In conversation with: Mark Stone
Working on partnerships across Google, Mark’s role centres on helping organisations define a clear purpose and see the vision and value of working together
What do you do at Google? I’m a lead in the Cloud Value Transformation Advisory Team, working across Google. I look at how we can execute on 10x partnerships and how both the top and bottom line can bring value. Both sides of the brain have to operate! We use inspiration and ideation techniques to look at how one plus one can equal 10 or more.
What’s the best thing about your job? Waking up and being excited about a day when you might be part of a team that defines a trillion dollar change to an industry, something that does good for the world. There aren’t many companies like Google where you can do that. That’s the best part of it: we can dream but we can also bring some of it to life.
What’s your motivation and purpose? Sometimes I feel like 90% of my job is asking: Why? What’s the purpose of this? It’s amazing to be in a room with people who have way more technical or industry understanding and by asking these questions, in different ways, we all get from questions and thoughts to a point of clarity. I’m motivated by using purpose as a vehicle to help people focus on what they could achieve as a group.
Why is it important to help companies uncover their purpose? From the outset Google has been laser focused on its own purpose but in our partnerships, when there isn’t a clear ‘why’, it can be hard to see how to get value out of working together. Purpose gives everyone a way of figuring out if we’re going in the right direction or not. Without purpose, decision making can be very difficult. You can end up in a situation where you’re building the wrong thing for the wrong reason and you don’t even know it.
What would you like the impact of your work to be? This is probably a cheesy answer, but to have had a positive impact on the world. I also want it to impact me and make me a better person as I get older. When you spend a lot of time talking about the purpose of the companies you’re working with and talk at board level, it would be a little odd if you didn’t ask yourself the same questions: What’s MY purpose? Why am I trying to do this?
You can end up building the wrong thing for the wrong reason and don’t even know it
What are you currently listening to? Cautionary Tales, a storytelling podcast of true stories about things that have happened to people, led to outcomes you’d never expect and what we can learn from mistakes.
How do you start your day? Being hit with a ball by my dogs because they want to go out. I’ve got two border collies who need a huge amount of exercise. My goal on any given day is for those two dogs to be tired by the end of it.
Finish this sentence: I need more…More focus and less distraction. That would probably help with some of the challenges I have.
This is an excerpt from our latest book Purpose: Built, it’s all about making change happen and designing a brighter, better future. If you’d like a copy of request one here.
Interview by: Jason DaPonte, Executive Director at Magnetic.
Magnetic is a design and innovation company that helps design better futures. We’ve worked with global businesses to build capabilities, products, services and transform organisations. To find out more get in touch: jason.daponte@wearemagnetic.com.
