do first? Where can AI create value in our company? How can we get buy-in from all of our employees?
Those questions can’t be answered by IT alone. The initiative must be led from the top, Kapur says. “AI isn’t an IT project,” he says. “It’s a business strategy.”
Roadmap is the key word for Powell, and he works directly with CEOs to design AI roadmaps tied to ROI and growth goals. “If you have a business plan, you should have an AI plan because AI is like water. It’s in every part of your business. It can impact every part of your business,” says Powell. The leaders who engage with AI, he says, will be the ones whose organizations thrive.
The winners won’t be the ones who know the most about data science. They’ll be the ones who know how to ask the right questions.
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— Rajeev Kapur, President and CEO at 1105 Media
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Data is the fuel
When building that roadmap, Kapur says CEOs must focus on data, which he calls the “new oil” for AI success. “If your company doesn’t understand its data, it’s like building a skyscraper on sand,” he says. Businesses collect large amounts of information — on customers, supply chains, operations, etc. — but that data is often unorganized or underused. Cleaning it up and structuring it properly allows AI to provide meaningful insights, he says.
Once the data is ready, CEOs don’t need to understand coding or technical know-how to be successful with AI. Instead, they need to understand prompting — what to ask AI to do for you, Kapur says. Effective leaders will blend imagination and critical thinking to extract the best from AI systems. “The winners won’t be the ones who know the most about data science. They’ll be the ones who know how to ask the right questions,” he says.
Powell echoes the importance of data and prompting and recommends that when leaders begin building their roadmap, they should look for “low-hanging fruit” that yields quick ROI. Marketing automation, accounts payable or scheduling are the perfect places to start. “Quick wins build trust,” he says. “When employees see AI actually making their jobs easier rather than threatening them, they lean in instead of resisting.”
Distilling the fear
Kapur emphasizes that AI is not a replacement for humans, nor should it replace creativity, judgment or ethics. It’s a partner that amplifies. “AI won’t replace your intelligence,” he says. CEOs can’t outsource critical thinking to it and expect to be successful.
Powell said he’s seen organizations hesitate because they worry staff will push back, fearing job losses. But in practice, the opposite happens. “When employees see that automation relieves them of tedious tasks, they embrace it. They start asking, ‘What else can we automate?’”
The message CEOs need to share with their employees is: AI is not about cutting jobs. It’s about shifting human energy toward what humans do best.
The gift of time
With AI automation releasing people from mundane tasks, companies can focus their time and energy on customers and innovation. “It’s not about good versus bad with AI. It’s about how you use AI to accelerate both what you can do as a human and what you can do in your business,” Powell says.
Kapur calls AI “a multiplier. It multiplies your creativity, your strategic thinking, your leadership.”
Both pioneers are optimistic about what comes next — for themselves, AI and global businesses. “Every step you take builds capability for tomorrow. Start small; start now,” Powell says.
They emphasize one essential point — maybe the most important one: AI gives leaders and teams a powerful commodity and something no money can buy — time. It frees CEOs from spreadsheets, allowing them to focus on the bigger picture. It enables employees to replace repetitive chores for creative problem-solving. And it gives organizations the chance to channel their energy into what matters most — strategy, culture and growth.
And that is how organizations move forward and achieve lasting success.
YPO members can learn more about YPO EDGE 2026 and register here.
The New Space Race: Why the Smartest CEOs Are Looking Up
Thursday, September 25, 2025
The space economy is no longer a government-only domain. It’s a rapidly expanding frontier and private enterprise is rewriting the rules. With innovation cycles accelerating and launch costs down nearly 90% thanks to NASA’s flexible contracting models and breakthroughs in reusable rockets, opportunities once reserved for billion-dollar budgets are now within reach for forward-thinking businesses.
Blue Origin strategist and Harvard Business School fellow Brendan Rosseau explains, “It’s created space for not only very rich countries, militaries and space agencies to do interesting and valuable things in space, but now companies, entrepreneurs and people of all stripes are figuring out what they can use space to do.”
This shift toward a dynamic public-private partnership model has sparked a commercial revolution. “New space is an exciting push into a new set of companies, a new economy around privatized space for business, exploration, government services and planet surveillance,” says YPO member Karl Hutter, CEO of Click Bond, Inc., a second-generation family enterprise and leading supplier of engineered assembly technology, mechanical hardware and engineered products to the global aerospace and defense industry.
The new space economy
Growing up in a family that worked in the industry during the space shuttle era – the period between the maiden voyage of Columbia in 1981 and the final flight of Atlantis in 2011 – Hutter was aware, “there was a lot of energy around space and imagining what was possible at that time.” It was inevitable that he would immerse himself in the business and possibilities of space.
YPO member Heather Bulk entered the industry at the dawn of the new space economy when opportunities for commercial innovation were opening up. The former Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder at Aurex, which provides competitive and unique engineering solutions and hardware to clients in private and government sectors within space and defense industries, Bulk was looking “to bridge the gap between NASA and commercial space providers.”
The move was made possible in 2007 by NASA’s newly released contracts for the Commercial Orbital Transportation System. “It was move fast or you’re going to miss this window of opportunity to be a commercial space leader,” Bulk says.
The influx of private companies has pushed the industry to operate as a more agile, rapid model. “The criticality to move rapidly in this industry has never been more important. This pace is driven by national security as well as the commercial space evolution and innovation,” Bulk says. “Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson and Elon Musk are some of the many examples of industry coming in and thinking differently about these tough problems, and quite frankly, their companies have shaken things up and broken loose the old guard way of doing business.”
Opportunities in space
Satellite constellations like Starlink and Kuiper are game changers, providing millions with telecommunication services and paving the way for the mainstream adoption of the products and services that are being created in space.
“It allows for a much more connected world where not only the devices that we’re familiar with are always online, but we can have new devices, new forms of transportation, new forms of all the things we’re used to in real life that are created specifically for a world in which they’re always online,” Rosseau says
Much like the internet, connectivity at scale will become a critical infrastructure layer impacting consumers and businesses alike. Not only will internet access be accessible anywhere at any time but satellites will create critical data – not only through space but also from space about what is happening on Earth – that will change the way we interact. A global multinational enterprise, for example, can access real-time insights into logistics and environmental factors affecting supply chains and inventory thereby cutting costs and increasing efficiency, Rosseau explains.
The space industry is no longer simply about deep space exploration. “What is so exciting at the present moment is the ability to do really inspiring things to use space flight and space technologies to truly benefit normal, everyday people and businesses in a remarkable way,” Rosseau says. Companies like Planet Labs, for example, are beginning to use data through space from remote-sensing capabilities to unlock a real-time accounting system for the planet.
New space is an exciting push into a new set of companies, a new economy around privatized space for business, exploration, government services and planet surveillance.”
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— Karl Hutter, CEO of Click Bond, Inc.
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While commercial satellite applications and Earth observation capabilities are already transforming daily life today, more applications impacting space maneuverability, protection, safety, exploration and logistics are on the horizon. “They are going to be seeking to bring on real commercial users, real commercial participants, anyone from pharmaceutical companies to manufacturing companies, folks who might be able to benefit from the unique capabilities of microgravity when it comes to forging materials and making products,” Rosseau says.
Understanding how the industry works can help businesses create more value from activities in space across sectors. In parallel to the new space economy, the new aviation economy featuring Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) concepts like air taxis and electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles (eVTOLs) are exploding. Aviation is benefiting not only from technological advancements in space but also the example of how to embrace the Silicon Valley ethos of innovation, disruption, rapid growth and risk-taking while adhering to safety regulations that can slow progress.
“The best companies, whether it’s in new space or it’s in this advanced aerial mobility space, are finding the right balance of what has been tried and shown to be effective to avoid the pitfalls that will derail your plan and fresh ideas enabling speed and doing things in a new and different way,” Hutter says.
Leveraging advancements in space
The industry is undoubtedly challenging, physically and financially. “They call it rocket science for a reason; it’s hard,” Bulk says.
Success requires an understanding of the opportunities and risks presented by rapid advancements in the industry. “Take your time, make sure that the ideas work, that there is an appetite at the other end for what you’re building or if you’re a customer of a space-based product or service that it’s really scratching the itch, and then take it to the next level,” Rosseau says. “That appetite for risk but also mitigating potential risk by taking an informed step-by-step approach is a winning recipe.”
Patience is essential. “There are not going to be any quick wins for you here, and that’s around your time, around your money, and around earning credibility in the industry,” Hutter says.
In this rapidly changing field, “the agility and the ability to see where trends and needs are going and the flexibility to get your company there is essential,” Bulk says.
Entrepreneurs who take the leap will find the risk is worth the reward. “If you’re bringing great solutions, you’ll meet some of the world’s greatest people in this industry – people who are genuinely committed not to making a quick buck but to changing the world and doing it in a way that expands the possible for all of humanity, getting us moving in ways and going to places as never before,” Hutter explains.
The YPO Learning Advisory Partners (L.A.P.) program connects YPO members with global thought leaders to explore emerging trends. Curated by the Learning Committee, L.A.P delivers forward-looking insights and tools to lead through change, fueling peer-driven learning. YPO members can learn more and tap into other sessions here.
From Survival to Service: An Entrepreneur’s Promise for Purpose
Monday, September 22, 2025
As 29-year-old Ben Munoz lay in the ICU fighting for life, he stared at the white walls and began his negotiation with God.
“I thought: If this is it, that’s OK — I’ve lived an amazing life. But if I survive, I’ll make the rest of my life count,” he says.
Munoz survived his brain hemorrhage. And he kept that promise by creating Ben’s Friends, a nonprofit website that hosts support groups for people living with rare diseases worldwide.
Fast forward 20 years. The 48-year-old CEO and YPO member lives in Austin, Texas, USA, where he runs Nadine West, a personal styling service that delivers professionally curated outfits to women’s doorstep each month.
And while Munoz deeply loves his work at the clothing company and the success it has brought him, it’s his secondary passion. The nonprofit, born from his promise in the ICU, fuels his real passion — service and impact.
The beginning of an entrepreneur
Munoz’s story begins in Houston, where he grew up the youngest of four children. His parents, Mexican immigrants, worked tirelessly to provide Munoz and his siblings a loving home and a quality education. They also instilled drive and self-sufficiency.
“If you need something, go out and get it” was their mantra, he says. So, when he set his heart on a Sega Genesis in the 1980s, he started his first “hustle” — mowing lawns until he had enough money to buy the gaming system.
The ability to help someone else going through what you went through — it fills you with meaning and gratitude.
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— Ben Munoz
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“I guess that started my entrepreneurial streak,” he adds.
That drive continued throughout his teen years and carried him all the way to Stanford University in Northern California, his dream school. He still remembers the moment he boarded the airplane, leaving for his freshman year. It was his first time on a plane.
A life-changing turn
After graduating from Stanford, Munoz spent six years as a software engineer in Southern California before enrolling in Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, where he thought he’d go into investment banking or management consulting.
But before starting his second year at Northwestern, Munoz was having dinner with a friend when something felt off — nausea, disorientation and a strange pressure in his neck. Realizing he needed medical attention and unwilling to wait for an ambulance, he climbed into his car, and with one hand on the stick shift, one hand holding a vomit bag, and his knee steering, he sped to the nearest emergency room.
As he waited in the long line, Munoz called a friend who was a doctor and shared his symptoms. The friend instantly recognized what was going on.
“He said: ‘I want you to go to the front of the line and hand the phone to the nurse,’” Munoz recalls.
Doctors rushed him into a CT scan. Minutes later, still fully conscious, he heard the whir of a medical drill as surgeons bored into his skull to relieve pressure from a massive brain hemorrhage — a rare arteriovenous malformation, or AVM.
As Munoz slowly recovered, he looked for others like him, scouring the internet and coming up short. That’s when he decided to create his own support group — his entrepreneurial spirit driving him to break away from the pack.
“I thought, I’ll just build something myself,” he says. “I used my skills from technology to launch a website, and then I used whatever little marketing skills I’d gained at that point to promote it.”
Making an impact
That first site — AVMSurvivors.org — was a lifeline for him and a few others. When a business school friend suggested he expand, he launched new communities for other rare conditions. Munoz eventually united all of them under Ben’s Friends.
The model is simple but powerful: use technology to serve people by creating safe, disease-specific, online communities for patients living with rare diseases or chronic illnesses, as well as their caregivers, family and friends.
Nearly 20 years later, Ben’s Friends hosts communities for 45 rare illnesses and has more than 80,000 members. With only five paid employees, the website, which is completely free to patients, relies on donations and volunteers to sustain the company.
But it’s not the numbers that inspire him — it’s the people and their personal stories: the high schooler who survived a brain bleed and now volunteers for the website or the retired tech founder who became one of their largest donors.
“The ability to help someone else going through what you went through — it fills you with meaning and gratitude,” he says.
Jasmine “Jaz” Gray, an assistant professor at Pepperdine University, is another survivor who has been impacted by Ben’s Friends. She believes in the mission so much that she published a video encouraging others to donate to the nonprofit.
“Loneliness, desperation, overwhelming fear. These qualities often describe the kind of person urgently seeking an organization like Ben’s Friends,” she says in the video.
Balancing passion and business
Inspired by the neurosurgeon who saved his life, Munoz enrolled at Baylor Medical School but two years into the program, he pivoted when approached with an opportunity to launch a fashion subscription company.
The pull of entrepreneurship was stronger than his dream of becoming a neurosurgeon, and soon he was living on the warehouse floor, packing boxes by hand and surviving on credit cards. That experiment became Nadine West, his now thriving company.
“I still don’t know much about fashion,” he laughs. “But I know culture, technology and logistics. I hire people who know the rest.”
Despite the time this new venture demanded, Munoz remained dedicated to Ben’s Friends. He continued to run it — even allocating shares of Nadine West to it, aligning his for-profit success with his nonprofit mission.
Making your ‘what’s next?’ matter
Now, nearly two decades after his brain bleed, Munoz splits his days between his two companies. The nonprofit runs lean — with hundreds of volunteers, a handful of paid moderators and just enough funding to keep the digital doors open.
He is not chasing size or status. Munoz simply wants Ben’s Friends to serve those who need his help.
Munoz’s life echoes the purpose of YPO: “The world needs better leaders … to make a difference in the lives, businesses and the world we impact.” In turn, YPO has supported Munoz — especially the Purposeful Living group, a dynamic community of CEOs dedicated to living with purpose and inspiration.
“Led by Seth Streeter, the group quickly became a meaningful part of my YPO experience. Seth has been a trusted mentor, and his dedication to helping members explore deeper meaning through transformative retreats around the world has been both inspiring and profoundly impactful on my own journey,” Munoz says. Streeter, also a YPO member, is founder and chief impact officer of Mission Wealth, a wealth and family office management firm.
As founders and CEOs confront the “what’s next” question in their own journey, Munoz’s story serves as a blueprint for transformation.
“If you’ve reached the first summit, that’s wonderful. Congratulations,” he says. “But the second mountain — that’s where you’ll find fulfillment.”
Channeling Resilience: How Katie Yeutter Turned a Brutal Swim Into a Leadership Strategy
Monday, September 22, 2025
Katie Yeutter had been swimming for 10 and a half hours.
On a brisk July morning, she’d left the shores of Dover, England, with the goal of crossing the English Channel to France. At the 6-hour mark, she got sick from ingesting too much saltwater. But she kept swimming. At 7.5 hours, she was stung by a jellyfish, causing her entire body to experience temporary paralysis. But she kept going. She was just 4 miles from the shoreline when her boat captain made the call: The tides had changed, she couldn’t overcome the current, and reaching France that day was impossible.
“I’m sitting there going, ‘How can this possibly be?’ I did everything right. I’m physically fit, I worked so hard, and it was just over,” remembers Yeutter. “But all you can do is control what you can control. Then you have to persevere through the failure of what you can’t. In my heart, I didn’t feel like that was how this was supposed to end.”
That mindset has served Yeutter well beyond the water.
As COO/CFO of the Florida Chamber of Commerce and President of the Florida Chamber Leadership Cabinet in Tallahassee, Florida, USA, she has built her career leading member education, driving enterprise results and championing safety programs. All the while, the resilience she honed through endurance challenges like the channel swim has guided her approach to leadership.
Just two and half weeks after that first attempt, she was on a plane back to England to try again. Thirteen hours and 44 minutes after she dove into the channel for the second time, she walked onto the shores of France.
Living a life of purpose and performance
Hard work was instilled in Yeutter from a young age. When her father, an orthopedic surgeon, set up his practice in rural Wisconsin, he and her mom, a teacher, decided to purchase a farm. Yeutter and her seven siblings were then tasked with chores such as mowing hay and milking cows.
To me resiliency is how you put yourself in situations that you can control where you’re under stress in a good way, that gives you the space to learn and overcome. Because that gives you those talking points to say ‘I’ve done hard things, and it was hard, but I came out of it.’ Then you step it up a little bit at a time, and you build those resiliency blocks within yourself.
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— Katie Yeutter
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“My dad had this fundamental belief; he always said, ‘I don’t care what degrees you can hang on the wall; I will teach you how to work. Because a solid work ethic will carry you through life.’”
Her attraction to challenging endeavors was formed early on as well. Family vacations were adventures, like the time they went llama packing across the Continental Divide or when they hiked the Grand Canyon.
“Growing up, I always wanted to just go to the beach,” she laughs. “But we were always skiing, hiking, climbing, seeking out these activities that had a little bit of a struggle. I learned a lot about perseverance, how I react to stress and how fulfilling working hard could be.”
She channeled her work ethic into her schoolwork and career — earning her MBA and MS in accountancy — as well as into her extracurricular activities. A childhood of competitive swimming gave way to adult ironman competitions and later climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.
Yeutter quickly realized that endurance challenges were not only a great way to personally push herself, but the benefits spilled over into her professional career.
“You put yourself in situations that you can control, where you’re under stress in a good way, and it gives you the space to learn and overcome,” she says. “Then you have those talking points to say, ‘I’ve done hard things, and it was hard, but I came out of it.’ You step it up a little bit at a time, and you build those resiliency blocks within yourself.”
When the idea of swimming the English Channel came up, Yeutter says it felt like a great alignment of her passions and strengths.
“When you want to live a full life of purpose and performance, you have to take on these big challenges with a solid ‘why’, because otherwise you don’t have anything to fall back on when it gets hard,” she says. “I thought I could learn a lot about myself and find real growth in the discomfort of it all.”
Get comfortable with your discomfort
Preparing for the challenge meant 3 a.m. wake-up calls to train in the Florida ocean. To toughen herself for the cold Channel waters — official record rules require swimming like the original crossers, without a cap or insulated suit — she began flying back to Wisconsin to swim in the frigid Midwestern lakes.
The cold water is what worried her the most.
“The first time I got into an ice bath, I was shivering two minutes in, thinking HOW can I possibly do this for 10-12 hours?” she recalls. “That’s what I really love about taking on these pursuits, though. It’s not really about reaching the coast of France; it’s how the journey that leads up to that creates focus for my behaviors and forces me to move through the struggle.”
Resilience is never a solo sport
Yeutter credits her family and her day-of crew’s support for her ability to bounce back after her first attempt.
“Whether it’s professional or personal pursuits, if you don’t have the right people around you during times of struggle — you can go to a place that’s not good,” she says.
She also credits YPO, specifically her forum, for being a safe space to share struggles and hear what she needs to hear, even when it’s, perhaps, not what she wants to hear.
When you have the confidence to let things go, then you can create space behind you for others to develop and take on more responsibilities and their own challenges. And that’s when things become very exciting.
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— Katie Yeutter
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“YPO provides those trusted relationships, sharing and support that can remove a lot of the uncertainty,” she says. “Often, we can let challenges get bigger and bigger in our own minds. It can be overwhelming. But the minute you verbalize it, suddenly it’s manageable, and it gives you this calm confidence. Then you can show up for your people authentically and without ego.”
Protect your energy, fuel your strength
For Yeutter, resilience isn’t just about grit in the moment — it’s also about the discipline of recovery. Lessons from a YPO Mayo Clinic event drove home the science of sleep, and she’s since built a toolkit to keep herself steady under stress. With the help of her Whoop watch, meditation, reading, mindful nutrition and daily gratitude, she makes recovery a priority.
“When I get good sleep, eat well and stick to my routines, I’m definitely more resilient,” she says. “It gives me the clarity to show up for my team, my family and myself in the best way possible.”
Step back to build others up; Step forward when it counts
Yeutter says that tackling endurance challenges like swimming the channel has given her the confidence to push herself professionally into new areas and opportunities — and that causes a ripple effect for the rest of her team.
“When you have the confidence to let things go, then you can create space behind you for others to develop and take on more responsibilities and their own challenges,” she says. “And as a leader, that’s when things get very exciting.”
Yeutter says in this sense, she tends to ‘lead from the back’ – especially during times when things are working. If her teams fail then, they can build their own resiliency. Then, during challenging times or times of organizational transformation, while she is leading from the front, she knows that the rest of the team is more resilient because of those past moments of failure.
“Collectively,” she explains. “We’re pulling stronger and harder.”
From Peer to Partner: The YPO Story Behind AROBS and Codingscape’s Cross-Continental Deal
Wednesday, August 27, 2025
The relationship that led to AROBS Transilvania Software’s acquisition of a 70% stake in the U.S.-based technology consultancy Codingscape in June 2025 began only eight months earlier.
Eight months is not a long courtship, but the deal between companies on opposite sides of the ocean was expedited because of the trust created within YPO, the global leadership community, and the shared language, values and expectations of authenticity members enjoy.
Voicu Oprean, the Founder and President of the entrepreneurial technological company AROBS, joined YPO in 2008 and regularly attends YPO member-exclusive learning events, including the Presidents’ Programs at Harvard and the London Business School. The lifelong learner attended YPO’s inaugural Global Business Summit, held in Dubai in November 2025, looking to absorb as much as he could. For the first time in its 75-year history, YPO offered its 36,000 members in 150 countries an opportunity to conduct business with one another by lifting its nonsolicitation clause.
Eager to grow his company in the United States, Oprean tried out GBS’s proprietary AI-powered matchmaking tool, attended targeted keynotes, met old friends and made new connections. Porter Haney, CEO and Founder of Codingscape and a YPO member since 2023, was not at GBS, but STS Capital Partners was. Months earlier, Haney had hired the YPO member-owned investment firm when Codingscape was attracting “financially interesting” offers, thanks to its rapid rise on the Inc. 500 list.
Haney credits STS for bringing AROBS to Codingscape, “On paper, we’re very different. But Voicu and I share YPO values around learning, openness and people-first leadership.”
If teams are combative or ego-driven, little progress is made. But if they’re vulnerable and authentic, they can accomplish a lot together.
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— Porter Haney, Founder & CEO, Codingscape
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When Oprean learned Haney was a YPO member, he says, “It boosted my confidence in doing the deal. Usually, lawyers want to build fences around negotiations, but we already had trust. We could be open earlier, share more and move faster.”
It was AROBS’s first U.S. acquisition. “It is not easy for a European company to do business in the States — the lawyers, bankers and the process are more difficult than in Europe,” he adds. “Knowing Porter was a YPO member gave me the trust to continue.”
Leading with heart accelerates trust
Haney and his fellow Codingscape founders came from Zappos, where they saw firsthand how sustainably profitable leading with core values could be.
“Our first value is ‘people first,’ which sounds backwards for a tech company, but people create and use technology,” explains Haney. “If it doesn’t help those groups, it isn’t worth much. It was critical that our partner shared that philosophy. And the team at AROBS did.”
Haney and Oprean met in person for the first time at a YPO-sponsored event during the January 2025 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The desert oasis is also where Codingscape is headquartered, although Haney resides in Vermont and proudly runs his firm as a ‘remote-first workplace.’
“CES is huge, with 200,000 people, but the YPO event was only 150-200 people, making the introduction possible,” says Haney.
A key component of YPO for members is their forum – groups of approximately 20 leaders from diverse industries who serve as each other’s personal board of directors. The founders credit their forum experience at YPO for expediting this partnership.
Lean into … trust. Build the kind of partnerships that can change not just business, but lives.
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— Voicu Oprean, Founder & President, AROBS
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The ideas put into practice in forum, when applied to business partnerships, accelerate the connection needed for a successful deal.
“Forum teaches experience sharing instead of advice, and leading with emotion instead of facts,” Haney explains. “If teams are combative or ego-driven, little progress is made. But if they’re vulnerable and authentic, they can accomplish a lot together.”
A relationship built to last
With this transaction, AROBS enhances its footprint in North America, strengthening its market presence in the U.S. and its capacity to participate in the region’s dynamic technology ecosystem. Codingscape gains access to European markets through AROBS’ network, client base and operational infrastructure to support its continued growth.
In 2024, Codingscape recorded revenues of approximately USD15 million, with a strong portfolio of enterprise clients across technology, healthcare, financial services and retail. Haney and his partners grew Codingscape, launched in 2018, to 100 employees in 2023 and, now in partnership with AROBS, to more than 1,000 in 2025. And his sights are set on growing to 10,000 in five years.
“In a world where everyone is trying to shrink headcount with AI, we’re building a services company focused on people and customer service. Success depends entirely on living these values,” he says.
The pair will celebrate their newly minted relationship and encourage other members to pursue collaborations in November in Los Angeles at YPO’s second GBS. “I’m excited to take this story to GBS this year, to inspire other YPO members to pursue similar collaborations,” Haney says.
Oprean calls YPO a “very exclusive group when it comes to trust.”
“Lean into that trust,” Oprean says to other entrepreneurs. “Build the kind of partnerships that can change not just business, but lives.”
If you are a member of YPO and would like to learn more about GBS 2025, visit https://www.ypo.org/gbs/.
Innovate and Adapt: Sharon Cunningham’s Path to Smarter, Faster Cancer Treatments
Monday, June 9, 2025
It’s hard to find anyone whose life hasn’t been touched by cancer. In 2022 alone, nearly 20 million new cases were diagnosed globally, leading to 9.7 million deaths worldwide.
And while advancements in health care and technology bring hope of more effective treatments, the road from idea to impact is filled with challenges.
Sharon Cunningham, EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2025 Ireland winner, on a mission to overcome some of these challenges, co-founding Shorla Oncology in 2018 alongside Orlaith Ryan. The company focuses on specialty oncology drugs tailored for underserved patient populations, particularly women and children, working to fill critical gaps in cancer care and bring innovative solutions to those who need them most.
The company currently has four FDA-approved, commercialized drugs in its portfolio, with a growing pipeline of further treatments.
“Accomplishment to me means reaching as many patients as possible, it’s all about impact”
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— Sharon Cunningham
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“We’re a mission-driven organization, led by our purpose,” says Cunningham. “Helping vulnerable patient populations is a privilege, and I couldn’t be prouder of our team as we realize our vision of improving lives through science and innovation by making existing oncology treatments better.”
And while her work is — intentionally — specific, all executives can learn from Cunningham and Shorla’s story.
Build with intention: a career designed to make a difference
Before co-founding Shorla Oncology, Sharon Cunningham laid the groundwork for a purpose-driven career. After earning a degree in finance, she trained as a chartered accountant with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), then moved into the pharmaceutical sector — drawn by its potential to impact lives and offer long-term stability. She joined EirGen Pharma as a management accountant and quickly advanced to Head of Finance, earning her executive MBA along the way.
“I come from an entrepreneurial family, and I always knew I would run my own business eventually,” she says, adding that as a child, she had several business ventures, including a tea shop and a library.
“From a career perspective, I wanted to spend time in practice and industry and gain as much formal education as possible to maximize my knowledge and skills, build an industry network and ultimately enhance my credibility to ensure success.”
Focus on the few: meet the needs of the overlooked
Unlike many larger pharmaceutical companies that often focus on broad-spectrum cancer treatments, Shorla Oncology identifies specific areas of unmet need in oncology, including drug shortages and inadequate treatments for specific patient demographics.
Then, Shorla reimagines the formulation of existing cancer drugs, focusing on improving the efficacy, safety and accessibility of these treatments for patients often left behind by traditional offerings.
“Drug shortages frequently threaten childhood cancer treatment and pose a significant public health concern, says Cunningham. “They have a significant impact on patient health outcomes, leading to delays in treatment or substitution with less effective therapies when the preferred drug product is not available. This adversely affects outcomes such as disease progression and survival.”
“Helping vulnerable patient populations is a privilege, and I couldn’t be prouder of our team as we realize our vision of improving lives through science and innovation by making existing oncology treatments better.”
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— Sharon Cunningham
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For example, patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most prevalent childhood cancer, need a steady, reliable supply of effective medication to improve their chances of successful treatment. One of the limited products to treat these patients suffered shortages and became the focus of Shorla’s first product.
In expediting the development of a generic form of the drug, Cunningham explains, “We removed the financial and emotional burdens placed on patients who are forced to purchase costly alternative treatments or cease treatment if no alternatives exist.”
Innovate smarter: cut risks, not potential
Shorla’s focus on formulation re-innovation enables the company to mitigate barriers associated with traditional drug development.
“New drug development carries significant risk and cost,” Sharon explains. “By taking established and proven oncology treatments and doing something novel or different with them to address key areas of unmet need, we can create differentiated, superior products.”
This approach helps cut down on the costs and risks that come with traditional drug discovery and speeds up the approval process, allowing it to better meet the demands of the market and the rigorous standards of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
“While our products in themselves are innovative, we have also had to develop innovative ways to execute competitively and ensure speed to market,” she says.
In addition to developing products in-house, they now acquire and in-license products to expand and de-risk their pipeline. For example, they acquired an FDA-approved oncology drug from a U.K.-based company in October 2023 and launched the drug in the U.S. just two months later, in record time.
“This approach has become our strategy for long-term growth and revenue optimization,” she says. Shorla has built a steady pipeline and growing portfolio, all in line with its mission to improve lives through science and innovation. This approach is fuelling Shorla’s long-term growth, allowing it to fully leverage its U.S. infrastructure and seize new opportunities through development and partnership.
Build resiliency through relationships
Operating in a regulated environment like pharmaceuticals comes with inevitable hurdles, including the complex approval processes and ongoing quality audits required by individual state bodies in the U.S.
However, Shorla has turned these challenges into opportunities by fostering collaborations with key opinion leaders and advocacy groups, building a reputation for delivering innovative treatments aligned with high-quality standards. This has helped the team overcome substantial challenges.
“There have been many times when things haven’t gone as expected, most notably during the pandemic when we were awaiting FDA approval of our first drug,” she says, recalling an 18-month delay in bringing the drug to market that put pressure on the company’s cash flow.
Shorla was quickly able to adapt and secure funding to maintain operations based on their network and the relationships Cunningham and Ryan had fostered.
Lead with people in mind, harness tech for impact
All industries need a more personalized, unique customer experience, and Cunningham believes that cancer treatment is no different. She sees the focus increasingly shifting to treating the patient, not just the disease.
“Pharma will have to respond to this, incorporating effective companion diagnostics and biomarkers to optimize clinical benefit,” she says. “This targeted approach will create a competitive edge.”
Shorla Oncology’s patient-centric approach aligns closely with this vision, and the team will continue to use strategy and technology to further their goals.
“We’re leveraging AI and other emerging technologies to analyze data more efficiently, assist in the identification of new product development opportunities, serve project progression saving on time and resources and ultimately support in expediting drug development,” she says.
As Shorla Oncology continues to expand, its focus on innovation, patient-centered solutions, and strategic growth provides valuable lessons for any leader navigating a complex industry.
“Accomplishment to me means reaching as many patients as possible, it’s all about impact” Cunningham says.
YPO is proud to collaborate with EY, its Strategic Learning Advisor, to help global leaders drive innovation, accelerate growth and create long-term value. Learn from the successes of thousands of the world’s fastest-growing entrepreneurs and realize your ambition faster. Consider nominating yourself or a fellow entrepreneur for EY Entrepreneur Of The Year.
Stepping into a Legacy: How Léonard Forestier Keeps Innovation in the Family
Monday, June 9, 2025
Few people can say they have a family tree as ambitious as Léonard Forestier’s. In fact, the CEO of Petit Forestier Group and EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2025 France winner can trace his entrepreneurial roots back more than 100 years.
His great-grandfather Zéphirin was raised on a cattle farm and moved to Paris in 1907 to start a livestock transport company. In the 1950s, his grandfather Jean expanded the business by introducing refrigerated trucks, a major innovation in the post–World War II era. Later, his father, Jean-Claude, and uncle Yves recognized the potential in vehicle leasing and transitioned the company into refrigerated truck leasing.
Léonard is the fourth generation at the helm Petit Forestier Group, which rents and leases refrigerated vehicles, display units and containers transporting and storing temperature-sensitive goods.
“It was a big decision because I knew once I joined, it would be for the long term. I’ve met many people in other family businesses, and it’s always both a choice and a responsibility to continue the family’s entrepreneurial legacy.”
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— Léonard Forestier
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Since becoming CEO in 2020, Léonard Forestier has revitalized the company’s management and family shareholding, solidifying its status as Europe’s leader in refrigerated vehicle leasing and rental. Under his strategic leadership revenues have surged. The company now operates in 24 countries, across four continents, with a workforce of 5,900 people. They manage a fleet of more than 80,000 refrigerated vehicles, 50,000 refrigerated units and 6,000 containers.
And Forestier is not done: He’s already writing the next innovative chapter of the family’s story, steering the company away from diesel toward alternative energy vehicles.
His efforts underscore that in a family business, every generation must adapt to the demands of its time, honoring the roots while ensuring the company flourishes in a new era.
Learning before leading
While Forestier grew up around the Petit Forestier Group, he wasn’t always sure joining the family business was for him.
After earning a degree from École Polytechnique, he decided to forge out on his own, first working in infrastructure project financing before transitioning to portfolio management, where he led French public investment funds. But Petit Forestier was always in the back of his mind.
“I wanted to bring something new to the family business, to return with my own convictions about strategy,” he says of that time, sharing that he was particularly interested in gaining more international experience.
By 2011, he realized that if he wanted time to learn from his father and uncle on the job while they were still working, he needed to act sooner rather than later. Forestier joined the team as managing director.
“It was a big decision because I knew once I joined, it would be for the long term,” he says. “I’ve met many people in other family businesses, and it’s always both a choice and a responsibility to continue the family’s entrepreneurial legacy.”
His tenure since that time includes weathering the perils of the COVID-19 pandemic as he transitioned to CEO, and a concerted push to think outside of Europe. They first expanded to the Middle East and Africa, then to the United States, and most recently made an acquisition in Australia.
Prioritizing people
With their global expansion has come an influx of employees, nearly 6,000 across 300 locations, which means Forestier’s focus on strategic onboarding is vital to maintaining their family-run culture.
“I recently spoke with someone who joined six months ago and told me it was the best onboarding experience of their career. They felt truly welcomed,” he says. “Being a family company helps; people see my name on the company, and it personalizes our culture. But it’s something we continuously work on, especially as we grow.”
That personal touch extends to their customers, something Forestier partially credits to the fact that they are the only leasing company specializing in refrigerated assets (their competitors are more generalists). Covering the entire cold chain internally — from the design and assembly of refrigerated boxes on vehicles to the rental of products and services, maintenance and leasing — allows them to be a true one-stop shop.
“We offer the right assets tailored to our customers’ needs. Our business organization is built around those needs, especially for food distribution companies. Our service hours, for example, are aligned with their operations,” he says. “That 360-degree approach is a major differentiator.”
“Find alignment between who you are and the project or business you are pursuing. That sense of alignment is essential — for motivation, for vision and for making an impact that lasts.”His efforts underscore that in a family business, every generation must adapt to the demands of its time, honoring the roots while ensuring the company flourishes in a new era.
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— Léonard Forestier
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And because their work is deeply embedded in their customers’ day-to-day operations, Forestier still spends a lot of time with customers, both new and tenured.
“That’s something I really enjoy — understanding their business and finding ways we can help,” he says. “We have the opportunity to solve real problems and make a difference in their operations, and I find that extremely rewarding.”
Keeping their business fresh
Like his family before him, Forestier knows that staying relevant means staying ahead.
“The principles I follow come down to staying true to the family values and the company’s DNA while adapting to change and anticipating the future,” he says. “Leadership starts with clarity of purpose and having a long-term vision.”
This is especially true when it comes to sustainability and technology.
In 2024, Petit Forestier began redesigning its refrigeration units to achieve energy savings of 60–80%. These units are sealed and equipped with sustainable refrigerants, aligning with the company’s commitment to reducing its environmental impact.
Petit Forestier Group is also accelerating its energy transition with a bold plan to switch 40% of its fleet to electric vehicles by 2030. They’ve partnered with IVECO to introduce the eDAILY, an electric version of their flagship vehicle, which can go 400 km on a single charge and carry loads comparable to diesel models. By 2026, the fleet will expand to 2,000 eDAILY units across Europe, including the United Kingdom and Switzerland.
But Forestier isn’t just focused on innovative equipment. The company has invested heavily in upskilling employees, training more than 140 people in EV maintenance and customer support since 2022. And through partnerships with platforms like Samsara, Petit Forestier Group uses real-time data to provide customers with tools to monitor energy usage and carbon emissions, aiding their sustainability efforts. Forestier sees this as key to helping clients navigate their energy transitions.
His vision for Petit Forestier is to both enhance quality of life and to inspire future generations, including his three sons, to embrace sustainability and innovation.
And while he is not one to typically give advice, he offers up this food for thought for his fellow entrepreneurs, from the first generation to the fourth:
“Find alignment between who you are and the project or business you are pursuing,” he says. “That sense of alignment is essential — for motivation, for vision and for making an impact that lasts.”
YPO is proud to collaborate with EY, its Strategic Learning Advisor, to help global leaders drive innovation, accelerate growth and create long-term value. Learn from the successes of thousands of the world’s fastest-growing entrepreneurs and realize your ambition faster. Consider nominating yourself or a fellow entrepreneur for EY Entrepreneur Of The Year.
Irina Arsene’s Formula for Success: People-First AI and Scalable Service Solutions
Monday, June 9, 2025
As a young girl growing up in a small southern Romanian town in the 1980s, real life offered Irina Arsene very little. So, she lived an explorer’s life through the books she devoured, imagining fantastical worlds and dreaming of becoming an astronaut.
Today, Arsene, Founder and CEO at mindit.io, is an explorer in the real world – and the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2025 Romania winner. She even has her ticket to space booked on Virgin Galactic – a trip she wants to take only after she visits every continent. She’ll be cleared for takeoff after Christmas 2025, when she and her family enjoy “Christmas with the penguins,” checking off her final continent – Antarctica.
Her early passion for learning opened the door to real-world opportunities. Excelling in math and physics, with 1st prize at Romania’s National Olympiad in Physics, after the country’s 1989 revolution, she won a Red Cross-sponsored contest and traveled to Corsica, France, for a month-long exchange.
“That was the moment when, at 12 years old, I discovered that the real world can be even more beautiful than the world I imagined through books,” she says of the experience. “That trip changed my life because, from that moment, I knew I wanted to see more.”
Exploring her strengths
Arsene has supported herself since she was 14, when cancer took her father’s life. Scholarships helped finance her college education, but needing money for her living expenses, she worked as a programmer for a software developer.
“I loved it because I’m not a theoretical person, and even though I was getting good academic results, I didn’t feel satisfied. At work, I could put my mind to good use and see the impact,” she says, explaining how she got into IT and computer science.
Upon graduation, entrepreneurship was not an option. “I had to support myself,” she explains. “It was about getting a job to have money for food and practical things.”
Her technical career soon got a boost when management recognized Arsene’s people and leadership skills. She landed at a UK company, where she grew from a software developer to a director, sitting on the company’s board. Having gotten more comfortable with risk-taking, Arsene became a shareholder in the company, taking out a loan to buy her shares. Soon after, the company was sold, and Arsene accepted a buyout.
After some soul-searching, in 2013 Irina founded an employment screening company. And after her yearlong noncompete clause expired, in 2015 she founded mindit.io, an AI-driven software engineering company. Specializing in custom software development, product engineering, artificial intelligence, data analytics, and enterprise application solutions, mindit.io’s services span the entire development lifecycle — from business research and consulting to architecture, implementation and post-launch support. Based in Zurich with delivery centers in Romania, it serves clients across Europe and the United States.
The beauty of a technology company is that you do not need a big team to have a worldwide impact. We have customers and projects where we impact millions of people every day.
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— Irina Arsene, Founder and CEO, mindit.io
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The company focuses on services, rather than products, because, as she puts it, services is the intersection of her strengths – people and technology.
AI – the cherry on top of the data sundae
Arsene is thankful for signing enterprise clients from the very beginning, giving her company the change to handle huge volumes of data.
“Ten years later, we are in a very sweet spot,” she says. At 270 employees, mindit.io is not a big company, she says, “But the beauty of a technology company is that you do not need a big team to have a worldwide impact. We have customers and projects where we impact millions of people every day.”
Arsene explains that data is the foundation of AI, and AI is really the cherry on top. “You have to have the right data, and then you have to have the knowledge and the experience to tailor AI for your needs; that’s what we do for our customers.”
Crediting hard work, and a bit of luck
Arsene does not discount the efforts she has poured into her career and her company, but she also says she feels incredibly lucky.
“I’m lucky with the curiosity I’ve always had,” she explains. “I’m super lucky with the people I’m surrounded by. On the team, we each do our part, but there’s also some luck involved with the customers we have, the resources I have access to, and it was luck that I was introduced to YPO at the Harvard OPM (Owners/Presidents Management) program. It changed my life.”
Arsene joined YPO in 2022 after learning about the world’s largest leadership community of chief executives from peers at the Harvard OPM. When she moved to Switzerland from Romania, she reached out to YPO. “It was the first thing that came to mind – a group of business people who would be local but still very international, like myself.”
Arsene admits to having a bit of an identity crisis when she separated from the company where she served as a director but is also thankful for the experience, as it led her to her role as an entrepreneur, building mindit.io. It also led her to identify first as a lifelong learner and explorer.
“I decided then I would never again identify myself with a role,” she explains. “When someone asks, I will never answer, ‘I’m an entrepreneur.’ Or, ‘I am the mother of Alexandru and Tudor.’ I will say ‘I am a lifelong learner and explorer’ – and I instantiate these in all the roles that I have in my life.”
Now, the little girl who once escaped into imaginary worlds through books is receiving accolades and awards for her work. And her real life? “It’s more beautiful than I allowed myself to dream,” she says.
YPO is proud to collaborate with EY, its Strategic Learning Advisor, to help global leaders drive innovation, accelerate growth and create long-term value. Learn from the successes of thousands of the world’s fastest-growing entrepreneurs and realize your ambition faster. Consider nominating yourself or a fellow entrepreneur for EY Entrepreneur Of The Year.
Tariff Tensions, AI Race, Inflation Fears: What CEOs Need to Know Now
Thursday, May 22, 2025
Economic uncertainty and geopolitical risks are raising concerns among chief executives and global investors. Goldman Sachs, in its Wealth Management Investment Strategy Group’s 2025 outlook for investors, identified the potential of a trade war between the United States and China, the ongoing Russia-Ukraine War, various conflicts in the Middle East, North Korea’s increased nuclear weapons capabilities, cyber threats and terrorism as key risks.
During an online gathering of YPO members on 23 April 2025, Goldman Sachs Vice President Rob Hunter adds, “But the main risk everyone’s talking about in recent days and weeks is the tariffs.”
He says current U.S. tariffs could surpass historical highs, but implementation remains uncertain. A geopolitical strategist on Goldman Sachs’ tactical asset allocation team and a member of the firm’s Wealth Management Investment Strategy Group, the former Marine and National Security Council adviser brings valuable experience from the Middle East to the boardroom.
Joining Hunter was Michael Murdoch, who joined the Investment Strategy Group in 2015 and focuses on strategic and tactical asset allocation for Goldman’s clients.
Hunter says the policy uncertainty around the tariffs is reflected in the economic indices, leading to tightened financial conditions, adding that the business community recently has become more vocal in expressing a need for more certainty from the administration.
Murdoch and Hunter acknowledge that the tariffs come with more questions than answers. The goals of the U.S. tariffs are focused on national security, Fentanyl, reshoring supply chains, reducing trade deficits and strategic competition with China, Hunter explains, adding, “The real question is whether any interim deals they reach on a reasonable timeline satisfy (U.S. President Donald) Trump, and will it calm markets?”
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Murdoch and Hunter addressed the chief executives’ questions, including about the role Congress plays in the long-standing checks and balances of the U.S. government.
Acknowledging that this Congress is unlikely to challenge the president, Hunter points out the political fallout faced by those who did during his first term.
“Republican primary voters, particularly, have made it clear they support Trump’s policies,” Hunter says. “Given the very tight margins in Congress, we should not expect this Congress to get involved in these policy issues.”
Tariffs are not the only risk
While Murdoch and Hunter advise investors and chief executives to remain positive on the markets and global economy overall, they identify several risks.
China’s expanded manufacturing exports are pressuring global markets, leading to global reactions to avoid overcapacity and “dumping” concerns. Military escalation by China toward Taiwan and the South China Sea is a low risk in the short term, but growing, Hunter warns. Cyber threats from China are an ongoing problem, as is the uncertainty around Russia-Ukraine ceasefire prospects and the escalating fears given Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
The financial markets are pricing in less than a 50% probability of a recession as of the call, but, Murdoch advises, the market anticipates weakness followed by recovery and strength. The tariffs, he adds, could push core inflation to nearly 4% this year, much higher than the 2.1% the group forecasted before the tariff announcements.
Then there is the geopolitical rivalry between the U.S. and China when it comes to AI, specifically around export controls on advanced chips, technology sharing policies and access to critical infrastructure and minerals.
Finally, the pair acknowledges the risks to the markets if the U.S. were to retreat from its role as a global leader.
There is good news
Murdoch says the current market and geopolitical uncertainty have not threatened the U.S. dollar’s place as the dominant global reserve currency.
“The U.S. dollar has been the dominant currency for 75 years, and despite some diversification across a range of currencies, there’s no singular standout,” he says. “It’s not just for the reserves, though. There is a great benefit for one primary currency used globally.”
He points out that about 70% of foreign currency debt is denominated in U.S. dollars, about 89% of currency pair transactions are in the dollar, 77-99% of trade invoicing outside the Eurozone is done in dollars, and most key commodities are still quoted in dollars.
Murdoch notes that despite recent volatility and some capital outflows, the U.S. dollar remains well-positioned, pointing out that China’s capital account is still relatively closed, and Europe faces recurring issues like sovereign debt crises. Despite these short- and mid-term risks to markets and global stability, Hunter and Murdoch offered the CEOs reasons for patience and staying the course. The long-term strategy still wins, and they emphasized, the U.S. market enjoys a track record of resilience.
“We’ve developed investment themes centering on U.S. preeminence and staying invested, and we believe those themes remain valid,” Hunter says.
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The Buy-In Crisis: Why NOW is the Time to Get Employees on Board
Friday, May 16, 2025
In today’s world of constant unrest — from geopolitical shifts to economic shocks – uncertainty isn’t a phase; it’s the playing field. To navigate it effectively, Dave Garrison, Co-Founder and Chief Navigation Officer of Garrison Growth, counsels his chief executive clients to lock in employee buy-in.
“We’re in a time of huge uncertainty,” Garrison explains. “The more things are unclear, the more we need to rely on every individual in our organization to be our eyes and ears on opportunities and problems.”
In his first book, out in June, “The Buy-In Advantage / Why Employees Stop Caring — and How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Give Their All,” the YPO member offers leaders everywhere a how-to manual to create buy-in at their organizations. He based the book on his learnings from his fellow YPO leaders – what worked for them – plus his own experiences as a CEO and board member.
He was encouraged to write it by a fellow YPO member who told Garrison he sometimes felt like he was climbing up a mountain, trailblazing for his company, setting direction and achieving new heights, but that when he looked down the mountain, he saw everyone else still at the mountain’s base.
“He is a great leader, lots of great ideas, but he was lacking buy-in,” Garrison explains. “The book goes through the process of what I do in my consulting business to help other great leaders take their businesses to the next level by getting everyone involved, getting everyone’s voices heard.”
A perfect storm
Millions are anxious about their futures – the first element of a three-part perfect storm that Garrison says is fueling today’s employee buy-in crisis. The other two? The pandemic, which prompted many to reevaluate their priorities and the role work plays in their lives, and Generation Z’s evolving attitude toward work.
“Yes, money is important to them, but so is purpose-matching and understanding what impact they can have on the business,” he says. “If they go into a culture where they’re just told what to do, they’ll either leave, or they’ll check out.”
So, buy-in = engagement.
Generating buy-in gives you a competitive advantage. And it costs nothing except time and intent.
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— Dave Garrison
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Garrison defines engagement as the kind of enthusiasm people bring to a Friday night football game — or a soccer match, depending on where you live.
“How do we unlock that same passion and apply it to what we want to get done at work?” Garrison asks. “The difference between the passion you give to what you do for fun and what you give to work creates a costly gap.”
Gaining the advantage
In his book, Garrison spells out the why, when and how leaders can build buy-in at their organizations – and gain the competitive advantage. He cites Gallup’s findings that companies with higher engagement enjoy higher profits, better customer satisfaction, better safety ratings and lower turnover rates.
“Who wouldn’t want that?” Garrison asks. “The good news is, most big companies don’t get this stuff. Generating buy-in gives you a competitive advantage. And it costs nothing except time and intent.”
Garrison promises that recruiting with your company’s clear, compelling purpose and values means hiring the right candidates – those more likely to be engaged and stick around. Reducing turnover – the result of high buy-in – is a surefire way to reduce costs.
While investors may focus primarily on metrics such as profits, revenue growth and gross margins, they seldom ask about employee turnover, Garrison says, adding that hyperfocus on profits puts you on a hamster wheel.
“To get off the hamster wheel, you have to recognize that people are what create profits,” he says. “And if you’re spending all your time recruiting and training, it’s hard to move the business forward.”
But people who are engaged, he argues, create and contribute ideas, and identify problems early.
“Our hope is that executives will see the value in monetary terms of recognizing people as human beings, not human doings.”
Tap the collective genius
One way Garrison advises leaders to garner buy-in is to lean into a theory he calls ‘collective genius.’ It is the idea that ‘all of us is smarter than any of us.’
“Collectively, we make better decisions, generate more options and spot opportunities faster,” he explains. “Leaders enjoy more success when they include others in decision-making.”
Garrison describes meetings where an idea is presented, but the discussion goes nowhere.
“People try to either argue with the idea, come up with a better idea or defend the idea, and the conversation leaves most of the people sitting on the sidelines watching ping pong,” he says.
The collective genius process considers that in any given group of people, half need time to process new information and the other half can react to it right away. Garrison advises assigning pre-reads for any meeting that requires decisions.
“Ask people to come equipped to discuss the ideas,” he explains. “And if you need to ask an important question, allow a minute of silence for people to gather their thoughts and write them down. Otherwise, people will forget what they were thinking and go into this ping pong of reacting to whatever is said.”
Keep meetings to six people or fewer to encourage productive discussions – any more than that and you’re inviting people to tune out. If more than six are involved, break into small groups, he advises.
“Our hope is that executives will see the value in monetary terms of recognizing people as human beings, not human doings.”
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— Dave Garrison, Author, “The Buy-In Advantage”
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“In groups of three, you cannot hide,” Garrison teases. “Discuss the question or idea in your smaller group, and then someone reports out to the larger group so we can get the collective genius.”
Maximize your return on people
In the face of ongoing uncertainty, buy-in is essential for survival. The trust and high engagement that creates buy-in, Garrison explains, make people feel like they’re in it together and are making a difference.
For instance, if layoffs are unavoidable, Garrison recommends acknowledging the brutal reality of the situation and calling it like it is.
“Tell them, ‘I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future, but what I do know is we have a compelling purpose in our company. That hasn’t changed. We have values that we treat each other by and live by. And we have a strategy to deal with this.”
While still hard for everyone, people who understand your organization’s purpose understand that layoffs are not what you want.
Though leaders may occasionally take people for granted, Garrison argues it’s not intentional.
“It’s because we’ve never been taught how to think about return on people, he says. “The buy-in advantage is return on people: return on people’s experience, return on people’s ideas, and return on people’s enthusiasm.”
