20 Questions With Achievers CEO Scott Landers

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Welcome to 20 Questions, a new recurring feature of Brace 4 Impact.

There are plenty of books, podcasts, and keynote speeches that tell you what leadership is supposed to look like. This isn't one of them.

In each edition of 20 Questions, I'll sit down with exceptional leaders, entrepreneurs, executives, founders, and innovators to go beyond the polished biographies and corporate talking points. We'll explore the lessons they learned the hard way, the decisions that kept them awake at night, the failures they would repeat, the successes they never expected, and the habits that helped shape who they became.

My goal isn't to ask the questions everyone else asks. It's to uncover the experiences, philosophies, and moments that can help all of us become better leaders, better decision-makers, and better people.

Whether you're running a Fortune 500 company, building a startup from your garage, managing a small team, or simply trying to leave your corner of the world a little better than you found it, I hope every interview leaves you with at least one idea worth stealing.

So pull up a chair. Let's ask better questions.

Brace 4 Impact (B4I): Scott, welcome to 20 Questions. I hope you leave this interview feeling like it was more of a conversation than an interrogation but that’s up to you. Give me what I want and no one gets hurt.

Let’s go!

B4I: Every CEO develops a leadership philosophy over time. What's one belief you held ten years ago that you've completely changed your mind about?

Scott Landers (SL): Keep it simple. When you first get into the CEO role it can be overwhelming. I soon realized it’s not about business buzzwords or the next great idea. Job one in leadership is creating an environment where people can do the best work of their lives. Be transparent, align behind a vision and strategy, and give people the agency to make decisions. When the CEO holds up a mirror, they see the performance of every one of their employees…motivate them and let them run.

B4I: What's the hardest leadership lesson you've learned that no business school or executive coach could have taught you?

SL: Stakeholder alignment is critical…all of them. The job of the CEO is to solve for the Ven diagram where customer, employee, and shareholder needs overlap. Over rotation to any one group for too long or forgetting to align with a group on a key initiative is going to cause a problem. I learned this the hard way on an M&A deal years ago. Customers, employees and the board got it. The shareholders didn’t. Some conversations ahead of time would have led us to a better decision or enabled us to proactively deal with objections from the street.

B4I: If I asked your executive team to describe your leadership style in three words, what do you hope they'd say...and what do you think they'd actually say?

SL: Authentic, transparent, and simplistic (meaning able to cut through the noise). This is what I would hope. As far as what they would say, I think they would be generally aligned. They probably would want me to be more directive at times…my style is to lead through guiding not demanding. I need to keep a close eye on that, so I flex when appropriate.

B4I: What's one decision that kept you awake at night, and what did you learn from it?

SL: People decisions. If it’s not working, you need to move quickly. I struggled early in career on this. Your gut knows the answer…get some guidance from your business partner and act. It’s best for all involved.

B4I: Many leaders talk about authenticity. What does being an authentic CEO actually look like on a Tuesday afternoon when business isn't going according to plan?

SL: You must keep an even keel to the extent possible. When business is great, you probably weren’t a genius and when headwinds emerge it’s likely a larger issue than you or the team. I try and flip it…when things are great, get a little paranoid. That is when complacency and bad habits can kick in. When things are tough, you need to keep the team engaged. In either case, the best remedy is digging into the data and getting to the root cause. It levels the playing field and keeps the discussion on the business and keeps emotions in check.

And regardless of the day you need to show up as a leader the same way. Consistency matters to your team and the company.

B4I: Achievers operates in one of the most competitive areas of HR technology. What do most people misunderstand about employee engagement?

SL: It is a must have. I don’t know of a customer that implemented recognition in a mature way and then says…eh, were going to stop recognizing our employees. Recognition is fundamental to behavior change and alignment. Our customers are pushing recognition well beyond the bounds of cultural alignment. They are dissecting the behaviors needed to achieve their most important initiatives and using recognition as a catalyst to achieve their goals. You don’t need to wait until the revenue, safety, or efficiency goal is met 12 months from now. You can recognize the behaviors every day and significantly increase your chances of success! And in the meantime, your people feel better about the work they do and who they do it with.

One last thing, there is a ripple effect here. When people are recognized at work they feel better about themselves. They then take that home and are better for their family and friends. I don’t have data on that last one, but I do have personal experience. It’s human, it’s real.

B4I: Every company has metrics that matter. What's a number you watch religiously that most people outside your organization would never think about?

SL: I will go off script here because metrics are pretty tried and true at this point. What I will say is customer empathy has never been more important. There is so much change in the world and what came every 3-5 years is now coming every 3-5 months since 2020 (2 weeks to flatten the curve, 2 years at home, remote, hybrid, return to work, grow at all costs, money gets expensive, return to profitability, wars, tariffs, and now AI). Your metrics will improve if you understand how these changes impact customers…then use your solution to better solve what is most important to them. And everyone is doing more with less, so real people helping them walk the last mile is key. A difference maker.

B4I: What's the biggest challenge facing CEOs today that wasn't on the radar five years ago?

SL: AI.

B4I: AI? Sounds familiar.

SL: I am not talking about what it will do, impacting virtually every role in every industry in every geography. That is a heavy lift, and you are seeing companies throw money at it with very little ROI. I had a Board member describe this transformation as different than any other in their career…it has to be solved from the bottom up. And today it is being dictated top down. We have a big disconnect which is why ROI is scarce. Seems logical actually, who would create a plan to have 8 billion people implement a new technology at the same time with no playbook or clear goals and expect a good result. We need to pump the breaks in 80% of the cases and think about the right way to give people context, a plan, and agency to redefine the work they are closest to.

B4I: AI is changing virtually every business. How do you see it transforming employee recognition and engagement over the next three to five years?

SL: AI presents several large opportunities for our industry, especially here at Achievers. As an industry leader and the pioneer of non-monetary recognition, we are sitting on a lot of data…over 1 billion recognition interactions. With new technology that data can be even more valuable to our members and customers. The HCM systems have a record of each employee; but the recognition system paints a picture of the person who shows up to work each day. What they accomplish, who they impact, and their skills both validated and emerging to name a few. The increased insights available to make better decisions around team structure, performance management, and talent development will be exciting to see emerge in the coming months and years.

Maybe the most important thing is the role recognition can play for our customers’ own AI transformations. At its core AI is transforming the behaviors of every employee in an organization. From basic exploration to role and skill redefinition. In each case, you are asking your employees to behave differently. For those who understand what those changes are, recognition will be an accelerant for change. No different than recognizing the behaviors that define your culture or upselling products at the point of sale. What gets recognized gets repeated and it brings the human element back into the AI conversation.

B4I: If you had unlimited resources to solve one workplace problem tomorrow, what would it be?

SL: More money on L&D and more investment in our HR teams. They are being asked to do so much managing all this change and, in some cases, now being asked to lead the AI transformation. We should take some of the token money and put it where it will create the foundation for change…our people. We need to remember that is where all ROI comes from.

B4I: Ok, well we’ve reach halftime. Are you doing ok?

SL: Yes, this is easier than I thought.

B4I: Noted. I will ask more provocative questions.

SL: Please don’t.

B4I: Great cultures aren't built with posters on the wall. What's one thing Achievers does that genuinely strengthens culture rather than simply talking about it?

SL: We drink our own champagne.

B4I: Thank you for not referencing eating your own dog food. I always thought that analogy was disgusting.

SL: I have been blessed to have 2 decade+ long chapters at tech companies; they were amazing places with great people and solid businesses. I knew the first month at Achievers that it was special, the best place I’ve worked. People are deeply aligned to our vision of changing the way the world works and doing their work in a very collaborative way. No good deed goes unrecognized.

What I love is that the employees mirror the transparency I aim to give them. Whether it was receiving my first recognition thanking me for my transparency or the emails I get with suggestions on areas I can improve (both were from staff level engineers by the way). The open door or two-way street tells me we are doing something right.

B4I: Have you ever hired someone who looked perfect on paper but turned out to be completely wrong for the organization? What did that experience teach you?

SL: What I learned is it usually comes down to culture or fit. Achievements on the resume can be validated in the process. When it fails, it is usually in how someone gets the work done. Good cultures will raise the red flag quickly that you made a mistake. Don’t waste too many cycles trying to fix. I have seen alignment come but if it takes more than one conversation it is time to move on and debrief on why your process didn’t catch it.

B4I: What qualities do you look for in leaders that rarely appear on a résumé?

SL: They have to be selfless. I don’t know if you can lead today without being a servant leader. The employee base is so diverse from every aspect. Very few of us have Steve Jobs or Elon Musk qualities…at least I know I don’t. So back to my earlier statement. My most important job is to create an environment where people can do their best work and I need a leadership team that can help us get there.

In sports terms, I aim to have the bedside manner of Peter Carrol (the players coach) with the backbone or governance of Bill Belichek (the Patriot way). You can only be the players coach if your governance systems are strong, so I look to partner closely with by CFO/CPO/COO to make sure we have the right guardrails in place.

B4I: Excellent, you worked in a Patriots reference. 10 bonus points for you.

SL: I did it for you.

B4I: What's one leadership habit you've intentionally eliminated because it wasn't serving your team?

SL: Not sure I’ve eliminated a habit per se, but we have been intentional at pushing down decision making and accountability. I noticed early on people would come to me for too many decisions. I let them in on a little secret, they know more than me about selling, marketing, technology, and administration and the decision lies with them. I spend most of my time making sure the puzzle fits together and we are aligned on what the picture will look like.

B4I: Employee recognition has become a billion-dollar industry. What's the biggest mistake organizations make when trying to recognize their people?

SL: I’ll pivot this one to talk about what makes a great recognition program. First, executives need to walk the walk. Engage with the system and recognize the great work they observe across all levels of the organization. Tactically, recognitions should be specific…why was the work so good, what was the impact on the business, and do it timely. Lastly, non-monetary recognition is a great place to start but adding the reward element (points) is even better. To the extent possible spread the ability to give points as far down in the organization as possible. It is a fraction of the total employment cost, and it makes a massive difference in how people feel about the work and the company.

Final thought…mature your program. Some of our customers have been with us over a decade and recognition has become a strategic lever in driving their most important initiatives. Seeing customers move through the crawl, walk, run phases is very rewarding.

B4I: Home stretch. You will be released soon.

Five years from now, what workplace trend do you believe everyone will be talking about that very few leaders are paying attention to today?

SL: The human element will make a triumphant return. We have over indexed on the tech. It’s all we hear about today. It will be humans who provide context, judgement, and in many cases be even more important to drive ultimate ROI. I don’t know if I’m right but that is the world I want to live and work in.

B4I: What's one piece of conventional leadership wisdom you simply don't believe?

SL: Stop managing your stakeholders and start working with them. Bring them in the boat with you. It will save you time, you will learn and drive better results.

B4I: Looking back over your career, what's the best advice you ignored?

SL: I spent a lot of time worrying about what people thought of me. And it turned out they were not thinking about me at all. Wish I had that time back.

B4I: If you could spend an hour mentoring your 25-year-old self, what's the first thing you'd tell him?

SL: When someone sees your potential, believe them. They see you now and what you can be without the baggage of insecurity and with the wisdom of knowing the potential for growth.

B4I: Finally, Brace 4 Impact is about helping leaders prepare for what's next. What should today's leaders be bracing for over the next decade?

SL: The social contract between people and institutions is broken. Corporations, governments, and educational institutions need to do better. I don’t expect it to go back to my parents’ generation of spending a lifetime at one company. But I do know that people want more than what we are giving today. If we want their best, we need to do better. Ten years from now having great tech will be table stakes, being an employer of choice will be the difference maker. And people will remember how they were treated during the unprecedented transformational time we are living through right now.

B4I: Thank you Scott. I appreciate the time and your candor. Go Sox.

Skip Maloney writes for people who understand that the world doesn’t reward hesitation. He proudly serves as Executive Vice President, Chief People Officer at InterDigital (NASDAQ: IDCC).

With over 30 years inside executive leadership, Skip has had a front-row seat to how power actually works inside companies, boardrooms, and careers. He has hired executives, fired executives, advised CEOs, and watched firsthand who rises, who stalls, and who disappears quietly.

He created Brace 4 Impact to tell the truth most professionals only learn after it’s too late.

This isn’t theory. It’s pattern recognition earned through decades of decision-making, risk-taking, and being around those who either adapted or became irrelevant.

Skip writes about career leverage, money, travel, health, leadership, risk, and the uncomfortable realities of modern ambition. His work sits at the intersection of business, psychology, and survival in an economy that no longer offers guarantees.

His philosophy is simple: nobody is coming to rescue you, and that’s the best possible news.

Because once you accept that, you become dangerous in the right ways.

Brace 4 Impact exists for builders, operators, and individuals who refuse to drift.

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