An Interview With Cynthia Corsetti
Unlocking non-Business As Usual (BAU) vision
C-suite executives have to give themselves and their teams the ability to focus beyond Business As Usual. We find that a lot of leaders and teams in digital tech are completely swamped by BAU demands and they don’t have time to think about anything else. But given the speed of AI-driven change, leaders really need to think big. And as a consultancy we step in as trusted partners to help them think strategically about their business.
When it comes to business leadership, challenges are omnipresent. From rapidly changing market dynamics to technological disruptions, executives today grapple with multifaceted issues that directly impact their decision-making and strategic orientations. What really keeps the leaders of today’s corporate world awake at night? How do they navigate through these turbulent times to ensure the growth and stability of their organizations? As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Leon Gauhman.
Leon Gauhman is co-founder and chief product & strategy officer at digital product consultancy Elsewhen. Elsewhen’s clients include companies like Spotify, Google and Mastercard. The company’s mission is to empower leaders to harness a cutting edge approach to design and technology to deliver positive impact for their organisations. Leon writes for publications including Sifted, Venturebeat, City AM and Fintech Futures. He loves using his experience in engineering and product to invest in promising early stage founders.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive into our discussion about communication, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?
I’m a bit of a citizen of the world: I was born in Latvia, I grew up in Israel and I’ve travelled extensively around Asia and the US before moving to London where I studied contemporary media practice at the University of Westminster. In terms of my professional skill set, I originally trained as an artist before teaching myself to become a software engineer.
Elsewhen was founded by me and two other engineers — Filippo Angelini and Tadhg McCarthy, back in 2011. We launched the company in response to the frustration we all shared at the lack of genuine tech knowledge which we experienced when working in traditional consultancies. We wanted to fix what we saw as a glaring lack of quality and consistency in digital products and software.
So we took matters into our own hands by creating our own consultancy. Our mission was (and still is) to create digital products that are perfectly engineered and user focussed, with a seamless connection between people and things.
We started by building products for clients and quickly realised that we needed to control the design process as well. It also became clear that the people creating strategies for these products had no idea what they were doing, they were a bunch of MBAs with no experience in technology. The strategies they set were business strategies which didn’t translate well into successful product development. We decided that we also needed control over the “why” and the “how” involved in creating a product, narrowing the gap between strategy and implementation. This approach means we can make sure everything we do fits into one fluid process that delivers the best possible outcomes, is highly focussed on the customer and solves real world business problems. So we became an end to end consultancy, organically from the ground up. As a company we place strategy, design, build and implementation on equal footing which is quite unusual.
In the past decade, we’ve used this approach to grow our client base across a wide range of industries, including high-profile brand projects with the likes of Mastercard, Google, Spotify, Bupa and various FTSE 100 companies.
As our consultancy has evolved, our particular focus has become bringing consumer grade user experiences to the enterprise and b2b space. Traditionally, this market has been quite underserved when it comes to designing and building delightful user experiences. Yet why shouldn’t employees love using enterprise software and tools in the same way they love using Apple products or well designed consumer apps such as Uber?
Today, a lot of the work we do is in the data space because that’s an area of untapped value in organisations. We create data products and data platforms that can reinvent a businesses’ operational model, fuelling transformational change. Generative AI is a very natural fit within that. With our clients, we are currently focusing on how to use Gen AI to redesign their operations to make their employees more productive, creative and ultimately generate more revenue for the company.
You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
Collaboration is a hugely important value of mine. My co-founders and I met when we were all working on a job together, so it’s in our DNA to collaborate, and grow ideas. As we’ve scaled, we’ve sought to hire people who are exceptional at their craft in terms of strategy, design and engineering. But they also love working with others; they love to collaborate, challenge and to be challenged themselves. It’s such an important trait to have, if you want to grow as a leader.
I’m also good at spotting patterns in large volumes of information, and using those patterns to connect the dots, create new ideas and identify any roadblocks. I’m able to build this strategic picture fairly early on in the process of working with a client — and often in a way that shines a light on hidden opportunities, or gaps that have been missed.
Finally, I’m decisive and I push my clients and my team to be the same. When you work in the corporate space, it’s vital to have leaders and teams that can make decisions swiftly, paving the way to concrete progress. I’m happy to drive that process through — to take ownership of decisions and be very upfront about strategy choices — even when it feels uncomfortable. I’ve found that if clients don’t make the hard decisions at a strategic level, there is a price to pay down the line, when it comes to implementation and that delivers really poor outcomes. We have all used common enterprise software that we have hated and that’s because key people responsible for the software, failed to make hard decisions.
Leadership often entails making difficult decisions or hard choices between two apparently good paths. Can you share a story with us about a hard decision or choice you had to make as a leader? I’m curious to understand how these challenges have shaped your leadership.
Strategy is about making choices. Very often our clients have a broad vision but don’t know how to take the first steps. A key part of our strategy work is helping clients to decide on the trade-off involved in creating a standout digital product. For example, we recently helped design a cash flow management solution for a client of ours in the SME banking sector. The SME sector covers everything from sole traders to businesses with a £300m ($366m) turnover. Their operational and finance needs are very different across this sector. Our challenge was to help the client focus on the SME segment where they could have most success. We believed they needed to build a product to solve a particular SME segment’s problem, rather than a generic product that tried to cater to the entire segment’s needs.
So, we helped the client decide to zero in by serving one group’s needs — and we did so using data rather than opinions. That led the client to target the larger SMEs, those with significant turnover, Chief Finance Officers and a finance department, which are at that early stage of formation. This group is poorly served by existing solutions on the market. We found interesting ways to add value by offering a unique product proposition in the cash flow management space.
What do you believe are the top five concerns currently preoccupying the minds of C-suite executives, and why?
- AI and how to take advantage of it
The speed of transformation following the launch of ChatGPT last year has been unlike anything we’ve seen before. AI will change the face of every industry, which means there’s zero room for complacency. Companies that “fall asleep at the wheel” are going to find themselves upended by companies that are AI-native or AI-enabled. Businesses need to find their way to become AI-enabled as quickly as possible. The challenge now for C-suites across the board is to understand where and how to create AI-enabled tech — using various paradigms such as assistants or co-pilots — to drive the most significant business impact. This isn’t about replacing people, but instead freeing up talent to focus on work that AI can’t do.
2. Unlocking non-Business As Usual (BAU) vision
C-suite executives have to give themselves and their teams the ability to focus beyond Business As Usual. We find that a lot of leaders and teams in digital tech are completely swamped by BAU demands and they don’t have time to think about anything else. But given the speed of AI-driven change, leaders really need to think big. And as a consultancy we step in as trusted partners to help them think strategically about their business.
3. Optimisation and efficiency
There are huge opportunities to use AI to optimise business efficiencies. Pioneers such as OpenAI aim to make AI enterprise ready from the outset. Given the current challenging economic environment, businesses have to be highly effective and optimisation is key to achieving that. AI can also transform operational models. In my view, exploring how AI can optimise existing processes and rethink operational models is a goal that all leaders should have at the top of their agendas.
4. Focus on sustainability
With Cop 28 approaching fast on the horizon, and consumers leading the charge for positive change, there’s no longer a place to hide when it comes to environmental responsibility. As a matter of urgency, C-suite execs are examining how to reduce and minimise their footprint on multiple fronts (internal ops, supply chains, digital activations etc). And there’s a pleasing symmetry between this and the above three goals, too. If you can think beyond BAU to AI-driven optimisation efforts, you’ll find it easier to reach sustainability targets. Each priority overlaps and complements the next.
5. The impact of high interest rates on the economy
The reality is, interest rates aren’t dropping anytime soon and we may not have even reached the peak of inflation yet or felt its impact in full. Within this febrile outlook, CEOs with their finger on the pulse will need to think big and work out new ways to deliver value to customers while driving profit. Again, we can see how these various points overlap, starting with AI-enabled efficiencies, then leaders needing to move beyond BAU and think about using AI to help deliver a more agile, proactive and sustainable operational model that can be tailored to leaner times ahead.
In the face of rapid technological advancements and market shifts, do you find that you need to constantly recalibrate your strategies to ensure sustained growth?
Yes — being able to respond to rapid shifts within the global tech and market landscape is part of our DNA as a business as well as a key part of what we deliver to clients. Our clients tend to be large corporations that can be slower to respond to change. They rely on us to act as a testing ground for new digital technologies and processes. We have the ability to deliver rapid business change via digitalisation, product innovation and increasingly AI transformation. It’s the core of what we do, both internally for our business and for our clients. In fact, if you looked at our consultancy two years ago, it’s in a different place, operationally, to where we are today — because of the value we place on adaptability and change.
For example, we’ve rolled out our services around AI very quickly this year. We’ve sought to embed AI into our full suite of engineering and design product practices, in order to deliver value to our clients via solutions that are faster, better and cheaper than before.
With the emergence of AI, blockchain, and other transformative technologies, how do you determine which tech trends are worth investing in?
Some tech trends, for example blockchain or the rise of AR, are a bit ahead of their time. That’s not to say that they won’t play a significant role in the future. But, because technology companies have obtained funding relatively easily over the past few decades, some of these technologies arguably entered the market too early. As a result currently they’re a solution in search of a problem. These technologies will have a slower growth curve than others; and they may also involve a bit of a learning process to understand or realise their value.
Interestingly, AI has been around for a long time but over the past year we have seen more AI development than in the previous decade. AI suddenly took off. Today anyone can start working with AI services such as ChatGPT within five minutes of opening an account, without any technical knowledge. When new technology is that easy to use, you know things will really start to accelerate.
With increasing digital threats, how are you prioritising cybersecurity, and what measures are you taking to protect your organisation’s assets?
As a digitally native business, cybersecurity is an integral part of how we write software. It’s not an added layer and there is no legacy tech. Instead, we take a modern approach whereby cyber security is threaded into everything we do. It’s the basis of what a good DevOpsSec culture looks like; and it’s a process that begins from the ground up (rather than being added or honed retrospectively).
Ultimately the biggest cybersecurity threat is the human factor. However robust your systems are, there will always be an element that is vulnerable to scams or attacks that occur when the human in the loop is manipulated. So, having a digital native workforce that is vigilant about this risk — and about the fact that the risk is ongoing and evolving, helps a lot.
As a top executive, how do you manage stress and maintain mental well-being? Do you have any personal practices or routines that help you stay centred?
I’ve been practising Aikido, a Japanese form of martial art, for more than a decade now. For me it’s like a superpower. I find there are a lot of parallels between what I learn in my training at Aikido of London and how I show up in daily life. It’s a form of self-defence that pits you against yourself and pushes you to the limit; which is extremely helpful when it comes to dealing with difficult, high stakes situations.
The challenge in these moments is to find ways to calm your mind. Instead of getting caught up in the chaos of your head, you want to be able to disengage and look at things with a sense of clarity. Aikido helps with that. I also have other routines, e.g. meditation and surfing, that I use to unwind and deal with everyday stress.
What habits or practices have been most instrumental in your personal and professional growth?
I use a weekly review as a way to keep myself accountable; it allows me to keep track of my own self-development. Every Sunday, I write down in a journal how my week has gone. I list what I’ve achieved, as well as the things I can improve or do better on. I think of it as a blueprint that connects where I’m at currently and where I want to be. And it also helps me move beyond BAU, by providing an outline of that bigger-picture vision that’s easy to miss in the day-to-day rhythm of work and life.
Meditation is another great way of reviewing my own thought processes; as well as giving scope to check in on myself, my mind and my body. So I do it at least once a day.
Then in terms of the content I consume, I always choose reading above all else. The amount of information you can process when reading is above and beyond any other medium (e.g. podcasts). You’re able to learn a lot faster, in my experience.
The business world is evolving faster than ever. How do you ensure you’re constantly updating your knowledge and staying ahead of the curve?
Curation is key. There is so much information out there, you need to find a good source of curation to focus on what’s important. I read the FT, Bloomberg and Hacker News which aggregates top industry articles as soon as they’re published, providing a snapshot view of what’s happening at any one point in time. I also have a good read it later app, that I can bookmark things and read when I have time. It’s been key for me to stay on top of things that I need to read without interrupting my daily schedule
The importance of diversity and inclusion in the workplace has been emphasised more than ever. Do you have any initiatives promoting diversity and inclusion in your organisation
In general, we hire at a very senior level at Elsewhen — which means diversity is a key concern. Without it, you cannot have the breadth and richness of perspective that is core to our user-centric approach. This is especially true of engineering, where a historic lack of diversity continues to limit the kinds of technologies we, as an industry, can create. To that end, at Elsewhen we have a ramp which we use to bring people from more diverse backgrounds into our engineering team. New joiners start off working on our internal projects and tooling until they are ready to work on client projects. This approach teaches them engineering skills and also what it means to work in a consultancy alongside design and strategy practitioners and clients.
Can you share a piece of feedback or advice you received that significantly altered your leadership approach or philosophy?
Slow down in order to take people with you. It’s all too tempting to plunge right ahead with a particular idea or strategy, especially when you’re excited about it and convinced of its potential. Because moving ahead too quickly risks leaving colleagues or clients behind.
Whenever I have some new avenue of insight or learning, I take time to make sure other people are aligned, even if doing so makes it seem as though the decision process or the time to action slows down.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Being able to focus inwards on yourself is very powerful. It’s important to fix what needs work in you and to get better at being you. In the zen tradition of progression to enlightenment, there is this concept of the 10 oxes or bulls. Each describes a level of progress towards increased self awareness. Only the very last 10th stage is about returning wisdom and compassion back to society. I think if more people took this approach, the world would be a better place.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Please do take a look at our case studies on Elsewhen.com or connect with me on LinkedIn.
Thank you for the time you spent sharing these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!
About the Interviewer: Cynthia Corsetti is an esteemed executive coach with over two decades in corporate leadership and 11 years in executive coaching. Author of the upcoming book, “Dark Drivers,” she guides high-performing professionals and Fortune 500 firms to recognize and manage underlying influences affecting their leadership. Beyond individual coaching, Cynthia offers a 6-month executive transition program and partners with organizations to nurture the next wave of leadership excellence.
C-Suite Concerns: Leon Gauhman Of Elsewhen On The Top 5 Issues That Keep Executives Up at Night was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.