Leadership Wednesday | Hello Tech Pros

A product of the University of Oklahoma, Tarek Dina is an accomplished entrepreneur, boasting a highly-skilled 19-year career reflecting a clear leadership style of identifying, developing, and implementing business solutions for a wide variety of clientele. He started a web design firm, Levant Technologies, in 2003. It has grown to be one of the leading companies in the Oklahoma City metro area, winning best web design firm for four consecutive years. His outstanding management skills have allowed him to lead geographically-varied groups and clientele across the USA to successful implementation. Most recently, Mr. Dina was involved in the development and release of the widely used school district application SchoolWay, which is the communication solution for over 700 school districts. SchoolWay was acquired by Jostens, Inc. in July of 2012. Show notes at http://hellotechpros.com/tarek-dina-leadership/ Sponsors Minio Cloud Storage - Simple. Reliable. Fast.    

Carson Heady is a published author of two sales books and numerous articles on selling and leadership who has served at multiple levels of sales management in his career. He has worked in technology, advertising and telecommunications. Carson lives in St. Louis, MO with his wife and daughter. Show notes at http://hellotechpros.com/carson-heady-leadership/ Sponsors Burdene - The bot that remembers where you parked your car. Levant Technologies - Voted Oklahoma's #1 website design and development company.

Jason Burt learned many leadership lessons while working with Toyota including being intimately connected with the problems that trouble the team. Jason Burt owns Evolve Holdings LLC and has over 20 years of leadership and cultural change experience based on learnings from working with Toyota (TPS/Lean).  Jason has worked in many industries and has been able to use his learning to help guide many companies to increased profitability through implementation of the Toyota philosophies.  Jason has worked in hundreds of companies and industries ranging from Aerospace (Metal Fabricators) to Commercial Farming (Farm & Distribution). Show notes at http://hellotechpros.com/jason-burt-leadership/ Sponsors Burdene - The bot who remembers all your stuff and reminds you when you forget. HelloTechBook.com - Free audio book from Audible.  

If the Command and Control management style is like the British Armada then do dev managers need to be a lot more like pirate ship captains? Jeff Maxwell is an application architect with experience in Fortune 100 corporations, a longtime software developer and lifelong Oklahoma State Cowboy alumnus. Jeff was a prior guest of Hello Tech Pros on episode 2 where we discussed Productivity and how Jeff took a $1 million project and reduced the team size from 25 to 4 people by restructuring the requirements document into bite-sized tasks. Show notes at http://hellotechpros.com/jeff-maxwell-leadership/ Key Takeaways You're not a leader if you're not listening to your team. Leaders who are very non-technical in a very technical field can be challenging to work with if they are command and control driven and don't solicit feedback from the team. Developers are really good problem solvers. Leadership needs to identify those who are great problem solvers and empower them to make creative solutions. Managing developers

This is part three in a three part series, focused on the 3 business-focused attributes that build a connection and value to the business. Part 1: Getting Personal Part 2: Teamwork Download the Performance Feedback Cheatsheet Show notes at http://hellotechpros.com/performance-feedback-business-leadership/ Key Takeaways The Personal-Centric Attributes are Integrity, Energy, Accountability. Listen to Part 1. Integrity is the basis for trust. Listen to Part 2. Passion is about connecting with your customer's needs and providing products and services that meet those needs. Focus is all about prioritization and working on the tasks that will help achieve business objectives. Precision means consistently delivering results with the expected quality of your job role, seniority and experience. Examples: Download my Performance Assessment Cheatsheet Resources Mentioned Download my Performance Assessment Cheatsheet Sponsors Transource Media - Podcast audio editing services. These are the guys I use

This is part two in a three part series, focused on the 3 team-centric attributes that help get you on more critical projects, have more input on the process and increase demand for your work. Part One: Personal-Centric Attributes Show notes at http://hellotechpros.com/performance-feedback-team-leadership/ Key Takeaways Hello Tech Pros new mission is to help you Build Your Career, Build your Product and Build Your Business. It's critical to assess your personal or your team's performance at least once or twice a year. Determine where we are vs where we want to be and use as a catalyst for growth. The assessments are context sensitive. The attributes are the same for everyone, but how we measure them depends on the individual's experience level, their role and the expectations for them. Personal-centric attributes are 100% in your control. Integrity is the basis for trust. Energy levels are infectious, so it's important to squash negativity and foster confidence and motivation. Accountability means being

This is part one in a three part series, focused on the 3 personal attributes that help build trust, respect and likability in the workplace. Show notes at http://hellotechpros.com/performance-feedback-personal-leadership/ Key Takeaways Hello Tech Pros new mission is to help you Build Your Career, Build your Product and Build Your Business. It's critical to assess your personal or your team's performance at least once or twice a year. Determine where we are vs where we want to be and use as a catalyst for growth. The assessments are context sensitive. The attributes are the same for everyone, but how we measure them depends on the individual's experience level, their role and the expectations for them. Technical Performance are KPIs that can be defined and measured very concretely such as # of bugs, uptime of servers, # of units sold, etc. Non-Technical Performance attributes are more difficult to understand, evaluate and communicate. "He's a great guy with a good work ethic but has kind of low energy."

Bryan Sherlock encourages leaders to build trust with their team and understand what they most value. Bryan Sherlock has been an Information Technology Leader for over 18 years. He’s held numerous leadership positions focused on the varied aspects software development teams, including Solution Design, Data Design, Application Development, SAP ABAP, System Integration, Data Development, Database Administration, and Platform Administration. Show notes at http://hellotechpros.com/bryan-sherlock-leadership/ Key Takeaways Leading people is the same regardless of the team or roles of individuals People all have desires and motivators, we need to connect with them at that level Software development environment is different today than 15-20 years ago In the past, a leader was expected to slide a pizza box under the door of technical professionals and just "let them work" Today we want technical professionals to be highly engaged, to communicate and to be part of a team A leader's role is about building and growin

After working for an insecure boss that constantly belittled employees for their lack of a college degree, Leon recalled sage words from his father. It was this point in his career that he began to appreciate the work ethic and servitude instilled into him by Leon Senior. Leon II now lives and works under the guiding question, "Is there anything else I can do for you?" Leon Fowler II over the past 10 years has worked for a Fortune 100 company in web development as well as supporting vendor software in a System Analyst role. He has been an Entrepreneur since starting his first business at the age of 12. He is currently building his startup as the Founder and CEO of Resume Righter. Show notes at http://hellotechpros.com/leon-fowler-leadership/ Key Takeaways Accolades mean nothing It's about the service you provide Don't be afraid of humiliation if your intentions are good Do the most menial jobs Resources Mentioned Great by Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck--Why Some Thrive Despite Them All by Jim Collin

Brian Freid breaks down the difference between upward management and servant-leadership by discussing examples of both during his years in software development. He also takes the time to explain the similarities and differences between various management roles. Since 2001 Brian Freid has held several management positions from Resource Manager to Program and Project manager. Brian has worked in several industries from Games Development to Hospitality, Resorts, Telecom and Hospitals. While the industries vary, the people, management and challenges within those industries have many commonalities. Being adept in any of these roles provide Bryan insight across these industries and team structures. Show notes at http://hellotechpros.com/brian-freid-leadership/ Key Takeaways Resource manager is ultimately responsible for your career path within the organization Project manager is responsible for the delivery of a project and focused on timelines, deliverables, resources required Program manager is responsible for m

In her past, Shelli Austin had to endure a horrible boss who used demeaning language and fear tactics to intimidate their staff. Now as a technical recruiter, Shelli advises consultants to research the position and the hiring manager before accepting a job. When you spend more time with the people you work with rather than the people you live with, Shelli wants her clients to be as happy as possible in their position. Shelli Austin has been working in I.T. Staffing for close to 20 years.  Her goal is to be an advocate for both her clients and her candidates. Shelli values attention to detail, identifying quality candidates for her customers, and follow through.  Developing, building and maintaining solid, long-term client relationships that are mutually beneficial is her #1 priority. Show notes at http://hellotechpros.com/shelli-austin-leadership/ Key Takeaways To be happy in life you have to enjoy what you're doing at work Don't micromanage, instead give employees ownership of their role Your co-workers is

After a surfing buddy talked him into moving away from philosophy and into computer science, Edward Skrod pursued the opportunity with gusto. Now with only a year and a half experience in the industry, he is transitioning into his first software leadership role. Regrets from his past are ensuring he won't make the same mistakes as he did in a former career. Edward Skrod, is a software engineer, philosopher, surfer and Grateful “Deadhead” from Melbourne, Florida, working for Thales, USA in the Business Applications division for Commercial Airline, In-Flight Television and Connectivity.  He graduated from Florida State University, Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Computer Science in 2014.  He enjoys speaking at .NET code camps on the topic of Unit Testing. Show notes at http://hellotechpros.com/edward-skrod-leadership/ Key Takeaways Surf when the waves are out, the work will always be there Listen to the experienced team members regardless of their position and your own Life is a succession of successes and fa

In this episode, Joe Vallone explains the alphabet soup of Scrum and agile certifications, the differences between scrum teams and enterprise scrum teams and the approaches leaders can take to shift the culture of their organizations to be agile-ready. Joe Vallone is an experienced Agile “Coach and Trainer” at Scaled Agile Inc and has been involved in Lean and Agile communities since 2002. Mr. Vallone has helped coach several large-scale Agile transformations at Zynga, Apple, Microsoft, VCE, Nokia, AT&T and American Airlines. Joe is an effective leader and speaker with over 20 years of software development and coaching experience with certifications as a Certified Scrum Master, Certified Scrum Professional, and Certified SAFE Program Consultant Trainer.   Key Takeaways Agile Certifications - small teams Certified Scrum Master -  requires 2 day course and passed a test Certified Scrum Professional - requires proven practical experience in coaching and leading teams with Scrum-specific SAFE (Scaled Agil

Getting the vision right and effectively communicating that vision to the team is tough to get right. Tyler Thompson has seen both good and bad examples in nearly two decades of video game development. Though this experience he's learned that as a leader, you are responsible for a lot of people's overall happiness. With that responsibility in mind, Tyler and his cofounders have put together a team and are currently developing a new video game. For 19 years Tyler Thompson has been helping craft games than entertain millions of people. He’s been lucky enough to work on big titles in both small startups and large studios, including Diablo 2, Diablo 3, Hellgate: London, The Sims 4, SimCity, a new Maxis IP and Battle.net. This episode sponsored by Audible. Get a free 30 day trial and a free audio book at HelloTechBook.com. Show notes at http://hellotechpros.com/tyler-thompson-leadership/ Hello Tech Pros is the daily podcast that interviews business professionals who work with technology and discuss Motivation, Pro

Have you ever had a boss that acted like they wanted to hear your thoughts and opinions yet consistently ignored the feedback? Sarah Baca advises leaders to think of themselves more of a coach than a boss. Be curious and ask questions. She believes issues will work out if you know what questions to ask to bring the details to transparency. Sarah Baca is an Agile Coach at The Topps Company, where she works as a servant leader for their software development team. She is passionate about creating workplaces where people love their work, and has been working to grow resilient teams for over a decade. She specializes in creating workshop-style training for teams who want to be more agile, courageous, and resilient. This episode of Hello Tech Pros is sponsored by… ME, Chad Bostick. As an enterprise IT leader I’ve gotten the opportunity to solve a number of different business problems including field worker productivity, back-office process efficiencies, enterprise system integrations, big data analysis, resource ma

While an airman in the U.S. Air Force, Jake Schilling witnessed both positive and negative leadership styles. Today he brings those lessons learned to the teams he serves, while encouraging others to find their own leadership style. Jake Schilling is an innovative and forward-thinking leader with a wide array of experience in relationship management, negotiation, strategic planning and project management. He is a United States Air Force veteran and has experience in the energy and engineering industries. He is currently an IT Manager and Senior Strategist at the University of Oklahoma. This episode is sponsored by: Hello Tech Pros. Want to be a guest on the show? Chad Bostick here, and I’m helping professionals who work with technology build a personal brand and get connected to an audience of thousands of technologists, entrepreneurs, business leaders and investors. Download my cheat-sheet of interview questions and apply to be a guest today by texting HELLOPODCAST to 44222 or visiting hellotechpros.com/gues