Jonathan Kniss is a strategic business leader with a track record of building high-impact organisations across aerospace, engineering, and technology.
Known for combining sharp technical insight with strong people skills, he’s spent over two decades driving transformation in complex, competitive industries.
Jonathan began his career at Boeing, where he rose through the ranks with eight promotions, a rare achievement in one of the world’s most structured firms. His work focused on high-stakes initiatives involving operational planning, team leadership, and product delivery at scale. “Each step up wasn’t just a promotion—it was a chance to learn how to lead in new ways,” he says.
Later, he joined Quest Integrated, where he helped scale their Qi2 Systems division from a niche service into a credible market presence. He led strategy, business development, and global expansion, shaping teams that could adapt and perform under pressure.
Jonathan has also served in executive roles such as CEO, President, and Director of Business Development. His expertise spans organisational design, profit optimisation, contract negotiation, and market analysis. He’s built a reputation for clarity, agility, and results.
From Boeing to scaling Qi2 Systems, Jonathan Kniss has spent his career navigating complex industries with structure, resilience, and forward thinking. We now learn more about how he leads teams through transformation—and why clarity and systems-thinking are at the center of lasting success.
Let’s start at the beginning. How did your career get started?
I began my career at Boeing and stayed there for several years. I was promoted eight times, which isn’t something you plan for—but each new role gave me deeper exposure to how large, complex systems work.
My time there wasn’t just about engineering or process. It was about people. I learned how to manage across silos, handle cross-functional tension, and stay calm when the stakes are high.
What did you take from that experience into your next chapters?
Clarity. At Boeing, there’s no room for ambiguity. Safety, structure, and delivery are everything. When I transitioned to Quest Integrated, where I helped scale Qi2 Systems, I took that same mindset into a more entrepreneurial setting.
There, I had to lead across product, sales, and business development. We were growing something from scratch. That’s where I really saw how agility doesn’t mean moving fast—it means designing teams and systems that can move together.
You’ve led through both structure and scale. How do you define agility?
Agility isn’t chaos. It’s structure that bends instead of breaks.
When I see a business struggling to adapt, it’s usually because they’re treating agility like an event. A reorg, a pivot, a new hire. But real agility is baked into how decisions are made, how teams are built, and how fast people can access what they need to act.
One thing I believe: if you’re relying on “fire drill” problem-solving every month, you don’t have agility—you have burnout.
You’ve worked in aerospace, engineering, and tech. What do these industries have in common?
High stakes. Whether it’s a flight system or a new software rollout, failure has consequences.
That’s why I’ve always leaned into strong planning. But planning doesn’t mean predicting the future—it means creating options. In both aerospace and tech, the best leaders aren’t just reacting. They’re shaping the conditions so the teams can respond when the unexpected happens.
What’s one mistake you’ve seen businesses make when trying to scale?
They rush to add headcount without fixing broken systems.
I’ve watched companies double in size and collapse under their own weight. They add people thinking it’ll solve performance issues, but all it does is add more complexity. You have to stabilize operations before you scale them. Otherwise, you’re just growing confusion.
You’ve worn many hats—CEO, President, Director of Business Development. What do you enjoy most about leadership?
I like helping people see the full picture. A lot of leaders are stuck firefighting. They don’t realize how much of that comes from lack of alignment, not lack of talent.
It’s best to build clarity into the culture. What’s the mission? What are we prioritizing? Who owns what? I’ve found that when people are clear, they become confident. And that’s when performance really lifts.
How do you stay grounded or keep learning in fast-moving environments?
I ask a lot of questions. I’ve always believed that curiosity is underrated in business. Some of the best insights I’ve gotten came from conversations outside my team—from engineers, operators, or frontline folks.
I also like to step back and ask, “What’s noise, and what’s signal?” It helps me reset and make sure I’m not chasing things that don’t matter long term.
Looking ahead, what kind of challenges or opportunities do you think leaders should prepare for?
Complexity is only going up. Global supply chains, AI, regulation—it’s a lot to manage. But the leaders who will thrive are the ones who can simplify things for their teams, not make them more complicated.
Also, we need more leaders who understand people. Not just performance reviews or HR systems, but real engagement. Especially in hybrid or distributed teams, the emotional side of leadership is becoming just as critical as the strategic one.
Final question. What advice would you give someone stepping into a leadership role for the first time?
Don’t try to prove you have all the answers. Instead, listen, ask better questions, and start mapping the system you’re inheriting. Where’s the friction? Where are the silent wins?
And invest in your own clarity. If you’re not clear, your team won’t be either. Leadership starts there.
Key Learnings
Agility is about systems, not speed. Kniss emphasises that true business agility is structured and strategic—not reactive.
Clarity enables performance. He believes that confident teams come from clear roles, strong planning, and aligned goals.
Growth should follow system stability. Scaling before fixing operational gaps leads to confusion and decline.
Leadership is listening. Curiosity, humility, and the ability to ask the right questions matter more than having all the answers.
People-centred strategy wins. As complexity increases, emotional intelligence becomes a must-have for modern leaders.
