The Tech Leader's Playbook

For more thoughts, clips, and updates, follow Avetis Antaplyan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/avetisantaplyanIn this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan sits down with Marcus East—Tech Executive and Author of Working with Dinosaurs—for a candid and thought-provoking conversation on the realities of digital transformation. With a career spanning leadership roles at Apple, Google, National Geographic, and more, Marcus brings a rare dual perspective from both Big Tech and legacy enterprises.They unpack why most digital transformation efforts fail despite heavy investment, what separates successful tech leaders from those who merely talk innovation, and how culture—not just code—can make or break your future. Marcus shares powerful real-world stories: from National Geographic’s transformation into a digital juggernaut, to the organizational inertia that derails billion-dollar initiatives. He outlines the “three dinosaurs” that stall progress—legacy systems, outdated operating models, and people unwilling to change—and offers sharp insights into why customer obsession beats tech obsession every time.Whether you lead a startup or a Fortune 500, this episode will challenge your assumptions, sharpen your thinking, and equip you with frameworks to lead meaningful change in an AI-driven world.TakeawaysLegacy companies don’t fail because of age—they fail when they refuse to update thinking while technology advances.Successful transformations require both visionary leadership and operational discipline across the org.Billions in digital investment are wasted when the right people aren’t empowered to drive change.Embedding innovation into the core business beats isolating it in innovation labs.Flexible technology is a must—but without true cross-functional collaboration, it's not enough.Only about 5% of AI investments currently show ROI, largely due to legacy systems and poor org alignment.Top-performing organizations operate with tight accountability and a focus on measurable outcomes.Customer experience—not tech stack—should guide transformation priorities.Large “grand projects” that last years often fail to deliver value or ROI.Elite talent gravitates toward environments with high standards, fast iteration, and meaningful impact.Companies that can’t attract top talent must either lead with a compelling mission or lean into strategic partnerships.People are the hardest "dinosaur" to evolve—fixing culture and mindset is harder than replacing tech.Chapters00:00 Intro & Guest Introduction01:30 Why Some Legacy Companies Transform & Others Fail03:45 The Real Problem: People & Culture06:20 The Innovation Lab Trap08:15 The First Domino: Flexible Tech & Cross-Team Collaboration10:25 Build vs. Buy in the Age of Cloud12:30 AI Hype vs. ROI Reality14:20 Leadership’s Role in Driving Transformation17:55 Customer-First Thinking Over Tech Fetishism21:30 The Dangers of Tech-First Transformation23:45 Why Accountability is the Missing Link29:45 Why Elite Tech Talent Clusters (and Leaves)34:00 Rest & Vest vs. Impact-Driven Professionals41:45 What If You Can’t Attract Top Talent?47:00 The Three Dinosaurs: People, Tech, Models53:30 Why Outdated Processes Are More Dangerous Than Tech57:00 Extreme Accountability as a Performance Driver59:15 Books, Billboards & Final ThoughtsMarcus East’s Social Media Link:https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcuseast/Resources and Links:https://www.hireclout.comhttps://www.podcast.hireclout.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/hirefasthireright

For more thoughts, clips, and updates, follow Avetis Antaplyan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/avetisantaplyanIn this compilation episode of the Tech Leaders Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan brings together three powerhouse voices from the world of elite sports and leadership: Rex Kalamian, assistant coach in the NBA and head coach of the Armenian National Basketball Team; Dr. Jen Welter, the first female NFL coach and a pioneer in sports psychology; and Dick Vermeil, Super Bowl-winning NFL coach and Hall of Famer.Through their stories and reflections, these leaders offer raw, actionable insights on team building, ego management, mental resilience, and human-centered leadership. Rex shares how he galvanized a culturally fragmented team into national champions. Jen dives into the emotional intelligence required to coach high-performers and handle personal struggles as a leader. Dick gives hard-won lessons on delegation, trust, and building deep team culture through consistency and care.The episode blends sports and business in a way that reveals timeless truths about leadership, identity, and performance under pressure. Whether you're a founder, executive, or aspiring leader, this is a masterclass in cultivating winning teams without losing your humanity. TakeawaysEffective leadership requires upfront emotional investment—build trust before you ever coach performance.Winning cultures start with clarity: build, enhance, then sustain.Ego management is critical. A coach’s first job is to neutralize ego—both theirs and the player’s.Killer instinct can’t be taught; it must be identified early and nurtured over time.Great leaders don’t motivate the unmotivated—they hire self-starters and avoid demotivating them.Being human and apologizing authentically creates deeper relational capital and loyalty.Female leaders face invisible barriers—intentional mentorship and allyship are critical to systemic change.Tough love works when it’s consistent, fair, and rooted in seeing people’s full potential.Delegation is not a weakness—it’s a multiplier. Trust and systems are prerequisites to scale.Great leadership requires learning to listen more than you speak—and never assuming you're the smartest person in the room.Long-term success comes from defining a plan, surrounding yourself with good people, and showing them you care.Chapters00:00 Intro: Mastermind Compilation of Leadership Wisdom00:42 Rex Kalamian: Building Armenia’s National Basketball Team03:54 Uniting Diverse Talent and Building Belief06:15 Leading with Sacrifice and Mission-Driven Mindset07:23 Coaching Superstar Egos with Relationship-First Approach09:07 Can Killer Instinct Be Taught or Is It Innate?12:22 Translating Lessons from Sports into Business13:46 Jen Welter: Performance Dips & Empathetic Leadership15:27 “Do You Need a Minute?” — Spotting the Signs of Mental Strain17:59 Balancing Leadership While Being Human21:50 Lessons for Women Breaking Barriers in Leadership24:55 The Power of Mentorship and Intentional Advocacy25:19 Dick Vermeil: Tough Love and Consistent Standards27:00 When Talent Isn’t Matched by Work Ethic28:26 Bringing People Into Your Home to Build Culture30:35 Delegation, Obsession, and Why He Walked Away in ’8233:14 How to Evaluate Talent Beyond Interviews35:08 Can Leadership Be Taught or Is It Born?36:33 Coach Vermeil’s Playbook: 7 Core Principles of Winning38:52 Final Thoughts and Outro by AvetisResources and Links:https://www.hireclout.comhttps://www.podcast.hireclout.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/hirefasthireright

For more thoughts, clips, and updates, follow Avetis Antaplyan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/avetisantaplyanIn this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan sits down with Drew Sechrist, an early Salesforce leader who helped scale the company from its earliest days into a multi-billion-dollar enterprise, and the founder of Connect The Dots. Drew brings listeners inside the chaos of Salesforce’s zero-to-one phase, sharing firsthand stories from a time when cloud software was unproven, customer trust was fragile, and evangelism mattered more than polished playbooks.The conversation explores what it really takes to scale a company from nothing, why the jump from zero to one is far harder than later stages, and how leadership decisions around hiring, pace, and conviction shaped Salesforce’s trajectory through the dot-com crash. Drew offers rare insights into working alongside Marc Benioff, including lessons on relentless execution speed, founder conviction, and organizational alignment through frameworks like V2MOM.A major theme of the episode is the enduring power of relationships. Drew explains how warm introductions, internal champions, and relationship capital closed deals worth millions and why, in an AI-saturated world, human networks are becoming the true long-term moat. The episode culminates in the origin story of Connect The Dots and why mapping real relationships is becoming a competitive advantage for modern teams.TakeawaysSalesforce succeeded early by evangelizing an unproven cloud model, not by selling features.Trust and customer success mattered before those functions even had names.Timing was critical; launching in 1999 gave Salesforce a window competitors missed.Distribution, not product, became the primary constraint once product-market fit was proven.Hiring leaders who had “seen the movie before” helped Salesforce scale deliberately.V2MOM created alignment and surfaced bottlenecks before they became existential problems.Marc Benioff’s pace of execution was a competitive weapon in enterprise sales.Slow communication is a leading indicator of poor performance in startups.Warm introductions and internal champions unlocked deals that cold outreach never could.AI is amplifying noise, making trusted relationships more valuable, not less.Relationship capital is emerging as the real moat in an AI-heavy world.Chapters00:00 Introduction and why relationships matter more than ever02:00 Drew’s background and joining Salesforce before it was Salesforce05:00 Evangelizing cloud software in a skeptical market07:30 Why zero-to-one is the hardest phase of growth11:00 Product-market fit, distribution, and the dot-com crash15:30 Leadership changes and Marc Benioff stepping in as CEO18:30 Scaling teams and hiring leaders who’ve done it before20:00 V2MOM and how Salesforce stayed aligned while growing26:00 Pace, conviction, and what Drew learned from Marc Benioff31:30 The power of warm introductions and internal champions36:00 Why AI is increasing noise and weakening cold outreach38:30 The origin story of Connect The Dots44:00 Why LinkedIn fails at representing real relationships50:00 Relationships as the long-term moat in an AI-driven futureDrew Sechrist’s Social Media Link:https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewsechrist/Resources and Links: https://www.hireclout.comhttps://www.podcast.hireclout.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/hirefasthireright

For more thoughts, clips, and updates, follow Avetis Antaplyan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/avetisantaplyanIn this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan sits down with Isabelle Tashima, a growth equity investor at Volition Capital, to cut through the AI hype and unpack what truly drives breakout success in internet and consumer technology companies. Isabelle brings a unique perspective shaped by her experience across Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo, KKR, and now Volition, where she focuses on backing capital-efficient founders who have achieved product-market fit with strong fundamentals.The conversation explores Volition’s contrarian investment philosophy, why bootstrapped or lightly funded companies often outperform, and how growth equity differs from venture capital and private equity in both risk and partnership style. Isabelle shares insights on why community, creators, and affiliate-driven distribution have become durable moats in consumer tech, often outperforming traditional paid acquisition channels.They also dive into how AI is reshaping the landscape, not as a replacement for teams, but as a force multiplier for efficiency, unit economics, and speed. From evaluating founder-investor alignment to understanding when to prioritize partnership over valuation, this episode offers a grounded, thoughtful look at scaling modern tech businesses in an increasingly noisy market.TakeawaysCompanies without AI risk being displaced by competitors who use it effectively.Volition prioritizes capital-efficient founders who achieved traction without heavy dilution.Growth equity focuses on protecting downside (1x) while targeting meaningful upside (5x+).Community and brand can serve as powerful, defensible moats.Creator-led and affiliate-driven go-to-market strategies are reshaping distribution.Micro and nano creators often outperform large influencers in engagement and conversion.AI does not need to be customer-facing to add value; backend efficiency matters.Not all fast-growing AI companies have durable, long-term revenue.Founders should align with investors on time horizon, risk tolerance, and definition of success.Choosing the right partner often matters more than achieving the highest valuation.Chapters00:00 Cutting Through the AI Hype02:30 Volition Capital’s Investment Philosophy05:00 Growth Equity vs. VC and Private Equity07:30 Contrarian Investing in Overlooked Markets10:30 The Shift in Go-To-Market Strategies13:30 Micro Creators and Democratized Distribution16:00 Evaluating AI in Non–AI-Native Companies18:30 Common Scaling Mistakes in Consumer Tech21:00 Fast Exits vs. Long-Term Value Creation25:30 Isabelle’s Career Path and Investment Lens29:00 Choosing the Right Capital Partner38:00 Final Advice for FoundersIsabelle Tashima’s Social Media Link:https://www.linkedin.com/in/isabelle-tashima-780065135/Isabelle Tashima’s Website Link:https://www.volitioncapital.com/team/isabelle-tashima/Resources and Links:https://www.hireclout.comhttps://www.podcast.hireclout.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/hirefasthireright

For more thoughts, clips, and updates, follow Avetis Antaplyan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/avetisantaplyanIn this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan sits down with Vijay Rajendran, investor and venture builder at gAI Ventures, UC Berkeley instructor, and author of the bestselling book The Funding Framework. Vijay brings a deeply grounded perspective on how the next generation of AI companies will actually be built, not through hype or speed alone, but through domain expertise, thoughtful leadership, and disciplined execution.The conversation explores why domain experts now have a growing advantage over pure technologists, how venture studios are evolving in an AI-first world, and what truly separates fundable AI startups from products that will be replaced by the next model release. Vijay shares insights from working with hundreds of founders, including why verticalized AI, workflow integration, and right-sized markets matter more than ever.They also dive into leadership transitions founders must make, common early-stage execution mistakes, and why fundraising is far more about listening than pitching. Drawing from his own journey as a founder and investor, Vijay emphasizes customer empathy, coachability, and falling in love with the problem rather than the solution. This episode is a must-listen for founders, operators, and tech leaders building durable companies in the age of AI.TakeawaysFounders are often poor predictors of which startups will succeed, even within their own cohorts.Exceptional companies start with a “secret” insight about how an industry truly works.Domain expertise is becoming more valuable than pure technical skill as AI commoditizes development.The strongest AI startups are verticalized and embedded directly into existing workflows.Markets should be big enough to matter, but small enough that Big Tech won’t prioritize them.AI creates leverage by removing tedious work and amplifying human judgment and relationships.“Rip and replace” products face long sales cycles; bolt-on tools win faster adoption.Early traction can be misleading. Durable demand matters more than initial excitement.Founders must shift from doing everything to enabling others as the company grows.Fundraising success comes from dialogue and listening, not perfect pitch decks.Coachability and customer empathy are long-term founder advantages.The best founders fall in love with the problem, not their first solution.Chapters00:00 The Future of AI Startups02:00 What Predicts Founder Success04:30 Domain Experts vs. Technologists07:00 Where AI Is Creating Real Value10:30 Using AI to Free Humans13:00 What Makes an AI Idea Defensible17:00 How Modern Venture Studios Operate22:00 Choosing the Right Technical Partner27:30 Founder Mindset Shifts29:30 Common Early-Stage Mistakes33:00 Rethinking Fundraising41:00 Underrated AI Opportunities45:00 One Message for FoundersVijay Rajendran’s Social Media Links:https://www.linkedin.com/in/vijayarajendran/The Funding Framework: Secure Startup Funding With Confidencehttps://a.co/d/jlwaiNvResources and Links:https://www.hireclout.comhttps://www.podcast.hireclout.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/hirefasthireright

Allison Shapira, a Harvard faculty member, former opera singer, and communication expert, dives into the intersection of AI and authentic leadership. She argues that clarity is more valuable than certainty in today's unpredictable landscape. Allison shares how perfectionism hinders genuine connections and reveals techniques for leaders to embrace vulnerability. Highlighting AI's potential to enhance authenticity, she warns of the risks of ‘superhuman persuasion’ while advocating for ethical transparency in using technology. This conversation is a masterclass in modern leadership communication.

Tamara Laine, an investigative journalist turned tech founder and CEO of MPWR, shares her unique insights on building ethical AI solutions for financial inclusion. She discusses how her journalistic background enhances her problem-solving skills, the importance of emotional intelligence in leadership, and the challenges Gen Z faces in accessing credit. Tamara emphasizes the value of community in product strategy, the need for diverse teams in AI development, and her approach to user-centric product design that addresses real-world issues.

For more thoughts, clips, and updates, follow Avetis Antaplyan on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/avetisantaplyan⁠In this episode of The Tech Leader's Playbook, Avetis Antaplyan sits down with Melanie Nabar, Vice President at Volition Capital, to uncover what truly makes a company fundable—and what silently kills deals. With a background in growth-stage investing, Melanie brings sharp insight into founder dynamics, product-market fit, and the capital efficiency required to scale in today’s AI-driven market.They dive deep into the evolving expectations of Series A investors, the dangers of inflated valuations, and why product obsession without go-to-market focus can quietly drain a startup’s future. Melanie breaks down how founders should assess investor psychology, decode fund structures, and strategically use secondary offerings to de-risk personal financials without sacrificing long-term upside.This episode is packed with insights on revenue quality, building moats in the AI age, and how bootstrapped founders can shift their mindset to deploy capital more effectively. Whether you're preparing to raise capital or already navigating the growth phase, Melanie delivers actionable advice with clarity and candor.TakeawaysFounders often focus too much on historical data when investors are more interested in future growth and market potential.Series A investors prioritize product-market fit, retention, and scalable go-to-market motion—not just ARR.High valuations without the fundamentals to back them can kill deals and erode trust.Revenue quality (repeatability, margin, and retention) plays a bigger role in valuation than founders often realize.Many founders burn too much capital on product without clear customer validation or ROI.Bootstrapped companies often hesitate to spend even when it’s time to scale; this can stall growth.Churn and gross margin are key indicators for distinguishing real AI products from hype.Companies integrated into user workflows and habits are harder to replace and more defensible.Founders should evaluate VC fund structure, vintage, and portfolio psychology—not just the check size.Taking secondary in a raise can de-risk founders personally and improve long-term decision-making.Pattern recognition and experience on the board matter more than niche industry knowledge post-seed.The best outcomes don’t always require billion-dollar exits; responsible growth can still yield generational wealth.Chapters00:00 – The biggest mistake founders make when fundraising01:15 – What makes a company fundable at Series A04:45 – Why overhyping numbers kills trust and credibility09:15 – Understanding revenue quality and valuation11:30 – How 2021 broke capital efficiency—and what’s changed since16:00 – Deal-killers and how unrealistic expectations derail good companies20:00 – Smart capital deployment: where investors want to see money go24:00 – Why founder secondaries are on the rise—and when they make sense27:45 – How bootstrapped founders can shift from hoarding to strategic investment33:10 – AI moats: what’s truly defensible and what’s hype39:20 – Questions founders must ask before taking VC money45:30 – How fund size and check size impact founder support50:40 – The difference between VC, growth equity, and PE—and why it matters Melanie Nabar’s Social Media Link:https://www.linkedin.com/in/melaniejordannabar/Melanie Nabar’s Website Link:https://www.volitioncapital.com/team/melanie-nabar/Resources and Links:https://www.hireclout.comhttps://www.podcast.hireclout.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/hirefasthireright

Chris Fenning, a communication expert and bestselling author, joins to tackle the hidden costs of ineffective meetings. He introduces the TPO framework (Topic, Purpose, Output) designed to cut meeting time by 30%. Chris reveals that lack of a clear purpose is the main reason for meeting failures. He shares practical strategies like 'no agenda, no attendance' and emphasizes the importance of concise invites. Highlighting organizational success stories, he argues that adopting these techniques can transform meeting culture and boost productivity.

Valerie Jackson, a former securities lawyer turned C-suite leader, discusses the essence of human-centered leadership in tech. She emphasizes the importance of self-awareness and building powerful partnerships for sustainable success. Valerie tackles burnout, outlining its main components and sharing recovery strategies. She advocates for AI that enhances human capabilities, stressing that leaders' unique energy cannot be replaced. The conversation also delves into IPO dynamics and the need for intentional design in tech that preserves human dignity.