Courage and Grit: An Interview with David J. Moore of Xaxis -- John Piccone

About this column The words amp8220Courageamp8221 and amp8220Gritamp8221 are at the top of the list of the key ingredients successful leaders share Courage is required to do something that has not been done before or improve something that others consider already optimal Grit is required to stick with the mission in the face of adversity In this new series John Piccone talks with industry leaders about how they combined both courage and grit to change and improve status quo David J Moore is currently Chairman of Xaxis and President of WPP Digital Previously Dave founded 247Media which merged with Real Media in 2000 to become 247RealMedia and recently merged with Xaxis whose name it assumed I had the pleasure to work with Dave while at 247RealMedia where we weathered the downturn of the dotcom bubble burst from 20002005 During those times I was always impressed with his positive and motivating energy which set the bar for others to follow The outcome of his leadership resulted in the acquisition of 247RealMedia by WPP which set the stage for the rise of demand side platforms and trading desks I recently spoke with Dave about the journey he has taken and how he keeps his quotcan doquot attitude front and centerJohn Piccone Dave you have had many high points in your career which could not have existed without some low points What were those highs and lows and how did you persevereDavid Moore The high points are relative to the low points We fought like hell to keep the ball rolling at 247RealMedia during the amp8220dog daysamp8221 of 20002002 These were some very low moments Our determination to focus and simply just not give up created a amp8220can doamp8221 spirit throughout the organization The company concentrated on our core value proposition and our customers which got us through those dark days We ultimately reached the high point when WPP bought 247RealMedia Looking back the teachings of my parents gave me the amp8220never give upamp8221 attitude and they always taught I should amp8220finish what I startamp8221 This helped me persevere through the troubled times It is probably my greatest accomplishment to have kept the business alive during this timeJP What were the doubters saying at the timeDM Everyone has a certain amount of doubt when facing new challenges Some people couldnamp8217t keep the doubt from consuming them As a result many left the company and went back to a traditional business Others kept a positive mental attitude and amp8220kept on keeping onamp8221JP What was the light at the end of the tunnel At what point did you know you would make itDM In 2002 Jon Hsu head of Corporate Development at the time and I went out to raise money as we were running out of it We spoke to over a 1000 potential investors We ultimately traveled to Japan where we raised 8 million from high net worth individuals by giving away 40 of the company When the money was in the bank we knew we had enough amp8220run wayamp8221 to get to profitabilityJP What was the most courageous decision you made in that journey and how did amp8220gutsamp8221 play a roleDM It may sound too easy but not giving up was the most courageous thing I did I was determined to go down swinging if necessary I remember walking into Mark Moranamp8217s office our General Counsel and finding eight 247 executives discussing why we should file for bankruptcy They wanted to make sure they got severance pay I told them there would be no severance pay and that we were going to fight until the bitter end if necessary They could leave if they wanted right now No one didI find that sports are a great way to prepare the mind for battle I have competed in relay events such as the race around Manhattan as well as the English Channel I have run 13 marathons and completed an Iron Man Triathlon In each of these events you are competing against yourself Those that have competed in such events will know that not giving up is the hardest part If you donamp8217t give up in sports you wonamp8217t give up in business eitherJP Did you have any mentors along the way who had that piece of golden advice or was it a collection of individuals who were great listeners and helped you work through the ideas and challengesDM I never had a single mentor Over the years I was fortunate enough to have senior executives usually my bosses take an interest in me I learned from them and others around me I continue to come back to the teaching of my parents who instilled me with outstanding values that still hold true to this day I couldnamp8217t have done it without themJP Throughout your career who were inspirations and whyDM I have always admired successful people amp8230 in business and otherwise I have learned from thousands of people Yet I do believe I have been blessed with a positive mental attitude and a competitive spirit that has powered my career right from the beginning I have been very fortunate to have done as well as I have and appreciate that fact every dayJohn Piccone is the Chief Revenue Officer at Simulmedia John has been at the forefront in introducing new digital advertising technologies to media owners agencies and advertisers through media representation search engine marketing ad serving analytics and video management services in the United States and Europe since 1995 Previously John was SVP of Business Development and Sales at HealthiNation and VP of Sales at Blackarrow Prior to those positions John was a founding member of 247 Real Media and Publicitas Advertising Services He can be reached at jpsimulmediacomCheck us out on Facebook at MediaBizBloggerscomFollow our Twitter updates at MediaBizBloggerThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaBizBloggerscom management or associated bloggers MediaBizBloggers is an open thought leadership platform and readers may share their comments and opinions in response to all 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Courage and Grit: An Interview with David J. Moore of Xaxis -- John Piccone

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