This week’s conversation is with Scott Kriens, chairman and former CEO of Juniper Networks.

Scott has been in the technology industry for more than 35 years.

Holding early roles at Burroughs Corp and Tandem, Scott moved to EVP of Sales and Operations at StrataCom before helping found Juniper Networks in 1996.

During his tenure, he served as chairman and CEO, growing the company to more than 10,000 employees in over 100 countries worldwide and $4 billion in revenue, and remains chairman today.

In 2010, Scott and his wife Joanie founded 1440 Foundation and recently completed 1440 Multiversity, a state-of-the-art immersive learning destination set on a 75-acre redwood forest near Santa Cruz County, CA.

What really stands out in this conversation is Scott’s authenticity, his willingness to be vulnerable, and how much he genuinely cares about getting to the center of what’s real.

While Scott appears wildly successful on the surface, the passing of his father made him rethink how he was living his life.

He realized the external rewards he was chasing weren’t fulfilling anymore and forced himself to answer the question, “What really matters most to me?”

Think about that question as you listen.

“Whether it’s 20 people, 2000, or more stand up and say what’s true and say what you really believe and how you really feel. People know it anyway. The worst thing you can do is withhold that.”

In This Episode:

• How he built a wildly successful tech/networking company Juniper Networks
• The turning point in his life: losing his father which caused him to reevaluate what was important to him
• Started to ask the question what matters.. had avoided the question for a long time but finally faced it head on
• Came to the realization that the external rewards he was chasing and obtaining weren’t fulfilling
• How he defines authenticity and why it often gets lost in the professional world
• The 3 most meaningful character traits to him: awareness, authenticity, trust
• How a good leader deals with difficult decisions such as having to let people go
• His best advice: do what you think is right, not what others suggest
• What’s his biggest challenge? Following what he really wants to do
• How he came up with the idea for 1440 Multiversity and what they offer
• His process for dealing with self-doubt and obstacles
• His mindfulness practice
• The most important mindset skill: calm