EP 61 - Ben Slater

Ben Slater, the CMO of Marketing at Beamery, shares his journey and insights in this conversation. He discusses his fascination with history and how it shaped his curiosity and decision-making. Ben also talks about his transition into marketing and the importance of company building. He shares a failure he experienced and the lessons he learned from it. The conversation touches on the topics of burnout, finding purpose in work, and the impact of positive feedback. Ben recommends the book 'The Long Road to Freedom' by Nelson Mandela. In this conversation, Ben Slater, CMO of Beamery, discusses the importance of community, empathy, and category creation in marketing. He shares how his parents have shaped his leadership style, the challenges of making tough decisions in marketing, and the power of building a community. Ben also emphasizes the need for clear and direct feedback, the value of focusing on quality over quantity in events, and the impact of AI on human intelligence. He concludes by highlighting the upcoming Spark Live event and where to find more information about Beamery.

Keywords

History, marketing, company building, failure, burnout, purpose, positive feedback, book recommendation, community, empathy, category creation, marketing, leadership, tough decisions, feedback, events, AI, human intelligence, Spark Live, Beamery

Takeaways

• Curiosity and a fascination with history can shape decision-making and career paths.
• Building a company involves facing failures and challenges, but perseverance and a growth mindset are key.
• Burnout is a real issue, and it's important to prioritize self-care and find fulfillment in work.
• Having a strong personal purpose and aligning it with the purpose of the business can drive motivation and success.
• Positive feedback and seeing the impact of one's work can provide motivation and counterbalance the challenges. Building a community is essential in business, both in B2C and B2B contexts.
• Empathy is crucial in leadership, especially in difficult conversations.
• Direct and clear feedback is more effective and empathetic than the compliment sandwich approach.
• Investing in quality and focused events can be more valuable than attending large-scale conferences.
• AI should be used to augment human intelligence and provide insights for better decision-making.
• Category creation requires a sustained investment in content, messaging, and repetition to build resonance in the market.
• The Spark Live event celebrates human intelligence and addresses the challenges of AI in the talent and HR space.
• Ben Slater can be found on LinkedIn, and more information about Beamery and Spark Live can be found on the Beamery website.

Sound Bites

• "I was pretty fascinated by history growing up."
• "Building a company from the ground up, I think is almost an exercise in failure in many ways."
• "You need an environment where it is okay to fail and where you're encouraging people to take risk."
• "Our ability to be successful relies on how we understand the people that we work with."
• "Direct and clear feedback is the kindest way of communicating."
• "You don't have to do [trade shows and conferences]."

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Childhood Fascination with History

03:32 Building Companies and Embracing Failure

08:07 The Power of Authenticity and Positive Feedback

12:14 Book Recommendation: 'The Long Road to Freedom'

31:01 Making Tough Decisions in Marketing

35:41 The Importance of Building a Community

42:06 Augmenting Human Intelligence with AI

47:31 Spark Live: Celebrating Human Intelligence