How I Succeeded: Talend’s Stephen Singer

How I Succeeded is a regular series on Lifehacker where we ask business leaders for the secrets and tactics behind their success. Today: Stephen Singer from Talend.

Current gig: ANZ country manager for Talend

Location: Sydney, Australia

Current mobile device: Apple iPhones 6S

Current computer: Dell Latitude E7470

One word that best describes how you work: Efficiently

What apps/software/tools can’t you live without?

Messaging apps, Outlook, Salesforce.com and Excel.

What social network do you find the most useful?

LinkedIn and Navigator.

What were the most important lessons you learned while growing your business?

It may sound counterintuitive, but from the sales side of an organisation you need to put selling “stuff” second and first and foremost you need to listen to your clients and do whatever you can to help them grow and be successful.

What has been the most surprising part of your business journey?

Working in Australia. A few years back I was working in Toronto, Canada, and spent the vast majority of my time in North America and never really thought about working on the other side of the world. Now, I get to work and travel throughout the Asia Pacific region from and Australia and New Zealand to Japan, Singapore, and Hong Kong etc., and have grown exponentially in business and as a person.

What everyday thing are you better at than anyone else?

Asking questions. Never being afraid to ask questions even if they sound silly and then more importantly, actually listening to the response.

What’s your sleep routine like?

I try to be in bed by 10:30pm at the latest and get up by 6am at the latest.

What advice would you offer to other businesses on how to succeed?

Hire people that are smarter then you, that bring complementing skills sets. Communicate openly and honestly with your team so that the company moves in the right direction towards a common goal, and most importantly make sure that your customers are successful with whatever service/product you provide for them.


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