A Geek Leader Podcast - inspiring technical and creative leaders around the world

About Erika Erika Andersen is the founding partner of Proteus, a coaching, consulting, and training firm that focuses on leader readiness. Over the past 30 years, Erika has developed a reputation for creating approaches to learning and business-building that are tailored to her clients’ challenges, goals, and culture. She and her colleagues at Proteus focus uniquely on helping leaders at all levels get ready and stay ready to meet whatever the future might bring. Much of her recent work has focused on organizational visioning and strategy, executive coaching, and management and leadership development. In these capacities, she serves as a consultant and advisor to the CEOs and top executives of several corporations, including Spotify, Amazon, Revolt TV and Media, Charter/Spectrum, and the Yale School of Public Health. She also shares her insights about managing people and creating successful businesses by speaking to corporations, non-profit groups and national associations. Erika’s books and learning guides have been translated into Spanish, Turkish, German, French, Russian, and Chinese, and she has contributed to and been quoted in a variety of national publications, including the Harvard Business Review, Wall Street Journal, Fortune, and The New York Times. Erika is also one of the most popular leadership bloggers at Forbes.com, and host of The Proteus Leader Show, a popular business and leadership podcast globally ranked in the top 10%. Through her different resources, Erika is committed to supporting workplace leaders. Erika Andersen is the best-selling author of Change from the Inside Out: Making You, Your Team, and Your Organization Change-Capable (2021), Be Bad First: Get Good at Things FAST to Stay Ready for the Future (2016), Leading So People Will Follow (2012), Being Strategic: Plan for Success; Outthink Your Competitors; Stay Ahead of Change (2009), and Growing Great Employees: Turning Ordinary People into Extraordinary Performers (2006). Today We Talked Soft Skills Leadership Change was slow Change was historically bad Safety in the known Humans haven’t evolved for rapid change Purposed Change What does this mean to me Why is it happening What will it look like afterwards It’s difficult, Costly, and Weird Change is accepted when the mindset shifts Must see the rewards Model and advocate for change Fear of the unknown is our deepest fear Listen better Closer your mouth… then summarize Make your employees feel psychologically safe Ask, “What is not working?” Keep the change going Being Change Capable Connect with Erika Website LinkedIn Twitter Book I’ve been using A2 Hosting for several years.  They offer state of the art SSD hosting for all of their plans.  Their sites are super fast and easy to setup.  I rarely need support, but when I was migrating my sites to a larger plan I used their support services and they were phenomenal.  I highly recommend A2 hosting for all of your hosting needs.  And I also recommend everyone to have a personal website. If you’re in technology and looking for a job and don’t have your own website, I probably wouldn’t hire you.  Just sayin’. Please use my affiliate link when signing up. https://www.ageekleader.com/a2 

About Simon Simon is a Canadian who retired from the Canadian Armed Forces after 26 years of experience being a follower and leader. He holds a Master of Arts in Leadership degree from Royal Roads University where he found his passion to help emerging leaders create strong foundations as they embark on their leadership journey. Simon is a father and husband who lives in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Today We Talked About: Simon’s background Military Service System’s Thinking Things I wish I knew starting out Communication Softening the edges Transparency SOPs Inposter Syndrom Connect with Simon Podcast Twitter LinkedIn I’ve been using A2 Hosting for several years.  They offer state of the art SSD hosting for all of their plans.  Their sites are super fast and easy to setup.  I rarely need support, but when I was migrating my sites to a larger plan I used their support services and they were phenomenal.  I highly recommend A2 hosting for all of your hosting needs.  And I also recommend everyone to have a personal website. If you’re in technology and looking for a job and don’t have your own website, I probably wouldn’t hire you.  Just sayin’. Please use my affiliate link when signing up. https://www.ageekleader.com/a2 

About Alex Alex Murrey is the Head of North American Operations for TangoTeams, a startup that’s redefining the software development outsourcing industry. When the average digital project runs 45% over budget and 7% over time–and delivers 56% less value than predicted–it’s clearly time for a major industry shift. With a background in leading companies through building new practices and navigating massive disruption, Alex is out to prove that there’s a better way to build digital products in the post-COVID distributed economy. (website). Today We Talked About Alex’s background DevOps Offshore development build leaders ice breakers Communication leading off shore teams empathy muscles Highlight your team in non-work related ways Including offshore teams Ways you learn Over communication Connect with Alex Twitter LinkedIn Website I’ve been using A2 Hosting for several years.  They offer state of the art SSD hosting for all of their plans.  Their sites are super fast and easy to setup.  I rarely need support, but when I was migrating my sites to a larger plan I used their support services and they were phenomenal.  I highly recommend A2 hosting for all of your hosting needs.  And I also recommend everyone to have a personal website. If you’re in technology and looking for a job and don’t have your own website, I probably wouldn’t hire you.  Just sayin’. Please use my affiliate link when signing up. https://www.ageekleader.com/a2 

About Sumit Sumit started as a techie in 2005 and fit the typical geek profile – good at computers and programming but introverted when it comes to people skills. He has worked in companies like InfoEdge (Naukri.com) (2005-2008), Yahoo (2010-2011), 91Mobiles (2013), and Booking (2014-2020). In addition, I also incorporated two startups – SaleRaja (from 2007-2010) and CricketRadius (in 2012) and co-founded a non-profit Pick A Fight (2011-12). As it happens with most people who are good at their job, SumtI was soon leading a team of 14 people. He was 24 years at that time, and had no idea what leadership was all about. To make it worse, he wasn’t even aware that people management and other so-called soft skills can be learned. For the past decade and a half, Sumit has researched and studied human behaviour and leadership. These years of research led him to Deploy Yourself, which started just as a series of articles and is now a philosophy that I use as a life guide. Sumit continues to pay attention to details (like body language, emotions, words and tone of voice, etc) yet at the same time being aware of the totally unpredictable nature of human beings.   Today We Talked About Sumit’s background Leadership Emotions Easy and Difficult Practice Positive conversations Listening Communication Coaching People don’t you to tell them what to do Directive Transparency Trust vs. Distrust Invite Feedback Being Defensive Walking One-on-ones   Connect with Sumit LinkedIn Twitter Website I’ve been using A2 Hosting for several years.  They offer state of the art SSD hosting for all of their plans.  Their sites are super fast and easy to setup.  I rarely need support, but when I was migrating my sites to a larger plan I used their support services and they were phenomenal.  I highly recommend A2 hosting for all of your hosting needs.  And I also recommend everyone to have a personal website. If you’re in technology and looking for a job and don’t have your own website, I probably wouldn’t hire you.  Just sayin’. Please use my affiliate link when signing up. https://www.ageekleader.com/a2 

About Christopher Christopher Judd is CTO and partner at Manifest Solutions (http://www.manifestcorp.com), an international speaker, Java Champion, an open source evangelist, and the Central Ohio Java Users Group (http://www.cojug.org) leader.  He is an accomplished writer having co-authored Beginning Groovy and Grails (Apress, 2008), Enterprise Java Development on a Budget (Apress, 2003) and Pro Eclipse JST (Apress, 2005) as well as the author of the children’s book “Bearable Moments”.  Based in Columbus Ohio, he has spent over 25 years architecting and developing software for organizations ranging from Fortune 50 companies to start-ups across various industries including insurance, health care, education, retail, government, manufacturing, service, and transportation.  Mr. Judd spends most of his time consulting while continuing to focus on mentoring and training in Java, mobile and related technologies. Manifest Solutions Corp. Manifest Solutions is a technology consulting firm based in Columbus, Ohio. We provide customized IT solutions to meet the complex needs of companies big and small. That’s what we do—but it’s who we are—that makes all the difference. Potential is not enough. Your business needs a high-performance team that knows how to collaborate for results. Our six-week program puts early talent on a fast track to growth. Learn more here: https://manifestcorp.com/manifest-agility-bootcamp/ Today We Talked About Chris’s background Act like an owner Entrepreneurship Make companies successful Bootcamp Understanding Engineering Principles Pragmatic thinking and learning Pair Programming and TDD The hours you invest is important Interviewing skills How to learn How to assess technology The technology hype curve Never eat alone Conference Commandos Craftsman Dinner Codemash Building IT leader of tomorrow.   Connect with Chris Manifest Corp Twitter LinkedIn Juddsolutions.com I’ve been using A2 Hosting for several years.  They offer state of the art SSD hosting for all of their plans.  Their sites are super fast and easy to setup.  I rarely need support, but when I was migrating my sites to a larger plan I used their support services and they were phenomenal.  I highly recommend A2 hosting for all of your hosting needs.  And I also recommend everyone to have a personal website. If you’re in technology and looking for a job and don’t have your own website, I probably wouldn’t hire you.  Just sayin’. Please use my affiliate link when signing up. https://www.ageekleader.com/a2 

About Mary Mary Smith, co-author of The I in Team series, which includes the newest release Individual Advantages: Be the “I” in Team. Mary, a leadership development and organizational culture expert, is an Associate Advisor at IA Business Advisors. Mary’s biggest passions in life are developing individuals and teams and pursuing social and self-awareness. Learn more at: iabusinessadvisors.com. Today We Talked About Mary’s background Ethical Leadership Influence Empathy Be compassionate for yourself Every is going through something Emotional Intelligence Influence is vital Have a Growth Mindset Positivity vs. Negativity Life is Peaks and Valleys Biz Vision The “I” in Team Culture is People Trust is the foundation of relationships Absentee Leadership Connect with Mary LinkedIn Twitter Website Book I’ve been using A2 Hosting for several years.  They offer state of the art SSD hosting for all of their plans.  Their sites are super fast and easy to setup.  I rarely need support, but when I was migrating my sites to a larger plan I used their support services and they were phenomenal.  I highly recommend A2 hosting for all of your hosting needs.  And I also recommend everyone to have a personal website. If you’re in technology and looking for a job and don’t have your own website, I probably wouldn’t hire you.  Just sayin’. Please use my affiliate link when signing up. https://www.ageekleader.com/a2 

About LaTonya Founder of The Change Coaches, LaTonya Wilkins partners with executives, upwardly mobile professionals, and teams to build cultures of belonging through highly customized coaching and consulting services. She is a sought-after keynote speaker and has inspired audiences all over the world. She built her career working in HR, talent management and learning & development at Fortune 500 companies before teaching and taking on progressive leadership roles at the University of Illinois’ Gies College of Business. LaTonya is currently the President of the True Star Youth Foundation board. She gained industry recognition when she was featured on the peer-nominated list of most inclusive HR influencers in 2019. LaTonya developed her signature concept of Below the Surface Leadership based on her own experience climbing the corporate ladder and researching across disciplines while constantly being the “only one” on her teams. This revolutionary approach to leadership is about creating psychologically safe relationships across differences, empowering underrepresented employees to feel valued, heard, and engaged, and creating cultures of belonging in the workplace. LaTonya’s clients often describe her as approachable, non-judgmental, inspiring, creative, unique, and insightful. You may experience her the same way as you read through Leading Below the Surface. Today We Talked About LaTonya’s background Leadership Diversity Equity Inclusion People First Belonging 3 Prongs of People Leadership Real Leadership Relatable Equitable Actionable Loyal Listening Playback what you’re hearing Write it down if you’re fidgety Psychological Safe Relationships Confirmation Bias Connect with LaTonya Twitter LinkedIn Book Website I’ve been using A2 Hosting for several years.  They offer state of the art SSD hosting for all of their plans.  Their sites are super fast and easy to setup.  I rarely need support, but when I was migrating my sites to a larger plan I used their support services and they were phenomenal.  I highly recommend A2 hosting for all of your hosting needs.  And I also recommend everyone to have a personal website. If you’re in technology and looking for a job and don’t have your own website, I probably wouldn’t hire you.  Just sayin’. Please use my affiliate link when signing up. https://www.ageekleader.com/a2 

About Paul Paul Szyarto is an Oxford University and Wharton Business School educated expert in business operations and technology and has spent the last twenty years maximizing the bottom line of more than 1000 global companies including Microsoft, Goodyear, BP, GE, United Technologies, Kellogg, Alcoa, Autoliv, Darden, Yum, and many more from the Fortune 500 list by redefining how they operate in regards to people, processes, and technologies. He is an expert in the domains of Project/Program Management, Digital Transformation, ERP Architecture, and Corporate Finance Optimization. In addition, he has personally supported the development of more than 20 entrepreneurial assets with cumulative revenues exceeding 250 million dollars. Paul is highly sought after for his speaking abilities with more than 200 events under his belt, and for his insight regarding business and digital transformation by hundreds of agencies including Fox, NBC, The NY Times, Reuters, The Inquirer, Digital Journal, Data IQ, and many more with impressions reaching millions. Paul has been directly involved with more than 400 enterprise-wide big data projects throughout the world focusing on ERP, PPM and Integration solutions, with more than 60 of them being SAP deployments. Some highlights include, Jacobs Engineering Group engaging with him to develop processes and a delivery management control solution responsible for the processes, cost controlling, safety, field operations, quality assurance, program management, and delivery of more than 12 billion dollars in client capital. With Microsoft, Paul utilized his business knowledge and coordinated the development of a project controls system for Microsoft’s Datacenter Design Group to manage a 20 Billion dollars datacenter development initiative to build 120 datacenters in various locations with the overall objective to manage over 1000 vendor organizations. When he was at Goodyear, he provided business management guidance and directed a global initiative over a 5-year period to manage the project management aspects for R&D and Global IT utilizing Microsoft’s EPM solution with bi-directional integration to internal systems and SAP. He was a Strategic Business Consultant for the U.S. Navy, providing logistics knowledge to guide the SAP implementation for a 7 Billion dollars SAP initiative and with the U.S. Army with a 4 Billion dollars SAP initiative. Today We Talked About: Paul’s background Tech background What Tech Leaders need to know Martial Arts Military Service Navy Loyalty GAFA Economics vs. traditional product development Connect with Paul Website Twitter LinkedIn I’ve been using A2 Hosting for several years.  They offer state of the art SSD hosting for all of their plans.  Their sites are super fast and easy to setup.  I rarely need support, but when I was migrating my sites to a larger plan I used their support services and they were phenomenal.  I highly recommend A2 hosting for all of your hosting needs.  And I also recommend everyone to have a personal website. If you’re in technology and looking for a job and don’t have your own website, I probably wouldn’t hire you.  Just sayin’. Please use my affiliate link when signing up. https://www.ageekleader.com/a2 

About Janet Janet is a global leader in leadership development and coaching. She’s a strategist and counsel to executive leaders across various industries.  Janet has deep expertise in comprehensive leadership and employee development across the world, including the U.S., China, Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Puerto Rico, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. I’m also a retired Lt.Col. in the U.S. Marine Corps. She’s focused on equipping first-time and experienced executives with the skills and a point of view for long term success. Janet is dedicated to helping leaders find their voice to lead from within. She works with individuals, leadership teams, and major organizations to help leaders foster their confidence and define how they want to show up to drive performance and profitability for their teams and their organization. Today We Talked About Janet’s background New Leader Woes Contribute through others Have a plan Not Developing your team Failure to give and receive feedback Remote work Generational differences The Great Resignation Regular One-on-Ones Format of the One-on-one Remove Roadblocks What am I learning or What did I accomplish (during one-on-ones) “In order to…” Problem solving Innovations Make it Worse Mind-storming – 20 ideas Fear Write down your feedback 60 seconds for feedback Future focused feedback Describing the Impact Connect with Janet Website Twitter LinkedIn Book I’ve been using A2 Hosting for several years.  They offer state of the art SSD hosting for all of their plans.  Their sites are super fast and easy to setup.  I rarely need support, but when I was migrating my sites to a larger plan I used their support services and they were phenomenal.  I highly recommend A2 hosting for all of your hosting needs.  And I also recommend everyone to have a personal website. If you’re in technology and looking for a job and don’t have your own website, I probably wouldn’t hire you.  Just sayin’. Please use my affiliate link when signing up. https://www.ageekleader.com/a2 

About Bob BOB NELSON, PH.D., president of Nelson Motivation Inc., is the world’s leading authority on employee recognition and engagement. He’s worked with 80% of Fortune 500 companies, is a Senior Fellow for the Conference Board, a top thought leader for the Best Practice Institute, and was named a top-five management guru by Global Gurus. Fondly known as “Dr. Bob,” he has authored over 30 books on employee motivation and engagement, which have collectively sold over 5 million copies and been translated into more than 30 languages. He is co-author of the new book Work Made Fun Gets Done! Easy Ways to Boost Energy, Morale, and Results. Learn more at drbobnelson.com. Today We Talked About Bob’s background The Great Resignation Salaries Remote work Generational differences Scrum Engaging Employees Communication Employee’s want to be involved in decisions Rewarding employees the wrong way Buck a bug How you handle mistakes Doing work through others Ego 1001 Ways to engage Employees 1501 Ways too Reward Employees Curiosity Remove Road Blocks Value Employees Ask your team what they need… and listen to them aligning personal aspiration with company  goals – engagement Connect with Bob Website Twitter LinkedIn Book I’ve been using A2 Hosting for several years.  They offer state of the art SSD hosting for all of their plans.  Their sites are super fast and easy to setup.  I rarely need support, but when I was migrating my sites to a larger plan I used their support services and they were phenomenal.  I highly recommend A2 hosting for all of your hosting needs.  And I also recommend everyone to have a personal website. If you’re in technology and looking for a job and don’t have your own website, I probably wouldn’t hire you.  Just sayin’. Please use my affiliate link when signing up. https://www.ageekleader.com/a2