The Data Binge

Today's episode is a Simply Tech LIVE interview recorded May 6th, of this year 2021, featuring my co-host, Ali Mazaheri, and our special guests, coming to us from Microsoft's High Tech Pursuits Unicorn Team - a special team focused on accelerating, partnering, and supporting the enterprise of the future.

The discussion will feature Ken Miller, GM of Microsoft's West Region Intelligent Cloud team and leader of the Unicorn team we're talking with today. Shaloo Garg will be joining us in the discussion, Shaloo is the Managing Director of Growth Stage Startups and Unicorns at Microsoft. We'll also be featuring Matt Hughes in the discussion, Matt is a High Tech industry leader at Microsoft, and the combination of these (3) guests will cover a vast array of really fun, top of mind, and critical topics across the high tech industry, and, how value will be, and continues to be captured and developed with founders, venture capitalists, and new joint partnerships in the world of fast moving and emerging technologies.

If you have any interest in the future landscape of emerging tech as a founder, an investor, or an organization looking to seek differentiated ways to think about the growth stage and unicorn ecosystem, you will very much enjoy this conversation.

Thank you for listening, and now we bring you Microsoft's High-Tech Pursuits Unicorn Team.

Key Take-aways:

[09:32] High tech trends and transformations across the technology industry

[12:00] Exciting tech related market making partnerships and acquisitions

[13:31] Social impact and other emerging technology industry headwinds to pay attention to

[15:23] High tech at Microsoft – what is means, who are the customers, and what the future enterprise looks like

[20:21] Additional forecasts for market needs and opportunities in the high tech space

[25:26] What consumers demand from the high-tech industry and how the consumer is shaping innovation

[27:51] The Microsoft ecosystem and support environment for high tech organizations

[32:53] Transformational change across business and culture: how to navigate, cope, and seize net new opportunities

[38:47] Microsoft’s Unicorn Initiative and thematic areas that empower the Start-up

[41:37] Shaloo’s experience as a woman leader at Microsoft, and women founder perspectives in the growth stage start up eco-system

[46:18] Why founders should think about partnering with Microsoft

[51:43] Advice and guidance for women founders

[55:39] Discussions around engaging across the high-tech community, and opportunities to discover innovation through the Microsoft Technology Centers

Resources:

Contact our guests:

Ken Miller: https://www.linkedin.com/in/millerken/

Shaloo Garg: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaloo-garg/

Matt Hughes: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthughes4/

The Marsen Group - https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2021/03/16/microsoft-acquires-the-marsden-group-a-leader-in-rapid-industry-innovation/

Nuance Communications - https://news.microsoft.com/2021/04/12/microsoft-accelerates-industry-cloud-strategy-for-healthcare-with-the-acquisition-of-nuance/

What Is a Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC)? https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/spac.asp

Microsoft Technology Centers - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/mtc

*The views and opinions expressed in this discussion are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the official position of their employer, Microsoft" 

____

Thank you for listening!

--------------------------------

Join the **New Monthly Newsletter** -  Data Binge REFRESH: https://www.derekwesleyrussell.com/newsletter

Interested in starting your own podcast? Some candid advice here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-start-podcast-3-step-gono-go-beginners-guide-derek-russell

Learn more about the Data Binge Podcast at www.thedatabinge.com

Connect with Derek:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derekwesleyrussell/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN1c5mzapLZ55ciPgngqRMg/featured

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drussnetwork/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/drussnetwork

Medium: https://medium.com/@derekwesleyrussell

Email: [email protected]

*The views and opinions expressed in this discussion are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the official position of their employer, Microsoft"  

____ 

Thank you for listening!  

-------------------------------- 

Join the **New Monthly Newsletter** -  Data Binge REFRESH: https://www.derekwesleyrussell.com/newsletter   

Interested in starting your own podcast? Some candid advice here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-start-podcast-3-step-gono-go-beginners-guide-derek-russell 

Learn more about the Data Binge Podcast at www.thedatabinge.com 

Connect with Derek:  

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derekwesleyrussell/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN1c5mzapLZ55ciPgngqRMg/featured 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drussnetwork/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/drussnetwork 

Medium: https://medium.com/@derekwesleyrussell 

Email: [email protected]  

Today's discussion is a recording of a session hosted by my friend and colleague, Andy Winskill, a Sr. Digital Advisor at Microsoft, who also leads a community of approximately 2700 employees at Microsoft, called the "Virtual Work Learning Group". The mission of the virtual work group is to empower everyone on the planet, to create engaging, meaningful, and impactful virtual work experiences, in an environment that enables us to do our best work. The community has featured talks from some amazing women and men around topics ranging from how to be a better storyteller, all the way to fine tuning remote presentation skills.

This episode features a presentation that I led around Social Influence and Virtual Selling. I am no longer in a sales organization, BUT, I do believe that everything any of us do at any capacity in our work, most likely demands for advocating our ideas and getting our perspective heard - this, I believe, will be a highly valuable skill as our ecosystems become more digital, and our thoughts and perspectives as knowledge workers and executives, become more valuable to the world.

Thanks for listening.

Resources:

MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH - May 2021 | National Today - https://nationaltoday.com/mental-health-awareness-month/

Waking Up with Sam Harris - Discover your mind. | Waking Up - https://www.wakingup.com/

ROMWOD - https://romwod.com/

Andy Winskill | LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/awinskill/

Crushing It!: How Great Entrepreneurs Build Their Business and Influence—and How You Can, Too by Gary Vaynerchuk (goodreads.com) - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36045512-crushing-it

Everything You Need to Know About LinkedIn Video - https://blog.hootsuite.com/linkedin-video/

Social media video tips & strategies - https://sproutsocial.com/insights/topics/social-media-video/

*The views and opinions expressed in this discussion are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the official position of their employer, Microsoft" 

____

Thank you for listening!

--------------------------------

Join the **New Monthly Newsletter** -  Data Binge REFRESH: https://www.derekwesleyrussell.com/newsletter

Interested in starting your own podcast? Some candid advice here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-start-podcast-3-step-gono-go-beginners-guide-derek-russell

Learn more about the Data Binge Podcast at www.thedatabinge.com

Connect with Derek:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derekwesleyrussell/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN1c5mzapLZ55ciPgngqRMg/featured

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drussnetwork/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/drussnetwork

Medium: https://medium.com/@derekwesleyrussell

Email: [email protected]

*The views and opinions expressed in this discussion are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the official position of their employer, Microsoft"  

____ 

Thank you for listening!  

-------------------------------- 

Join the **New Monthly Newsletter** -  Data Binge REFRESH: https://www.derekwesleyrussell.com/newsletter   

Interested in starting your own podcast? Some candid advice here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-start-podcast-3-step-gono-go-beginners-guide-derek-russell 

Learn more about the Data Binge Podcast at www.thedatabinge.com 

Connect with Derek:  

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derekwesleyrussell/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN1c5mzapLZ55ciPgngqRMg/featured 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drussnetwork/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/drussnetwork 

Medium: https://medium.com/@derekwesleyrussell 

Email: [email protected]  

Today's episode is a Simply Tech LIVE interview recorded February 25th, 2021, featuring my co-host Ali Mazaheri, and our very special guest, Katy Brown, Vice President of US Enterprise for the West Region, at Microsoft.

Both Ali and I have shared the distinct pleasure of working with Katy and her senior leadership team professionally at Microsoft, but in preparation for and execution of this very discussion, we had the wonderful opportunity to get to know Katy on a more personal level, and to really understand her own journey of overcoming adversity, and how it has shaped her as a leader.

The discussion will cover everything including hard decisions Katy had to make to take better care of her teams and people in the wake of the pandemic, as folks had to really show up more than they ever had for their customers, partners, and families. We will discuss Katy's reflections and adjustments in how she has been taking care of herself and showing up as her best self across the past year, as well as some guiding learnings and perspectives she has developed while navigating through challenges in her personal life.

We are so happy to deliver and share a truly, special episode with all of you - we all need to hear more voices of vulnerability, courage, and strength, as we continue to help each other navigate very challenging moments as we move through life and adapt, struggle, and learn through our individual journeys.

Key Takeaways:

[09:23] Organizational changes and continuous evolutions in the new normal for the future of work across Katy’s teams at Microsoft.

[11:09] Katy’s opinion on the change in the customer landscape due to the Pandemic, and how Microsoft has risen to meet customer and partners with empathy.

[13:03] Adapting to changes in environment, stress, and work life harmony - how Katy manages her time efficiently as a leader in the new normal.

[17:50] New paradigms for how organizations can give time back to their employees, while increasing productivity and reducing work related stress during a challenging year – Katy’s decisions and perspectives around empowering her organization adopt new ways of working.

[18:45] General guidance to maintaining a healthy work and life balance while working remotely.

[21:32] The deep life experiences that have shaped Katy as a leader: the importance of co-dependency of courage and vulnerability.

[26:21] How to embrace, support, and empower others in ways that guide them to their best selves.

[29:41] Katy’s mindset for sharing challenging moments in her life, and how those stories can redefine how others approach their own journeys, to help shape them into stronger versions of themselves.

[32:03] The incredible opportunity that presents itself, when someone reaches out from a place of struggle – the opportunity to make a lasting impact in their life.

Memorable Quotes

[21:42] “I believe that you are shaped as a leader through the experiences that you have in your life. Some good and some hard.“ - Katy Brown

[30:40] (on talking about her experiences with others) “It starts with taking small steps. It starts with being authentic. It starts with being vulnerable, which leads to being courageous. And then I think It is an opportunity for me to give back and if I could just help just one other person, then that goes a long way.” - Katy Brown

Resources:

Connect with Katy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katyabrown/

Dare to Lead by Brené Brown: https://daretolead.brenebrown.com/

*The views and opinions expressed in this discussion are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the official position of their employer, Microsoft"  

____ 

Thank you for listening!  

-------------------------------- 

Join the **New Monthly Newsletter** -  Data Binge REFRESH: https://www.derekwesleyrussell.com/newsletter   

Interested in starting your own podcast? Some candid advice here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-start-podcast-3-step-gono-go-beginners-guide-derek-russell 

Learn more about the Data Binge Podcast at www.thedatabinge.com 

Connect with Derek:  

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derekwesleyrussell/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN1c5mzapLZ55ciPgngqRMg/featured 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drussnetwork/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/drussnetwork 

Medium: https://medium.com/@derekwesleyrussell 

Email: [email protected]  

Today's discussion is a LinkedIn LIVE recording of the Data Binge Podcast featuring Dr. Angus Hervey, Political Economist and co-founder of Future Crunch.  

Future Crunch, based out of Australia, is a think-tank focused on fostering intelligent and optimistic thinking, inspiring enthusiasm and excitement for technology, and empowering people to contribute to an inclusive future.

I came across Gus in a Global MBA learning event where he led a presentation focused on the adaptability quotient, or one's ability to overcome challenges by quickly determining what's relevant in the current era of knowledge. The interest of Gus's work doesn't stop there, Future Crunch is really trying to get people excited about technology again, as it exists within every layer of our lives, and as it tends to get mostly negative attention - there is another story to tell. Future Crunch disperses a phenomenal newsletter based on optimistic events happening in and around our planet, in an attempt to change the stories of the 21st century, by changing the stories we tell ourselves. In this discussion, Gus brings together his interests across economics, politics, and science, to weave together a new perspective on human kinds future, how to prepare for it, how to understand it, and how we can all look to empathize, entertain, and contribute to a novel and wonderful, narrative for our species.  

Key Takeaways 

[10:11] The mission of Future Crunch, optimism, story-telling, and technology[09:53] Why “Giving a Damn” is different than talking about impactful causes – the Fondo Guadalupe Musalem, and other groups and charities of importance. 

[15:56] The history of story-telling, and the criticality of stories and their importance to the human existence across the 21st century 

[18:50] Modern journalism and how it has evolved 

[23:36] 5G and the opportunities represented by a new future of data movement  

[28:46] On understanding the future of technology: Language, Fire, and Medicine  

[37:53] The applicability of the Language, Fire and Medicine Framework and how it can help leaders and organizations navigate in both business and innovation 

[45:37] Why change moves very slowly, until it moves very quickly: the Adaptability quotient 

[49:15] On efficiency and adaptability in adjusting to change, examples of how the US Navy is building talent pools to handle more fluid work environments. 

[54:04] What people and organizations can do to embrace unexpected and high-velocity change 

[55:03] How to contact Angus and Future Crunch 

[56:10] Given unlimited resources, what global challenges would Angus attempt to solve 

Quotes 

[08:27] “If you’re working at IT, if you’re working in digital, you can always keep on improving. There is always another line of code that you can write; there is always another optimization that you can put in there. But I think when it comes to designing built environments or when it comes to developing new energy systems when it comes to just figuring out a way that people work together, sometimes it is possible to say, “okay, we nailed that. That’s fixed, and we can move on.” - Angus Hervey 

[15:21] “So really, it is a community thing. I’d love to take credit for it, but the reason that we can support these charities is that we have around 2,000 subscribers that think that the content that we produce is worth paying for, and then we can take some of that money and put that money where our mouth is and give a damn than just talking the talk.” – Angus Hervey 

[34:06] “Energy touches everything. You look in the room around you wherever you are right now, every single object in this room, if you can have the cost of energy required to produce that object, you’re suddenly talking about a whole new type of economy.” – Angus Hervey 

Resources:  

Future Crunch Website: https://futurecrun.ch/ 

Future Crunch Twitter: https://twitter.com/future_crunch 

Future Crunch Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/futurecrunch/ 

Additional Featured Podcasts: Open the Pod Bay Doors: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e106-angus-hervey-future-crunch/id1246074250?i=1000505737408  

Dr Angus Hervey - Future Crunch: Purpose and The Adaptability Quotient: https://www.rebeccatapp.com/decodingpurposepodcasts1/2019/12/10/dr-angus-hervey-future-crunch-purpose-and-the-adaptability-quotient  

Chemex Coffee Maker (the ultimate  example of perfect design): https://www.chemexcoffeemaker.com/coffeemakers.html  

 
*The views and opinions expressed in this discussion are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the official position of their employer, Microsoft"  

____ 

Thank you for listening!  

-------------------------------- 

Join the **New Monthly Newsletter** -  Data Binge REFRESH: https://www.derekwesleyrussell.com/newsletter   

Interested in starting your own podcast? Some candid advice here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-start-podcast-3-step-gono-go-beginners-guide-derek-russell 

Learn more about the Data Binge Podcast at www.thedatabinge.com 

Connect with Derek:  

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derekwesleyrussell/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN1c5mzapLZ55ciPgngqRMg/featured 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drussnetwork/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/drussnetwork 

Medium: https://medium.com/@derekwesleyrussell 

Email: [email protected]  

Today's episode is a Simply Tech LIVE interview recorded October 29th, of 2020 - pulled out of the vault to serve to you at this very relevant time - produced by my co-host, Ali Mazaheri, and featuring special guests Ross Valentine, and guest co-host Greg Vigil.

Ross Valentine is the Director of Product Services at Arrow Electronics (the world's largest electronics distributor), and has spent the last 20 years studying the global supply chain from a perspective across different industry verticals and organizations.

Greg Vigil, Industry Solutions Director for the US, will be co-hosting the Manufacturing mini-series, bringing more than 10 years of manufacturing industry experience to highlight trends in market, and to bring the most modern perspectives of how the world's largest manufacturers are approaching emerging business challenges.

This is going to be a really fun listen for those looking to better understand how the supply chain has been evolving over the past 20 years, the different roles that technology and talent play in the supply chain ecosystem, and the trends and business models that are declining or EMERGING as the world moves faster, better, and becomes just a little smaller each day.

Key Takeaways:

[08:53] Ross’ 20 years experience working on supply chain and its evolution over the years

[10:00] Supply chain security and how it has evolved from deep impacts across global events ranging from 911, to the Great Recession, to a global pandemic.

[14:16] The shift of the supply chain as a business strategy – moving from a cost of doing business, to a competitive advantage

[16:41] Observations of the consumer and business in the supply chain ecosystem, and relationships as the core competency

[19:01] NASA and the reverse logistics of getting man BACK from the moon – how this compares to real world supply chain challenges

[26:52] Data sharing and how technologies like Blockchain, RPA, robotics, digital twins, and AI advisors, will shape the future of the supply chain

[28:17] New business models and everything as a service

[30:31] Zooming out and looking at supply chain as a supply web

Memorable Quotes:

[15:37] “It is critical that we move from historic supply chains which are prone to disruption and breakages. That can’t go on as we move to the next 20 years here. We need to build resilience. We need to look at new things. We need to look at flexibility,  sustainability. It plays such an important role not just to the planet but also in how you live and operate in the future as well. It is absolutely essential that supply chains continue to evolve. We should look at the order of the supply web.”

[18:44] (Sending a man to the moon relating the supply chain) “The bigger part of the problem was not getting man to the moon, it was how do we get the man back to planet Earth. So there is this entire reverse process that no one thought of. We celebrated getting there and the team getting there, but there was an incredible effort with NASA and all the different agencies to make sure that there was a reverse logistics process and they got back safely. Think about the supply chain in exactly the same way.”

[20:53] “Technology is not here to replace people, it’s here to improve people, to improve decision making”

Resources:

Connect with Ross on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ross-valentine-210b6b35/

Personal Website: https://supplyweb.org/

Email: [email protected]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suez_Canal

https://fortune.com/2020/05/18/toilet-paper-sales-surge-shortage-coronavirus-pandemic-supply-chain-cpg-panic-buying/https://fortune.com/2020/05/18/toilet-paper-sales-surge-shortage-coronavirus-pandemic-supply-chain-cpg-panic-buying/

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/29/suez-canal-is-moving-but-the-supply-chain-impact-could-last-months.html

https://www.arrow.com/

*The views and opinions expressed in this discussion are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the official position of their employer, Microsoft" 

____

Thank you for listening!

--------------------------------

Join the **New Monthly Newsletter** -  Data Binge REFRESH: https://www.derekwesleyrussell.com/newsletter

Interested in starting your own podcast? Some candid advice here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-start-podcast-3-step-gono-go-beginners-guide-derek-russell

Learn more about the Data Binge Podcast at www.thedatabinge.com

Connect with Derek:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derekwesleyrussell/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN1c5mzapLZ55ciPgngqRMg/featured

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drussnetwork/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/drussnetwork

Medium: https://medium.com/@derekwesleyrussell

Email: [email protected]

Today's episode is a Simply Tech LIVE interview recorded July 27th, 2020, featuring my co-host, Ali Mazaheri, and our special guest, CAT Susch.

CAT is a Principal Technical Architect at the Microsoft Technology Center in New York, and is sharing her experiences as a highly technical leader in the tech industry, why there are so few women in technical roles, and the challenges and opportunities presented for the culture change that businesses need to make to build a more diverse and inclusive workforce.

There are very few highly technical women leaders in industry, whether it be business broadly, or specifically in the tech world - this conversation will really surface both some data for why this could be, as well as solutions for women specifically, as CAT walks through her experience both working at Microsoft and at other organizations, as well as what we can all do to contribute to causes that impact the overall inclusion and leadership participation of women in our workforce and society.

This was such a special episode, and we're so happy we can surface it this month as a special feature to Woman's History Month.

Key Take-aways

[06:59] CAT’s background, and her career journey as a highly technical practitioner

[09:32] Opportunities for diversity and inclusion in technology, and her latest work in virtual hackathons

[12:47] The challenges facing women in highly technical leadership roles

[16:22] How to get a wider base of women to apply to technology opportunities

[20:52] On cultivating and mentoring women towards attracting them to technical roles

[23:36] The impact of community events for young women and early in career women

[26:06] On the influence of culture and customer expectation – how to be good examples of partner organizations and customers

[28:06] On cross-collaboration or partnerships to build confidence for women to apply

[29:26] What the Digi Girls project is and doing things for the younger women in Microsoft

[31:57] CAT fostering international mentor relationships and engagements: a story about Beatrice and Ana

[34:55] Innovative and ideas for structuring experience heavy activities for women through the pandemic

[37:41] CAT’s endeavors and ambitions to continue creating an impact on the current and future state of the women’s technical community

Memorable Quotes:

[13:13] “I was seeing that women are going towards program/project management more often than I am seeing them go toward technical roles. And there were several times in my career where “you are good at planning, why don’t you become a project manager”, then I would be like, “is that my only choice?” So I would typically make my decisions with my feet and move on to other positions that continue to give me technical accountability...” - Cat Susch

[16:56] “It’s harder for women to take on stretch goals or stretch roles… It is not necessarily because they lack the confidence, it is also the visibility to where those other opportunities are and how they get enrolled or get involved in those things.” - Cat Susch

[17:47] (getting a wider base of women to apply) “I think we need to do more to attract the kind of roles that women would want to take both from the technical position or non-technical position and understand that some women may have come up through different tracks to get there.” - Cat Susch

[18:44] “When I came up through the technology era, the PCs were just being invented, and at that time it wasn’t that atypical that the boy in the family would get the PC and the girl wouldn’t and that has had a lot of impacts I think on how things have recurred in technology through decades, and we can’t disregard that. I think it's time for the fathers to get the girls techy toys and take a role there as well.” - Cat Susch

Resources:

Cat Susch on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/catsusch/

Women in Technical Roles Statistics: https://leftronic.com/women-in-technology-statistics/#:~:text=17%2B%20Women%20in%20Technology%20Statistics%20to%20Know%20in,than%20code%20written%20by%20men.%20More%20items...%20

Women in Business and Technology Podcast: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/women-in-business-technology

DigiGirlz at Microsoft: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/diversity/programs/digigirlz/default.aspx

What can a Technical Architect at Microsoft learn from a Girl born to be a Child Bride? https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-can-technical-architect-microsoft-learn-from-girl-linda-lockhart/?trackingId=TwAOtXfunD5d4tnBc5r5DQ%3D%3D

*The views and opinions expressed in this discussion are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the official position of their employer, Microsoft" 

____

Thank you for listening!

--------------------------------

Join the **New Monthly Newsletter** -  Data Binge REFRESH: https://www.derekwesleyrussell.com/newsletter

Interested in starting your own podcast? Some candid advice here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-start-podcast-3-step-gono-go-beginners-guide-derek-russell

Learn more about the Data Binge Podcast at www.thedatabinge.com

Connect with Derek:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derekwesleyrussell/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN1c5mzapLZ55ciPgngqRMg/featured

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drussnetwork/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/drussnetwork

Medium: https://medium.com/@derekwesleyrussell

Email: [email protected]

Today's episode is a special "Black History Month" Simply Tech LIVE interview, produced this time, by my co-host, Ali Mazaheri, and featuring our guests, Sonya Weaver-Johnson: Director of Sales for Healthcare and Life Sciences at Microsoft, and Celeste Alleyne, Director of Executive Engagements for Content Operations & Corporate Events.

We visit topics across the episode ranging from the very idea of Technology for Good and what that means, to the power of community and culture transformation in large organizations, to how to build communities - however that may need to come about, whether in organization or in your local community. Both Sonya and Celeste really bring an incredible energy that you'll feel in the discussion, I'm proud to be connected to these two women, and so happy that we can share some of their perspective with you today.  

Key Take-aways:

[06:19] Sonya & Celeste describe their current roles at Microsoft, and their journey into big-tech 

[10:12] A description of what “Technology for Good” actually means, as a focus area for business 

[12:40] The Global Skills Initiative, and the impact that skilling can have on the digital divide as exacerbated by the global pandemic 

[14:48] Sonya’s opportunity to be part of Nasdaq’s closing bell ceremony, to kick off Black History Month 

[15:23] The Blacks at Microsoft (BAM) employee resource group, and the foundations of its mission oriented pillars 

[17:50] National Ambassador Councils, and how assembling people within distinct communities can generate lasting change and impact at scale 

[20:18] The new Empathy in Action initiative at Microsoft in response to needed culture change, and Celeste’s visit with Brian Stevenson from the Equal Justice Initiative 

[22:14] The most critical components in building successful communities 

[25:10] What both Celeste and Sonya both wish they knew Ten years ago coming into their career 

[28:06] Guidance on how organizations can approach using technology or business for good 

[29:49] Q&A: The difference between a mentor and a sponsor 

Memorable Quotes:

[22:18] “I think community building is something that we do out of your heart really, right? And so,  when you think about building a community or think you have what it takes, I think there are three imperatives I call the three Ps. You have got to have the Passion for bringing folks together. You have to be Persistent, and you also have to be Patient. And there is no compromising on those three things.” - Sonya Weaver-Johnson 

[23:16] “I have three things that have people to take away in terms of building communities. When we first get started with the Ambassador Councils, we want to bring people of all backgrounds and various backgrounds together. So that was number one. Number two was we wanted people to feel empowered to be creative. We did not want to tell them what they should do, but we wanted them to figure out what is important for their community within their city. The third one is to look at what is working and build from there because there are a lot of things that people are already doing yet we are right on point for the city that they live in… And of course, the fourth one is resources.” - Celeste Alleyne 

[25:24] “A mentor is someone who can coach you, who is someone who can listen to you, and someone who can guide you. A sponsor is a person that actually could get you your next promotion and your next opportunity.  A sponsor is somebody who is going to be in that room to say no, he or she is the right person for this opportunity, for this job.” - Celeste Alleyne    

[25:56] “I think for me, the words smart, articulate, eloquent, and someone who speaks up are not bad words. But they are when someone says this person is so aggressive. I heard that my entire career. When you say that a man is aggressive when he is articulate, smart, speaks up, and has something to say? No, you don’t. So, I have learned not to give myself up about being able to speak up because I feel that I have a voice, and that voice is going to be helpful not just to know other people but to my company as a whole and to the work that we are doing. So I tell all young women to not be afraid to speak up.” - Celeste Alleyne 

[27:08] “I think many of us get caught up in working hard and long hours, and even working smart, but the fact of the matter is that the progression and acceleration that you can receive in your career through that of a sponsor often outplays what you can do on your own.” - Sonya Weaver-Johnson 

[28:14] “If you have an end goal you want to get to, you have to first have a goal. So you’ll set goals and don’t be afraid to set big goals for yourself. Also, you want to stay the course, keep your eye on that prize… make sure that you learn from your setbacks. That is an opportunity to grow.” - Sonya Weaver-Johnson 

[28:47] “If your intentions are good,  check your intentions, number one. Number two,  I always tell people to do their research, know what you are going after and know it very well, and also know your brand, like building your brand. And then lastly, take one or things and do it well and build out results and metrics from those two things.” - Celeste Alleyne 

[29:58] “(on getting sponsors) I have learned that I always ask for what I want because if you don’t ask for it, you won't get it… Do not be afraid to ask someone who you admire and whose work you think is impeccable, and who knows you very well. That is the key they have to know you.  ” - Celeste Alleyne 

[31:02] “I think the best sponsors are those that have proximity to you, those who know your strengths and weaknesses,  those who have seen you in action, because those sponsors are more likely to go to bat for you at the end of the day.” - Sonya Weaver-Johnson 

Resources:

Sonia Weaver-Johnson on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonyaweaverjohnson/ 

Celeste Alleyne on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/celeste-alleyne-9b9bab2/ 

Global Skills Initiative - https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2020/06/30/microsoft-launches-initiative-to-help-25-million-people-worldwide-acquire-the-digital-skills-needed-in-a-covid-19-economy/  

The Microsoft Accelerate Program - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/us-partner-blog/2020/12/08/a-new-program-to-level-the-playing-field-microsoft-accelerate/  

Equal Justice Initiative - https://eji.org/  

 ____ 

*The views and opinions expressed in this discussion are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the official position of their employer, Microsoft"  

Thank you for listening!  

--------------------------------   

Join the **New Monthly Newsletter** -  Data Binge REFRESH: https://www.derekwesleyrussell.com/newsletter   

Interested in starting your own podcast? Some candid advice here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-start-podcast-3-step-gono-go-beginners-guide-derek-russell 

Learn more about the Data Binge Podcast at www.thedatabinge.com 

Connect with Derek:  

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derekwesleyrussell/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN1c5mzapLZ55ciPgngqRMg/featured 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drussnetwork/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/drussnetwork 

Medium: https://medium.com/@derekwesleyrussell 

Email: [email protected] 

This discussion is a LinkedIn LIVE recording of the Data Binge Podcast featuring Chris Redlitz and Jason Jones, of The Last Mile, a non-profit breaking the mass incarceration cycle by combating recidivism through in-person education and post-release mentorship focused on coding and software engineering. (for those pondering what this means, recidivism is the tendency for a convicted criminal to reoffend).

The Last Mile's returned citizen alumni, maintain 0% recidivism.

Chris Redlitz is a general partner of Transmedia Capital, one of the best performing micro funds in Silicon Valley, and co-founder of The Last Mile. Through The Last Mile, Chris, along with his wife and co-founder Beverly Parenti, launched the first-ever full stack coding program inside US prisons. Previously, Chris co-founded KickLabs, which Forbes ranked as a top technology accelerator and incubated Wish, AngelList and other influential companies. He received Ad Age’s prestigious i20 award for his contributions to the development of interactive marketing and advertising. Earlier in his career, Chris was part of Reebok’s explosive growth where he held positions in sales and marketing and also owned one of the first specialty sports retail chains in Southern California. 

Jason Jones is a full-time disruptor, activist, educator, and software engineer. Jason is the Remote Instructor Manager for The Last Mile, and leads a team of educators that remotes into classrooms across the US to deliver virtual lessons in computer coding. On September 25th, 2018, Jason was released after 13 ½ years incarcerated, during which time he graduated from The Last Mile’s inaugural coding class. Three weeks before his release, Jason became the first person from his cohort to sign a work agreement with a tech company as a software engineer. Jason was also the first justice-involved person to be accepted into the Lightspeed fellowship with a team from Stanford, and today he is a participant in the Koch Associate Program.

We talk across a broad range of topics in our time together today, from the very problem that The Last Mile is committed to help solve, to the systemic impact that incarceration creates within different communities, and the importance of solving the challenges facing the formerly incarcerated and system impacted individuals in our country.

If you'd like to find out more about The Last Mile, or you are looking for ways to contribute, you can navigate to thelastmile.org/, or you can send an email to [email protected]

Thank you for listening, and for being a part of this very important conversation.

Key Takeaways:

 [07:28] The context of The Last Mile (TLM) and why is it created

[09:30] What TLM means and the importance of Jason’s story

[11:31] The gap between hope and transparency for the justice impacted

[13:41] What came into Chris’s mind in creating TLM and the vision for hope and transparency

[17:12] How TLM integrated into the prison system, and the importance of story telling

[19:36] The big problems that The Last Mile is trying to solve

[20:54] The challenge of developing a support system and creating opportunities for the justice impacted

[24:39] How Chris and Jason think providing coding skills disrupts the very lineage of the problem

[30:18] The process of admitting and providing education within the prison system

[34:55] The obstacles that Chris and Jason have to overcome at the student level as part of the process and how this is navigated

[38:46] Perceived challenges at the hiring organization level, when hiring justice impacted graduates

[41:49] What Jason sees as potential challenges in working with companies as a TLM graduate

[44:55] The big vision for TLM

[48:58] What direction Jason seeks from the program, its listeners, and its communities

[51:05] What support TLM needs and ways to get involved

[55:55] What causes would they focus efforts on, if allocated unlimited resources and seven days to execute

Memorable Quotes:

[12:30] “When you talk about where the problem lies, not only control the narratives but also be able to see more than what your current situation is.” - Jason Jones 

[19:42] “I think that is one of the leverages we have been able to have is make our participants more visible by doing interviews or having media coms, stuff like that, putting the story to the name and not just the crime to a person. That’s where it is really easy to dehumanize people, when all you have to go off of is just a crime or the narratives that are out there.” - Jason Jones

[20:55] “The most vulnerable time for someone who’s coming out is the first 120 days, and it's having a job, having a place to live, and a support system. So, we have worked really hard at developing that. We started inside as education, now we have a full-blown re-entry effort.” - Chris Ridlitz

[22:14] “It is really important for us to sort of break that mental ceiling. There are people in prison who are living in a box and many think in the box, and you have to think literally sort of not to go trampled out of the box and blow away that perceived ceiling and we’ve done that now.” - Chris Ridlitz

[32:38] “In our classroom we have every ethnicity, we have all folks working together that may not have ever interacted in their facilities or in the yard. I think it’s important that it’s not only the coding but it is also learning how to interact and work in teams and be collaborative and that’s a big big part of it.” - Chris Ridlitz

[34:03] “That was like the big challenge for all of us is just breaking down the barriers of politics inside. Once that happens and all those areas get broken down it makes it so much easier to learn because everyone’s goal is to learn as much as they can so that it can get them close to getting a job in tech.” - Jason Jones

[37:20] “When you think about the experience of each one of our learners and the different types of ways that they learn, one thing that helps is the fact that our company’s built in a diverse way where so many different experiences on business, venture capitalists, corporate world, and then lived experience of incarceration, and learning in the program, you add that in the pot and you create a human-centered design and it makes a lot easier to build the system support for each individual.” - Jason Jones

[49:49] “You shift from being system impacted to impacting systems. That is where I really want everything to start shifting towards. No one else is doing it. What we are doing is revolutionary. It’s all about disruption.” - Jason Jones

Resources:

The Last Mile – thelastmile.org/  

Learning to Code in Prison - https://youtu.be/7P4klAfyiG8

A Look Inside An Oklahoma Prison | Women Learning to Code - https://youtu.be/XjCpEKF_K6o

Prevalence of Imprisonment in the US Population, 1974-2001 - https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/piusp01.pdf

Prison Policy Initiative: Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2020 - https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/pie2020.html

Just Mercy Movie - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4916630/

Thank you for listening!  

--------------------------------   

Join the **New Monthly Newsletter** -  Data Binge REFRESH: https://www.derekwesleyrussell.com/newsletter   

Interested in starting your own podcast? Some candid advice here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-start-podcast-3-step-gono-go-beginners-guide-derek-russell 

Learn more about the Data Binge Podcast at www.thedatabinge.com 

Connect with Derek:  

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derekwesleyrussell/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN1c5mzapLZ55ciPgngqRMg/featured 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drussnetwork/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/drussnetwork 

Medium: https://medium.com/@derekwesleyrussell 

Email: [email protected] 

This month, February of 2021, is a very special month for many different communities, February is officially designated as "Black History Month" - an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans, and for recognizing their central role in U.S. History. Originally this special time of year was sponsored by the Association for Study of African American Life and History, as the national Negro History week, chosen in February to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln & Fredrick Douglass. In 1976, President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month, calling upon the public to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history”. Since 1976, every American president has followed the February designation of Black History Month and endorsed a specific theme. The theme for 2021, "Black Family: Representation, Identity and Diversity".

In honor of Black History Month, the content of this podcast through February, will focus on black leadership in technology, and will give more attention to voices that are very seldom elevated.

--------------------------------

Joseph Akoni is a Product Manager at LinkedIn, and joins this LIVE recording of the Data Binge Podcast to discuss how different cultures and communities develop and consume technology. Joseph's first product release as a LinkedIn Product Manager was highlighted in the Wall Street Journal in July of 2020. The profile name pronunciation feature allows for the opportunity of correct pronunciation of names, a critical component in creating an inclusive workplace. If you haven't seen this capability, it allows you to record a 10 second clip of a LinkedIn member recording their name, a brilliant piece of tech changing a very important part of how we relate and communicate to each other as humans - the correct pronunciation of our very names.

Joseph brings with him a collection of product manager and consulting experiences across some very recognizable businesses from Lyft, Intel, and Nvidia, all the way to Ford Motor Company. Joseph's academic achievements include an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business, and a Masters in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Joseph was also a fellow of the Management Leadership for Tomorrow's MBA Prep program, a non-profit led fellowship focusing on accelerating the career outcomes of African Americans, Latino Americans, and Native Americans. If you are interested in the program or would like to find out more about Management Leadership for Tomorrow, you can find links in the show-notes of this episode. 

Key Takeaways: 

[07:56]  Joseph’s Management Leadership for Tomorrow experience, and background on his career trajectory to LinkedIn 

[09:49] The LinkedIn profile name pronunciation feature, and the product debut in the Wall Street Journal 

[11:04] Joseph’s experience with LinkedIn  

[13:53] Careers in product management, and the types of experiences and capabilities that are native to the role 

[20:11] The intersection of product and culture 

[23:32] Understanding multi-constituent cultures, and how they consume technology 

[27:55] Product management trends and changes to expect in 2021  

[34:09] The criticality of recruiting for diverse and inclusive talent pools, and how organizations can look at changing their recruiting patterns 

[34:52] Joseph’s journey across academics, organizational networks, and creating connections for future opportunities 

[39:17] The “lived experience”, and the global perspective needed to capture product adoption at a planetary scale 

[43:19] Adopting new perspectives, and how to increase the aperture for perspective across product management and development 

[46:55] Future projects  

Memorable Quotes:

[15:17] “If you’re in that mental space where you like to build things and improve how people interact with technology, the PM role is ideal.” 

[18:02] “Your professional life is not just what you do at work. Your personal, your culture, all that affects how you bring yourself to work.” 

[18:41] “Your name is the first thing that refers to you as. It represents who you are or where you came from.” 

[40:05] “It is in understanding that you have to dive  deep into various cultures and how products resonate with them: how they interact with technology, how they interact with each other outside of technology, to understand the best way to build your product, to ensure that it gets adopted worldwide." 

Resources: 

Joseph Akoni on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephakoni/ 

Joseph Akoni Product Management Blog - https://www.thepzeropm.com/ 

Management Leadership for Tomorrow - https://mlt.org/ 

Boomerang by Michael Lewis - http://michaellewiswrites.com/#boomerang 

LinkedIn Wants to End Pronunciation Gaffes on Names With New Audio Feature - WSJ - https://www.wsj.com/articles/linkedin-wants-to-end-pronunciation-gaffes-on-names-with-new-audio-feature-11594067349 

The 5 Top Trends in Product Management to Watch in 2021 - https://www.productplan.com/top-trends-in-product-management/ 

9 Surprising Stats about Product Management (and What They Actually Mean for You) | airfocus - https://airfocus.com/blog/surprising-product-management-stats/ 

Why Software is Eating the World - https://a16z.com/2011/08/20/why-software-is-eating-the-world/ 

Thank you for listening!  

-------------------------------- 

Join the **New Monthly Newsletter** -  Data Binge REFRESH: https://www.derekwesleyrussell.com/newsletter   

Interested in starting your own podcast? Some candid advice here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-start-podcast-3-step-gono-go-beginners-guide-derek-russell 

Learn more about the Data Binge Podcast at www.thedatabinge.com 

Connect with Derek:  

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derekwesleyrussell/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN1c5mzapLZ55ciPgngqRMg/featured 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drussnetwork/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/drussnetwork 

Medium: https://medium.com/@derekwesleyrussell 

Email: [email protected] 

Today's episode is a Simply Tech LIVE interview featuring my co-host, Ali Mazaheri, and our special guest, Erik  Åsberg. Erik is the  Chief Technology Officer of eSmart Systems --  an applied AI solution that is transforming the way the world's leading energy providers inspect and maintain critical infrastructure. If you are unfamiliar with this type of tech, eSmart's grid systems solution injects high resolution drone and helicopter video footage into their AI application, to help detect structural issues in cables, towers, and other energy based infrastructure to prevent catastrophic failures and events (which for those of you who are living in California, could include wildfires). Additionally, eSmart is focused on the future of the smart grid, as both utilities and energy consumers seek to optimize energy investments, reduce energy consumption, and cut climate emissions.

Erik is our first international guest - joining us from Halden, Norway, and brings with him a wonderful collection of experiences in his 20-year career in tech and energy. In parallel to Erik's CTO leadership at eSmart, he was also was nominated to be a Microsoft Regional Director - a 2 year program reserved by nomination only, recognizing the world's top technology visionaries. The entirety of this discussion focused on opportunities and capabilities available from the collaborative work between humans and machines (AI).

Key Takeaways:

[07:16] Background on Erik Åsberg and eSmart

[10:32] The AI enhanced applications eSmart brings to the market and how the organization has evolved

[16:42] AI model training and workflow for dynamic data sets

[21:25] eSmart’s target market, and why the energy industry is in need of automation technology

[22:32] How Erik’s team approaches their application testing and code management

[23:56] Modern data capture and workflows for AI based applications

[27:15] The idea of collaborative AI, and the power of the relationship between humans and machine – the feedback loop of intelligence growth

[31:37] eSmart specific projects ranging from global energy infrastructure, oil & gas, and partnerships with Microsoft

[33:50] Cultural challenges Erik has encountered while introducing AI in industry, and how to overcome objections to AI tech

[36:54] Future scenarios as strategic targets for AI problem solving in the smart grid and energy arena

[39:02] What the Microsoft Regional Director designation is all about

[40:39] Getting a hold of eSmart, and being a part of the energy AI community

Memorable Quotes:

[16:03] “Now we try to focus on the value of the application, not much the technology behind it.”

[24:03] “Some of our competitors, they do end-to-end. So they do the inspection, collection, and the software as well. Now we see that it can be, from our perspective, it can be difficult to scale cause you need to have people everywhere.”

[28:20] That’s what we call collaborative AI, where we work together with the engineers that do the inspection, and we improve the AI continuously by working with them”

[38:23] “What we are doing is we are digitizing something digital.”

Resources:

eSmart Systems - https://www.esmartsystems.com/

Microsoft Regional Director - https://rd.microsoft.com/en-us/about/

Erik Åsberg LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-osberg/

Thank you for listening!

--------------------------------

Join the **New Monthly Newsletter** -  Data Binge REFRESH: https://www.derekwesleyrussell.com/newsletter

Interested in starting your own podcast? Some candid advice here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-start-podcast-3-step-gono-go-beginners-guide-derek-russell

Learn more about the Data Binge Podcast at www.thedatabinge.com

Connect with Derek:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derekwesleyrussell/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN1c5mzapLZ55ciPgngqRMg/featured

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drussnetwork/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/drussnetwork

Medium: https://medium.com/@derekwesleyrussell

Email: [email protected]