097: Why hierarchy interferes with growth with Talal Shamoon, CEO of Intertrust

Andrea is joined by Intertrust CEO Talal Shamoon. Talal talks about adaptability in business, why the absence of strict hierarchy can be an advantage and why your team and the tools you give them are one of the greatest assets for any CEO. Talal is an entrepreneur by nature and talks about how this has aided his success and gives his thoughts on different CEO archetypes including detailed feedback on Elon Musks' leadership style.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Intertrust has transformed what they see to be one of the biggest modern business problems, allowing competitors to cooperate without having to collaborate.
• Silicon Valley is not so much about the company or the idea it’s about the team that works together. Frequently, people who have complementary skills work together and move from company to company.
• Intertrust has remained a very agile company despite its size and age, it’s always adapted to fit the needs of consumers and to take opportunities.
• Talal has set up the company structure to have less hierarchy, if someone knows more than him, he listens to them.
• Intertrust pays attention to its size, if they get too big they assess and have sold parts in the past. They find that once they get past the 150-employee mark they meet different challenges.
• Life isn’t easier as a CEO if you treat others with respect and run an ethical business.
• Elon Musk is often criticised, but he leads from the front and has the ability to help anyone get their job done when they’re struggling.
• Hiring very specialised people and matching your team effectively to the problem you want to solve, means you can solve problems that others may feel are impossible.
• As a leader, you need to give your team the right tools so they can succeed.
• Talal never makes decisions by himself, he has a group of people that he trusts to help him work through them.

BEST BITS

“This company is very rare, it’s been evergreen it’s entire life”

“There’s no real hierarchy we organise around problems that need to be solved”

“To create shareholder value I have to ensure the team remains the best team in the world”

“You team around tasks and problems you don’t create a hierarchy”

“Companies like Motorola and Nokia had to die for companies like Apple and Samsung to be born”

“It’s teams and tools”

“I never make decisions by myself… I don’t hold the truth, I don’t own the truth, no one owns the truth”

“Ultimately the best way to learn is from other people”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Like the show? Please leave or write a review on your favorite podcast platform!

Let Andrea know your thoughts or share your comments via LinkedIn or via email

For more information on Andrea’s work and access to other valuable resources, please visit the website  

 If you don’t want to miss any episode and receive the full article in your inbox, subscribe today to our blog

Need more? Book a 30 min call here: https://calendly.com/andreapetrone/strategy-call-30.

ABOUT THE GUEST

Talal Shamoon became Intertrust’s CEO in 2003. 

Under his leadership, Intertrust has grown from a small R&D and licensing company to a global leader in trusted computing products and services, licensing, and standardization. 

Today, Intertrust’s inventions enable billions of licensed products worldwide and its products are globally deployed. 

He joined Intertrust in 1997 as a member of the research staff, and then held a series of executive positions, including Executive Vice President for Business Development and Marketing. 

An electrical engineer and computer scientist by training, Talal was a researcher at the NEC Research Institute in Princeton, NJ, where he focused on digital signal processing and content security. 

He sits on several company boards – he is a member of the board of directors at Intertrust and on the advisory board of Iron Pillar.  

A recognized inventor, published author, and frequent public speaker,with a Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from Cornell University.

ABOUT THE HOST

My name is Andrea Petrone. I'm a Human Performance and Leadership Advisor, Executive Coach and International Speaker. I help leaders and their teams to change their mindsets and master their leadership capabilities so they can achieve extraordinary performance. I've been in the corporate world for more than 20 years working globally - in 6 countries and 3 continents - for medium-large companies.