#72: Shantanu Narayen, Adobe Chairman & CEO—Plant the Vision

Today’s guest is Shantanu Narayen, the Chairman and CEO of Adobe.

It’s the leader’s job to communicate the vision of the company in a way that ignites the hearts and minds of the people they lead and plant the flag of a big idea. Our teams don’t show up simply for the paycheck. They want something bigger to be a part of, a compelling vision to get behind that infuses all kinds of meaning and passion into their day to day.

Since 2018, Adobe’s valuation has tripled and is now at 300 billion dollars. That type of growth is possible because of the work Shantanu has done to lead his team toward a compelling vision. Adobe is a team of innovators and they’re chasing a vision they believe in, one their team is pursuing together, and with passion. There’s a lot we can learn from Shantanu and how he’s igniting the hearts and minds of the people he leads.

In this episode, you’ll learn:



• How a software engineer becomes a CEO, and what roads and flags have to do with it


• How to prioritize long-term innovation AND short-term execution


• How to disrupt your own company in order to stay ahead of competitors


• Why having data AND a narrative matters in an Adobe performance review


• Why this year’s stock price is not a good indicator of current performance


• PLUS, Why your vision may not yet be aspirational ENOUGH