Inside the Mind of a Google & IBM VP: The New Rules of Leadership | The LIV Lab Episode 26 ft. Nelson Mattos

About this episode

Nelson Mattos discusses the evolving nature of leadership, emphasizing humility, curiosity, and the importance of diverse teams.

What if the real mark of a great leader isn't how much they know — but how willing they are to listen? In this episode, I talk with Nelson Mattos, former Vice President at IBM and Google, whose career has spanned continents, industries, and leadership styles. From managing billion-dollar global teams to now running Karimu, a nonprofit that's transforming rural communities in Tanzania, Nelson has seen leadership from every angle — and he believes its core has nothing to do with hierarchy. We explore how humility and curiosity can redefine leadership in the modern world. Nelson shares how learning to admit what he didn't know made him a more effective executive, why diverse teams make better decisions, and how vulnerability and trust can drive innovation more than any management strategy ever could. He also opens up about his transition from tech to humanitarian work — and how purpose, empathy, and patience became the cornerstones of his second career. 📩 Share your thoughts: Would you have invested in Pokémon Go when it didn't meet the quota? Email me at thelivlabpodcast@gmail.com , and follow @thelivlabpodcast on Instagram for more stories on leadership, purpose, and growth…

People in this episode

Host: The LIV Lab

Guest: Nelson Mattos

Topics covered

• leadership
• humility
• curiosity
• diversity
• innovation
• humanitarian work

Keywords

• leadership
• humility
• curiosity
• diverse teams
• innovation
• humanitarian work
• mentorship

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: IBM, Google, Karimu, Karimu Foundation

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