An interview with Dr Niklas Brambring, CEO of Zattoo

Firstly, could you introduce yourself and share how you ended up in the world of tech?

I’m Nick, and I’m the CEO of Zattoo, one of the leading TV streaming providers in Europe.

I never set out specifically to be in the world of tech; my passion was always media, particularly television and movies. That's what I was really excited about as a kid. I applied to join one of the schools where you become a director but wasn’t successful. At the time, I accepted their decision and assumed that was the end of it. I went on to study law and economics, eventually getting a PhD in Law and passing the state exams.

Although I enjoyed that period, there seemed to be no clear path from my position to a career in TV and movies, aside from working in a legal department. During a pivotal discussion with Bertelsmann, it was suggested that I explore consultancy work as the next step in my career.

I started with Boston Consulting Group, an experience that proved to be pivotal. It was only in hindsight that I realized how much I had learned during that time. But I knew it was not 100% for me and not something I wanted to do for 20 years so I started looking for jobs in the media again. Through the INSEAD MBA network, of which I was a part, I accidentally came across a job posting from Zattoo and decided to apply. As soon as I started talking with them, I knew I wanted to be there. They told me after I joined that one of the reasons that they selected me was that I conveyed so much passion about television and wanting to be part of helping the platform grow.

That's quite the journey! Was there a red thread in those decisions that you made?

Even in hindsight, I could not find a red thread! Often for leaders in companies that are successful, they can look back and tell a story that makes their moves and decisions seem logical, even if it was completely opportunistic. But even if I look at my story now, it’s not a neat narrative.

What does that tell you about building your career?

At 18 a lot of people don't really know what they want to do or what they want to do seems very out of reach. The business author, Jim Collins,offers some advice on this. He suggests some ingredients that you need to think about.

If there is something that you feel passionate about, it can make a huge difference in whether you will be successful. However, passion alone isn’t enough, despite what TikTok might say about following your dreams being the only path. You must honestly assess whether you have the talent to excel in that discipline—not just to be better than your peers, but truly exceptional. It should also be something that can finance whatever lifestyle you want.

It’s also important to not let yourself get dragged away from the path you choose. People often saw that I had law qualifications and told me I should join one of the big law firms that pay a lot of money or to stick with consulting. Although those experiences were valuable and allowed me to explore different industries and test my skills, I never lost sight of my true passion and what I really wanted to do.

What advice would you give your younger self when you think back on the early years of your career?

It would be advice I got from a partner at BCG: You must make problems your own. In other words,  take ownership. For a while I did not do that. I joined and naively wrote to the partners who did media projects in Germany, saying “Here I am, congratulations. You have a new consultant. You can include me in the most interesting media projects.”  My first project was for a health insurance company. It was the most boring thing I could imagine, and I, perhaps unconsciously, decided that  it wasn’t going to get my full energy. As a result, I did an average job. I’m certain that if I had approached the project with a different attitude and made the most of it, I would have gained significantly more from that experience.

The difference among colleagues was clear. Some were driven by the dream of becoming a partner, viewing projects as stepping stones, while others genuinely sought to gain as much business experience as possible. Those individuals truly excelled. That was the key differentiator between those who you know were on their way to becoming a partner and those who would be gone in a few years.

What do you feel it would have brought you if you had seen this earlier in your career?

I would have learned more. I would have had more impact, which is very fulfilling. Impact gives you good feedback from others and that gives you energy and self-confidence which helps you make more impact. It's a virtuous circle.

If something doesn't feel completely right, then of course look for other options. However, it’s crucial to first accept that this is your current job. You chose to join that company, so make the most of it. Go all in.

In your career, you've promoted many people and watched them grow. What common traits did they share?

It goes back to ownership again. You only want to hand over more responsibility to those that take ownership. You can’t have direct reports where you need to check in every day to see if the job is really done.

In leadership positions, it’s about ambition, ownership, and the ability to shift from being a great contributor to delivering team outcomes. It doesn't matter at all which part of the team outcome comes from you. In the end, your job is to create good results from that team.

Can you explain a little more about making that shift from being an individual  contributor to being in a leadership position?

As a young CEO, I felt compelled to prove myself to my highly competent management team by generating ideas, crafting plans, and working tirelessly to execute them. To my surprise, nobody wanted that! It's terrible if you have a boss that tries to prove to you that they are better.

There was an aha moment when I brought in a presentation that we needed for our investor. I really worked hard on it and had the expectation they would think it was great. But the feedback was not great. It was really torn apart, which was very hurtful. After sleeping on it, I realized that it was fantastic input and feedback. I redid the presentation, brought it back and the feedback was much better. I realized it was OK to bring something to the team that wasn’t perfect, to which they could contribute. It feels much better than having a boss who presents something you simply have to accept.

Role modelling is important. You need to say and show that feedback is not just accepted, but really welcomed and embraced.

When hiring, what are some of the fundamental principles that you use to select people?

A disclaimer upfront. I still find interviewing very difficult. It’s challenging to determine if someone is truly a fit and someone you want to work with after just one or two hours of conversation. There's a high failure rate in that.

No matter the role, the first quality I look for is a positive attitude.We have clear values in our company. One of them is respect. It means that you always actively listen to the other one. You assume the best. If someone is challenging you on that, don't become defensive and try to justify yourself,but really embrace that to communicate and inform each other. Good people always pass that test, even if they are not a great match in the end. In interview situations, I'm a bit more challenging than in real life to make sure I have this filter. I push people out of their comfort zone during interviews because, depending on the setting, many candidates know how to deliver a good story if you let them talk uninterrupted. But if you give them some uncomfortable questions, you can test for that a little more.

What do you think is the biggest myth about being a CEO?

Back to the career story: that CEOs  have made very clear plans from the start,followed through for ten years and become successful. Of course, that's not true. Many elements of success are opportunistic and heavily influenced by luck. In fact, you need to be flexible so you can react and grasp opportunities and have the ability to think a couple of years ahead.

There are also myths about generational differences in CEO decision-making. For example, it’s often said that a 60-something CEO makes decisions quickly and moves on, while younger CEOs involve everyone in the decision-making process. Neither of these extreme models of decision making are great and neither are limited to specific aged CEOs. Taking on all the decision-making yourself risks leading to poor choices, as you miss valuable input from other talented, intelligent people. And it can lead to disengagement from the team as they don’t see their contribution being valued. Democratic decision-making can be equally risky. Often, this approach results in no decision being made at all. You are paid to make sure there is a good decision in the end. For big strategic decisions, you cannot burden people by saying they are responsible.

A good CEO understands that it's their responsibility to make decisions. However, how they make decisions is very much based on conversation, dialogue, exchange of ideas, and not based on their own isolated vision of reality.

Are there particular books or podcasts you really recommend people either read or listen to?

I really like The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni. He uses a lot of anecdotes and tangible examples to illustrate what can go wrong and provides frameworks that you can use.

I also like From Good to Great by Jim Collins, where he really analyzes what makes a company successful and the impact of different leadership styles

Is there anything that I haven't asked that you would love to share?

When you move into a leadership position for the first time, you really need to understand that the perception of you from people in your team changes dramatically. You are the number one representative of the company now.You're the one having a say in raises, in whether someone is fired and when they can take holidays.

I remember being a young CEO and having a typical water cooler moment with a young engineer who was working with us whilst at university. Making small talk and driven by curiosity, I asked him what he was working on. He nervously told me he was working on Project X. I spontaneously said that I thought Project X was finished. I thought to myself oh it must be still going on and thought nothing more of it. Two days later, my colleague approached me and asked what had happened with the engineer. The engineer, when put on the spot had been very nervous, panicked and said Project X. He thought he was being tested, had failed by giving a wrong answer, and had been concerned about losing his job for the last two days. It was a very real example of being aware of how you’re differently you're perceived when in a leadership role.

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