I recently went one-on-one with Kevin Surace, CEO of Appvance and author of the upcoming book The Joy Success Cycle.
Adam: Thanks again for taking the time to share your advice. First things first, though, I am sure readers would love to learn more about you. How did you get here? What experiences, failures, setbacks, or challenges have been most instrumental to your growth?
Kevin: I often say my career has been a winding road built on both joy and failure, and both have been equally essential. I began in sales and then as an engineer in the semiconductor industry. Eventually had my own company developing the first cellular data phone in the early 1990s. Later, as an engineer and VP at General Magic in the late 1990s, working on what became the first AI virtual assistant, years before Siri or Alexa. The company later failed commercially (though sold off the patents), but that “failure” gave me additional foundation to build, patent, and ultimately shepherd technologies that became central to our lives: the first cellular data smartphone, supply-chain auctions, soundproof drywall, high R-value windows, and AI-driven automation.
My most defining setbacks were the times when a product didn’t resonate with the market, or when I made the mistake of trying to be early rather than right on time. Those moments taught me humility and resilience. Leading Serious Materials during the Great Recession was another crucible: we reopened the Republic Windows factory in Chicago after a worker occupation, proving that even in chaos, people come first.
What I’ve learned is this: you grow not from easy wins, but from the bruises. Every failure sharpened my vision, and every setback gave me the grit to keep moving forward.
Adam: What do you hope readers take away from your upcoming book?
Kevin: The Joy Success Cycle is not just a philosophy, it’s a practice. I hope readers walk away understanding that joy is not a luxury; it is the fuel for sustainable success. Too often, leaders chase achievements, thinking happiness will follow. Neuroscience shows the opposite: when you design your life around joy, you unlock creativity, resilience, and performance. You open your mind to solve real problems.
The book provides frameworks and stories from my own life – times of loss, reinvention, and triumph – that illustrate how to move out of downward spirals and into upward ones. I hope readers to see practical tools they can use immediately: the “one complaint rule,” joy-boosting daily habits, and the discipline of measuring your “positive quotient.”
Ultimately, I hope leaders, entrepreneurs, and individuals alike to see that success is not about grinding harder. It’s about aligning joy and purpose so success becomes inevitable and enjoyable.
Adam: What should leaders understand about AI?
Kevin: Leaders need to understand two things about AI: it is not magic, and it is not optional. AI is a tool like electricity: it augments human capability. The leaders who thrive will be those who learn how to pair human judgment with AI’s capacity to process and generate at scale.
AI today can already accelerate software testing by 100X, automate marketing content, and drive security systems. And it can augment but not replace the human spark of creativity, empathy, or ethics. Leaders must understand both the power and limitations: AI is excellent at pattern recognition, data synthesis, and simulation, but it is only as good as its training and guardrails.
The mistake I see too often is leaders either ignoring AI, thinking it’s a fad, or overhyping it as the cure-all. The truth is in the middle. Leaders must experiment, adopt deliberately, and train their organizations to work with AI. And know that in some cases their employees will try and sabotage their efforts…seeing AI as their replacement. In the end that won’t work. Automation wins always.
Adam: What other key trends in technology should leaders be aware of and understand? What should they understand about them?
Kevin: Beyond AI, several trends are reshaping leadership:
- Cybersecurity and Identity – As attacks evolve, phishing-proof authentication and zero-trust architectures are no longer optional. Leaders must take responsibility for securing not just infrastructure but identity itself. With interactive deepfakes, how do you really know that’s your employee? You don’t.
- Automation Everywhere – From robotic process automation to generative coding and soon humanoid robots, leaders must prepare for work to be redefined. Jobs won’t disappear wholesale but will shift dramatically.
- Sustainability Tech – Energy efficiency, carbon reduction, nuclear generation, and circular manufacturing are no longer side projects. They are central to competitive advantage.
- Biotech & Human Augmentation – We are entering an era where biology and technology intersect: gene therapies, neural interfaces, personalized medicine. Leaders should anticipate ethical debates and workforce impacts.
The common thread is this: technology doesn’t wait. Leaders must be students for life, willing to re-learn and pivot continuously.
Adam: How can leaders foster innovation?
Kevin: Innovation thrives in environments where failure is not punished but celebrated as learning. Leaders must create psychological safety, the permission to experiment. That means rewarding curiosity, not just results.
I’ve found that innovation also requires constraints. Unlimited resources don’t spark creativity; limits do. At General Magic, we had to build something revolutionary with the constraints of 1990s processors, and that forced leaps of imagination.
Finally, leaders must model innovation themselves. If you aren’t experimenting, if you aren’t visibly curious, your team won’t be either. Fostering innovation is not about slogans; it’s about daily behaviors: asking more questions, inviting diverse perspectives, and removing bureaucratic barriers.
Adam: What do you believe are the defining qualities of an effective leader? How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their leadership skills to the next level?
Kevin: The three qualities I return to are: empathy, clarity, and resilience.
- Empathy allows a leader to connect, listen, and inspire rather than command.
- Clarity ensures teams know the vision, the “why,” and their role in achieving it. This goes along with integrity and transparency. Leadership qualities people will follow.
- Resilience is what keeps an organization moving forward when plans inevitably fall apart.
To grow as leaders, people must first lead themselves. That means cultivating self-awareness, investing in personal joy and energy, and being willing to admit mistakes. The next level of leadership is not about adding skills; it’s about deepening character.
Adam: What are your three best tips applicable to entrepreneurs, executives, and civic leaders?
Kevin:
- Find Joy First – Build joy into your life daily and hourly. Without it, burnout is guaranteed and innovation stalls.
- Simplify Relentlessly – Complexity kills execution. Strip initiatives down to what matters most.
- Invest in People – Technology changes, markets shift, but people endure. Lift them, and they will lift everything.
Adam: What is the single best piece of advice you have ever received?
Kevin: “Don’t confuse motion with progress.” or “Working smarter beats working harder.” Early in my career, I thought being busy was the same as being impactful. A colleague reminded me that running fast in the wrong direction just gets you lost quicker. That advice forced me to pause, realign, and focus on outcomes rather than activity. It changed the way I lead and live. Although no question…I still run fast! But hopefully in a better, more impactful direction.
Adam: Is there anything else you would like to share?
Kevin: If there’s one thing I’d add, it’s that joy is contagious. In every role – leader, parent, spouse, friend – the energy you bring ripples outward. Choose joy, and you not only transform your own trajectory but everyone around you.
