Question 1

What are the key takeaways from Marc Benioff's episode on Lenny's Podcast?

Accepted Answer

1. Find the winning tactic, then turn it into a winning strategy - entrepreneurs should throw everything against the wall like Chris Rock testing jokes in clubs, because you cannot know in advance what will work. 2. Cultivate beginner's mind over expert's mind - after 45 years of writing software, Benioff deliberately clears his mind through meditation to stay open to every possibility rather than defaulting to what he already knows. 3. Think of yourself as a startup no matter how large you grow - Salesforce at $38 billion in revenue and 75,000 employees is still a startup in Benioff's mind because the moment you stop thinking that way, you stop innovating. 4. Be an orchestra leader, not a clarinet player - founders who narrowcast themselves to just product or just technology do a disservice to everyone; you must play the whole symphony of sales, marketing, product, stakeholders, and customers. 5. There is no linear success - the entrepreneurial journey is a rock-and-roll roller coaster, and the right mindset is to embrace the next failure, success, and innovation with equal eagerness rather than clinging to stability.

Question 2

What does Marc Benioff say about experimentation and beginner-mind?

Accepted Answer

"I am looking to try to find the winning tactic and turn it into a winning strategy. I don't know actually which one of those things is going to be the most important thing in launching this product, so I'm trying a lot of things with that old expression. I'm throwing everything against the wall. I'm looking at what's going to stick. Then, once I find that thing, I will then grow that as my strategy." - Marc Benioff "One of my friends is Chris Rock, the comedian. He just doesn't go out and do a Netflix special with all of his jokes. He's out there testing his jokes in clubs and doing all kinds of crazy things. By the time it gets to the big Netflix special, he knows what works and what doesn't work. So that is something that we all have to do as entrepreneurs. We need to be testing lots of things. We need a lot of experimentation, and we can't be too arrogant." - Marc Benioff "We have to be cultivating our beginner's mind. We have to use our mindfulness in a way to clear everything out and then get back to, "What is my beginner's mind?" In the beginner's mind, I have every possibility, but in the expert's mind, I have few, and in some cases, maybe none. I don't want to have an expert's mind. I want to have a beginner's mind." - Marc Benioff

Question 3

What are Marc Benioff's views on experimentation, beginner-mind, leadership?

Accepted Answer

Marc Benioff: "I am looking to try to find the winning tactic and turn it into a winning strategy. I don't know actually which one of those things is going to be the most important thing in launching this product, so I'm trying a lot of things with that old expression. I'm throwing everything against the wall. I'm looking at what's going to stick. Then, once I find that thing, I will then grow that as my strategy." Marc Benioff: "One of my friends is Chris Rock, the comedian. He just doesn't go out and do a Netflix special with all of his jokes. He's out there testing his jokes in clubs and doing all kinds of crazy things. By the time it gets to the big Netflix special, he knows what works and what doesn't work. So that is something that we all have to do as entrepreneurs. We need to be testing lots of things. We need a lot of experimentation, and we can't be too arrogant."

Marc Benioff

Behind the founder: Marc Benioff

TRANSCRIPT

Marc Benioff

Behind the founder: Marc Benioff

Marc Benioff

Behind the founder: Marc Benioff

TRANSCRIPT

Marc Benioff

Behind the founder: Marc Benioff