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

About Richard Richard Medcalf describes himself as "what you get if you were to put a McKinsey consultant, a slightly unorthodox pastor and an entrepreneur into a blender". Richard is an executive coach & leadership consultant to exceptional founders & CEOs and their leadership teams. His clients are elite performers who've already achieved incredible things, and still have the ambition to 10x their impact and influence and achieve something that seems impossible right now. That can involve 1:1 coaching, taking the leadership team to its next level, or scaling high-performance culture throughout the business. After a Masters Degree at Oxford University, where he came top in his year, Richard started his career in a premier strategy consultancy where he rose to become the youngest-ever Partner. He then spent 11 years at tech giant Cisco, firstly elevating Cisco’s relevance in the C-suite of its Fortune 100 customers before being selected for an elite team set up by Cisco’s President and CEO, John Chambers and Chuck Robbins, to catalyse strategic partnerships & new business models. Richard has advised Founders and C-level execs for 20 years,  from Fortune 100 companies (Comcast, Mastercard, Sanofi, Sky, Orange, Bosch…) to high-growth tech firms (in AI, networking, robotics, fintech, …). He has overseen >$2B of deals. Keen to marry the disciplines of strategy and leadership in service of his clients, he qualified as a senior leadership consultant and executive coach before founding Xquadrant in 2017. Richard is bi-national English/French, lives near Paris, and is happily married and the proud father of two. He's also a licensed lay minister in the Anglican Church, and has an insatiable love for spicy food and the electric guitar.   Today We Talked About Richard's past Strategy Stop trying to free up time Examine your beliefs first Test your assumptions As "How" Be curious Think in terms of acceleration not speed what is your system for getting better at getting better retrospectives top 3 Work the Room Re-negotiation your agreements   Connect with Richard Website Podcast LinkedIn Twitter I hope you enjoyed this show, please head over to Apple Podcasts and subscribe and leave me a rating and review, even one sentence will help spread the word.  Thanks again! Private Internet Access I’ve been a customer of Private Internet Access for over 3 years now and I love this service.  I was at a security conference a few years ago and I connected to the hotel wifi.  Immediately my endpoint protection software began to alert me of hacking attempts.  I launched my VPN from Private Internet Access and all of the attempts were stopped. My data and internet connection was secure.  Another great use of the VPN service is connect from different geo locations, which is very helpful when testing DNS and CDN caching. To get a your VPN account starting at $3.33 per month, please visit https://ageekleader.com/vpn

About Jonathan Jonathan Raymond is the CEO of Refound, a leadership training company that helps organizations unlock high-performance through transparent conversations about growth and accountability. Jonathan spent 20 years building careers in business development and personal growth before realizing he could have the best of both worlds by starting his own company. Now, he uses those skills to advise CEOs and organizational leaders on how to create a people-first culture that drives results. His goal is to provide Refound’s clients with a partner they can trust and a program that gives managers an experience of how they can make work a better place, one conversation at a time. Jonathan is an experienced CEO, Inc. Magazine Top 100 Leadership Speaker (Inc. 2018) and the author of Good Authority, How to Become the Leader Your Team is Waiting For. He lives in Encinitas, California. He is madly in love with his wife, tries not to spoil his daughters, and will never give up on the New York Knicks. Today We Talked About Jonathan's background Leadership Remote work COVID Non-transactional spaces Create space Micro Managing Acknowledge the challenge 1st, then look for the solution Authority Principles Nature of Authority Accountability Conversation Sweet the Small Stuff Accountability dial Friend, Fighter, and Fixer More Yoda, less Superman Retrospective https://refound.com/ageekleader/ Connect with Jonathan Website Book I hope you enjoyed this show, please head over to Apple Podcasts and subscribe and leave me a rating and review, even one sentence will help spread the word.  Thanks again! Private Internet Access I’ve been a customer of Private Internet Access for over 3 years now and I love this service.  I was at a security conference a few years ago and I connected to the hotel wifi.  Immediately my endpoint protection software began to alert me of hacking attempts.  I launched my VPN from Private Internet Access and all of the attempts were stopped. My data and internet connection was secure.  Another great use of the VPN service is connect from different geo locations, which is very helpful when testing DNS and CDN caching. To get a your VPN account starting at $3.33 per month, please visit https://ageekleader.com/vpn

About Jack Jack Tompkins is a partner and founder of Pineapple Consulting Firm, a company that turns data into visualizations, allowing their clients to make more informed strategic choices. Jack has lived in Charlotte since early 2019 (moving away from Connecticut winters) and spent the majority of his professional career in the insurance world. His roles ranged from analyst to product manager, and strategic partnership owner to team manager, all of which helped craft his ability to form Pineapple Consulting Firm. Jack has now taken those analytical, financial, and partnership skills and offers them to small and medium-sized businesses that know how powerful data can be, but don’t have the internal resources to turn their data into a powerful business asset. With a strong drive to work with people (not just numbers!), Jack aims to have some fun working with clients while analyzing and visualizing their data through Excel and Tableau dashboards so clients’ past performance can inform their future strategy. Today We Talked About Jack's background How leaders can use visualizations Tools Google Data Studio Excel Tableau Engagement Gamification of Visualization Have a seat at the table Financial Data Revenue and Profit P&L Statement Expenses % of Revenue Human Data Turnover Rate Employee Satisfaction Transparency of Data Connect with Jack Website YouTube LinkedIn I hope you enjoyed this show, please head over to iTunes and subscribe and leave me a rating and review, even one sentence will help spread the word.  Thanks again! Live@Manning Graph Data Science Conference Discover the power of graphs! Tune-in to the live@Manning Graph Data Science conference, this Feb 16 to hear talks from data scientists explaining how, where, and why to use graph data to your advantage. Register for free here: https://www.ageekleader.com/graph #datascience

About Becky Becky Morrison is a UC Berkeley Certified Executive Coach with a passion for helping people live happy, priority-aligned lives. After a successful career in financial services, as a litigator and then in law firm administration, managing several hundred attorneys and staff at one of the country’s premier litigation firms, she was looking for a new challenge and transitioned to a small investment firm where she was COO. This transition helped her recognize that her true passion was people, she started her own coaching practice. Becky is also a life-long learner who is currently working towards her LLM in Taxation from Georgetown Law School and currently lives in VA with her husband and two children. Today We Talked About  Happiness... What is it? Time Management Happiness Recipe Gaps Authenticity Gap Emotional Energy Gap Physical Energy Gap What are your barriers Dealing with Fears Success Stacks - File and Log all things that have gone well Time Logging Having a Brag practice What's your biggest challenge right now? Be curious Global Re-prioritization Connect with Becky Website LinkedIn Book I hope you enjoyed this show, please head over to iTunes and subscribe and leave me a rating and review, even one sentence will help spread the word.  Thanks again! Live@Manning Graph Data Science Conference Discover the power of graphs! Tune-in to the live@Manning Graph Data Science conference, this Feb 16 to hear talks from data scientists explaining how, where, and why to use graph data to your advantage. Register for free here: https://www.ageekleader.com/graph #datascience

About Bo Throughout his career, Robert “Bo” Brabo has always focused on the people, helping them tackle their business problems as if they were his own. Since retiring from the U.S. Army as the Chief of Human Resource Operations with the White House Communications Agency and Presidential Communications Officer for both Presidents Bush and Obama, Bo has served in several executive positions including most recently Founder of Hail Media Group and the Brabo Center of Excellence. He previously co-founded a consulting agency that assisted government contractors in HR strategies and contract proposal efforts. Bo received his MBA from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. He is a professional speaker and author of the book “From the Battlefield, to the White House, to the Boardroom: Leading Organizations to Values Based Results.” Bo also co-hosts “The Bo and Luke Show” podcast. Today We Talked About Management vs. Leadership Military Career Working for the President You Manage Tasks but You Lead People PEDL Leadership Strategy: PARTICIPATE, ENGAGE, DISCUSS & LEARN Leading Remote Letting People Fail Risk Management Working for the President e-Learning The Podcast The 1st 90 days of being a manager Building Systems Connect with Bo Podcast Book LinkedIn Website I hope you enjoyed this show, please head over to iTunes and subscribe and leave me a rating and review, even one sentence will help spread the word.  Thanks again! Live@Manning Graph Data Science Conference Discover the power of graphs! Tune-in to the live@Manning Graph Data Science conference, this Feb 16 to hear talks from data scientists explaining how, where, and why to use graph data to your advantage. Register for free here: https://www.ageekleader.com/graph #datascience

About Ming-Hui Huang, PhD Distinguished Research Fellow at the Center for Excellence in Service at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, and Distinguished Professor, Department of Information Management, College of Management, National Taiwan University. A leading researcher and frequent contributor to both academic and managerial journals in AI and service, she is also Editor-in-Chief Elect of the Journal of Service Research (JSR). Learn more about their new book, The Feeling Economy: How Artificial Intelligence Is Creating the Era of Empathy (Springer International Publishing; January 2021), at https://www.amazon.com/Feeling-Economy-Artificial-Intelligence-Creating/dp/3030529762. Today We Talked About AI Economy Mechanical AI, Technical AI, Feeling AI Covid Feeling Empathy Self-learning Fear Autonomous AI And a lot more! Connect With Ming-Hui Huang LinkedIIn Book Google Scholar I hope you enjoyed this show, please head over to iTunes and subscribe and leave me a rating and review, even one sentence will help spread the word.  Thanks again! Private Internet Access I’ve been a customer of Private Internet Access for over 3 years now and I love this service.  I was at a security conference a few years ago and I connected to the hotel wifi.  Immediately my endpoint protection software began to alert me of hacking attempts.  I launched my VPN from Private Internet Access and all of the attempts were stopped. My data and internet connection was secure.  Another great use of the VPN service is connect from different geo locations, which is very helpful when testing DNS and CDN caching. To get a your VPN account starting at $3.33 per month, please visit https://ageekleader.com/vpn

About Jonathan Jon Kazarian is the founder and CEO of Accelevents, a one stop shop for event organizers who want to create a unique and engaging virtual experience for their audience. In the current environment, many companies are choosing to transition their live events to a virtual format and Jon is the expert when it comes to helping companies making this process as seamless as possible. Today We Talked About Jon's background Pivoting a business Why attend virtual events What's the tech behind it all Connect With Jonathan Twitter LinkedIn Website I hope you enjoyed this show, please head over to iTunes and subscribe and leave me a rating and review, even one sentence will help spread the word.  Thanks again! Private Internet Access I’ve been a customer of Private Internet Access for over 3 years now and I love this service.  I was at a security conference a few years ago and I connected to the hotel wifi.  Immediately my endpoint protection software began to alert me of hacking attempts.  I launched my VPN from Private Internet Access and all of the attempts were stopped. My data and internet connection was secure.  Another great use of the VPN service is connect from different geo locations, which is very helpful when testing DNS and CDN caching. To get a your VPN account starting at $3.33 per month, please visit https://ageekleader.com/vpn

About Brett Bretton (Brett) Putter is an expert in company culture development who is consulted by companies and leaders worldwide to help design, develop and build high-performing cultures. He is the CEO of CultureGene, a culture leadership software and services platform. Prior to founding CultureGene Brett spent 16 years as the Managing Partner of a leading executive search firm based in London working with startups and high-growth companies in the UK, Europe and USA. In 2018 he published his first book, Culture Decks Decoded and his second book Own Your Culture: How to Define, Embed and Manage your Company Culture in September 2020. Today We Talked About Brett's background What is my company culture? Hybrid Workforce Culture post COVID Remote First Build Remote 1st best practices into the default Help Remote employees feel as part of the team Experience the culture in the same way Leaders must work mostly or all remote What is culture and why is it important? Lack Of Culture Development as its own Pandemic Why is it important to have a strong culture during difficult times What is "The Decision Checklist?" Connect with Brett Twitter Books Website LinkedIn I hope you enjoyed this show, please head over to iTunes and subscribe and leave me a rating and review, even one sentence will help spread the word.  Thanks again! Private Internet Access I’ve been a customer of Private Internet Access for over 3 years now and I love this service.  I was at a security conference a few years ago and I connected to the hotel wifi.  Immediately my endpoint protection software began to alert me of hacking attempts.  I launched my VPN from Private Internet Access and all of the attempts were stopped. My data and internet connection was secure.  Another great use of the VPN service is connect from different geo locations, which is very helpful when testing DNS and CDN caching. To get a your VPN account starting at $3.33 per month, please visit https://ageekleader.com/vpn

About Bill Bill is an experienced C-suite, global crisis and reputation management strategist and author of Critical Moments: The New Mindset of Reputation Management. Rich cross industry expertise, advising companies such as: Target Corporation, Xerox, Home Depot, AT&T, American Airlines, and the Nuclear Energy Institute. Persuasive evangelist focused on expanding corporations’ license to operate through thoughtful insights and expertise. Passionate trainer, coach and team builder. - Created reputation management strategies and recovery plans for over 20 global corporations - Expert media relations strategist and creative third party liaison and executive coach - Skilled in risk triage and identifying corporate versus brand reputitional impacts - Competitive sailor, yoga enthusiast and community leader   Today We Talked About Reputation Management Bill's past COVID and Crisis Management 4 A's of Reputation Management Action Authority Assessment Awareness Importance of Marketing NextPextations Social Justice Personal Responsibility Risks 3+1 Risks Strategic Risks Preventable Risks External Risks Speed of Communication Make sure your readiness is in place Advice for being "ready" in technology What if it was us? A Geek Leader Listener Offer - https://kith.co/ageekleader/  Connect with Bill LinkedIn Website Twitter Book I hope you enjoyed this show, please head over to iTunes and subscribe and leave me a rating and review, even one sentence will help spread the word.  Thanks again! Private Internet Access I’ve been a customer of Private Internet Access for over 3 years now and I love this service.  I was at a security conference a few years ago and I connected to the hotel wifi.  Immediately my endpoint protection software began to alert me of hacking attempts.  I launched my VPN from Private Internet Access and all of the attempts were stopped. My data and internet connection was secure.  Another great use of the VPN service is connect from different geo locations, which is very helpful when testing DNS and CDN caching. To get a your VPN account starting at $3.33 per month, please visit https://ageekleader.com/vpn

About Shawn Shawn Livermore is a tech startup founder, entrepreneur, and technology consultant for over 20 years. He’s written books on software development and writes software in at least ten different programming languages. After raising investment capital for his startups six times, Shawn began to look beyond the code to see the bigger picture— systems, patterns, and mental models that most deserve our attention. Instead of hype and hustle, Shawn focuses on tangible, factual, and replicable bits and bytes that most people wouldn’t see or pay attention to. From small fragments, Shawn assembles larger stories, and helps people think, speak, and create like a tech genius. Today We Talked About Shawn's background Why write Average Joe? Average Joe: Be the Silicon Valley Tech Genius examines six claims: #1: Genius is required. #2: Creativity is sudden and inspired. #3: Secrets are elusive. #4: Growth is magic. #5: Their thinking is mysteriously inverted. #6: Their mystique is real. Slow Create Framework Big C and Little C Creative Inflections Invoking Fascination Sustainable Mystique Approach Imposter Syndrome The Sustainable Mystique Triad Narrow Focus Articulate Speech API = Analogy, Portrayal, Inversion Interesting Problems Debunking the myth of Tech Genius Narrow your scope Connect with Shawn Twitter LinkedIn Facebook YouTube Instagram Book Website Product Perfect   I hope you enjoyed this show, please head over to Apple Podcast and subscribe and leave me a rating and review, even 1 sentence will help spread the word.  Thanks again!