As far back as 1985, Bluescape chief Peter Jackson has been able to call himself a CEO. He admits though, back then, he didn’t nearly know enough about the job and what it entailed.
“I think it’s probably through the trials and tribulations of those 30+ years and having to go back to school a bit too, I started to learn it’s a tough job to be a CEO and there’s a composition of tools you need to have on an organic basis to be decent at it.”
These days, it’s fair to say Jackson knows a little bit more about the job. Throughout the years, he has founded and led several startup tech companies to acquisition and IPO exits. His latest move was joining San Carlos, California-based Bluescape in October 2017, a company which makes virtual workspace technology. The company was founded on the idea that companies were running out of wall space and whiteboard space to collaborate on new projects. Its software offers workspace collaboration capabilities on a touchscreen that can be presented virtually on a wall.
The company has seen significant growth in the past year as CEOs have been pressured to enact digital transformation initiatives. “When I took the job two years ago, it was very risky for me because I didn’t see the cost of hardware coming down yet and I didn’t see the innovation leaders pushing towards it. And literally in the last 12 months, we’ve gone from a cute little company to a fast-growing company because we are now a part of the future of Dell, the future of [cell phone] carriers and 5G, the future of a Ford manufacturing company.”
Chief Executive chatted with Jackson about recruiting tech talent in a tight labor market, the idea of the modern elder in Silicon Valley leadership, and more. Below are excerpts from this conversation.
I sort of felt when I got here that our ability to recruit talent was almost impossible. We weren’t growing. People look at equity as wallpaper if they don’t see a growth path. And so you sort of stagnate…not just on vision but on productivity. You’re fighting to get head counts and you’re not getting the ones who have the experience in the particular areas you need. That was real tough. Those talented people can pick and choose where they want to go and know that they’re going to get a public offer from an Uber, Slack or wherever. They’re saying, ‘I came in two years ago so I could buy my two-bedroom condo for $1.7 million.’ It’s a rat race for sure and it’s a tough market to get a talent. It’s tough on the people too—they’re making $100 grand, they’re living on the edge, and they are spending 2-3 hours per day in traffic.
It’s a really tough environment. I think the shift for us…a lot of it has to do with faith and trust and who the senior management [can bring on]. It’s your Rolodex in a sense. One of my first hires I got was bringing over a guy who I had hired out of college 20 years ago who was working at Tanium, which was a great company. He just said, ‘I just want to go fight the battle with you. Whatever the financial differences are after taxes doesn’t matter. It’s more about my heart as long as it’s within reason.’ He came in and then two other people came in. And then on the engineering side, I hired the guy who built flash for Adobe. He was looking at a number of different things in the interview process and we just sort of hit it off. He’s a great guy and I really needed somebody like that. He literally has brought in about 35 people that had worked for him at Adobe or BlackBerry.
And we opened an office in Waterloo, Ontario and added a dozen and a half people up there. We expanded more into Vancouver. We had a bunch of local Bay Area people came on board.
I came from a different background than most leaders when I came into the real world. My natural instincts were about listening, communicating and trying to figure out what people were feeling, whether they were telling me or not. You may lose your point of view, don’t take it personally, but it was really valuable that I heard it. I took that approach.
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1:00 - 5:00 pm
Over 70% of Executives Surveyed Agree: Many Strategic Planning Efforts Lack Systematic Approach Tips for Enhancing Your Strategic Planning Process
Executives expressed frustration with their current strategic planning process. Issues include:
Steve Rutan and Denise Harrison have put together an afternoon workshop that will provide the tools you need to address these concerns. They have worked with hundreds of executives to develop a systematic approach that will enable your team to make better decisions during strategic planning. Steve and Denise will walk you through exercises for prioritizing your lists and steps that will reset and reinvigorate your process. This will be a hands-on workshop that will enable you to think about your business as you use the tools that are being presented. If you are ready for a Strategic Planning tune-up, select this workshop in your registration form. The additional fee of $695 will be added to your total.
2:00 - 5:00 pm
Female leaders face the same issues all leaders do, but they often face additional challenges too. In this peer session, we will facilitate a discussion of best practices and how to overcome common barriers to help women leaders be more effective within and outside their organizations.
Limited space available.
10:30 - 5:00 pm
General’s Retreat at Hermitage Golf Course
Sponsored by UBS
General’s Retreat, built in 1986 with architect Gary Roger Baird, has been voted the “Best Golf Course in Nashville” and is a “must play” when visiting the Nashville, Tennessee area. With the beautiful setting along the Cumberland River, golfers of all capabilities will thoroughly enjoy the golf, scenery and hospitality.
The golf outing fee includes transportation to and from the hotel, greens/cart fees, use of practice facilities, and boxed lunch. The bus will leave the hotel at 10:30 am for a noon shotgun start and return to the hotel after the cocktail reception following the completion of the round.
