In this episode, Jamie speaks with long-time senior technology executive David Weiss, Operating Partner at Thoma Bravo and Clearhaven Partners. Jamie finished the interview, turned to her producer and said, “Now that is what excellence in leadership looks like!” David says that while many leaders have a gift of natural charisma, he relies on a very intentional approach to leadership that has turned out to be a strength. Drawing upon Eduardo Briceno’s work, he advises leaders and teams to know when they are in the “performance zone” and when they are in the “learning zone.” He describes the stages he sees companies grow through and why assessing complexity is just as important as measuring revenue. David gives us a short primer on how private equity firms work and discusses 3 of 10 levers of scale he has identified. One of those levers is culture and he introduces his very interesting “Energy Creator Framework” making the case that it’s not enough to make sure you have the right people; your organization needs the right energy from those people. David is an extraordinary leader; you will find yourself playing and replaying this episode in the weeks to come.

During this episode, David refers to the following work:

• The Performance Paradox: Turning the Power of Mindset into Action by Eduardo Briceno

• What Leaders Really Do by John Kotter (especially Chapter 3)

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