Connecting Dots with Usama

By Muhammad Usama

The concept behind this podcast is to primarily demystify the job titles and connect dots to where did the professionals - in different fields - start their journey; how they reflect on their learning... more

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FAQs about Connecting Dots with Usama:

How many episodes does Connecting Dots with Usama have?

The podcast currently has 59 episodes available.

Connecting Dots with Usama episodes:

January 12, 2024 #59 Yasir Naqvi | MP Ontario Liberal Party | Ottawa, ON
Welcome to Connecting Dots!
We all share the desire to contribute positively to our communities.While making a difference individually is meaningful, engaging in politics amplifies our impact. Today, we have the privilege of discussing the experiences and insights into political life with Yasir Naqvi - a Canadian politician, who has served as the member of Parliament for Ottawa Centre since the 2021 federal election, sitting as a Liberal.
Viewing politics as a noble calling of public service rather than a mere career pursuit, Yasir reflects on the trajectory of his academic and professional journey that eventually led him into the realm of politics. In this candid conversation, he opens up about the highs and lows of his political endeavors, shedding light on the motivating factors that sustained him through challenges and debunking myths encountered along the way.
Steering away from our usual discussions on business and technical subjects, this episode promises to be an engaging departure, and offers listeners an intriguing glimpse into the daily life of a politician. Whether you're a student of law or diplomacy, someone passionate about current affairs, or envision yourself spearheading an election campaign in the future, we invite you to tune in for an insightful and enjoyable conversation with Naqvi.
Disclaimer: It's important to note that we maintain neutrality and are not affiliated with any particular political party. This conversation is intended purely for infotainment purposes.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/P6AF1Zr5vVw
Support Us: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/musama
...more
36min
December 25, 2023 #58 Kevin Stoodley | Chief Technology Officer | Toronto, Canada
Welcome to Connecting Dots!
Leaders are generally expected to inspire and create a vision for their team or company, and unite people, processes and systems to enable that vision. On the contrary, engineers are typically more focused on creating products and services; taking ideas and making them into reality. However, there are a number of overlapping attributes and experiences that make engineers great business leaders. To bust this stereotype, we’ve invited Kevin Stoodley, who hails from an engineering background and gradually transitioned to become a Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at IBM Z.
In this episode, Kevin delves deeper into the role of a CTO at a company, which is critical in today’s age with new, potentially disruptive technologies surfacing increasingly. He also reflects on the traits of the teams that tend to thrive and survive longer in an organization; importance of client communication; as well as general hierarchy of different job roles within engineering.Amidst listening to all the job hopping stories around you, tune in to this episode to hear a different perspective of rather transitioning from a junior to an executive at a company.
Hope Kevin’s plethora of professional advice and reflection on his remarkable career journey inspires you to make informative decisions about yours.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/sXDGUAqUtFQ
Support Us: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/musama
...more
43min
October 18, 2023 #57 Vidya Krishnan | Chief Learning Officer | Plano, TX
Welcome to Connecting Dots!
Today, we are thrilled to welcome our guest, Vidya Krishnan, the Chief Learning Officer at Ericsson, who is steering the helm of the company's global learning and development team. Vidya's life story is nothing short of a mesmerizing odyssey - interwoven with the rich tapestry of diverse cultures, globe-trotting across coastlines, and her remarkable transition from the world of engineering networks to enhancing engineering employee experiences through the art of learning and development. Her life has been a continuous voyage of transitions, and the guiding star that has consistently illuminated her path is her desire for lifelong learning.
In this episode, Vidya - a brilliant storyteller - paints a vivid picture of her life, transforming almost with every “G” of the telecom network. As she guides us through the chapters of her multifaceted career, she takes pride in declaring herself in the midst of her fourth professional evolution - a testament to her unwavering commitment, strong will, and yearning for continuous growth. And owing to her strong ambition, she hopes to have four more careers ahead of her!
Vidya attributes her extraordinary success to her cherished support system, her loved ones, who have consistently provided the bedrock of her strength. She firmly subscribes to the belief that nurturing a learner and forging a leader is a collective effort. Furthermore, Vidya delivers a compelling message of resilience, encouraging our audience to never surrender and transform their mess into a message.
For budding professionals fueled by a passion for learning and skill development and for executives dedicated to the cultivation of vibrant cultures, this episode is an absolute imperative. Vidya Krishan's narrative promises to leave you not only inspired and invigorated but also fully equipped to embark on your own exhilarating journey of lifelong growth.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMKHDBS0GLs
Support Us: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/musama
...more
45min
August 08, 2023 #56 Clare Ashamallah | Head of IC&E | Cairo, Egypt
Welcome to Connecting Dots!
Most people grow up imagining a dream career that encompasses their passion, makes money, and doesn’t feel like, well, work. But then adulthood hits, and most people think that they arrived at their job because that’s how life unrolled for them, and now they feel stuck. If you feel like you’ve also gone down the wrong career path, it’s not too late to make a change. Our today’s guest, Clare Ashamallah, instills courage to break free from an unfulfilled career by sharing her journey when she transitioned from being a Solutions Architect to working in corporate communications and eventually making her way to be Head of Corporate Communications at Ericsson, Middle East & Africa.
Besides comprehensively reflecting on a successful career transition, Clare also highlights the evolution in Human Resources, affecting talent acquisition and retention. She also discussed the millennial trend of swiftly bouncing from one company to another and if and when the idea can benefit an employee. An advocate of taking risks and experimentation, she fosters students and young professionals to make the right connections for their career paths.
So if you’re thinking about entering the job market, making a career switch, or simply excelling in your current role, I hope that this conversation with Clare inspires curiosity, conviction, and courage in you that can help you shape a future self you will be proud of. Remember that there is no way of guaranteeing success, but not trying might leave you with regrets.

YouTube: https://youtu.be/RE7Y4X8WcTQ
Support Us: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/musama
...more
34min
July 26, 2023 #55 Marie Hogan | 6G Portfolio Strategy leader | Sweden, SE
Welcome to Connecting Dots!
Do you remember the times when you wanted to download a movie to watch for a long plane ride? On a 3G network, it would take over an hour to download a Netflix movie. With 5G, that gets cut down to a few seconds. With 6G, you will download 142 hours of Netflix movies in just one second!
As 5G is already being deployed worldwide, it is thus a great time to start talking about 6G. And who could reflect better on this cutting-edge technology than Marie Hogan - a 6G Portfolio Strategist, who has experienced the evolution from analog almost-walkie-talkies to virtualized network slices handling gigabits per second for single users.
In this episode, Marie not only narrates the story of mobile generations but also connects her current role to the positions she had held in the past and the different technologies she worked with. As we were discussing advanced technologies, we also reflected on how Sweden has emerged as the innovation powerhouse despite being a small nation, and today it’s a hotbed for fields like sustainable technology, life sciences, healthcare, digitalization, and automation. While sharing some career advice, she accentuated the importance of having a sustainable routine to think clearly, achieve more, and do work that actually matters.
So if you want to learn about the evolution of network technology or are curious how a 6G network would be sculpted, tune into this comprehensive conversation with Marie Hogan to get answers to your burning questions.

Cheers to faster connectivity!

YouTube: https://youtu.be/rZ9iWw-3lOE
Support Us: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/musama
...more
38min
July 05, 2023 #54 Osaid Khaliq | Sr. Standards Strategist | Berlin, DE
Welcome to Connecting Dots!

We’d like to think that innovation comes from freewheeling chaos. Think again: it's an extreme order that begets breakthroughs in business. In fact, many of the innovations that have changed the world, including railroads, the Internet, and even language, only succeed because of standardization.
Similarly, in the telecommunications industry, standardization through 3GPP has been vital to facilitate global connectivity, support millions of jobs, and generate a sizable proportion of global GDP. To reflect more on this topic, we have with us today a Germany-based Senior Standards Strategist for 3GPP/5GAA - Osaid Khaliq.
For individuals and organizations thinking of standards as a necessary evil, Osaid bursts the myth by explaining the significance and the entire process of standardization. As we were hovering over the topic of innovation, we also managed to pull two weeds with one yank by asking Osaid about the process of filing patents. An expert in this field as well, he thoroughly explained the entire procedure.
So if the light bulb above your head is glowing and you know that turning it into a marketable product can be a lucrative idea, tune into this episode where Osaid and I embark on an intellectual journey exploring innovation, standardization, and patents so you can transform your brightest idea into the next big innovation!

Osaid's Socials:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/osaid-khaliq-57723142/

YouTube: https://youtu.be/MQtxiHi-x4M
Support Us: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/musama
...more
50min
June 17, 2023 #53 Tatiana Zander | Director | Disruptive Technologies | Santa Clara, US
Welcome to Connecting Dots!
The world is in the middle of a great digital transformation and leading telcos are also embracing digital disruption. From mobile edge computing to creating the next generation of Quantum Internet, and much else besides, telecommunication innovation can be seen everywhere. To dive deeper into how this industry can have a truly transformational impact, we have with us today Tatiana Zander – Director, Disruptive Technologies at Ericsson, US.
In this episode, Tatiana demystifies her current role as a technology lead; and shares with us the way she drives innovation from prototype to minimum viable product. A believer in taking on challenges head-on, questioning the status quo, and staying persistent, Tatiana shares with us how she started her journey as a software engineer and climbed her way up the ladder in just a decade.
So, if you are curious how the new disruptive technologies are creeping their way into the telecom industry or simply want motivation to overcome your challenges, this insightful conversation with Tatiana is a must-listen.

Tatiana's Socials:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tatiana-zander/

YouTube: https://youtu.be/W1_UEnQjPJM
Support Us: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/musama
...more
38min
June 04, 2023 #52 Zahid Mubarik | Founder and CEO | HR-Metrics | Islamabad, PK
Welcome to Connecting Dots!
With the ‘‘Great Resignation’ spreading its tentacles worldwide, companies are beginning to realize the importance of workforce analytics and HR metrics to stem this tide of workers exiting their companies. To further connect the dots on the key performance indicators of HR in an organization, we have Zahid Mubarak with us today, who’s the founder and CEO of HR Metrics - an HR consulting and training firm based in Pakistan.
Reflecting on his experience in the field of human resources, Zahid shares with us the way companies can retain and empower their workforce by tracking them through the valuable tool - HR metrics. He also debunks the myths and the brunt of rumors the human resources department usually faces in a company, and shares advice for someone looking for a career in this field. Zahid also highlights that in today’s competitive world, it is very important that individuals are able to find an edge over their competition by having a personal brand identity.
So if you’re an employer looking for ways to better tackle recruitment and employee turnover or a professional curious to learn about the HR department and its evolution with analytics, look no further. This insightful conversation with Zahid will help you demystify yet another executive job title as well as enlighten you about the new trends in one of the highly integral departments in an organization. Happy Recruiting!
Zahid's Socials:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zahid-mubarik-shrm-scp-sphri-gphr-5a1b672b/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/zahidmubarik

YouTube: https://youtu.be/CzylZdlNLXo

Support Us: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/musama

...more
43min
May 05, 2023 #51 Ali Hasnain Rizvi | CTO | ID-Ware | DE
Welcome to Connecting Dots!
As our dependence on technology grows, so does our vulnerability to cyber attacks. Therefore, businesses today are devoting an increasing amount of resources to detecting and preventing cybercrime; hence, resulting in an increasing demand for skilled cybersecurity professionals. To reflect more about this booming field, we have today, Ali Hasnain Rizvi, CTO of ID Ware - identity and access management provider, based in Germany.
In this episode, Ali shares with us his transition from Pakistan to Germany, where the language, culture, norms, and expectations were very different from back home. Despite the barriers, he remained determined to integrate into the new country and kept growing in his career, which eventually landed him a C-Suite role. Besides his technical role, Ali also wears the hat of being a mentor for young students and entrepreneurs, guiding them regarding their business ideas and pitch. While sharing advice for early professionals, he stresses on the importance of staying ambitious and focused on the tasks at hand.
So, whether you’re starting your career or seeking to change direction towards the field of cybersecurity, tune in for an insightful and lighthearted conversation with Ali.

YouTube: https://youtu.be/q9T28uJPDPg
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ali-hasnain-rizvi-b93720107/
Support Us: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/musama
...more
37min
April 26, 2023 #50 Karen Biehl | Head of Portfolio Marketing | Munich, DE
Welcome to Connecting Dots!
With an increasing emphasis on understanding customers, companies today are evolving from the traditional role of being product oriented to focusing on customer solution. While product marketing focus on product, and solution marketing is about marketing solutions, "portfolio marketing" is the term that captures “all of the above" - the product, solution, and industry. To better explain this full monty role, we have with us today Karen Biehl, who’s Head of Portfolio Marketing at Ericsson, Germany.
In this episode, Karen walks us through her transition from the banking industry to telecom. As a strategy and product leader, she shares her passion for shifting the traditional industries from within and generating business impact. She also provides advice on adopting and exhibiting effective leadership qualities and being intentional in all our career moves.
So if you’re curious to know about the shift in market focus or are looking to explore a career in portfolio marketing, tune into this comprehensive conversation with Karen Biehl to get more clarity regarding this all-encompassing role.
Karen's Socials:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenbiehl/

YouTube: https://youtu.be/PsXWJELEhts

Support Us: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/musama
...more
32min

FAQs about Connecting Dots with Usama:

How many episodes does Connecting Dots with Usama have?

The podcast currently has 59 episodes available.