Twins Talk Tech Leadership

Consider the goals you have for yourself and your organization. Are they big and bold enough to challenge you beyond your comfort zone? A true CyberSecurity Evangelist, Matt Lee, Senior Director of Security and Compliance at Pax8, talks about having ‘audacious goals’. These are goals that seem to be outside of the realm of possibility, but are exactly what you need to achieve your possibility. Matt is a highly sought after speaker, educator and force multiplier within the cybersecurity community.We learn about his role with Pax8, discuss his work within the Community, his Beard Banter podcast, fundraising efforts, the recent Pax8 Beyond Conference and his experience as a speaker.  The Charity Beard Shave raised over $200K, supporting various charities including:Hackers for VetsBits N’ BytesDiversity Cyber CouncilWomen Who CodeBike Walk Wichita.He has a goal in 2024 to raise $1M for Bike for MS. Connect with Matt on LinkedIn, get involved with the charities he supports, listen to the Beard Banter Podcast and visit cybermattlee.com/ 

A single event can change everything for you and your business. We were fortunate to join other Microsoft Partners and Stakeholders at the First Black Partner Growth Initiative (BPGI) Summit at Microsoft’s HQ in Redmond, Washington. In partnership with the Black Channel Partner Alliance (BCPA) and AppMeetup, tech leaders throughout the country came together for an interactive experience focused on driving innovation and business growth.The depth of support and commitment from Microsoft and other leading organizations to the growth, development, sales acceleration, and success of the Black partner was amazing. The events of the week included:Partner ReceptionSummit featuring talks and workshops from industry leaders, as well as Senior Microsoft executives.Accelerator Catalyst GraduationBCPA Golf ClassicStrategic NetworkingBecome a supporter of this vision:Go to Microsoft’s website and searching for the Black Partner Growth Initiative (BPGI)Visit bcpalliance.comVisit bcpalliance.comVisit AppMeetup.comDiversity and Inclusion matters. Join this movement. Ignite the fires of innovation and watch out for the endless possibilities.  

We love fascinating conversations with incredible leaders. Having a drive to grow and sell businesses and still impact the partner ecosystem are some of the areas we touch on with Heather Margolis. Heather is the SVP of Marketing at 360insights, a channel incentive management platform. Recognized as a channel marketing expert, her vast experience includes marketing for big-brand tech companies like EMC, EqualLogic and Dell before forming her own organizations: Channel Maven Consulting, and Spark Your Channel. We also learn about:Heather’s mindset, entrepreneurial and leadership journey.Incentives are more important now and how 360insights helps to guide and increase partner engagement and success.Family life after selling her businesses. What she enjoys about speaking.Visit 360insights.com/ to learn more about their incentive management platform, and find Heather on LinkedIn and follow her on Instagram: @channel_maven

Diversity and representation within leadership are increasing among tech organizations that want to ensure they’re providing an inclusive environment for all, but there’s still so much more work to be done. What else can you do to impact greater change? It starts with an awareness of where your organization truly is and then an intentional commitment from the top to change.Cassie Jeppson, Director of North American Channel Programs at Lenovo shares her thoughts about Channel Programs, DEI initiatives as well as serving as President of the Alliance of Channel Women’s Board of Directors. She is shaping how channel partners find success and she is elevating the voices of incredible women leaders.We discuss:Work-Life HarmonyLenovo’s 360 Partner Program.Lenovo has 21% global female executive representation with 29% minority representation in the US. Cassie states that they know 'it's not enough'. By 2025, their goals include increasing these to 27% and 35%.Some of their programs include employee resource groups, leadership programs to develop high performers. Cassie stated that you don't have to develop these yourself as there are third-parties out there including AppMeetup who can provide that for your leadership teams.Take a top down approach to effecting change. Look at everything from hiring, to mentorship programs and to the investment needed for the development and retention of top talent. Make a decision to become an advocate and accelerate the growth of minority and female technology channel leaders.  

Technology can make an incredible impact on human potential and on our ability to fuel passion and find purpose. We can leverage and harness technology to restore a sense of community and help us evolve to create more value in life.David Cole Jr. is the President and Founder of Uhai Technology LLC, a permission based knowledge sharing & collaboration platform available for mobile & desktop. The translation of the word Uhai in Swahili means Life, and this is the foundation of what David is building with his organization. David stated that 'smaller bites of wins and victories will lead you to where you're trying to get to.'In this episode, we also discuss:His entrepreneurial journey and the formation of Uhai TechnologyInspiration from his father and advice for entrepreneurs with the 5 P's: Prior Planning Prevents Poor PerformanceHis mantra “do well by doing good”The pull toward Ghana and the Continent of AfricaCorrelation between playing football and being exposed to MicrosoftTo learn more about David, connect with him on LinkedIn and visit uhai.coBe sure to reach out to him about supporting his cause to provide Football (Soccer) cleats and gear for the youth.

How can your emails stand apart from the volume and clutter of unopened messages? Increase the chances of your brand and message being seen and leave a call to action by leveraging technology within your emails.Founder & Chief EyeMail Officer, Lisa Jones joins us to talk about her leadership journey and how her EyeMail platform has become a game changer for professionals and organizations. EyeMail is a world class marketing communications technology, integrating video within email to increase customer engagement and conversion.In this episode, Lisa touches on:Navigating the sector as a woman and minorityBeing on the Board of the Technology Association of Georgia (Diversity & Inclusion)Video best practices and how it can help you stand outEtiquette of email communicationEyeMail products including EyeCon and Eye View Assistant (EVA)Awards and partnerships including the Henson Group and MicrosoftInternships & exposure for the next generation of leadersTo learn more about Lisa and EyeMail, visit eyemailinc.com and bring your emails to life. 

How can organizations use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to gain a competitve edge? Even if you are a small business, implementing AI at scale can bolster a company's brand, improve team effectiveness and increase success. As AI continues to develop and become more commonplace, many have started to use it to gain a competitive advantage over their rivals; over the larger enterprises.Co-Founder & CBDO at Hexact inc, Armen A. Avakian speaks about the importance of having AI tools and Data accessible for all organizations. Hexact is a no-code workflow automation suite of tools made easy. Armen also sheds light into:His Marketing leadership journey.Life as a University Professor.Navigated challenges and uncertainty, particularly in VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) times.Clear distinction between Humancentric Marketing vs Customer-centricity approach How technologies like GPT are but ‘infrastructures’ and are keys to improving productivity. His YouTube Channel @notforeveryone.To learn more about Armen and Hexact, visit hexact.io and to become an investor visit www.startengine.com/offering/hexact

What would acquiring Olympic-Level confidence mean for you and your organization? The top performers in the world believe in and invest in coaching. This conversation was so amazing, we had to release this one on both of our programs.Sheryl Kline is a mental toughness and high performance coach. Her focus is on empowering female leaders to gain clarity on their legacy, build that Olympic-level confidence and to increase their ‘FBI Strategic’ influence.Studies have shown that having women in key positions of leadership increases both profitability and sustainability of the workforce. Two things that can hold women back from having influence: anger and invisibility. Sheryl has experienced more of her practice moving from an emphasis on mental toughness toward that of emotional agility under pressure. Some additional insight:Step into the leader you want to be todayGive yourself permission - empower yourselfRest is needed to rechargeStress and procrastination costs companies $1.8 Trillion dollarsFuture CastingHer 3-1-1sSister company, 'Girl Up Initiative Uganda'Be sure to listen to her Limitless Leader podcast and visit sherylkline.com/getacquainted  Pick up her book called, Zoned In: The Mental Toughness required for World Class You and be on the lookout for her next project to be released early 2024 called, The Fearless Female Leader

Kevin Hooper has throughout his career taken on numerous Senior Executive roles, including both Geo and Global for businesses ranging from $45M to over $4B in annual revenues. He values mentorship and teaching leadership principles and in Part 2 of our discussion with Kevin:We learn how he became involved with supporting a business and entrepreneurship incubatorThe evolution of the Sales ProfessionalHis advice for sales leaders including the value of storytelling and realizing that customers may not fully understand their own buying processHis new YouTube channel, @HanginwithMrHooperYou have to be willing to learn from other leaders and to remember that "information is useless if you don't have the skills to execute.'Connect with Kevin at linkedin.com/in/hooperkevin/ and subscribe to his new YouTube channel, youtube.com/@HanginwithMrHooper

How do you successfully lead teams through change? We are fortunate to have this opportunity to pick the mind of an incredible thought leader, with a proven track record of delivering results. Kevin Hooper is a seasoned senior executive and change management consultant with a passion for Strategy, Business Transformation and elevating leaders. In Part 1 of our conversation:We ask Kevin about his leadership journeyWhy leaders need to keep learning & growing in their Emotional IntelligenceWhy you shouldn’t be afraid to 'rip off someone if they give you words of wisdom’A book he shares with all leaders entitled, First, Break All The Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently.Lessons from the PandemicCommunication is vital for success as a leader. Focus on your rockstars and remember that the future is for those who have the aptitude to be great.Connect with Kevin at linkedin.com/in/hooperkevin/ and subscribe to his new YouTube channel, youtube.com/@HanginwithMrHooper