Love the Problem, Not the Solution | Jonathon Hensley (Emerge Interactive) | DH067

As you'd expect for a Tech CEO, Jonathan Hensley is a busy man.

Day to day, Jonathan Hensley serves as both the CEO of Emerge Interactive and as the technology advisor for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The tech titan who was raised in The Bay has seen his industry explode before his eyes dating back to his boyhood, well aware of both the game-changing innovation and the high-priced fluff that’s come and gone over the years.

Because of all this, Jonathan knows exactly what it takes to have staying power and growth.

The secret? Technology isn’t about computers, it’s about people. More importantly, it’s about their problems.

“Technology is the moment someone decides they’re hungry,” says Jonathan Hensley on this episode of the Digital Hospitality podcast.

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Digital Hospitality: A CaliBBQ.Media Podcast

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RELATED LINKS —

Emerge Interactive: 

Emerge Interactive is a Digital Product Agency based in Portland, Oregon. 

"A great idea is just the beginning. Through every stage of the product life cycle, Emerge is a brain-trust dedicated to forward thinking, creating value for our clients and the customers they serve, building digital products people love and use."

Schedule a Call with Emerge at https://calendly.com/emergeinteractive/initial-consult/?month=2020-12

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathonhensley/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/jonathonhensley

Team Emerge Interactive is Inspired by Innovators:

Emerge Interactive solves complex digital product challenges.

As they state on their website: "When you can’t afford to get it wrong we’re here to help. We create smart products, web and mobile solutions."

Learn more online at https://www.emergeinteractive.com/about/

Inspired by the likes of Steve Jobs and the Apple innovator’s keen sense of using tech as functional, problem solving tools, Jonathan Hensley and his team at Emerge Interactive are all about adding value to all involved.

“The most successful companies are shifting from command and control to servant leadership,” Jonathan Hensley said in our rich and entertaining conversation.

“A company can enter a market with a million options and completely dominate the market because they understand the customer. They understand that the customer is looking for something different and they’re willing to serve their needs and really listen and engage with them. You can’t ever stop doing that.”

When Jonathan says you can never stop listening and engaging, he means it.

“The companies that stop growing and stop scaling are the ones that stop listening to customers,” emphasizes Jonathan. “You go to customers to understand their needs and problems. The companies that do really well fall in love with the problem, not their idea of the solution.”

Falling in love with the problem, not their idea of the solution, is the real key here.

The only way to fall in love with the problem is to listen to the customer and deliver care, concern and solutions in a very human way even if it’s done digitally.

“How do you think about engaging people’s emotions and needs through technology?” Jonathan Hensley asked. “You’ve got to start with the fundamentals. Technology comes with this promise that it will solve all these problems, but it usually doesn’t come with fair expectations after that. Technology is only half the equation, and it’s only as good as the people that are using it. So, how do you actually empower the people? You have to understand that.”

Empowering the people for leaders like Jonathan is a two-way street. As a CEO of a digital product agency, Jonathan has to be in touch with the needs of his client and the morale of his staff.

“Happy employees mean happier customers and we have to look at how technology serv...