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

Last week I was honored to have Tom Rath on the show to talk about some of his books and how they impact leaders. Today I want talk about some of the take aways that I had from Tom’s books and how they have impacted my life. Eat Move Sleep Walking Meetings 10,000 steps Standing no sugar in coffee cut out fruit juices cut down on bread SLEEP!!!! Are You Fully Charged? Work in bursts Pomadora Technique Search for meaning, not happiness Strengths Finders 2.0 Focus on your strengths But don’t completely forget your weaknesses How Full is Your Bucket Give what you want Filling others buckets, fills  your own About Tom Rath Tom Rath is a researcher and writer who studies the role of human behavior in business, health, and well-being. Tom has written six New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers over the past decade, starting with the #1 New York Times bestseller How Full Is Your Bucket? In 2016, his book StrengthsFinder 2.0 was listed by amazon.com as the top selling non-fiction book of all time. Tom’s bestsellers include Strengths Based Leadership, Wellbeing, and Eat Move Sleep and Are You Fully Charged?. He has also written two children’s books and produced a feature-length documentary. In total, Tom’s books have sold more than 6 million copies and have made more than 300 appearances on the Wall Street Journal bestseller list. Tom currently serves as a senior scientist for and advisor to Gallup, where he previously spent thirteen years leading the organization’s work on employee engagement, strengths, leadership, and well-being. Tom also served as vice chairman of the VHL cancer research organization. He holds degrees from the University of Michigan and the University of Pennsylvania, where he is a regular guest lecturer. Tom, his wife, Ashley, and their two children live in Arlington, Virginia. Tom’s Books Are You Fully Charged? The Rechargeables: Eat Move Sleep (kids book) Eat Move Sleep Strength Finders 2.0 Strengths Based Leadership How Full is Your Bucket? Wellbeing How Full is Your Bucket for Kids (kids book) Vital Friends Connect with Tom Website Twitter Facebook 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!

Today on the show we have Kevin Griffin, owner, trainer and consultant at Swift Kick.  Kevin was gracious enough to have me on his show, the Swift Kick Show a few months back.  Here’s a link to that episode. As a software professional with over ten years of experience, Kevin Griffin has had the fantastic opportunity to work with a variety of industries ranging from Military to Health Care to Ticket Brokering. A lesson he learned early in his career was that true experts and professionals teach everything they learn. Since then, his professional philosophy has been to set his clients up for success from the beginning by teaching them how this crazy world of custom software development really works. Kevin’s business is dedicated to training developers of all genders, ages, creeds, and experience levels how to be amazing at their jobs. It is not uncommon to see him traveling around the country and speaking at user groups, regional events, and even the occasional national conference. Kevin is am a Microsoft MVP, specializing in ASP.NET and web development. However, as a lifelong learner, he tries not to limit myself to a single stack or framework. Things we talked about Teach everything you know What works best for tech learning Training Opportunity Cost for training Are you training on the right things Conferences Side-Businesses (hustles) Connect with Kevin 2 Frugal Dudes Podcast Swift Kick Twitter LinkedIn Revolution Conf. – June 6-7, 2019 in VA, Beach 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!

I’m honored to have multiple time #1 New York Times best selling author Tom Rath on the show today.  At one point, prior to writing best selling non-fiction books, Tom was a technical project manager.  He offers great insight into his life and work during this interview.  We talk about ways to increase health, well-being and happiness in general. We discuss focusing on your strengths and Tom’s advice to young leaders. Tom’s books have made a big impact in how I do certain things in my life which I’ll address in detail in future episode when I give my take aways from several of his books. About Tom Rath Tom Rath is a researcher and writer who studies the role of human behavior in business, health, and well-being. Tom has written six New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers over the past decade, starting with the #1 New York Times bestseller How Full Is Your Bucket? In 2016, his book StrengthsFinder 2.0 was listed by amazon.com as the top selling non-fiction book of all time. Tom’s bestsellers include Strengths Based Leadership, Wellbeing, and Eat Move Sleep and Are You Fully Charged?. He has also written two children’s books and produced a feature-length documentary. In total, Tom’s books have sold more than 6 million copies and have made more than 300 appearances on the Wall Street Journal bestseller list. Tom currently serves as a senior scientist for and advisor to Gallup, where he previously spent thirteen years leading the organization’s work on employee engagement, strengths, leadership, and well-being. Tom also served as vice chairman of the VHL cancer research organization. He holds degrees from the University of Michigan and the University of Pennsylvania, where he is a regular guest lecturer. Tom, his wife, Ashley, and their two children live in Arlington, Virginia. What we talked about: Eat Move Sleep Walking Meetings 10,000 steps Standing no sugar in coffee cut out fruit juices cut down on bread SLEEP!!!! Are You Fully Charged? Work in bursts Pomadora Technique Search for meaning, not happiness Strengths Finders 2.0 Why should we focus on strengths and not our weaknesses grades…ugh! How full is your bucket Give what you want Filling others buckets, fills  your own Tom’s Books Are You Fully Charged? The Rechargeables: Eat Move Sleep (kids book) Eat Move Sleep Strength Finders 2.0 Strengths Based Leadership How Full is Your Bucket? Wellbeing How Full is Your Bucket for Kids (kids book) Vital Friends Connect with Tom Website Twitter Facebook 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!

Today on the show we’ve got Kahlia Braswell, executive director of INTech Camps for girls.  We talked mostly about INTech Camps and diversity in the technology fields.  Kahlia mentioned the NC WIT as a resource for writing job descriptions and more. About Khalia Khalia Braswell received her first computer in the 4th grade and was instantly hooked. As a result of her early interest in tech, she enrolled in Phillip O. Berry Academy of Technology, in Charlotte, North Carolina, for high school, where she fell in love with computer programming. After receiving her Bachelor of Science degree in computer science from North Carolina State University College of Engineering in 2013, Braswell attained a Master of Science in Information Technology from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 2016. Throughout her journey in tech, Braswell interned at several companies (Wells Fargo, Deloitte, Fidelity Investments, Bank of America, Apple) and noticed that few people, both in academia and in the workforce, looked like her–a Black woman. As a result, she founded the INTech Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to inform and inspire girls to innovate in the technology industry. To date, INTech has reached over 500 minority girls across North and South Carolina, through hosting one-day camps, mini-camps, and summer camps. INTech has worked with the National Center for Women in Information Technology, Teach For America – South Carolina, Google, UNC Charlotte, the STARS Computing Corps, Red Ventures, AvidXchange, SAS, and the Urban League of Central Carolinas. Braswell and the INTech team gained social entrepreneurship coaching while participating in the Queen City Forward ImpactU summer accelerator, the Tiny Fellowship from 4.0 Schools, as well as, the SEED20 Competition. In December 2015, Braswell was invited to attend the inaugural White House Computer Science Tech Jam, which kicked off Computer Science Education Week. She was also named to the 2016 Charlotte Mecklenburg Black Chamber of Commerce 30 Under 30 list and the 2017 North Carolina State University Computer Science Outstanding Young Alumni list. Braswell was a user experience engineer at Apple in Cupertino, California where she helped design enterprise applications, which reached all Apple employees. She currently resides in Charlotte, N.C. where she runs INTech full-time. Khalia is an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated and the National Society of Black Engineers. She loves reading, traveling, and attending live concerts. INTech Camp for Girls 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!

About Dave Dave Bittner is the producer and host of the CyberWire podcast, a top-rated daily cyber security news program produced in Baltimore. He’s been tinkering with electronics practically his whole life, cobbling together a computer system to dial in to pre-internet BBS systems at the age of ten with the money he saved from his paper route. After college (University of Maryland, Radio TV and Film) he was among the pioneers of desktop digital video, cofounding Pixel Workshop, an award winning digital media production company in Columbia, MD. Following twenty years as an entrepreneur, he was lured away by one of his clients, CyberPoint International, to help support their mission of protecting what’s invaluable in cyberspace. The CyberWire was spun off from CyberPoint in early 2016, and since then he has been working with a talented team of creative and technical professionals to make sure the Cyberwire Daily Podcast maintains its leadership position in the industry for quality, integrity and relevance. Dave Bittner lives in Columbia, MD, with his wife, two sons, and a dog.   “Every successful business needs a Walt and a Roy”    We Talked About: Time Management Calendly (a tool that I use too!) Every successful business needs a Walt and a Roy (Walt Disney reference) Security Response Plans Customer Service Integrity Best piece of business advice that Dave ever got… “When there are hard times, be open about it to your bankers and to others, as they want to help you.  They want you to succeed. Asking for help Malicious Obedience Tactical Empathy Security Training Current Events Dave’s Podcasts: The CyberWire Grumpy Old Geeks Recorded Future Hacking Humans Things leaders should be doing: Use a password manger multi-factor auth defense in depth Staying informed with security news   Being a leader is being a collaborator 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!

Today on the show we have Alan Stevens.  I heard Alan speak at a local conference on leadership many years ago and he is one of the people that first sparked my interest in leadership.  I was honored to have him on the show.   Alan is an advocate of open spaces and today we talked about how to get fired… that’s right. About Alan Stevens Alan Stevens is a passionate software developer with years of experience delivering working software that meets users’ needs. He has shipped software on the web and Windows desktop using a variety of languages and technologies. He loves learning new technologies and using them to solve challenging problems. Alan is self-motivated and gets things done. He enjoy understanding the needs of users and stakeholders to solve the important problems. Alan is an advocate of testing as the best means to create successful designs and insure quality. Alan prefers readable and maintainable code. He follows the guidance of Ward Cunningham, who said that once you get your program working, “Make it look like it was easy to write this program even if it wasn’t.” Alan prefers using open source solutions to building his own, limited solution. He insist that building the right thing is always more important than building it right. Because, it doesn’t matter how well you build the wrong thing. Alan enjoys engaging with other developers by presenting at developer events, participating in meet-ups and online communities and especially through Open Space Technology. If you don’t trust your employees, then fire them. What we talked about: Open Space Technology What it feels like to get fired Obstacles Ones you can influence Ones you can route around Ones you have to live with Ones you can’t live with (immovable obstacles) Trust your people Ask Don’t Tell You’re not a failure just because you failed It doesn’t last forever You have to talk about it You are responsible for your own happiness   Connect with Alan Stevens Twitter Website

Joe Topinka, a career CIO, is a dynamic author, speaker, and coach and a three-time CIO-of-the-year award winner. He has over 35 years of success leading IT organizations and driving meaningful business results in the process. His game-changing IT Business Partner Program bridges the chasm between business stakeholders and IT organizations. Joe is a frequent keynote speaker on this subject where he shares his vision at industry events across the country.  His bestselling book, IT Business Partnerships: A Field Guide was recently named a top-ten read for CIOs. Joe is Board Chair of the Business Relationship Management Institute, an organization dedicated to advancing the BRM capability worldwide. Joe is the founder of CIO Mentor, LLC, a consultancy focused on helping companies leverage the power of technology to achieve profit-driven business results. As a veteran CIO, Joe has experience across many industries including banking services and packaged software, brokerage, accounting, manufacturing, and retail. He is currently VP-CIO of SnapAV and is responsible for an innovative award-winning IoT-based platform call OvrC (pronounced oversee) that is changing the way home and SMB integrators serve their customers. Today we talked about Adopt the right language (not customers or peers) IT leaders are business leaders and need to think like them IT Business Partnerships. IT as the central nervous system of most companies The importance of Field Studies (field trips) You have to get the operations running smoothly Start your business relationships with Sales Departments because they are closer to the customers Team Building Converged IT 4 Principles of Accountability Commit to something 100% Be resilient Ownership Learn Facts before Stories Human API (Assume Positive Intent) Support it, don’t debate it Don’t BMW drive (Bitch, Moan, and Wine) No sub-comb to the trap of an open door policy Stop judging and start helping Books Mentioned Joe Topinka – IT Business Partnerships: A Field Guide Jocko Willink – Extreme Ownership Cy Wakeman – No Ego   Connect with Joe Personal Website CIO Mentors 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!

What’s your Plan for______?   I decided to do another short solo show for those of you that might have missed the earlier format of A Geek Leader shows.  This is a quick tip that I picked up from a parenting course.  Now before you rule out using parenting techniques at work, let me confess and say that I use them all the time… and they work.  This one is is called “What’s your plan for______?” Let me explain.  If you notice a task that you’ve delegated to one of your team members is not getting done as you would like it to, you may be like me and start to get nervous, or annoyed with the lack of progress.  This is when I would either take the task back to make sure it got done, or micro-manage the employee to death to get it done.  Either way, this leaves the employee feeling bad and sometimes inadequate.  You may think that this would encourage them to do better next time and not drop the ball, but in reality, it usually does the opposite. It teaches them that maybe they aren’t capable of those tasks, and that if they don’t do them, its okay, because you’ll just pick them back up and make sure they get done. Another approach is to take the “What’s your plan for____?” approach.  This is very simple, just ask your employee “What’s your plan for <FILL IN THE BLANK>?”  and let them answer.  For example, if I had an employee that is delaying on getting a new system deployed, I would approach them and instead of saying “How’s the new system going?” which they may reply with “fine” even though no progress has been made… or instead of saying “I need you to get that new system done…” which would likely lead to annoying the employee and not really making headway towards the goal.  I would say, “What’s your plan for the new system deployment?”  And listen intently on the new plan and offer feedback.  If there isn’t a plan, then this is the perfect time to work together to come up with one.  But, what I found is that the employees typically have a “rough draft” plan in their head that hasn’t been documented or vetted yet.  When they start to tell you the plan, have them document and go over it with them right then and there.  This shows your interest in their project and shows that you aren’t going to forget about it. I’ve found that this also encourages the employee to make this a higher priority than they did before.  Its also important to let them know that you believe in them and that you know they will do a good job with this project (even if you have your doubts).  Sometimes people just need a little bit of encouragement, a jumpstart, and map to point them in the right direction.  Good leaders can do this without being demeaning or putting down their employees. 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!

Today we have Kent C. Dodds on the show.  He and I talked about lots of things including how he got started developing software and some of his early work in automation.  We talked about some of his mistakes and why its important to share your mistakes so that others can learn from them.  We talked about giving back to the community, teaching to learn and many more topics. This is a fantastic conversation and a must listen. Kent C. Dodds works at PayPal as a full stack JavaScript engineer. He represents PayPal on the TC39. He’s actively involved in the open source community. He’s an instructor on egghead.io, Frontend Masters, and Workshop.me. He’s also a Google Developer Expert. Kent is happily married and the father of four kids. He likes his family, code, JavaScript, and React. Today we talked about: Kent’s origin story in technology Lessons’s learned Why its important to have an attitude of gratitude The importance of making mistakes Why you should teach what you want to learn Links Website Kent’s Blog Kent’s Twitter Kent’s GitHub JavaScript Air – A podcast Kent created (Kent also started Angular Air) React30 – A podcast about React that Kent co-hosted 3 Minutes with Kent – A briefs.fm podcast Kent occasionally does 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!

Today on the podcast we’ve go Jay Harris.  I met jay a few years back at a conference.  I’ve heard Jay speak several times and thought he would be a good guest for the show and he did not disappoint.  He came with good topics and the ideas of celebrating our own expertise as a well to improve overall mental health and confidence in our own abilities.  This is a must listen to show for sure. Jay is a code wrangler, software consultant, and owner of Arana Software. He has been developing on the web since 1995, when the Blink tag lured him away from Visual Basic 3, and has been awarded as a Microsoft Regional Director, ASPInsider, and Microsoft MVP. Recognizing that the greatest application performance bottleneck is a developer’s time, Jay’s continuing quest is for frameworks, modules, tools, and practices that make developers stronger, fitter, happier, and more productive. Today we talked about: Jay’s Origin Story in Tech Burn out How to celebrate yourself Don’t be afraid to say that you’re an expert What are you an expert in? Mental health days Enable your employees to take a day Imposter Syndrom Lack of diversity GiveCamp – President Managing Humans – Michael Lopp Connect with Jay Twitter 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!