94: Why Culture is at the Center of Business with Desh Urs

In this episode, Dan connects with business builder, data scientist, tech industry leader, and iBridge LLC co-founder and CEO Desh Urs to dive into leadership, data transformation, company culture, and the internet’s influence on understanding and utilizing data. After spending decades in the data science field, Desh saw how his clients struggled with the huge gaps in data quality and analysis, and together with his wife founded iBridge to solve that problem. Now, over 15 years later, Desh talks about the winding road he took to build a successful global business and grow into the leader he is today. He and Dan dig into the importance of building a corporate culture rooted in empathy and awareness, and Desh reveals some unique leadership development tactics he's using to grow his people and his business. In this wide-ranging conversation, Desh offers his insight into the state of data science, company-wide accountability, leadership, family, the meaning of connections, and much more.

In This Episode

(1:11) Introduction to Desh Urs
(3:21) Navigating the last few years
(5:14) Desh’s beginning and journey through data
(11:37) The internet’s influence on business, opinion, and data
(19:04) The role of curiosity and a learning mindset
(24:41) Where Dan and Desh were on 9/11
(29:06) Beginning iBridge, finding success, and the impact on personal life
(43:56) Family culture and the human-to-human connection
(49:02) Leading with empathy and leadership development at iBridge
(59:27) iBridge’s mission and digital transformation as a whole
(1:11:39) The pace of acceleration

Notable Quotes

“We all know how to ask questions, but the art of asking the right question is sort of few and far between. And when you think about when you’re trying to collect information, either anonymously or for a purpose… the questions that you ask can lead to information gathering or can lead to assessments…” – Desh (7:48)
“That is what I think we miss as we get older – that amazement, that feeling of “My God! Do I really know this?” As opposed to, “I know this, and this is how this is.” And that’s the world of data.” – Desh (17:48)
“The word we use – “customer, customer, customer” – is another human being just like you.” – Desh (47:02)
“It is hard work to do this, but it’s extremely fun work. And there is such pleasure in helping people understand there is a bigger purpose to all this… I’m the guy that’s spreading the joy, so if you’re not happy, I have failed.” – Desh (1:15:15)

Resources & Links

Dan Nestle

Desh Urs

94: Why Culture is at the Center of Business with Desh Urs

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