I've been outrageously lucky in this life. 

And looking back, there's a consistent pattern for how I made luck my friend.

Initiative + Optimism -> Luck

Clover thanks to: Umberto Salvagnin, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Software engineer to Hollywood powerhouse and back to software.

Raised $21M to fund startups and was a senior executive in Hollywood studios. 

Independence Day, Transformers 1/2, Star Trek, Eagle Eye, Wolverine, etc - all movies where Steven's teams contributed to special effects. The man has worked with legends (and he has a great sense of humor).

We talked engineering, Office Space, leadership, and a few movie insights :-)


‬‭ Steven is the Founder and CEO of The Sukha Company with the mission to help millions of‬‭ people find their focus, achieve more and have a healthy work life.‬‭

Steven's career started as a newscaster/interviewer for the #1 youth news show in the‬‭ DC/Baltimore market (on WTTG-TV) and then as a junior software engineer & Thomas J.‬‭ Watson Scholar at IBM.

After attending USC in Los Angeles, he began working in film‬‭ production and produced computer-generated visual effects for 14 movies including‬‭ Independence Day which won the Academy Award for Visual Effects.‬‭

Steven’s first tech company was Centropolis Effects that produced those CGI effects, and he‬‭ eventually sold it to the German media conglomerate Das Werk when he was 28.‬‭
Steven then produced some indie films and eventually went studio-side to develop and produce‬‭ live-action features as a VP of Development & Production at 20th Century Fox (running the Die‬‭ Hard and Wolverine franchises) and an EVP at DreamWorks Pictures for Kurtzman-Orci‬‭ Productions where he worked on Star Trek, Transformers and more.‬‭

After Fox, Steven returned to building tech companies and founded The Sukha Company -‭‘sukha’ means ‘happiness from self-fulfillment’ in Sanskrit. The Sukha is a focus app that‬‭ bundles all the tools necessary to have a focused experience and a healthy, productive‬‭ workday.‬‭

Steven lives in Austin, TX now.‬‬

Jeff's journey began as a child growing up in southwestern Pennsylvania.

After serving in the United States Army, Jeff began a career as a blue-collar worker at a large corporation.
Since that start, he was promoted 10 times, and achieved advanced leadership roles at a Fortune 500 company.

During his pursuit of success, there has been no greater thrill than making those around him better. What started as a dream to change his own life soon became a dream to help change the lives of others.

Jeff realized that being a leader was a way to accomplish this.
He wants his legacy to be that I made a positive impact on multitudes of people by helping them realize their fullest potential.

You can pre-order Jeff's book here: https://www.amazon.com/Firm-Feedback-Fragile-World-Conversations/dp/B0DV4N8DN8

Oh boy, have I heard stories!!
Team leads and managers who were sure any day they'd be discovered as frauds. 
And yes, I've been that person. 
Convinced that my team's performance was amazingly lucky hires. 

And in hindsight, this three factor framework would have saved me.

People regularly tell me some version of "that's above my pay grade". 
But that is not true. 

The real problem is people don't have a system to bring issues up the org chart and get executive attention, approval, and budget. 

Once you have a system - it becomes simple to get executive approvals and budget. 

Here's how.

Brian Maggi has an impressive list of accomplishments. 

From building medical education websites to Desktop Technology Manager at Apple to live entertainment and now AI - diverse experience is an understatement. 

You can learn more about Brian's work at: http://brianmaggi.com/

Executives are talking but the rank and file are not responding. 

This is not a language barrier problem - it's a blind spot problem. 
Execs think their audience understands them - but they don't. 

What to do?

Ernesto is a lifelong learner.
He studied social communications and has  completed executive programs at leading institutions, including Stanford GSB,  MIT Sloan School of Management, Wharton Business School, Kellogg School of  Management, Chicago Booth, London Business School, and IMD Business  School.

He wrote the book “Regrowth, How Organizations Can Overcome  Stalling by Unlocking Their People´s Potential” and is also the founder and CEO  of Aspen Mindset1, a consulting firm dedicated to helping organizations and individuals reach peak performance.

Ernesto was also a guest  speaker in the «Lead through Ambiguity» course at MIT Sloan School of Management.

“I’ve known Ernesto as an Operator of a ~$1 billion plus business, as well as the Chief People Officer of a ~$6 billion -- in his book Regrowth, Ernesto clearly connects the practical, roll-up-your-sleeves approach of a Business Leader who knows what it takes to get the job done, coupled with the sensibility and empathy of a People Leader who has experience inspiring organizations to embrace the importance of mindset. Tied together with a thoughtful, systematic approach, Regrowth delivers an insightful recipe for Leaders to not just grow their businesses, but also to grow their most valuable asset – their people.” - BRIAN MYERS, Founder, Curvejumper, FORMER SENIOR MANAGING DIRECTOR, ACCENTURE

Learn more about Ernesto's work here: https://aspenmindset1.com/
And find his book here: https://www.amazon.com/Regrowth-Organizations-Overcome-Unlocking-Potential/dp/1959009184

Applying critical thinking to the obvious problem: with all the leadership books and training out - why aren't we seeing better engagement and performance?

Dr. Joey Faucette transforms companies from a negative “Kevin Culture” to a positive work culture that increases productivity and profits.

He is the culture architect of the Work Positive framework, certified Executive Coach, and best-selling author of Work Positive in a Negative World: Team Edition.
His work has appeared on Wall St. Journal Money Watch, CNBC, Fox Business News, Entrepreneur Media, and countless other sites. He hosts the Work Positive Podcast.

Get your free course, Something to Talk About, at workpositive.today
 
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