Stephen Rose, CEO at Render Networks, on why Leadership is the Tree

When you strip away titles, KPIs, and investor updates, what’s left at the core of a successful tech scaleup?

Leadership.

In the latest Wisdom From Wizards episode, I sat down with Stephen Rose, CEO at Render Networks, for a 2-minute conversation that goes straight to the root of what matters most.

When asked whether he’d rather be remembered for his leadership or his business achievements, Stephen didn’t hesitate:

“Business achievements are the fruit. Leadership is the tree.”

It’s a simple metaphor, but a powerful one. Scaleups that grow fast without developing the leadership muscle often stall, stumble, or worse — implode. But when leadership is prioritized, it becomes the scaffolding on which growth, innovation, and resilience are built.

Stephen added:

“Leadership is everything in a business. Get it wrong, and the rest of the company will really struggle.”

This message resonates deeply with what we believe at Caribou Strategic. As CEOs, your growth ceiling is often your own leadership depth — especially in moments of scale, change, or complexity.

That’s exactly why Wisdom From Wizards exists: to distill the hard-won lessons from leaders in the arena. And it’s also why Caribou Strategic helps tech scaleups stand out and succeed through strategic consulting and peer masterminds designed for CEOs navigating inflection points.

If you’re a CEO who refuses to plateau, join a Caribou Strategic MASTERMIND.