Ep 168: Khurrum Malik of Spotify - "The Socratic Leader"

Khurrum Malik is the Head of Global Business Marketing at Spotify, which makes him and his team responsible for bringing the company’s benefits to listeners and advertisers alike. It also places him at the border crossing of creativity and technology.

The pressure from both sides of those territories is relentless. And you can’t manage them alone for long without being run over.

Science versus uncertainty. Data versus instinct. The art of leading companies that rely on creative thinking and innovation requires - or more accurately, demands - that you are open and available and supporters of all.

It also demands that you bring in help to stand alongside you.

People with their own talents, experiences and passions.

A team that you trust to share your beliefs and your principles.

Today, it’s never been harder to build that team.

Creativity is the most human - perhaps uniquely human - characteristic. It is revealed by a problem, powered by a tolerance for risk and scaled by the capacity to trust.

For every company, your growth potential and your trajectory is directly correlated to your leadership’s capacity to engender trust.

I’m going to have a lot more to say about this in an upcoming episode. But for now, this quick checklist will help.

At the end of every call, make a quick note to yourself that captures the answers to these four questions.

Did I ask them how they were? Do I remember what they said?

Did I say what I meant? Did I mean what I said?

If you can’t honestly, hand on heart honestly, answer yes to every question after every call — every call — you have a trust gap.

And until you close it, you’ll have a creativity and innovation gap.