meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
How Leaders Lead with David Novak

#157: Liz Elting, Cofounder and former CEO of TransPerfect — Develop a bias toward action

How Leaders Lead with David Novak

David Novak Leadership

Entrepreneurship, Business, Management

4.8596 Ratings

🗓️ 19 October 2023

⏱️ 49 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

There are few things more frustrating than a leader who sets up a bunch of meetings, presents ideas, and talks strategy… … but then doesn’t know how to motivate everyone to actually get all that stuff done! Fortunately, our guest today is NOT that kind of leader. Liz Elting is the former CEO of TransPerfect, a translation solutions company that she started and built into a billion-dollar business.  Today you’re going to hear how she did it. And as you’ll see, a huge part of her success comes from Liz’s strong bias toward action. She is willing to put in the hard work and long hours. She is incredibly goal-oriented. And best of all, she knows how to motivate a team to go out and operate in the same way. If you’re feeling stagnant or weighed down by too much bureaucracy, this episode is going to help you be the kind of leader who’s biased toward action – and whose teams are, too.  You’ll also learn: What to focus on early in a startup if you want to get out of the weeds and scale quickly A big personnel mistake Liz made early (and how she fixed it) One big reason you might not be hitting your goals A key characteristic to look for when you’re hiring for a sales role Practical sources of new ideas that you’re probably overlooking Three critical safeguards EVERY business partnership needs Take your learning further. Get proven leadership advice from these (free!) resources: The How Leaders Lead App: A vast library of 90-second leadership lessons to stay sharp on the go  Daily Insight Emails: One small (but powerful!) leadership principle to focus on each day Whichever you choose, you can be sure you’ll get the trusted leadership advice you need to advance your career, develop your team, and grow your business.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Welcome to How Leaders Lead, where every week you get to listen in while I interview some of the very

0:08.9

best leaders in the world. I break down the key learning so that by the end of the episode,

0:13.7

you'll have something simple you can apply as you develop into a better leader.

0:18.4

That's what this podcast is all about. You know, there are a few things

0:22.5

more frustrating than a leader who sets up a bunch of meetings and presents ideas and talk

0:28.9

strategy, but then doesn't really know how to motivate people so all that stuff actually gets done.

0:36.6

It's actually one of the biggest derailing factors I see in leaders.

0:41.0

They can dream and plan and strategize,

0:43.8

but they don't have that urgency and action to galvanize their teams and make it happen.

0:49.9

Fortunately, my guest today is not that kind of leader.

0:54.2

Liz Elting is the former CEO of Transperfect, which is the Language Translation Solutions

0:59.3

Company that she built from the ground up into a billion dollar business.

1:04.5

Today, you're going to hear how she did it, and you'll see Liz has a strong bias towards

1:10.2

action that really drives her success. She's

1:13.7

willing to put in the hard work and long hours. She's incredibly goal-oriented. And even better,

1:20.0

she knows how to motivate a team to go out and operate in the same way. And let me tell you,

1:26.1

it is powerful. If you're feeling stagnant or weighed down by

1:30.3

too much bureaucracy, this episode is going to help you be the kind of leader who gets big things done

1:36.5

with a bias towards action. So here's my conversation with my good friend and soon to be yours,

1:43.2

Liz Elting.

1:51.9

You know, Liz, as we get started here,

1:55.6

you need to know that I barely passed Latin in college.

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from David Novak Leadership, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of David Novak Leadership and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.