Executive Access

In this episode, Jamie speaks with Dr. Brett Jacobsen, President of SAIS, long-time education industry leader, and futurist. Dr. Jacobsen highlights the importance of leaders making time to “scan for signals” externally as they plan their businesses. He discusses the increasingly important need to develop an “experience strategy” for customers and also team members inside the organization. Dr. Jacobsen shares the role mission, vision, and values play in creating a common language for organizations and how innovation is accessible to any organization, in small incremental ways or in large transformational ways. Dr. Jacobsen recently published a thought leadership piece about “10 Shifts in Education” and we had a fascinating conversation about one of them: the Workplace Shift. Dr. Jacobsen asks a thought provoking question, “Is your employee value proposition still relevant?” and offers some ideas for assessing that. Dr. Jacobsen is an excellent leader and gentle agitator; I always leave our conversations challenged to grow my strategic impact and I know you will as well.

During this episode, Dr. Jacobsen refers to the following work:

• STEEP Analysis, a framework for assessing how external factors impact a business/ organization
• Polarity Mapping, a tool for decision making
• The First 90 Days by Michael D. Watkins
• Making Ideas Happen: Overcoming the Obstacles Between Vision and Reality by Scott Belsky
• University of Edinburgh Reflection Toolkit

Executive Access is produced by The Ideal Life, a platform that provides coaching, community, and content for people to grow both personally and professionally.

In this episode, Jamie speaks with Tony DiBenedetto, technology leader and company founder, current CEO of Appspace and CEO/ Founder of Think Big for Kids. Tony discusses his mindset for fixing problems and how continuing to do so over time becomes a reward unto itself, creating a drive towards more accomplishment. Tony co-founded Tribridge and grew the company to almost 1000 people; he shares how he was able to morph and grow his skills across those company stages to continue to be the leader the organization needed and how he approaches his current leadership assignment at Appspace. Tony is also passionate about helping families, especially young people, break the cycle of poverty. He turned his feeling of gratitude for the help he received in his youth as a “community kid” into founding Think Big for Kids to help show kids the path to reaching the promise of the American dream. Tony brings a practical approach to sharing how each one of us has an opportunity to carve out time to help make things just a little bit better for those around us. Tony’s final comments around the role of empathy and caring in leadership are an excellent capstone to this episode. Tony is an extraordinary leader, humanitarian, and philanthropist; please check out the Think Big for Kids’ organization and its phenomenal impact.

During this episode, Tony refers to the podcast Think Bigger Voices.

Executive Access is produced by The Ideal Life, a platform that provides coaching, community, and content for people to grow both personally and professionally.

In this episode, Jamie speaks with Hayden Stafford, senior technology executive and current President and Chief Revenue Officer at Seismic. Hayden has led several go-to-market transformations at companies such as IBM, Microsoft, and Salesforce.com. He shares one of the keys to driving change successfully is to understand a company’s metabolic rate, or the pace by which it can consume change. He describes his 3 leadership principles: clarity, empowerment, and accountability. He talks about the importance of communicating consistently and repetitively. He warns senior leaders to ensure they spend enough time IN the business, not just ON the business. Hayden wraps by talking about the human side to leadership and how important it is to focus on others and let others get to know you. Hayden is an exceptional leader and one that balances both warmth and drive. We had fun in this discussion, and I bet you will as well.

During the episode, Hayden refers to the following work:

• Legacy: What the All Blacks Can Teach Us About the Legacy of Life by James Kerr
• Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy Seals Lead and Win by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
• The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay

Executive Access is produced by The Ideal Life, a platform that provides coaching, community, and content for people to grow both personally and professionally.

In this episode, Jamie speaks with Mark C. Fava, career aviation attorney and aviation manufacturing executive. Mark recently published his first best-selling book, Lessons from the Admiral, written for emerging leaders in all industries. Mark reflects on discipline and shares why it is so important to always be a team player. Mark discusses an interesting approach he has for balancing his work and life priorities, something he calls the Reserve Triangle. Mark is an excellent leader, one who consistently leads by example and prioritizes taking care of his team.

During the episode, Mark refers to the following work:

• Lessons from the Admiral: Naval Wisdom and Sea Stories for Leaders by Mark C. Fava
• Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life…And Maybe the World by Admiral William H. McRaven
• Beyond the Sea: Leading with Love from the Nuclear Navy to the White House and Healthcare by Robert “Navy Bob” Roncska
• Say It Well: Find Your Voice, Speak Your Mind, Inspire Any Audience by Terry Szuplat

Engage with Mark directly at his website https://markcfava.com

Executive Access is produced by The Ideal Life, a platform that provides coaching, community, and content for people to grow both personally and professionally.

In this episode, Jamie speaks with Flore Saint Fleur, Vice President at Avanade. Born in Haiti, Flore moved to the US and joined the Army, serving in both active duty and the reserves. She discusses the leadership tension line between providing transparency and optimism, and how this relates to her leadership journey both in the service and as a civilian leader in tech. She offers phenomenal insight into leading successfully in times of change, including providing assurance around “the why,” prioritizing clear communication, and helping people believe in the cause. Flore shares the importance of vulnerability, both in providing a team the space to be vulnerable and in showing your vulnerability as a leader. We end the discussion with the topic of inclusion and how giving back to others brings gratitude full circle. Flore is a purpose-driven leader full of wisdom, curiosity, empathy, and bias for action.

During the episode, Flore refers to the following:

• Don’t Believe Everything You Think: Why Your Thinking is the Beginning & End of Suffering by Joseph Nguyen
• Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts. by Brene Brown
• Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek

Executive Access is produced by The Ideal Life, a platform that provides coaching, community, and content for people to grow both personally and professionally.

In this episode, Jamie speaks with Christina Lock, Founder & CEO of Catch Talent, a technology services recruiting company. A two-time founder, Christina shares her personal growth journey in building and leading those organizations through different business stages. She discusses what successful companies do when building talent strategies, including actively stewarding their culture around mission, vision and values. She also shares some of the common pitfalls senior leaders should avoid when hiring. Christina talks about why community engagement is so important for leaders to invest in; she is an active leader including holding the position as Chair of the Harbor Entrepreneur Center, founder of Disrupt HR Charleston, and serving on several other boards. We discuss how every leader and business has a unique perspective and how offering up thought leadership can help others grow and is great for business as well. Christina wraps by sharing several personal leadership rhythms and tactics that she uses to stay close and connected with her team. Christina is an impressive, bold leader who I deeply appreciate sharing some of her challenges on the way to success.

During the episode, Christina refers to the following:

• EOS Traction, a methodology she implemented at Catch Talent
• Disrupt HR, a global organization for disseminating ideas that Christina and Catch Talent brought to Charleston, SC

Executive Access is produced by The Ideal Life, a platform that provides coaching, community, and content for people to grow both personally and professionally.

In this episode, Jamie speaks with Arlin Sorensen, multiple time company founder, entrepreneur, and current Vice President Ecosystem Evangelism at ConnectWise. Arlin was a farmer turned tech entrepreneur having founded 22 companies or business units. Arlin shares how bringing the “Go Giver” philosophy into his businesses helped him create deeper relationships with customers and employees. Arlin is a man of deep faith and touts the importance of living authentically, bringing your whole self to work, which for him included incorporating Biblical principles into his business practices and speaking about his faith in the workplace. His passion for helping others master both business and legacy planning led to his creation of a Peer Groups business, a way to help leaders grow and support one another both on their business journeys and their pursuit of “success to significance.” Arlin describes great leadership as an upside-down triangle where leaders are at the bottom; “leadership is not about you.” Arlin’s exceptional leadership and, in particular, his conviction about sharing his faith with others impacted me enormously in this discussion and I invite you to experience it as well.

During the episode, Arlin and Jamie refer to the following:

• The Go-Giver: A Little Story about a Powerful Business Idea by Bob Burg and John David Mann
• Halftime: Moving From Success to Significance by Bob Buford
• Subscribe to Arlin Sorensen’s Thoughts From The Farm email newsletter

Executive Access is produced by The Ideal Life, a platform that provides coaching, community, and content for people to grow both personally and professionally.

In this episode, Jamie speaks with Nina Somerville, senior tech executive and current Senior Vice President at Sailpoint. Nina shares excellent advice on how to successfully transition into new leadership roles, including learning how to rely on others, asking questions, and taking time to share your intentions. Nina explains how important it is to lead authentically and how showing up as yourself builds trust with those around you. She challenges us to “lead in any role,” highlighting that those who do this well consistently bring people together to solve problems and are quick to share success. Nina is a high EQ leader who values personal relationships and empowering complementary skill sets over enforcing hierarchical structures.

During the episode, Jamie and Nina refer to the following work:

• The First 90 Days by Michael D. Watkins
• Joy and Success at Work: Building Organizations that Don’t Suck (The Life Out of People) by Mark McClain

Executive Access is produced by The Ideal Life, a platform that provides coaching, community, and content for people to grow both personally and professionally.

In this episode, Jamie speaks with Tim Solms, CEO Slingshot Aerospace. Tim talks about why culture is the #1 priority for a senior leader and how leaders need to watch out for inadvertently creating drama themselves. He discusses the importance of “bright lines between clear roles and responsibilities” and how mastering this creates alignment throughout the organization. Tim’s final reminder to us around ownership is poignant, that each of us is not just a culture consumer, but a culture creator. Tim is an outstanding operator who isn’t afraid to share some of the big mistakes on his way to success.

In this episode, Jamie refers to Patrick Lencioni’s “First Team” model.

Executive Access is produced by The Ideal Life, a platform that provides coaching, community, and content for people to grow both personally and professionally.

*Please note that in this episode, the video quality on Jamie’s camera is slightly out of focus due to an unexpected technical issue. We apologize for any inconvenience and assure you that we’ve taken steps to prevent this from happening in future episodes.