Software Growth Stalls When Leaders Ignore This Critical Hiring Signal

In this episode of The High Performance Herd, David Quick sits down with Justin Newell, CEO of Inform North America, to discuss the leadership required to establish a software business in a new market while building the team, culture, and customer base needed to support sustainable growth.

Justin’s leadership path began by observing his father and developed through roles that gave him a broad understanding of how different parts of an organisation operate. At Inform North America, he faced the challenge of building awareness for a relatively unknown brand, establishing a local presence, expanding into new verticals, and developing a team capable of supporting the company’s growth across the region.

As he explains in this conversation, leadership authority is developed through experience, credibility, and an understanding of the work people are being asked to perform. Justin also highlights the importance of referenceable customers in building market confidence and argues that organisational culture plays a central role in retaining talent, particularly as competition for skilled people increases.

David and Justin also examine the tension between growth and quality, the need to maintain an active sales pipeline during expansion, and the continuing value of face-to-face interaction in an increasingly virtual business environment. Their discussion covers talent acquisition, lessons from unsuccessful hires, networking as a source of potential candidates, the contribution of expatriate experience to local teams, changing workforce expectations, and the patience required to build a leadership group that can operate with trust and autonomy.

For founders, software executives, and leaders expanding into unfamiliar markets, this episode offers a practical perspective on how credibility, culture, and leadership capability are developed over time. It is a grounded reflection on building a business that can grow without losing the quality of its execution or the trust of the people responsible for delivering it.