S2 - Episode #5: Christian Rebernik - CEO and Founder - Tomorrow University of Applied Sciences
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About Christian:
Christian Rebernik is an accomplished entrepreneur with a plethora of professional expertise and experience under his belt. He’s been an experimental start-up founder and advisor, served as CTO and MD during the early days of the 2006 group, and co-founded Vivy as its CEO. Christian has also served on the boards of various other start-ups over the years. Now, he's the CEO and Founder of Tomorrow University of Applied Sciences, an institution dedicated to helping individuals develop the skills and competencies necessary to thrive in the modern world.
Synopsis:
In this episode of The Technology Leadership Podcast, Christian discusses the factors that lead to start-up success. He emphasises the importance of team, execution, and problem solution fit and explains how to identify and prioritise steps to build a solution that fits the customer's needs even when tightly resourced. He also discusses striking a balance between over-engineering and under-engineering a product, citing iteration and optimisation. Finally, Christian highlights the importance of communication, iteration, and ownership in increasing the speed of development and getting products to market. His mission is to help people develop 21st-century skills.
Key Takeaways:
Learn that to be successful in life, it is important to have a growth mindset and focus on learning from failures rather than avoiding them.
Understand when it comes to building healthy relationships, communication and empathy are key. It's important to listen actively, express your needs and feelings clearly, and show understanding and compassion towards others.
Consider why maintaining good physical and mental health is crucial for overall well-being, including getting enough sleep, exercising regularly, eating a healthy diet, and managing stress.
Hear why to succeed in a professional setting, it's important to develop strong time management and organisational skills, be proactive, and take ownership of your work.
Get insight into why networking and building strong relationships with colleagues can be helpful in advancing your career.
Understand the need to cultivate a positive mindset - focus on what you have, rather than what you lack, and appreciate the good things in your life - and why practicing gratitude can have a significant impact on happiness and well-being.
Learn about the skills needed to be an effective leader: authentic and clear communication, positive example setting, empowering and inspiring those around you, being open to feedback and having a willingness to learn from others.
Hear more about why pursuing your passions and finding meaning and purpose in your life can bring great fulfilment and how to identify your values and interests so that you can pursue activities and opportunities that align with them.
Understand how to develop resilience and the ability to bounce back from set backs - from cultivating a growth mindset to building a strong support system, and practicing self-care - and why it’s an important skill for navigating life's challenges.
Episode Outline:
[00:25] Meet Christian Rebernik
[02:18] Nailing product solution fit / problem solution fit
[09:05] The dangers of building an all-in-one solution
[10:19] How not to under or over-engineer your products
[14:20] Scaling vs. retention and how not to overdo them
[19:28] Conscious periodisation of development cycles
[23:57] Creating an account for parents with teenagers
[26:52] Why the best time to pivot is when the customer shows you that you need to
[32:39] Having confidence in your decisions
[37:10] Advice for early-stage startups
[42:58] How to figure out your strengths and weaknesses
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