Think Like Zuck: How TV execs can learn from Ekaterina Walter’s bestselling book

By Natan Edelsburg 

Passion, purpose, people, product, and partnerships. Mark Zuckerberg embodied and employed these five “P’s” to help build Facebook. In amazing detail, Ekaterina Walter – a social media innovator at Intel that has been instrumental in making the company truly social – expounds on these traits in examining the rise of Zuckerberg and Facebook in her book ‘Think Like Zuck: The Five Business Secrets of Facebook’s Improbably Brilliant CEO’.

The history of social TV is inextricably tied to the invention of Facebook, and TV executives should not only continue to devote resources to making the best use of the social platform, but they should look to Zuck as an example of how to innovate within the TV space. We spoke to Walter about how TV executives can benefit from thinking like Zuck, and what her own favorite shows are. 

Lost Remote: How can high-level TV executives benefit from Thinking Like Zuck?
Ekaterina Walter: “Think Like Zuck” is an analogy of a leader who follows his/her passion, leads with purpose, builds great teams, and strives for continued excellence in his/her product (or services). It is a mentality that drives great leaders to building successful business and the approach they use to doing so.

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Packed with examples of Facebook’s success principles in action—as well as those of Zappos, TOMS, Threadless, Dyson, and other companies—it is my hope that “Think Like Zuck” will give them the inspiration, knowledge, and insight to make their own mark in the world, to build a business that makes a difference, and to lead their organization to long-term profitability and growth.

LR: What are some of your favorite TV shows and why?
Walter: Boston Legal was my all time favorite while it ran. It touched on real/current issues, it had colorful and smart characters, it was witty. It made you think and entertained at the same time, a rare combination.

Now I enjoy a variety of shows (when I have time to watch them): Mentalist, Elementary, NCIS, Bones

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