Tech Leader Talk

On this episode, I have a fun discussion with Scott Christianson. Scott is an Associate Teaching Professor of management at the Trulaske College of Business at the University of Missouri. Scott's interests are focused on the impact of emerging technology on society and human well-being. Prior to joining the college, he was a business owner with decades of experience in videoconferencing technology, project management, and information technology. "This is a great time to learn on your own." – Scott Christianson Today on the Tech Leader Talk podcast: - How to start using open source hardware in your business - A student's project that used open source hardware to prototype a "calving collar" for cows - What Scott enjoys most about working in the academic world - New platforms for flexible learning (remote, in-person, and hybrid) Resources Mentioned: Arist (training platform): https://arist.co/ Scott's Newsletter: https://frtech.substack.com/welcome Instructables: https://www.instructables.com/ Arduino: https://www.arduino.cc/ Raspberrypi: https://www.raspberrypi.org/ Adafruit: https://www.adafruit.com/ SparkFun: https://www.sparkfun.com/ Connect with Scott: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jscottchristianson/ Website: https://www.christiansonjs.com/ Thanks for listening! Be sure to get your free copy of Steve's latest book, Cracking the Patent Code, and discover his proven system for identifying and protecting your most valuable inventions. Get the book at https://stevesponseller.com/book.

On this episode, I have a valuable conversation with Kate DiLeo about her Brand Strategy Process for technology companies. Kate believes that a brand is the path of least resistance to revenue and she's passionate about helping organizations create common ground with their customers. She has worked with over 200 companies across 20 sectors, helping them create authentic brands that attract more customers. "Your brand is the path of least resistance to revenue." – Kate DiLeo Today on the Tech Leader Talk podcast: - How Kate's Brand Strategy Process is different from other approaches - Learn a process that quickly helps companies articulate who they are, why they're different, and how to solve their customer's problems - How a brand can help technology companies (especially startups and small tech companies) - When you should start thinking about a brand strategy Connect with Kate: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katedileo/ Website: https://ennobble.com/ Thanks for listening! Be sure to get your free copy of Steve's latest book, Cracking the Patent Code, and discover his proven system for identifying and protecting your most valuable inventions. Get the book at https://stevesponseller.com/book.

Now it's time for something completely different… On today's episode, I am being interviewed about my latest book, Cracking the Patent Code. My friend Mike Wolpert is leading the interview as we discuss the book and details of my 3-step system that identifies and protects a tech company's most valuable inventions. During the interview, I share my experience as a patent attorney working with hundreds of technology companies and more than 1000 inventors. "You must protect your inventions just like you protect other critical business assets." – Steve Sponseller Today on the Tech Leader Talk podcast: - Why I wrote the book Cracking the Patent Code - Details regarding my 3-step system to identify and protect your most valuable inventions - The most common mistake tech companies make regarding their inventions - My solution to avoid this mistake - Important benefits of following my 3-step system Mentioned Resources: Cracking the Patent Code book Connect with Steve: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevesponseller/ Website: https://stevesponseller.com Thanks for listening! You can get a free PDF copy of my latest book, Cracking the Patent Code, and discover my proven system for identifying and protecting your most valuable inventions. Get the book at https://stevesponseller.com/book.

On this episode, I have a fun discussion with Vaclav Vincalek. Vaclav is a technology entrepreneur, CTO, and technology advisor for startups and enterprises. Vaclav helps companies strategize, innovate, and grow. His current focus is determining how to best deploy machine learning to support business objectives. He is also exploring how visionary, forward-thinking companies can use quantum computing. Vaclav frequently speaks at technology industry conferences and contributes commentary for technology reporters. "Our goal should be to create technology that offloads mundane tasks from humans." – Vaclav Vincalek Today on the Tech Leader Talk podcast: - How humans and artificial intelligence can compliment one another - Identifying the best tasks for machines to handle - How to leverage artificial intelligence in your business Connect with Vaclav: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vincalek/ Website: https://555vCTO.com Thanks for listening! Be sure to get your free copy of Steve's latest book, Cracking the Patent Code, and discover his proven system for identifying and protecting your most valuable inventions. Get the book at https://stevesponseller.com/book.

On today's podcast episode, I have a wonderful discussion with Toni Collis. Toni is a keynote speaker, host of the Leading Women in Tech Podcast, career strategist, and leadership coach for Women in Tech. Having worked in the technology industry and making her way to the C-Suite, she has seen the impact that women can have on tech, on corporate culture, and inclusion. Toni is on a mission to help women in tech thrive. Because when women in tech thrive, everyone benefits. Toni's goal is to help 2000 women move into the technology c-suite by 2024. "I got to the c-suite because I was annoyed by the lack of women." – Toni Collis Today on the Tech Leader Talk podcast: Ways that technology companies benefit from having more women working in technical roles What is the "diversity dividend" How the pandemic has changed the roles of women in tech companies Toni explains why women need to think strategically to grow their career Mentioned Resources: Leading Women in Tech Podcast Connect with Toni: Website: https://tonicollis.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonicollis/ Thanks for listening! Be sure to get your free copy of Steve's latest book, Cracking the Patent Code, and discover his proven system for identifying and protecting your most valuable inventions. Get the book at https://stevesponseller.com/book.

On today's episode, I'm talking Ali Davachi, who is a serial entrepreneur with 25 years of experience working with Fortune 500 organizations in healthcare, consumer products, and financial services. He helps businesses develop innovative solutions that save money and support new business opportunities. Ali is a Digital Transformation expert and shows companies how to stay focused on business outcomes. Ali shares his story of going from medical school to the world of technology. "Digital transformation means meeting companies and clients where they are." – Ali Davachi Today on the Tech Leader Talk podcast: How companies can stay focused on business outcomes Why Digital Transformation is so important today Ali's approach to helping entrepreneurs and small companies that are just getting started A process for incremental testing, measurement, and adjustment Mentioned Resources: Realware Connect with Ravi: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alidavachi/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/adavachi Thanks for listening! Be sure to get your free copy of Steve's latest book, Cracking the Patent Code, and discover his proven system for identifying and protecting your most valuable inventions. Get the book at https://stevesponseller.com/book.

Mentoring has been around for centuries and today's guest, Ravi Gundlapalli, is using technology to bring mentoring to 100 million people around the world. Ravi is the founder and CEO of MentorCloud, a purpose-driven technology company that's making human wisdom accessible to every person on the planet. He is also the author of the book "The Art of Mentoring." Ravi has worked in many industries, including the automotive industry, the semiconductor industry, and the aviation industry. A common thread throughout Ravi's career has been mentoring people. On this episode, we discuss Ravi's plans to make Mentoring a world-wide activity. "One conversation can change your destiny." – Ravi Gundlapalli Today on the Tech Leader Talk podcast: How Ravi's passion for mentoring developed during his life What does "Supply Chain of Wisdom" mean? How an airplane near-miss experience changed Ravi's journey Systems that support the exchange of wisdom The business advantages of implementing a mentoring program Mentioned Resources: MentorCloud Book: The Art of Mentoring Connect with Ravi: Website: http://ravigundlapalli.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ravishankargundlapalli/ Thanks for listening! Be sure to get your free copy of Steve's latest book, Cracking the Patent Code, and discover his proven system for identifying and protecting your most valuable inventions. Get the book at https://stevesponseller.com/book.

Roy Nallapeta is a Co-founder and CEO at Glance Inc. Roy is an engineer, turned into a marketer, who loves creativity and creating copy for marketing. Glance Inc. has created a no-code Artificial Intelligence marketing SaaS product (Software as a Service). This product helps marketers increase their return on investment, decrease acquisition costs, and improve productivity. He previously founded AdNuance, a digital marketing company, and bootstrapped the business for eight years. Being immersed in the problems related to traditional marketing techniques drove Roy to create Glance Inc. In this episode, Roy and I discuss the new marketing insights being generated based on cloud-based data and artificial intelligence. We also talk about new tools that will improve marketing insights and results for many companies. "Marketing can be better if we leverage data technologies." – Roy Nallapeta Today on the Tech Leader Talk podcast: How the cloud is providing new marketing insights Advantages of using a Marketing Graph to optimize your advertising Discover why Artificial Intelligence is a game-changer for marketing Changes that are happening to the traditional advertising funnel Connect with Roy: Website: https://www.glancehq.ai Email: Roy@glancehq.ai LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohitnallapeta Twitter: https://twitter.com/rohynal Thanks for listening! Be sure to get your free copy of Steve's latest book, Cracking the Patent Code, and discover his proven system for identifying and protecting your most valuable inventions. Get the book at https://stevesponseller.com/book.

Do you want to be a Remarkable Leader? That's what Kevin Eikenberry is discussing on this episode of the podcast. Kevin is the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group and the Co-Founder of the Remote Leadership Institute. He has spent 30 years helping organizations and leaders from over 40 countries become more effective. Inc.com has twice named him as one of the top 100 Leadership and Management Experts in the World. Kevin has written several books on leadership, including his latest book The Long-Distance Teammate. Today we will be talking about how leaders and other team members need to adapt to the new working environments caused by the remote working world. Kevin manages his own team of remote workers and shares tips for thriving in remote and hybrid work environments. "We are at a moment that matters for all organizations." – Kevin Eikenberry Today on the Tech Leader Talk podcast: Three things that kept Kevin's business going through the pandemic How to Lead for Commitment (instead of compliance) Discover how to decide whether to 1) stay remote, 2) bring everyone back to the office, or 3) a hybrid Thoughts on how the pandemic has accelerated remote work by a decade How to replicate creative "water cooler conversations" in a remote working situation Three things that help business leader handle unpredictable events Mentioned Resources: The Long Distance Teammate Remote Leadership Institute Connect with Kevin: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevineikenberry/ Website: https://www.kevineikenberry.com/ Thanks for listening! Be sure to get your free copy of Steve's latest book, Cracking the Patent Code, and discover his proven system for identifying and protecting your most valuable inventions. Get the book at https://stevesponseller.com/book.

Intro Join me as I interview Joshua Walker who has quite the inspirational story to share which he also shares in detail in his new book Venti Fried Chicken. Josh used to work in the military and was essentially homeless at one point but is now thriving in the tech world. His story is also inspirational because even though he is a Cloud engineer, he has also been involved in leadership groups in Orlando and is currently Vice President of one such group that is aiming to get 10,000 minorities into the world of technology by 2025, so he doesn't just stay in a cubicle for sixteen hours a day. He is active in his community working to make a real difference! Josh was actually already working remotely prior to the COVID-19 pandemic but is now, like many of us, working strictly remotely, and he discusses what that has been like and how remote work is going to continue to change the world, especially the tech world. He also provides some advice on how to make remote work especially effective in today's age, and he offers his opinion regarding what makes people in the tech industry successful, saying that it's important to have empathy for yourself because the world of technology is a world that requires skill. He also, however, lives by the open mindset that anyone can become involved in the world of technology because there are so many different aspects of it which is how he goes about getting people involved in the technology sector – appealing to their individualized interests. He also shares what he thinks makes technology leaders effective leaders, such as the ability to set an example. He advises that you shouldn't ask people to do things that you wouldn't do yourself, and he reiterates the importance of having empathy - empathy for people who work under you. Josh discusses his book Venti Fried Chicken and shares how long it took to develop, so be sure to check that out as well as his website, and remember to subscribe to Tech Leader Talk so that you never miss an episode! Time Stamps [0:07] – Steve introduces this episode's guest, Josh Walker, and provides us with a little bit of background information about the guest. [0:47] – Josh provides us with further information about his background, such as how he taught himself to be a cloud engineer. [3:35] – Josh makes predictions about what trends are likely to impact the world of technology over the next couple of years, such as companies having to get used to distributed teams. [5:15] – Josh asserts what he believes makes for success in the tech world, such as having empathy for yourself. [6:56] – Josh describes his process of helping people get into the tech world, such as how he appeals to people's interests. [9:30] – Josh shares his concerns about where technology is headed in the future – such as how he believes that education around technology needs to change. [10:46] – We discover what Josh is most optimistic about in relation to where technology is headed in the future – such as how the pandemic has made cloud-based computing accessible to more people. [12:12] – Josh lists traits that he feels make for an effective leader, such as having empathy for people who work under you. [14:22] – Josh discusses his new book, Venti Fried Chicken, revealing that it's a memoir of how he went from essentially being homeless to being a success in the world of technology. [16:10] – Josh recommends the book Atomic Habits and describes its overall content. [17:13] – We learn how Josh gets new people in the technology sector started. [18:34] – Josh offers some tips on how to make remote work effective during our current times. [19:57] – Josh shares what his plans are for the future, such as how he wants to intensify his current mission and spread his message and his mission to more people. [21:46] – We learn where online we can go to learn more about Josh. Links and Resources Joshua Walker – Venti Fried Chicken James Clear – Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones Venti Fried Chicken - Website Steve Sponseller - Website Steve Sponseller – Cracking the Patent Code