Develop Great Managers

In this podcast, I interview John Dolan, Strategic Advisor and Board Member at Ascend Cloud Solutions.

Prior to taking on this position, John was Global Vice President for Software-Defined Data Center Support at VMware.

John spent more than 14 years at VMware in the Technical Support organization, where he led global organizations across EMEA and APJ. He did this from Cork, Ireland where he also held the role of Campus Site Lead.

Prior to VMware, John spent a number of years working for EMC in Technical Support, helping them to build a support team in Ireland.

I got to know John while at VMware when I was in engineering within the Integrated Systems Business Unit. I was working on designs for VMware customer deployments and John was providing support for these same customers. I then had a chance to spend a lot of time with John and his team when I joined the leadership team in Global Services.

I really enjoyed working with John. He was incredibly focused on helping customers to be successful. I was helping redefine how we supported customers by moving us to a proactive model, delivering new capabilities such as chat, and delivering in product support. To do this, John and I had to work through the many challenges in scaling this to the huge number of customers that VMware has.

I am super excited that John has taken on a new role with Ascend Cloud Solutions. His experience, expertise, and work ethic will help Ascend to be successful.

I hope you enjoy my interviews with John!

In this podcast, I talk to Simran Singh, Vice President, Strategy and Business Development for Hyperwallet, a Paypal company acquired in 2018, about his career path.

Prior to Hyperwallet, Simran was a Senior Product Manager at VMware which he joined after graduating from business school. Before business school, Simran worked at Baring Private Equity Asia, the largest private equity fund in Asia. Simran was one of the earliest employees of Parthenon's education practice and helped launch schools in more than 25 countries around the world including Chile, Zambia, Mexico, UAE, Singapore, the UK, etc.

Simran is a Palmer Scholar graduate from the Wharton School of Business and a Director's Medallist from IIT Delhi (Computer Science and Mathematics).

I got to know Simran while he was at VMware. He worked in my Product Management team. I knew from his first days at VMware, that Simran was a superstar. I have stayed loosely connected, watching his rise to where he is today.

I have always been impressed with Simran's thoughtful and humble approach to solving problems and his strong commitment to delivering on time and with high quality.

I think that you will enjoy my interview with Simran!

In this podcast, I interview Simran Singh, Vice President, Strategy and Business Development for Hyperwallet, a Paypal company acquired in 2018.

Prior to Hyperwallet, Simran was a Senior Product Manager at VMware which he joined after graduating from business school. Before business school, Simran worked at Baring Private Equity Asia, the largest private equity fund in Asia. Simran was one of the earliest employees of Parthenon's education practice and helped launch schools in more than 25 countries around the world including Chile, Zambia, Mexico, UAE, Singapore, the UK, etc.

Simran is a Palmer Scholar graduate from the Wharton School of Business and a Director's Medallist from IIT Delhi (Computer Science and Mathematics).

I got to know Simran while he was at VMware. He worked in my Product Management team. I knew from his first days at VMware, that Simran was a superstar. I have stayed loosely connected, watching his rise to where he is today.

I have always been impressed with Simran's thoughtful and humble approach to solving problems and his strong commitment to delivering on time and with high quality.

I think that you will enjoy my interview with Simran!

In this podcast, I talk to Joel "Thor" Neeb, CEO of the consulting firm and corporate events company Afterburner, Inc., about his career path.

In his role, Joel leads more than 70 former elite military professionals, including fighter pilots, Navy SEALS, and Army Rangers, in achieving strategic objectives and fostering elite teams for Fortune 100 companies and professional sports teams.

Joel joined Afterburner in 2012, was named president in 2015, and assumed the role of CEO in July 2019. Joel initiated Afterburner’s expansion from an events-based business into transformational business consulting. This focus developed into Afterburner’s newest business unit offering, Impact Consulting, where Afterburner’s team works alongside clients to identify challenges and improve performance.

As a former F-15 mission commander, United States Air Force, Joel continues to go by his pilot call sign, “Thor,” in his business career. As a pilot, he’s both escorted the President and performed flybys at football games. He was the tactical leader of 300 of the most senior combat pilots in the Air Force and oversaw the execution of a $150M/year flight program. Joel was named the Top Instructor Pilot at the Air Force Flight Training Headquarters in 2010. In 2012, he was selected out of 62,000 people to receive the Air Education and Training Command (AECT) National Public Service Award.

In 2010, Joel was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer and given a 15 percent chance of recovery. During treatment, Joel founded CureCare, a community outreach program for at-risk students in San Antonio. To date, CureCare has reached more than 15,000 kids. Additionally, he co-authored the upcoming book Survivor’s Obligation, out in October 2019, to tell the story of his cancer journey and his resolve to live an intentional life.

Joel sits on the board of several national organizations and is the co-founder of a military support corporation including PCSgrades.

Joel holds a BA from the USAF Academy, an MA from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, and an MBA from the University of Texas. Joel enjoys competing in sporting events; he completed the New Zealand Ironman Triathlon in 2015 and was a contestant on American Ninja Warrior in 2018. He lives in Atlanta with his wife and three children.

I got to know Joel while I was at VMware. Joel and the Afterburner team provided training for VMware Executives and then all organizations across the company. Joel kicked off the training and found a way to meet and get to know most of the leaders at VMware.

More important than how I met Joel, is why I decided to have him on the podcast. Up to this point, every person that I have had on the podcast are managers that I have seen in action. I selected them not because they were all the same, but rather because I saw something in them that I thought was exceptional and important to share.

I have not seen Joel in action, managing his team. But based on what I have seen, it is clear that he is a great manager. That he has an amazing rapport with his team. That he cares about them and they reciprocate. That they are aligned with the vision, mission, and culture of the company, and are executing.

I also understand Joel's personal story. His recovery from stage IV cancer and how it has changed him. I have read his book "Survivor's Obligation: Navigating an Intentional Life". I know about the events that he has participated in. And can see the good that he is doing.

In short, I think that Joel is perfect for the podcast. His experience is something that is important to share. I hope that you agree!

In this podcast, I interview Joel "Thor" Neeb, CEO of the consulting firm and corporate events company Afterburner, Inc.

In this role, Joel leads more than 70 former elite military professionals, including fighter pilots, Navy SEALS, and Army Rangers, in achieving strategic objectives and fostering elite teams for Fortune 100 companies and professional sports teams.

Joel joined Afterburner in 2012, was named president in 2015, and assumed the role of CEO in July 2019. Joel initiated Afterburner’s expansion from an events-based business into transformational business consulting. This focus developed into Afterburner’s newest business unit offering, Impact Consulting, where Afterburner’s team works alongside clients to identify challenges and improve performance.

As a former F-15 mission commander, United States Air Force, Joel continues to go by his pilot call sign, “Thor,” in his business career. As a pilot, he’s both escorted the President and performed flybys at football games. He was the tactical leader of 300 of the most senior combat pilots in the Air Force and oversaw the execution of a $150M/year flight program. Joel was named the Top Instructor Pilot at the Air Force Flight Training Headquarters in 2010. In 2012, he was selected out of 62,000 people to receive the Air Education and Training Command (AECT) National Public Service Award.

In 2010, Joel was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer and given a 15 percent chance of recovery. During treatment, Joel founded CureCare, a community outreach program for at-risk students in San Antonio. To date, CureCare has reached more than 15,000 kids. Additionally, he co-authored the upcoming book Survivor’s Obligation, out in October 2019, to tell the story of his cancer journey and his resolve to live an intentional life.

Joel sits on the board of several national organizations and is the co-founder of a military support corporation including PCSgrades.

Joel holds a BA from the USAF Academy, an MA from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, and an MBA from the University of Texas. Joel enjoys competing in sporting events; he completed the New Zealand Ironman Triathlon in 2015 and was a contestant on American Ninja Warrior in 2018. He lives in Atlanta with his wife and three children.

I got to know Joel while I was at VMware. Joel and the Afterburner team provided training for VMware Executives and then all organizations across the company. Joel kicked off the training and found a way to meet and get to know most of the leaders at VMware.

More important than how I met Joel, is why I decided to have him on the podcast. Up to this point, every person that I have had on the podcast are managers that I have seen in action. I selected them not because they were all the same, but rather because I saw something in them that I thought was exceptional and important to share.

I have not seen Joel in action, managing his team. But based on what I have seen, it is clear that he is a great manager. That he has an amazing rapport with his team. That he cares about them and they reciprocate. That they are aligned with the vision, mission, and culture of the company, and are executing.

I also understand Joel's personal story. His recovery from stage IV cancer and how it has changed him. I have read his book "Survivor's Obligation: Navigating an Intentional Life". I know about the events that he has participated in. And can see the good that he is doing.

In short, I think that Joel is perfect for the podcast. His experience is something that is important to share. I hope that you agree!

In this podcast, I talk to Kit Colbert, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for the Cloud Platform Business Unit at VMware, about his career path.

In his role, Kit is responsible for driving technical strategy and innovation for the vSphere, VMware Cloud on AWS, and VMware Cloud on DellEMC product lines.

Previously, Kit was GM of Cloud-Native Apps, CTO for End-User Computing, the Chief Architect and Principal Engineer for Workspace Portal, and the lead Management Architect for the vRealize Operations Suite. At the start of his career, he was the technical lead behind the creation, development, and delivery of the vMotion and Storage vMotion features in vSphere.

Kit holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Brown University and is a recognized thought leader on Cloud-Native, End-User Computing, and Hybrid Cloud Infrastructure trends.  He speaks regularly at industry conferences, on the main stage at VMworld, and is the Hybrid Cloud voice for the VMware Office of the CTO.

I got to know Kit while at VMware. Kit has always been someone that I had an easy time connecting with. He is technically very deep but is able to simplify concepts in order for others to understand. For me, this proved to be incredibly valuable when Kit and I talked about challenges that we were facing or working on opportunities to work together. Many of these brief conversations happened in the VMware gym while we were stretching and cooling down from a workout!

The reason I wanted to have Kit on the show, other than that he is incredibly smart and very articulate, is that he has moved in and out of management. His experiences in doing this have been both energizing and exhausting. The lessons that have come from these experiences will be valuable to any technologist struggling with whether to go into management.

I really hope you enjoy!

In this podcast, I interview Kit Colbert, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for the Cloud Platform Business Unit at VMware.

In this role, Kit is responsible for driving technical strategy and innovation for the vSphere, VMware Cloud on AWS, and VMware Cloud on DellEMC product lines.

Previously, Kit was GM of Cloud-Native Apps, CTO for End-User Computing, the Chief Architect and Principal Engineer for Workspace Portal, and the lead Management Architect for the vRealize Operations Suite. At the start of his career, he was the technical lead behind the creation, development, and delivery of the vMotion and Storage vMotion features in vSphere.

Kit holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Brown University and is a recognized thought leader on Cloud-Native, End-User Computing, and Hybrid Cloud Infrastructure trends.  He speaks regularly at industry conferences, on the main stage at VMworld, and is the Hybrid Cloud voice for the VMware Office of the CTO.

I got to know Kit while at VMware. Kit has always been someone that I had an easy time connecting with. He is technically very deep but is able to simplify concepts in order for others to understand. For me, this proved to be incredibly valuable when Kit and I talked about challenges that we were facing or working on opportunities to work together. Many of these brief conversations happened in the VMware gym while we were stretching and cooling down from a workout!

The reason I wanted to have Kit on the show, other than that he is incredibly smart and very articulate, is that he has moved in and out of management. His experiences in doing this have been both energizing and exhausting. The lessons that have come from these experiences will be valuable to any technologist struggling with whether to go into management.

I really hope you enjoy!

In this podcast, I talk to Cody Hosterman, Technical Director for VMware & Cloud Solutions at Pure Storage, about his career path.

In his current role, Cody's team focuses on the VMware ecosystem and cloud-based offering integration with the Pure Storage FlashArray and Cloud Block Store. He has a deep background in virtualization and storage technologies, including experience as a Solutions Engineer and Principal Virtualization Technologist.  In his current position, he is responsible for VMware & Cloud integration strategy, best practices, and developing new integrations and documentation.

Cody has spoken internationally on the topics of virtualization and storage at numerous conferences and events such as VMworld and various virtualization-related user groups and trade shows.  He is the author of several technical whitepapers and guides related to virtualization, storage, and data center infrastructure. He is the co-author or contributor to multiple technical reference books and his frequently-updated personal blog contains his latest work and contributions.

Prior to working for Pure, Cody worked at EMC and Penn State, where he graduated with a degree in Information Sciences and Technology.

I have known Cody for a while now. He is the husband of the sister (Janice) of my daughter-in-law (Nicole). My son Anthony got to know Cody when he and Janice started dating him. Cody helped Anthony to find a job at Pure Storage. I got to know Cody through Anthony.

Wow, that was hard to explain.

Since getting to know Cody, we have spent a good amount of time together. We had Cody and Janice over to a VMware get-together during VMworld Barcelona - where he had a great time connecting with VMware folks that only knew Cody through his blog. We have gone snowshoeing. Attended Cody and Janice's wedding. And have attended numerous family gatherings.

Cody has been an early listener of my podcasts. He gave me feedback and now that he has become a manager, is perfect to have on the show!

I hope you enjoy!

In this podcast, I interview Cody Hosterman, Technical Director for VMware & Cloud Solutions at Pure Storage.

In his current role, Cody's team focuses on the VMware ecosystem and cloud-based offering integration with the Pure Storage FlashArray and Cloud Block Store. He has a deep background in virtualization and storage technologies, including experience as a Solutions Engineer and Principal Virtualization Technologist.  In his current position, he is responsible for VMware & Cloud integration strategy, best practices, and developing new integrations and documentation.

Cody has spoken internationally on the topics of virtualization and storage at numerous conferences and events such as VMworld and various virtualization-related user groups and trade shows.  He is the author of several technical whitepapers and guides related to virtualization, storage, and data center infrastructure. He is the co-author or contributor to multiple technical reference books and his frequently-updated personal blog contains his latest work and contributions.

Prior to working for Pure, Cody worked at EMC and Penn State, where he graduated with a degree in Information Sciences and Technology.

I have known Cody for a while now. He is the husband of the sister (Janice) of my daughter-in-law (Nicole). My son Anthony got to know Cody when he and Janice started dating him. Cody helped Anthony to find a job at Pure Storage. I got to know Cody through Anthony.

Wow, that was hard to explain.

Since getting to know Cody, we have spent a good amount of time together. We had Cody and Janice over to a VMware get-together during VMworld Barcelona - where he had a great time connecting with VMware folks that only knew Cody through his blog. We have gone snowshoeing. Attended Cody and Janice's wedding. And have attended numerous family gatherings.

Cody has been an early listener of my podcasts. He gave me feedback and now that he has become a manager, is perfect to have on the show!

I hope you enjoy!

In this podcast, I talk to Eddie Dinel, Senior Director of Product Management at VMware, where he has been since 2002, about his career path.

In his role, Eddie has two key responsibilities. The first is VMware Validated Designs, a new way of approaching the problem of SDDC deployments. And the second is the "Enterprise Readiness" program across all products at VMware, focusing on reducing the friction involved in operating VMware software.

Eddie has held many previous roles at VMware, across product development, technical alliances, and IT. He has been involved in nearly every product that VMware has ever shipped.

Prior to VMware, Eddie was at Zack Systems and HighWire Press.

Eddie graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in History as well as minors in Physics and Computer Science from Stanford University.

I have had the pleasure to work with Eddie in most of the roles that I had at VMware. He is a passionate leader with a unique level of depth and breadth across VMware products.

I hope you enjoy!