#94

A Life Less Ordinary with Mark Little

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Mark Little attended Trinity College Dublin before becoming an award-winning foreign correspondent and TV anchor for the national TV station RTÉ. He also presented the network’s top-rated current affairs programme, Prime Time, and was its first Washington correspondent. He has covered some of the biggest stories of the 21st century, including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the election of Barack Obama.

In 2010 he took a leave of absence to establish Storyful, a social news agency that pioneered new models of verification and collaboration. He sold Storyful to News Corp in 2013 and went on to work with Twitter (now X), first as VP of Media Partnerships in Europe and later as MD. 

In 2016, he left that position to set up the digital news venture Kinzen (originally NevaLabs). Kinzen provides data and research to trust and safety professionals, content moderators and public policymakers, helping them deal with threats such as dangerous misinformation, hateful content, violent content, violent extremism and dangerous organisations. Kinzen was acquired by Spotify in 2022.

Summary

02:42 The changes within news reporting and journalism

• The current world is undergoing significant changes in areas such as AI and journalism, which is leading to a state of uncertainty and insecurity
• Entrepreneurs often grapple with cognitive dissonance, holding contradictory beliefs about their startup’s success and potential failure
• Traditional media institutions are struggling due to platform dominance in advertising and recommendation systems, resulting in job losses
• Individuals are forming direct connections with audiences through platforms like podcasts and newsletters
• There is a need to support free, high-quality information sources – they are like public utilities

07:15 Advice to someone wanting to get into journalism

• There is a shift from generalist roles to niche expertise
• Rather than focusing solely on journalism, develop specialised knowledge in areas like finance or psychology
• Build a strong online presence and engage directly with niche audiences through platforms like podcasts and social media

10:07 What role should journalism play in supporting democratic values? 

• We are in an unprecedented moment in history with exponential crises including technological advancements and the climate crisis
• Over 50 elections worldwide heighten the speed and consequence of global events, increasing fear and uncertainty
• Populist and anti-democratic forces thrive in times of fear, exploiting societal divisions and biases
• Journalism is often resisting the urge to merely present “both sides”
• Collective action is required from the media, politicians, technology platforms, and individuals

14:05 What is going to happen with AI?

• Currently, the expectations for AI are very high and may lead to disappointment akin to the unfulfilled promise of flying cars
• AI’s impact may resemble electricity, which is widely used but not constantly discussed
• We need to view AI as a copilot rather than a sole problem-solving entity, akin to using GPS while driving
• AI’s role in leadership is anticipated to reward qualities like emotional intelligence and flatter structures

19:14 The difference between management and leadership

• Good management involves staying focused on the overarching vision
• Jeff Bezos is a good example with his concept of staying fixed on the “north star” but being agile in execution
• Effective managers absorb anxiety within the team, communicate challenges, and maintain calm amidst uncertainty
• Ensure contingency plans are in place
• Leadership relies heavily on emotional intelligence, empathy, regulation of energy, and articulating a vision
• Leaders foster resilience within the organisation, managers focus on surviving day-to-day crises
• A key aspect of leadership is ensuring employees feel connected to the company’s vision

24:10 Paying attention to people who weren’t made redundant in an organisation

• Be aware of survivor’s guilt amongst the team
• Organisations being like a “family” is risky
• Reid Hoffman’s idea of a “tour of duty” emphasises a mission-driven approach to careers, allowing employees to move on
• Effective communication and honesty from leaders are crucial in maintaining psychological safety

28:17 Balancing alignment with vision and autonomy in the organisation

• Have a clear hierarchy of goals and a “north star” vision
• Agile product development offers valuable insights, broken down into chunks

32:02 Maintaining your leadership whilst shifting between different ventures and company cultures

• Be aware of jumping into ventures fueled by unbridled enthusiasm
• You need to balance enthusiasm with pragmatism
• Adopting a premortem mentality to anticipate and address potential failures
• Be able to endure numerous rejections and setbacks inherent in entrepreneurship
• Make space to reflect and learn from mistakes

37:48 How to navigate a bureaucratic organisation as an entrepreneur

• Mark finds inspiration in making an impact, especially through storytelling in journalism
• Rapid iteration and feedback to drive innovation
• Mark’s transition from journalism to entrepreneurship was motivated by a sense of urgency to pursue impactful ideas
• Managing upwards in a corporate environment requires a shift in perspective and communication style
• The pandemic has had a big impact on maintaining interpersonal connections and tactile experiences

43:00 The challenge of communication and collaboration when not physically present together

• A big challenge lies in balancing diverse personality types, particularly in meetings, where extroverted voices often dominate
• We need to value diversity of thought
• Have a clear game plan for execution and the role of different mindsets in contributing to successful meetings 
• Finding the right mix of extroverted and introverted voices, along with thinkers and doers, is crucial for productive discussions and decision-making

47:28 The balance between introversion and extroversion in leadership roles

• Particularly for extroverts, work on listening and asking questions
• It empowers others to co-author solutions 
• Open-ended questions help build diverse perspectives and mutual understanding

54:42 An overview of Kinzen and explain why Mark saw a fit with Spotify

• From initially aiming to empower users to filter their news feeds to developing machine learning tools for content moderation
• Kinzen’s collaboration with Spotify was a natural fit due to shared goals and the opportunity to enhance content moderation efforts with access to Spotify’s data

01:00:22 Learning from journalism in conflict zones

• The nature of journalism in conflict zones has changed over time
• There are more blurred boundaries of frontlines and challenges in accessing certain areas due to military control
• The importance of local witnesses and social media in providing direct evidence from the battlefield

01:05:24 What Mark Little does for downtime

• Learn from the parallels with the transformation of rugby players from past to present in terms of health consciousness
• It has been a gradual shift from unhealthy habits such as smoking, excessive drinking, and neglecting self-care to adopting healthier practices like better sleep, mindful breathing, and regular exercise
• Seek human connection
• Expose yourself to manageable levels of stress to build resilience

Links mentioned: 

Kinzen

Mark Little on X

Mark Little on LinkedIn