
A Geek Leader Podcast - inspiring technical and creative leaders around the world
The ultimate podcast for aspiring leaders in the creative or technology fields. John Rouda discusses leadership topics, interviews some of the greatest minds today and teaches you practical leadership tips, techniques, tricks and hacks to improve motivation, negotiation, and other much needed skills for leaders today.
Latest episodes

May 1, 2020 • 40min
AGL 154: Leadership Tough Love with Timothy Lupfer
About Timothy
Tim Lupfer’s dark secret is that he grew up in New Jersey. Once you get around the New Jersey jokes, his life is pretty interesting. He entered West Point at the age of 17 in 1968, and four years later he graduated first in his class. He entered an army whose culture had been severely damaged by the tumult of the recently ended Vietnam War. He served in various combat-ready units in the US and Germany, and he attended Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, where he studied history. He also served as an Assistant Professor at West Point, where he taught military history. In 1990 and 1991 he commanded a reinforced tank battalion (over 700 soldiers and 58 M1A1 Abrams tanks) in combat in Desert Storm.
After retiring from the army in 1992, he entered business. He served as an executive at R.H. Macy and Company while the company emerged from bankruptcy, and then became a management consultant, starting his consulting career with McKinsey. During his 20+ year consulting career, Tim worked with several companies and organizations in organizational change, leadership, and ethics/compliance, to include the City of New York, several financial institutions, companies in various industries, global not-for-profits, and federal agencies.
After the Enron crisis, Tim focused on ethics and compliance, leading that effort for Deloitte Consulting in the US. He helped numerous companies from a wide variety of industries in establishing ethics and compliance programs and in developing codes of conduct. He has given numerous presentations on ethics and compliance throughout his consulting career. He retired as a Managing Director in Deloitte Consulting in 2011, and then continued doing individual consulting for the next seven years.
Tim now spends his time writing and speaking. He recently published a book on leadership entitled Leadership Tough Love. He enjoys traveling with his wife (and high school sweetheart) of over 45 years and trying to keep up with their seven grandchildren.
Today We Talked About
Tough Love
Specialist vs Leader
What is Leadership
Authority and Influence
Top Down and Bottom Up
Use Influence when not urgent
Importance of Visual communication
Change management
Becoming a generalist as a leader
Practice, Practice, Practice
Connect with Timothy
Website
Book
LinkedIn
Special Thanks to Splashtop for sponsoring today’s show.
Splashtop is a premier remote desktop, and remote support solution. I’ve been using Splashtop personal for more than 7 years now and Splashtop Enterprise at my company for 3 years. Their products are fantastic and their support is second to none. I love and highly recommend their products and I’m super stoked that they are giving A Geek Leader listeners 10% off their first year (offer expires June 30, 2020) when you go to https://ageekleader.com/splashtop
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!

Apr 24, 2020 • 40min
AGL 153: One in a Billion with John Hittler
About John
“How were you able to pull that off?”
This question follows John a lot, in his professional, personal, and charitable endeavors. John specializes in creating seemingly impossible outcomes, whether transforming a struggling team to become the top performer, or engaging an audience with his playful, interactive, life-changing style. His belief is simple: we are each endowed with one Genius Talent, different than any other person on the planet. John uses his genius to create seemingly impossible outcomes and in doing so, helps people win big!
Professionally, John partners with clients to create outcomes that they simply could not imagine possible, through an encouraging coaching style. “The clients always set the agenda,” says John, “and my job is to make the process of lasting behavior change or transformation safer and more attractive than standing still.” That result comes about often in a playful manner, transforming work into play, and unleashing individual, team, and organizational “genius” in the process.
John runs Evoking Genius, a transformational business coaching company. “We take struggling teams and help them to transform into top performers. We take already great teams and partner with them to break through to the next highest level. That almost always centers upon releasing the pent up talent in each individual and team. That sounds simple, and it’s not always easy. Our job is to make that process accessible, attractive, and mostly…safe. It never hurts to make it fun too,” claims John, who spent more than his fair share of time in the principal’s office for his playful approach to life. That same approach makes transformation much more appealing for clients.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in Economics and German from Georgetown University, John quickly found the entrepreneurial path much to his liking, starting 9 companies and one charitable foundation, all in different markets, ranging from catering to medical devices over a 20 year span. He now centers most of his energy on his coaching practice and writing books, as it fits both his genius and his passion to help others win big! He speaks to Fortune 1000 teams and organizations, and also enjoys working with smaller entrepreneurs in EO (Entrepreneurs Organization) and YPO (Young Presidents Organization). John still sits on charitable boards, mostly in the area of eliminating child poverty and human trafficking. Giving back is simply part of his personal ethic. His first book, The Motivation Trap, debuted in October of 2018.
In his private life, John and his wife, Radhika are the parents of seven, three of whom are adopted orphans, and that same ethic of creating unity from diverse cultures rules in the family. “My 7 kids have six different sets of DNA, with only two sharing the same biological parents. We are one family, and we all get along because we share one common vision together—to care for and nurture each other’s growth and success.” That simple approach spills over into everything he touches—to create “big wins” for people by working together for one agreed upon goal.
When not working, John can be found at a CrossFit affiliate, keeping ultra-fit and competing in local, regional, and national fitness competitions. His trademark pasty white legs are easily spotted among the participants. John also loves to cook, especially for close friends and family. “Food is love”, says John frequently. “There is always room for one more special guest at the dinner table in our home. That one last person is usually the one who needed to be included the most.”
My Genius Talent is discovering surprise outcomes by modeling a newly affective mindset.
I do this by redesigning the steps of the process used for accomplishing initial results, by taking immediate action to create momentum.
And then by adjusting and course correcting to improve the results.
I do this because I believe if you impact those around you,

Apr 17, 2020 • 45min
AGL 152: Bill Treasurer and Coach Havlick
About Bill Treasurer
Bill Treasurer is founder and Chief Encouragement Officer at Giant Leap Consulting (GLC), a courage-building company that exists to help people and organizations live more courageously.
The Leadership Killer: Reclaiming Humility in an Age of Arrogance
Bill is considered the originator of the new organizational development practice of “courage-building.” Bill is the author of the internationally bestselling book, Courage Goes to Work. The book provides practical strategies for inspiring more courageous behavior in workplace settings. In 2009, the book became the 6th bestselling management book … in China.
Bill is also the author of Courageous Leadership: Using Courage to Transform the Workplace. As a comprehensive off-the-shelf training program, the material is designed to help organizational development practitioners and training professionals inspire more courageous behavior in their organizations. You can learn more about the program here: www.CourageBuilding.com.
Bill’s newest book, coauthored with Captain John Havlik, Navy SEAL (Ret), is The Leadership Killer: Reclaiming Humility in an Age of Arrogance, which focuses on humility as the fundamental leadership attribute. Jim Kouzes, one of the world’s most renowned authorities on leadership, calls the book “one of the most unique and valuable books you will read all year.” Learn more at www.leadershipkiller.com.
Bill’s book, Leaders Open Doors, focuses on the responsibility that leaders have for providing people with opportunities that cause them to grow and develop. In 2014 the book became the #1 leadership training book on Amazon. Notably, Treasurer is donating 100% of the royalties to programs that support children with special needs. Learn more at: www.leadersopendoors.com.
For over two decades Bill has designed and delivered leadership and succession planning programs for experienced and emerging leaders for clients such as NASA, Accenture, CNN, Saks Fifth Avenue, Hugo Boss, UBS Bank, eBay, Lenovo, the Pittsburgh Pirates, the CDC, the National Science Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Learn more at www.giantleapconsulting.com.
Prior to founding Giant Leap Consulting, Bill was an executive in the change management and human performance practice at Accenture, a $35-billion-dollar management consulting firm. Bill became Accenture’s first full-time internal executive coach, where he coached Accenture senior executives to become more courageous leaders.
Bill’s first book, Right Risk, was published in 2003 and is about how to take smart risks. It draws on Bill’s experiences as both an organizational development professional and as a daredevil athlete. Bill is a former member of the U.S. High Diving Team. For seven years he traveled throughout the world performing with a team of high performing athletes. During that time, Bill did over 1500 high dives from heights that scaled to over 100 feet...sometimes on fire.
Bill holds a Master of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin and attended West Virginia University on a full scholarship. He is currently the past chairman of Leadership Asheville, a community-based leadership program and served on the board of his local YMCA. Most importantly, he is the father of three beautiful children, Alex, Bina, and Ian.
Connect with Bill:
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
About Coach
CAPT John “Coach” Havlik, U.S. Navy SEAL (Retired), led special operations teams around the world during his 31-year naval career, to include the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, the SEAL’s most elite operational unit. CAPT Havlik was a nationally-ranked swimmer, and is a member of the West Virginia University Sports Hall of Fame and Mountaineer Legends Society, WVU’s Ring of Honor equivalent.
Born in Munich, Germany, Coach grew up an Army brat, following his father around the world, eventually spending most of his childhood in Glen Bu...

Apr 11, 2020 • 41min
AGL 151: Financial Well-Being with Wayne Titus III
About Wayne
Wayne Titus understands how entrepreneurs live and breathe their businesses. That’s because Wayne comes from an entrepreneurial family. As a boy, he watched his dad work 70+ hours a week at his Cadillac/Oldsmobile business, and later worked beside his father — first as a mechanic’s apprentice; later, selling cars and working in the finance and insurance department, and finally, as general manager.
Wayne became an entrepreneur himself in the early 2000s, founding AMDG Financial and AMDG Business Advisory Services right after the tech bubble collapsed. “When I told people I was leaving my secure job at a large accounting firm to assist entrepreneurs and families with wealth management and planning, they nodded their heads politely and said, ‘That’s great.’ But I saw in their eyes what they were really thinking: ‘This guy is nuts!’”
“I wanted what many entrepreneurs want,” says Wayne, “independence, flexibility, and most important, the chance to make a significant impact on people’s lives.” In writing The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Financial Well-Being, Wayne draws on his personal experience and professional background to help entrepreneurs find and build a lasting relationship with an adviser who understands their needs.
Today We Talked About:
Wayne's Background
Planning for Retirement
Taxes and planning ahead
Tax Rate
Financial Well Being
Selling Stock and Proper Planning
Entrepreneurship
401K
Insurance is not an investment, its for protection
Roth is better than Real estate
Convert IRAs to Roth IRAs
The Checklist Manifesto - book
Connect with Wayne
Website
Book - The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Financial Well-Being
Twitter
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

Apr 3, 2020 • 37min
AGL 150: Culture is Everything with Tristan White
About Tristan
Tristan White is the founder & CEO of The Physio Co, a unique healthcare business that ranked #1 on BRW’s list of Australia’s 50 Best Places to Work in 2014. The Physio Co has ranked as one of Australia’s 50 Best Places to Work for ten consecutive years (2009-2018), along with being named one of the Best Workplaces in Asia from 2015-2018.
Tristan believes we spend such a huge part of our lives working that we have to find a way to enjoy it. In his book Culture is Everything: The Story and System of a Start-Up that Became Australia’s Best Place to Work, Tristan shares his 19-step system for building a great place to work. His approach is simple, centered around 4 basic pillars: Discover the Core, Document the Future, Execute Relentlessly, and Show More Love.
Join Tristan’s Culture is Everything 19-week kickstarter program to build a stronger and more empowered team!
Tristan loves to share what he’s learned along his entrepreneurial journey, and he does just that through his podcast, Think Big, Act Small, as well as from the stage. A captivating keynote speaker, Tristan shares his insight with audiences at conferences and corporate events around the globe.
Today we talked about
His background as a physiotherapist (ie a technician turned manager)
Using a repeatable system to create a strong culture as the foundation of an empowered team
A strong and empowered team as the foundation of leaders creating time and space in their life to be able to grow their business.
Culture Is Everything Kickstarter Program. 19-weeks to building a stronger and more empowered team.
Be a great listener
Coaching your team
Asking good questions
The Coaching Habit
19 Step Checklist for Culture
Find a Better Way
Rework as a leader
Help Australia out with the Fires
Connect with Tristan
Kickstarter Program
Culture is Everything Book
Twitter
LinkedIn
Website
Think Big Act Small Podcast
https://www.tristanwhite.com.au/geek/
Special Thanks to Splashtop for sponsoring today’s show.
Splashtop is a premier remote desktop, and remote support solution. I’ve been using Splashtop personal for more than 7 years now and Splashtop Enterprise at my company for 3 years. Their products are fantastic and their support is second to none. I love and highly recommend their products and I’m super stoked that they are giving A Geek Leader listeners 20% off their first year when you go to https://ageekleader.com/splashtop
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!

Mar 27, 2020 • 41min
AGL 149: Being Promotable with Dr. David Arrington
About David
David's stated mission is to impact an entire generation of leaders.
In his spare time, Dr. David Arrington enjoys watching movies, TV shows and, listening to great music. When he's not watching a great (or terrible) movie, noddin' his head to old school rap, or spending time with his family, he coaches and practices transformational leadership. David holds a doctorate in strategic leadership, which he puts to good use in his coaching practice.
With over 15 years of leadership and executive coaching experience, he is a force multiplier for executives who want to hit their stretch goals fast. He partners with C-level executives and their leadership teams increasing accountability, clarity, and focus.
David pastored for 12 years. That experience allows him to help leaders find constructive ways to lead their teams. He's the principal of Arrington Coaching, a much sought-after coach, speaker, and leadership trainer. He and his team launched ArringtonTraining.com to make his practical teaching style and proven methodology available to more leaders and teams.
If you want to get in touch with David for coaching, leadership training, or speaking to your organization, you can reach him at .
Today we talked about:
David's Past
Pastoring
Leadership
Gen X Leaders
Being Promotable
You're always in control
Think like a free agent
Understand your bosses goals
Keep Upgrading your skills
Lead better meetings
Command the room
Have a plan
Connect with David:
Website
Book
LinkedIn
Twitter
Special Thanks to Splashtop for sponsoring today’s show.
Splashtop is a premier remote desktop, and remote support solution. I’ve been using Splashtop personal for more than 7 years now and Splashtop Enterprise at my company for 3 years. Their products are fantastic and their support is second to none. I love and highly recommend their products and I’m super stoked that they are giving A Geek Leader listeners 20% off their first year when you go to https://ageekleader.com/splashtop
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!

Mar 19, 2020 • 36min
AGL 148: Kim Bohr
About Kim
Kim Bohr is the CEO of The Innovare Group, a company renowned for diagnosing and repairing organizational and leadership disconnects. She works with companies and leaders to help them assess, align, and accelerate their strategic priorities that impact talent, execution, and business growth.
As the founder and chief strategist of The Innovare Group, her mission is to make business better from the inside out. With over 20 years of experience as a cross-functional leader and executive advisor, Kim has worked with Fortune 1000 companies, mid-market growth organizations, and emerging startups to cultivate a holistic understanding of sustainable success.
Kim is a sought after speaker on the topics of strategy execution, leadership, and business growth, Her book, Successes, Failures & Lessons Learned, is a 12- week guided professional journal designed to be a valuable tool for companies to put into their employees’ hands to foster ownership and accountability over performance, execution, and career development goals. The outcome for the organization is greater team alignment between people+process.
Her professional experiences led her to create a proprietary process where she diagnoses disconnects and organizational priorities from the inside out. Ultimately, equipping leaders and companies with the tools and knowledge necessary to create aligned, equitable, and competitive workplaces.
Outside of The Innovare Group, Kim is an adjunct faculty for Seattle University where she teaches MBA and undergrad classes on business strategy, operations and leadership. Kim leverages her extensive professional experience into humanitarian work and volunteering. She’s served on the National Board of Directors for Susan G. Komen, and commits her time to several other worthy causes.
Special offer for A Geek Leader Listeners
Today we Talked About:
Kim's Journey
Poor Leadership
What got you here, won't get you there book
Entrepreneurship
Shorten the leadership learning curve
Build your leadership pipeline
Ownership and Accountability
Women in Tech
Mindset
Intentional Goal setting
Gratitude
Things I excel at
Tracking your achievements
Making a case for your next role
Connect with Kim
Twitter
Website
Book
LinkedIn
https://theinnovaregroup.com/geek/
Special Thanks to Splashtop for sponsoring today’s show.
Splashtop is a premier remote desktop, and remote support solution. I’ve been using Splashtop personal for more than 7 years now and Splashtop Enterprise at my company for 3 years. Their products are fantastic and their support is second to none. I love and highly recommend their products and I’m super stoked that they are giving A Geek Leader listeners 20% off their first year when you go to https://ageekleader.com/splashtop
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!

Mar 13, 2020 • 38min
AGL 147: Coach John Havlik – Former Navy Seal
About Coach
The Leadership Killer: Reclaiming Humility in an Age of Arrogance
CAPT John “Coach” Havlik, U.S. Navy SEAL (Retired), led special operations teams around the world during his 31-year naval career, to include the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, the SEAL’s most elite operational unit. CAPT Havlik was a nationally-ranked swimmer, and is a member of the West Virginia University Sports Hall of Fame and Mountaineer Legends Society, WVU's Ring of Honor equivalent.
Born in Munich, Germany, Coach grew up an Army brat, following his father around the world, eventually spending most of his childhood in Glen Burnie, MD.
29 years of distinguished service in the Naval Special Warfare (SEAL) community
Graduated from West Virginia University
Four year Swimming Letterman; three-time team MVP
First swimmer in school history to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials (1980)
Qualified for the NCAA Division 1 Swimming Championships (3 times)
Served as tri-captain of the first undefeated men’s swim team in school history his senior year
Graduated with M.A. in National Security and Strategic Studies from Naval War College in Newport, RI
Coach enlisted in the Navy in 1982, and was subsequently assigned to the United States Naval Academy as a swim coach/physical education instructor upon completion of Boot Camp. He was commissioned as a naval officer via Officer Candidate School in November 1984. Coach successfully completed Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training in 1985.
His military assignments have included a full range of duties in Sea, Air, Land (SEAL) Teams, Special Boat Teams, and Naval Special Warfare Development Group. He commanded several times and completed numerous deployments to named and contingency operations around the world, to include one deployment to Iraq, where he oversaw the complete redeployment of all Special Operations forces and equipment from Iraq after ten years of combat operations. Coach's naval career included overseas assignments in the Philippines, Panama and Bahrain. He has worked extensively with inter-agency and international partners.
Today We Talked About
John's past
Navy Seal Life
Going Back To School at Age 60
Leadership Killers
Hubris and Ego
Consistency
One-on-Ones
Communication
Be the Example
Discipline
Culture
Humility
Evaluate and change to stay in-front
Check yourself
Have a Master Chief
Open up your mental aperture
Get out of your office
Connect to Coach
Twitter
Website
LinkedIn
The Leadership Killer Book
Leadership Kill 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

Mar 6, 2020 • 37min
AGL 146: Working Remote with Gonçalo Silva CTO of Doist
About Gonçalo
Gonçalo Silva is obsessed with building the workplace of the future. That's why he joined Doist almost a decade ago, and it's why he remains there today as CTO, helping to build tools like Todoist and Twist that help over 13 million people worldwide be more productive.
Today we talked About:
History with technology
Doist
Growth
Remote work
Leading remotely
Motivating Remote Teams
Mission
On-boarding Remote Employees
Managing Independence
Communication for tech leaders
Ownership
Trust
Tight feedback loop
Radical Candor
Red - Yellow - Green checkin
Vulnerability
Start, Stop, Continue
Body language
Remote Employees
Connect with Gonçalo
Twitter
Doist
Special Thanks to Splashtop for sponsoring today’s show.
Splashtop is a premier remote desktop, and remote support solution. I’ve been using Splashtop personal for more than 7 years now and Splashtop Enterprise at my company for 3 years. Their products are fantastic and their support is second to none. I love and highly recommend their products and I’m super stoked that they are giving A Geek Leader listeners 20% off their first year when you go to https://ageekleader.com/splashtop
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!

Feb 28, 2020 • 42min
AGL 145: Respectful Leadership with Gregg Ward
About Gregg
Gregg Ward is the CEO of the Gregg Ward Group, a management consulting, training and coaching firm that focuses on helping leaders develop their Respectful Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, and Executive Presence skills. For over 25 years, Gregg has worked with Fortune 100 and 500 organizations around the world to inspire respect and leadership, emphasizing the measurable, bottom-line benefits they bring to leaders and their organizations. Gregg is also the Founder & Executive Director of the non-profit Center for Respectful Leadership.
After graduating from Boston University and working as a theatre professional around the U.S., Gregg started his career in the 1980s as a specialist trainer for the New York City Police Department. Collaborating with a team of experts, he developed a powerful experiential learning program for police officers based on Live Theatre Training techniques and the performance, improv, and facilitation skills that Gregg was incorporating into his onstage performances. This program was considered a huge success by NYPD’s leadership, and was featured in major media including The New York Times and CNN.
Since then, Gregg has developed, delivered, and facilitated thousands of keynote addresses, experiential learning programs, and executive coaching sessions for a wide range of global clients including ADP, Booz Allen Hamilton, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Harley-Davidson, InterContinental Hotels Group, Kaiser Permanente, Kraft Foods, Novartis, Qualcomm, Raytheon, Siemens, the University of California, the US Navy, and Warner Brothers Studios.
A former journalist on assignment throughout Europe for BBC Radio, Scotland on Sunday, and other UK media, Gregg is also the author of the best-selling, award-winning business book The Respectful Leader.
Today we talked about
Gregg's history
Coaching and Leadership
Respect in Leadership
You don't have to be nice to be respectful
Respect is the golden rule working with the platinum rule
Feedback
One-on-Ones
Take care of the person, but deliver the feedback in a way that addresses the problem, not the person
Handling Defensiveness
Respectful Remarks
Acknowledge Reality
"I wouldn't be doing my job if..."
Contrasting comparison
Reptilian brain
Brain Chemicals
We are not thinking beings with emotions... we are emotional beings who think
Self-awareness
Connect with Gregg
Book
Website
Twitter
LinkedIn
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!
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