Twins Talk Tech Leadership

Episode 97: Update and Don’t be Compromised

How strong is your organization’s security? The thinking should not be ‘if’ your organization will be targeted, compromised or breached. The focus should be on doing everything within your power to prevent the dreadful reality for so many of the ‘when.’ Lack of awareness, training and compromised passwords are often the culprits, causing as much as 80% of all data breaches. This highlights the benefits of authentication for business security, employee security, and consumer security.Cristina Carretero, Director of Global Partner Marketing at LastPass addresses the importance of conveying the right message and solutions about protection. Trusted by millions, LastPass is a leader in password and identity management.Features include:Cristina’s leadership journey into her role.LastPass designed an MSP solution ‘with the MSP in mind.'Why MSPs should leverage a password management partner and a credential management strategy as part of their security stack.The complexities of integrating GTM strategies globally.Focusing on improving their partner portal to enhance the partner experienceThe LastPass T.I.M.E. Team - Threat Intelligence Mitigation Escalation Team.Hobbies of traveling, cooking and the benefits of journaling.The value of networking and curiosity. Follow Cristina on Linkedin and visit lastpass.com to learn more about how you can better protect your organization.

Episode 96: Deliver a Return on Experience

When you consider the success of your organization, don’t fall into the trap of focusing on the Return of Investment without considering the impact of the Return on Experience. How have your investments into product development, sales, training and marketing impacted customer success? Customer satisfaction and their experience with you, your product and or service is what drives true success. This is the new success metric. Ed SooHoo, Lenovo’s Worldwide Chief Technology Officer (CTO) - Global Accounts shares how we can leverage communication skills and not just technology to drive experiences as well as growth. Highlights include:Ed’s leadership journey including his time as a competitive 3 Cushings Billiards professional.Acronym after Acronym to reflect important concepts and messages.Connecting through the art of storytelling and learning to ask the right questions; questions that are relevant, contextual and provoking. Earn the right for engagement.His passion for continual learning.Leaders help others become BOLD; in other words, Believe, Own, Live and Drive it.Follow Ed on LinkedIn, check out his creative content on YouTube and visit lenovo.com for insight into upcoming events and announcements. Ed is truly one that helps Lenovo clients rethink their Now, New and their Next.

Episode 95: Build & Win the Channel

What differentiates successful channel partner programs from less successful ones? The entire fabric of the Vendor-Partner relationship hinges on agility, alignment of goals and to ensure the best possible partner experience. This is at the heart and foundation of the Lenovo 360 Global Channel Partner Framework. Pascal Bourguet, the Global Channel Chief & VP International Markets COO at Lenovo shares his vision and expectation for growing and supporting their partner community through their ambitious 360 Global Channel Framework. Highlights include:His approach to building global teams with the very best talent.Being recognized in 2023 as one of the top 50 most influential channel chiefs by CRN.Planning with the mindset of ‘don't break, but build.’Building with a view of simplicity, agility and predictability.4 elements of the value proposition: channel centricity, cloud portfolio, outcome based solution selling, flexibility of service offerings.Not being satisfied as we 'can further accelerate the program.'How he is able to perform at his peak performance.Experiencing the Summer Olympic Games.Follow Pascal on inkedIn and visit lenovo.com/ to stay informed about product releases, the channel partner program and to learn about the upcoming Lenovo Tech World 24’ Conference.

Episode 94: From Focus to Profit

Do you ever feel like you’re going in circles? It can feel as if little to nothing in your business is changing? You look up and wonder if you’ve even moved any closer to achieving your goals. If you’ve ever felt like you were in this place, know that you are not alone.Shawn Walsh, Partner and the Director of Educational Services with Encore Strategic joins us to speak about the value of peer groups and how through focus, “your business could be a tool, not just for profit, but to also have an impact in your community and with your family.” Encore Strategic empowers MSP leaders with personality profiling, peer groups, coaching, and strategic staffing services. Shawn is also the co-author of The Pumpkin Plan for Managed Service Providers. Highlights include:Background goes beyond technology. Dynamics of the partnership with Dave Cava.Incorporating Aruba into their business strategy.Benefits of peer groups.What he learned from writing the book. Inspirational example of giving.Speaking events and workshops surrounding the bookFollow Shawn on LinkedIn to see where he will be speaking, visit encorestrategic.io/ to learn more about their peer groups and don’t forget to check out his book, The Pumpkin Plan for Managed Service Providers.

Episode 93: Negotiate and Get What You are Worth

You’ve crushed the interviews and are now being presented with a compensation and benefits package. Should you accept the offer? Have you considered other forms of compensation, such as equity or stock options; or, additional benefits including severance, travel packages and milestone bonuses? Joining us is Devon Hennig, who shares how he helps leaders take the stress out of negotiating for the best possible deal. He believes that you should never leave ‘money’ on the table and that you should earn what you are worth. Is it time that you got paid and not played? Devon is the Founder of Boardroom Confidential, A private community for senior executives and the Author of 8 books, including, "The Sr. Compensation Bible" and "How to Be VP."Highlights include:Mistakes are often made around how leaders negotiate equity and severance packages.Understanding more creative forms of bonuses.Employers are expecting you to negotiate.The effectiveness of positioning statements.His book, 'The Senior Compensation Bible' as a resource and guide for defining the ‘what and the how’ in positioning yourself for the most out of your next negotiation.Producing content on social media platforms.Soon to uncover his new private community.Follow Devon on LinkedIn and learn more about Devon’s community by visiting boardroomconfidential.comUse the Code 'Twins' for your 20% discount when you order your one copy of, ‘The Compensation Bible’.

Episode 92: Forward Thinking Tech Solutions

Having a plan for how technology will evolve and being able to address the demands of a growing consumer base is essential if you want to remain a global leader. Success at this level means having a strategic planning process that factors not only trends, but also potential scenarios. This is looking 2, 3 or even 5 years ahead.Tom Butler, Executive Director of Worldwide Commercial Portfolio and Product Management at Lenovo shares insight into how he leads with the future in mind. This includes factoring the impact of their global commercial Notebook business; their ThinkPad and ThinkBook. Highlights include:Bringing AI capabilities to local devices.Future forward discussions.GPU, CPU and the NPU (Neural Processing Unit).Value of time.‘Tomisms’ including The 3 P's of Personal, Protected and Productive as well as his STT Culture to empower Speed, Trust and Transparency.Incorporating activities to stay at his very best.Connect with Tom on inkedIn and visit lenovo.com/ to stay informed about product releases and learn about the upcoming Lenovo Tech World 24’ Conference.

Episode 91: Customer Success Impacts Growth

A recipe for any successful organization includes having a great product or service and an effective sales methodology with a forward thinking marketing approach. Core to sustainability and continued growth involves being able to maximize the lifetime value of your customers. Vic Kasoff, a VP of Partner Success for a national behavioral health company, speaks to the benefit of integrating a well-defined customer success strategy. Customer Success involves understanding and meeting the needs and expectations of your customers. By prioritizing customer success, organizations can increase retention, create loyalty and increase revenue growth.Highlights include:Vic’s leadership journey.Analyzing and understanding the customer journey. Improve opportunities for new customers by creating advocates who provide referrals, create strong case studies, and finding potential upsells and cross sales.Be proactive as churn typically happens when there is a disconnect.The role of storytelling and the essential need for transparent communication, both internally and externally.Work-life balance involves boundaries and learning to be present. To learn more about Vic's approach to managing customer success journeys and leadership teams, connect with him on LinkedIn.

Episode 90: The Power of Silence

Silence can at times seem uncomfortable and invite uncertainty. Does the speaker know what they are talking about; can they navigate and respond to challenging questions; why do they appear so nervous? How can silence be used strategically to your advantage? How can pausing for a brief moment, grant permission to 'soak' in what has been shared, set the stage for transitioning to the next point or even be used to reset or reframe your thoughts? We discuss the power of silence and how this can be effective for overcoming those dreaded 'filler words', control the rhythm and set the stage for you to shine as the subject matter expert - SME. A well-timed pause can also present an opportunity to emphasize key points and evoke emotion. Don't forget the impact of silence through your body language. To learn more about our soft skills training and public speaking coaching, visit appmeetup.comAlso look for our books and journals on Amazon, including our Public Speaking Book, Talk it Up: A Guide to Successful Public Speaking.

Episode 89: Self-Reflection in Leadership Development

How can taking time to reflect benefit your success journey? Effective leaders understand the value of self-reflection and actively incorporate it into their leadership practices.In this episode, we will delve into the importance of introspection and the impact examination can have on leadership development. Leadership is not just about guiding others; leadership is also about personal growth through continuous assessment. By taking the time to reflect, leaders can identify both strengths and weaknesses, increase self-awareness, uncover blind spots, and discover patterns of behavior that may be impacting or contributing to their success. Leaders who prioritize self-reflection inspire their teams to adapt, embrace feedback and innovation, while expecting continuous improvement. Promote learning and growth by making self-reflection a regular part of your routine. A few examples of effective leaders who practice self-reflection include:Microsoft Chairman and CEO, Satya Nadella.Howard Schultz, former Chairman and CEO of Starbucks.Oprah Winfrey, Media Producer and Philanthropist.Investor, Founder of Bridgewater Associates, Ray Dalio.To learn more about tools and resources to support your leadership goals, visit appmeetup.com

Episode 88: 5 Things to do for Closing out 2024

What should you know if you want to close 2024 strongly and ensure a great start to 2025? 5 Things to know plus a Bonus:1. Know your numbers.2. Know what your ICP values. 3. Do you need to refine your ICP? 4. Automate 5.Social MediaThe Bonus centers around a focus on inspiring your buyers and making the journey easy for them.Regardless of the responsibility level, every leader, team member and department within the organization must know the numbers that apply specifically to them. They need to understand how 'their part' impacts the overall success of the business. Perception is key for delivering expectations. How well do you know what your Ideal Client Profile (ICP) is? Consider the 80/20 rule and leverage your partnerships. Ride the momentum into 2025 with these keys.To learn more about leadership, soft skills and coaching resources, visit appmeetup.comAsk us about how you can take advantage of the flex dollars your organization provides to support continued education and growth.