Leaders Unscripted

You don’t need a title to be a leader, and the weight of leadership can be a heavy burden to bear.

One of the marvels of leadership, however, is that you can grow at an accelerated rate - that much is clear from Laruen Nagel’s remarkably varied career, now residing as VP of Product at StackHawk.

Tune into this week’s Leaders Unscripted, where Lauren shares the trials and tribulations that leadership brings, how to overcome them, the value of support networks, recognizing your impact, and much more.

This episode covers:

• Recognizing the impact on those around you as a leader
• Bearing the weight of people’s expectations, particularly for product leaders
• Flexible leadership styles, and how to adapt to different personalities and situations
• The positive impact you can make beyond your own comprehension

Visit Suzan's website: https://www.constellaryhq.com/

With management experience in such varied, acclaimed brands as Nintendo and Volkswagen, Tramale Turner is no stranger to stepping outside of his comfort zone - as all leaders should.

Now CTO at TaxBit, he’s at the forefront of digital assets and continues to show the product of his remarkable journey.

We hear from Tramale in this episode of Leaders Unscripted, where he discusses the art of introspection, making outsized impact, and creating opportunities for underrepresented voices.

This episode covers:

• Tramale’s staggering career to date, with huge brands like Nintendo & volkswagen
• Being a leading Black male voice in an industry where such representation is seldom seen
• How leaders model the way through introspection
• Finding comfort in the learning and development to be found outside one’s comfort zone
• Creation of opportunities for underrepresented voices, and a legacy that endures beyond him

Visit Suzan's website: https://www.constellaryhq.com/

The diagnosis of a chronic illness is often one of the most monumental events in a person’s life, but it’s done nothing to slow the relentless trajectory of Dave “Dizzy” Smith’s career.

With decades of leadership experience as a VP of Engineering at brands like Basho, DigitalOcean and Equinix, he’s learned from successes and boldly admits his missteps - signs of truly honest leadership. 

Dizzy’s story is nothing short of inspirational; learn how he’s thrived in the face of his medical challenges on this week’s Leaders Unscripted…

This episode covers:

• The staggering discovery of Dizzy’s chronic health condition
• Learning first-hand the impact of culture within your team
• Adapting to the longer feedback loops that come with management roles
• Managing yourself before you manage your team
• The fine balance between vulnerability, openness and strength

Visit Suzan's website: https://www.constellaryhq.com/

For 300 years, UK politicians voted in person as a matter of tradition. Then covid gave them just 4 weeks to change all that…

Leading a team to create an entirely new remote voting platform for MPs was the challenge bestowed on the Head of Software Development, Matt Stutely.

Matt shares how he took on an impossible task, earned an OBE, and reinvented the voting system on this fascinating episode of the Leaders Unscripted podcast.

This episode covers:

• Creating a system for Parliament to vote remotely for the first time in history
• The huge accessibility and cybersecurity challenges faced
• Pressure and personal struggles as a leader, where nobody is looking out for you
• Advice for leaders with a seemingly impossible deadline

Visit Suzan's website: https://www.constellaryhq.com/

Having worked at huge businesses like Google, and early stage startups like Pulse (which is now LinkedIn’s news feed), Jean Hsu has mastered the challenges that come at every level.

Now VP of Engineering at Range, having taken the role mid-pandemic, Jean is the perfect person to share the joys and drawbacks of working within early stage startups, and why you should question your assumptions about them.

She joins me on episode 2 of Leaders Unscripted to detail her route into tech, the value of a trust bank within your network, and how the VP role evolves in unique ways.

This episode covers:

• Jean’s route into tech and development experience at Google before the startup life
• How the VP role drastically differs from the manager role with a big picture outlook
• The value of a trust bank with your network
• Assumptions on life within early stage startups, and whether they align with reality

Visit Suzan's website: https://www.constellaryhq.com/

Welcome to Leaders Unscripted, the podcast that explores the human side behind incredible leaders.

Humanity in a CEO is a side that’s difficult to get right, but Beck Sydow managed that as a trailblazing CEO at StickerGiant, even with Covid shining a light on the business’ most challenging areas.

Beth joins me to kick off this series with a look at culture and gender identity in work, having a plan with room to be flexible, the need for leaders to understand the human condition, and so much more!

This episode covers:

• Beth’s remarkable multi-industry background
• The value of flexibility in a plan
• Navigating the challenges of uncertainty
• A CEO’s need to care about both business acumen and human nature
• Authenticity, diversity, and gender identity in the workplace

Visit Suzan's website: https://www.constellaryhq.com/

Welcome to the Leaders Unscripted Podcast, where we explore the human side of leadership.

I'm your host, Suzan Bond, a former COO and leadership consultant with over 15 years of experience helping leaders navigate change and overcome challenges.

In this series, we're taking a practical approach to leadership. We're not here to wax philosophical about the latest trends. Instead, we're sharing real stories from real leaders who have faced tough challenges and come out on the other side.

As a former COO, I know that leading through change is not always easy. But it's through these challenges that we learn and grow the most. And it’s not just us that benefit, it’s our whole team. We'll be talking to senior leaders who have been in the trenches and know what it takes to make it through.

We'll learn about the people and organisational side of leadership, and how these leaders have adapted to new situations, tackled difficult problems, and kept their teams moving forward.

Whether you're a seasoned leader or just starting out, you'll find valuable insights and practical advice in every episode. So join us as we explore the many faces of leadership and uncover the secrets of success. 

Follow the journey: https://www.suzanbond.com/about
Connect with Suzan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzanbond/

Visit Suzan's website: https://www.constellaryhq.com/