“There’s no alternative to rolling up your sleeves and understanding yourself, the implications of technology, the new dynamics of the industry – we don’t have to understand it deeply, but intuitively – invite people to work with us, pivot the company into a new dynamic, to be our teammates, step by step. There’s no alternative to leaders being in the kitchen.”

These words, perhaps, encapsulate how leaders should drive transformation in organisations. Speaking at the Adobe Summit which put experience makers – and by extension, digital transformation – in focus, Jensen Huang, Founder, President and CEO of AI computing company NVIDIA, said this as he recounted how his company made the transition from gaming to artificial intelligence, reinventing itself when technology changed.

“When technology changes so fast, it’s hard to even stay alive,” he remarked. When NVIDIA realised the then evolving model of software called deep learning and AI was going to change the way software was written, they thought they could create software no humans could write.

“That observation was a great one and seven years ago, we pivoted the company to AI,” says Huang.

Other stalwarts, including entrepreneur Richard Branson, were in attendance to give their account of being experience-makers.

Harnessing social media for good

Stuck in Dallas when Hurricane Harvey battered Houston last year, JJ Watt, American football defence player for Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL), decided to use his popularity as a sports and social media star to raise funds for relief. He urged his followers on social media (over 10 million across Twitter, Facebook and Instagram), to help him raise an initial $200,000. He raised $37 million.

Speaking at the summit, Watt said the generosity of spirit took on a life of its own, and the momentum was like watching a case study. “People want to be part of something positive. We need to shine light on the people who want to help and do good,” he says.

Be a good listener

Virgin group’s Richard Branson, spoke of what it took to be an entrepreneur and how experience-making was an inherent part of the process. Entrepreneurship’s purpose is to make people’s lives better, he said. With notebook in hand, Branson said he would speak to passengers and staff on flights, jotting down what needed to be done and improved. “Keeping track of these little things helped. We reimagined check-in, entertainment, food and comfort, made air travel fun and friendly. Always be a good listener,” he said.

He pointed out that his team’s inexperience in the business gave them a clean slate to work with. “We all have a responsibility to listen to the experiences of people around us,” he said. Branson added that a business did not end with creating a better experience with its products/services but that it should extend to the community and planet too.

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