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

About Dr. Liz Bywater Dr. Liz Bywater is a one-of-a-kind leadership expert who works at the intersection of business and psychology. She integrates deep expertise in human behavior and organizational dynamics with her pragmatic mindset and engaging personal style to help her clients thrive in an increasingly complex world. C-suite leaders and boards consistently enlist Liz’s help to: drive profitable growth build remarkable customer relationships supercharge innovation increase strategic agility eliminate fire-fighting and develop highly productive collaborations amid the nonstop demands of today’s 24/7 world. Results include rapid and dramatic improvements in revenues, profitability, productivity, work culture, leadership, and more. Dr. Bywater works with top executives and management teams across an array of companies, including Johnson & Johnson, Bristol-Myers Squibb, AmerisourceBergen, Biotronik, EMDSerono, Nike, Boeing, Thomson Reuters and more. She provides her clients with expert advice and actionable tools for success, based on more than 25 years of experience. She sits on the Editorial Advisory Board for Life Science Leader and frequently provides leadership insights for Fast Company, FierceCEO, the NY Times, the Wall Street Journal, and other top media outlets. Dr. Bywater has also been a featured guest on CBS’s Philadelphia Agenda and Marilyn Russell’s Remarkable Women. A longstanding member of the American Psychological Society and the Society for the Advancement of Consulting, Dr. Bywater has been recognized as one of the best consultants in the world. In 2018, she was inducted into the Million Dollar Consultant® Hall of Fame. Today We Talked About: create agreement with those around you taking a strategic pause prioritizing lists of activities delegation me / not me list reflection Now/Later/Never eliminate distractions control what you can control Narrow your priorities Connect with Liz twitter linkedin book website 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! Special Thanks to Today’s Sponsor, Berkaweb If you’re looking for a web hosting provider but aren’t sure how to choose one, check out Berkaweb.com. Berkaweb is a free online resource maintained by Mark Berka, where you’ll find tests and comparisons of hosting providers in different categories, such as hosts with the cheapest annual plans, providers with cheapest renewals, hosts with the longest money-back guarantees, and much more. In contrast to most other hosting reviewers, Mark formulates his recommendations by actually purchasing a hosting plan from each company and putting up a test website, so you’ll be getting an objective look at the true service quality of a provider, not just a rehash of the company’s own marketing claims.

About Larry Larry Hubatka is a General Manager for the Marketing and Creative Agency, Tiny Horse. He has provided more than 20 years of creative and strategic leadership for many of the largest companies, nonprofits, and ministries in America. His interests include 90s rock, the Seattle Seahawks, art, family roadtrips, and Jesus. Larry, his wife Kelly, and their 4 girls live in Charlotte, NC. Today we Talked About: Culture work culture Home Culture How COVID-19 has changed some things Leaders effect on culture? Its not all about what you do, but the way you do it. Telling a story Connect with Larry LinkedIn Twitter Book Instagram https://www.youlittlejerk.com 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!

About Chuck Chuck Swoboda is Innovator-in-residence at Marquette University, President of Cape Point Advisors, and the retired Chairman and CEO of Cree, Inc. He serves on several company boards and is author of The Innovator’s Spirit and host of the Innovators on Tap podcast. At Cree, Chuck he helped lead the company from $6 million in revenue to over $1.6 billion as they started the LED Lighting Revolution that led to the obsolescence of traditional light bulbs. Chuck is a co-inventor on 25 patents covering LED and Lighting related technology. In 2010, Chuck was named Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year for the Carolinas.  During his time as CEO, Cree was recognized as MIT Technology Review’s 50 Smartest Companies for 2014 and as one of Fast Company’s World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies in 2015. Chuck holds an electrical engineering degree from Marquette University (1989), where he served on the Board of Trustees for 12 years.  He and his wife live in Cary, North Carolina. When he’s not writing or working, you will likely find him fishing on Bald Head Island. Today We Talked About: Innovation The future doesn’t just happen saving benefits vs saving money accountability empathy learning changes Connect with Chuck Book Podcast Website Twitter LinkedIn Special Thanks to Today’s Sponsor, Berkaweb If you’re looking for a web hosting provider but aren’t sure how to choose one, check out Berkaweb.com. Berkaweb is a free online resource maintained by Mark Berka, where you’ll find tests and comparisons of hosting providers in different categories, such as hosts with the cheapest annual plans, providers with cheapest renewals, hosts with the longest money-back guarantees, and much more. In contrast to most other hosting reviewers, Mark formulates his recommendations by actually purchasing a hosting plan from each company and putting up a test website, so you’ll be getting an objective look at the true service quality of a provider, not just a rehash of the company’s own marketing claims. 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!

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!

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, you leave a legacy. Today We Talked About John’s Background Coaching and Transformation Motivation Trap Genius Talent Hire your opposite Growing your strengths One in a Billion Connect with John Website  LinkedIn Book 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!

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 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. Connect with Coach: Twitter Website LinkedIn The Leadership Killer Book Leadership Kill Website Today We Talked About The Leadership Killer Hubris – dangerous over confidence COVID-19 Fearful leadership Virtual training Humility Master Chief Exceptions And Much More! 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!

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

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!

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!

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!