Leading with customer clarity in a changing world

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In this episode, host Kavita Kerwar speaks with Yann Burden, growth strategist and startup founder turned Chief AI Officer at Pendula, about the leadership lessons from navigating complexity and change.

Yann shares what it takes to lead when the path isn’t clear, the market isn’t ready, and the idea hasn’t quite landed yet. He talks about using customer clarity to cut through complexity, building belief when outcomes are uncertain, and why bold experimentation only works when others are willing to follow.

This is a conversation for anyone driving change without a roadmap, and looking for ways to move forward with focus and impact.

1. Customer clarity as compass Even in moments of ambiguity, customer needs can provide focus and direction.

• [08:53] Anchoring decisions in what truly matters to customers
• [12:38] Building customer trust wasn’t idealistic, it was essential in a low-trust, high-switching-cost industry
• [16:23] A relentless focus on customer value helps cut through internal debates and competing priorities

2. Building before the market’s ready The biggest lessons came from solving unseen problems. 

• [19:35] Billcap was built to make energy data useful, before retailers had the tools (or appetite) to use it
• [21:56] Staying mission-driven gave the team staying power when the pace of market adoption lagged behind their vision
• [24:43] “If someone’s hair’s on fire, they’ll use a brick to put it out”. True product-market fit means urgency, not perfection

3. Turning insight into action Ideas are easy. Driving alignment to bring them to life is the hard part.

• [28:53] At Pendula, using AI for reporting meant aligning product, commercial, and data teams around something still evolving
• [31:06] Gen AI raised expectations, but success came from scoping carefully and managing belief internally
• [34:10] No matter how promising the tech, change only sticks when the organisation is ready for it

4. Learning to let go Leadership evolves when switching from founder to executive.

• [38:28] How to influence without formal authority, and why trust is the real currency
• [40:50] Know when to push and when to pivot, there’s no universal playbook
• [42:55] Every role has called for a different version of himself, adaptability has been the throughline

5. Wrap-up & reflections

• [45:16] Advice for leaders building in uncertain environments: Don’t wait for clarity, create it
• [47:05] Ambiguity isn’t the enemy; it’s a signal you’re doing something new
• [48:28] Solving meaningful problems, momentum, and good people

Resources

• The “hair on fire” analogy comes from Michael Seibel at Y Combinator. It captures true product–market fit: if someone’s hair is on fire, they’ll even use a brick to put it out. 
• Conversations with Tyler podcast
• 99% Invisible podcast
• The Victorian Internet

Find Yann

• LinkedIn

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