Ryan Smith on leadership
From BYU Marriott School of Business Convocation 26 April 2019 - Ryan Smith, Qualtrics CEO & Co-founder · · BYU Marriott Web
“Every single time that we had a company decision, we pulled a team together—only the ones that were all-in—and we decided that we weren't moving forward unless everyone was committed. Being all in on Qualtrics has been so important to me.”
On , Ryan Smith, Group President of North America at LCI INDUSTRIES, spoke about leadership during BYU Marriott School of Business Convocation 26 April 2019 - Ryan Smith, Qualtrics CEO & Co-founder on BYU Marriott Web.
About Ryan Smith
In an April 2019 commencement speech at the BYU Marriott School of Business, Ryan Smith, co-founder and CEO of Qualtrics, urged graduates to be "all-in" on their careers, families, and faith. He described his own experience of "friction" while living in Korea, where he said he ate ramen noodles three meals a day and slept on a couch at a school where he taught English. Smith stated that had he quit during that time, there would be "no chance" he would have had his later success. Smith advised graduates to avoid switching jobs frequently, saying they would "never be anywhere long enough to actually make an impact." He also said that being "all in" on a career while the rest of one's life is "a complete disaster" is not success. Smith spoke about his faith, stating that he had lived "without the gospel of Jesus Christ" and "with it," and that "life is better with it." He described faith as "the only compass that's driving you" and said that "doubt and cynicism are fashionable" but that being "all in" on faith brings happiness.