Coaching for open mindedness: In conversation with Nextiva CEO, Tomas Gorny

“An open mind will shape your life for the better,” says Tomas Gorny, CEO of Nextiva, the software company he’s developed to unite all business conversations. “Not just in business, but particularly in business.”

When coaching his team, Gorny often focuses on nurturing open mindedness, helping his team expand their perspective to see more of what’s possible. This intuitive approach to mentoring and leading has served him well through the market-defining ventures he has created and scaled.

As he sees it, “There’s no innovation without risk, and taking risks requires a willingness – an openness – to not have all the answers at the start. To make an impact and solve problems in new ways, you have to roll up your sleeves and just get in the ring. If your intentions are clear, you’ll figure it out as you go.”

That openness can be felt through the culture of his company, Nextiva. Launched in 2008, Nextiva’s “connected conversations” platform has become a staple for more than 100,000 businesses, helping teams get on the same page to better serve and connect with their customers.

The right mindset for transforming telecommunications 

Gorny would be the first to say the telecommunications sector needs to be reshaped. “We entered this old and entrenched sector to drive transformation from within. It has just not seen the level of innovation other sectors have. Everyone else has focused on just establishing a 1 to 1 connection, while we’ve focused on going beyond this, and leveraging conversations to create business growth.”

When it first launched, Nextiva had humble beginnings. “Competitors laughed,” he says. “When we started, it was just a few of us. We had no clue about telecom, no glamorous investors. At first, our competitors ignored us. When they couldn’t ignore us anymore, they dismissed us and recommended that people not sign up with us because they didn’t think we would be around in a few months. This only fueled our competitive drive.”

Bootstrapped for most of its life, Nextiva struck success long before taking its first and only round of venture capital in late 2021, a $200 million deal with Goldman Sachs, which valued the company at $2.7 billion.

Now the largest privately-held communications firm in the U.S, Nextiva is leading the charge towards a new world of business conversations.

Delivering a seamless customer conversation

“There’s a new standard of always-on, effortless service that’s been set by behemoths like Amazon and Uber, and it’s driving consumer expectations to new heights,” says Gorny. “And with more ways to communicate than ever – phone calls, emails, messaging, social media and more – businesses are struggling to keep up.”

Customers expect that when they reach out, a company representative will immediately know, understand, and remember them. But the reality for most businesses is that customer data lives across dozens of separate channels and apps, and employees are not set up to deliver a great experience.

Gorny says that has to change. Business conversations are in a state of crisis because meaningful conversations are breaking down, employees are burnt out, and customers are far from happy and satisfied. Recent research suggests customer satisfaction levels have plunged to the lowest point in more than two decades.

Nextiva helps businesses bring all their conversation data into one place. That way teams can better collaborate, automate repetitive tasks, and have the needed insights to deliver great experiences for customers. “We’ve chosen to focus on conversations because they’re what move a business forward,” he says. “Whether they’re calling in, texting, or posting on social media, customers are really just having one continuous conversation with your brand. We’re aligning the technology to meet customers wherever they are.”

And the Nextiva team has had the mindset to make this happen. Since 2014, Gorny and his team have filed more than 50 patents, including Nextiva’s unique single-view conversation threading which is central to its platform.

A culture of innovation like this doesn’t just happen. There is real intention behind it.

Gorny says he coaches for open-mindedness in three ways – looking at the past, the future and the present.

Looking to the past: ‘Success is not linear’

Like a good post-mortem when a project wraps up, Gorny says the team must examine where they’ve been and be open to looking back with as much objectivity as possible. “Success is not linear, and if you’re determined to bring new ideas to market, you will hit bumps along the way,” he explains. “You need to be a bit detached from a project when you look back. You need to be honest with yourself and assess what worked, what didn’t work and what was learned.” He is also the first to admit that’s not always easy to do, but stripping ego out of the work is critical to elevating it to its full potential.

Looking to the future: ‘Lock in on that big vision’ 

When talking about the future, Gorny says, “It’s about locking in on that big vision, the value you want to create in the world, and then staying open to continuously finding the best path there.”

He also says if you stay curious and ask the right questions every day, you’re going to uncover better and faster ways to get your vision to market.

“Be stubborn about your intentions, and open minded about everything else.”

Looking to the present: Give people space to succeed

For the here and now, Gorny focuses on the process and giving people the space to succeed. “There is no one-size-fits-all playbook when working with people. It’s about keeping an open mind and giving people space to do things their own way.”

And ultimately being able to be open with a team is what separates leaders from managers.

“Good leadership is about being open with your approach and observing your people so you understand what will bring out their best.”

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