Leadership Conversations with Inspirational People

Dan joins me for a discussion about Leadership. Dan is the General Manager of Business Applications for the Americas at Microsoft. He is responsible for driving market share growth by enabling sellers and partners to sell to success. He has a very strong track record for leading teams to exceed business goals and targets by taking a people-centric approach to everything he does as a leader. Prior to becoming GM, Dan spent the past twenty years with Microsoft leading teams and organizations across digital and field sales, presales, marketing, sales enablement, operations and more. Most notably, the last 16 years of his career with Microsoft have been focused on Business Applications. Dan is a graduate of the University of Arizona with a degree in History in Spanish. He came from humble beginnings growing up in small Midwestern towns before moving to Seattle where he resides with his wife and three kids. Dan's upbringing instilled a strong sense of family, work ethic, accountability, service, and a passion for life that guides the way he lives his life both personally and professionally. In his free time, you can find Dan enjoying the outdoors, biking, running, skiing and spending time on the Pacific Northwest lakes.

Vasu Jakkal l Corporate Vice President l Microsoft, Security, Compliance, Identity and Privacy joined me for a conversation on leadership. Vasu is responsible for the $15B+ Security, Compliance, Identity, Management & Privacy business and marketing at Microsoft, serving as the Directly Responsible Individual [DRI] to Microsoft CEO & Senior Leadership Team, working across all functions to drive Microsoft's security strategy and growth. During this session, it was pretty special to learn about her journey, the investment made in growth, learning and skilling along with the enablement of diversity and inclusion in Security. Thank you, Vasu for the incredible conversation.

Recently I had the honour of connecting with Nina Harding l Corporate Vice President l Microsoft, US Global Partner Solutions for an incredible conversation on Leadership. Nina and her organization at Microsoft are responsible for empowering partners to unlock more for customers - enabling more agility, efficiency, and innovation – and transforming the Microsoft US partner ecosystem into a strategic asset to drive digital transformation. Over this session, Nina and I talked about her incredible journey of overcoming resilience, turning the impossible into possible and the value of meaningful partnerships. Thanks for the incredible conversation, Nina. #microsoft #leadership #innovation #possibilities #coachingmentoring #partnerships #digitaltransformation

Matt Renner l President l US, Enterprise at Microsoft joined me for a conversation around Leadership.   Matt is responsible for revenue growth and driving digital transformation across customers and partners utilizing all of Microsoft's commercial products, services, and support. Matt leads a team of more than 5,000 people who service more than 2,200 of the largest US commercial customers across the lifecycle of sales and consumption functions.    Over this session, Matt shares some key insights that every leader should hear about how to lead a team, business and organizational change during challenging times. In addition, we talked about Matt's leadership journey, the importance of trust, change and adaptability to leadership - and his approach to leading the organization to make an impact and empower each individual and organization to achieve more.    Thanks, Matt for the incredible conversation.    RB

Kevin Peesker l Microsoft l President, Small, Medium, Corporate and Digital recently joined me for a conversation about Leadership. As President of SMC & Digital at Microsoft, Kevin is responsible for leading a global team in the delivery of Cloud, Data & AI, Business Applications, Modern Workplace and security solutions for Small, Medium and Corporate business and government customers across North America, Latin America, Europe Middle East Africa and Asia. Over this session, Kevin shared some of his stories from his early days in the Prairies in Canada, and the importance of foundations and values around respect, integrity and humility. In addition, it was inspiring to learn about his approach of bringing together multiple businesses within the organization, on being unified around a single vision for Small, Medium, Corporate & Digital businesses, and his philosophy on cultural adaptability while driving performance consistency across different cultures. As a long-time member and most recently Chairman of Canada's Tech Nation, Kevin is a huge proponent of tech skilling and it was great to learn how he is approaching tech skilling on a global scale, and the role that Microsoft plays. Thanks, Kevin for the remarkable conversation. RB

Rodrigo Kede Lima l President of Latin America at Microsoft joined me over this session to discuss his leadership journey, lessons learned, principles he lives by and the broader impact he aspires to achieve. Rodrigo has had a tremendous Leadership journey working across the US, Latin America, and Asia with some amazing learnings and experiences working with different cultures and people. Some of his roles were as President at IBEF Sao Paulo, to WW VP at IBM, President at TOTVS, and also a Board Member and Advisor. Rodrigo, obrigado por nos inspirar tanto nessa conversa e por ser tão autentico com a sua sabedoria e filosofia de liderança. Eu agradeço seu tempo, e espero continuar aprendendo contigo Thank you, Rodrigo for the great discussion. RB

Deb Cupp, President, Microsoft US joined me over this session and discussed her Leadership Journey from sales rep to President of Microsoft, US. Deb also shared her approach on Leading with Insatiable Curiosity, Leading with Empathy and the value of learning and creating experiences by going out of the comfort zones. Thank you, Deb for the incredible conversation and for the impact you're making to people and society every day! RB

Ashley Haynes-Gaspar l COO of US Business Applications & Industry Clouds at Microsoft joined me over this session to discuss her Leadership journey, the importance of building a personal brand. In addition, Ashley shared some really great insights on creating a space for authenticity and some vital ideas on how to deal with burnout. Thanks, Ashley for the great conversation! RB

Lillian Barnard, Managing Director / CEO at Microsoft South Africa on her Leadership Journey, Diversity and Inclusion, the Importance of Resilience and much much more..

Tamara Myles, Author, Speaker, Researcher; Positive Psychology Instructor at the University of Pennsylvania. Tamara provides Peak Productivity leadership training and consulting for clients like Microsoft, Anytime Fitness, and Unilever. She is the author of "The Secret to Peak Productivity: A Simple Guide to Reaching Your Personal Best" and an international keynote speaker. Tamara helps leaders design systems and create cultures that make work meaningful and enable individuals and teams to thrive.

Ikraam Reyaz l Co-Founder and CEO at Soft Freight Logic joined me in this session to talk about Leadership in creating a culture of embracing all ideas, the importance of establishing a vision and creating a customer-first culture. #leadership #culture #innovation #employeeengagement #transformation #digitaltransformation #futureofwork #diversity

Dr Mandeep Rai l Author of the book – The Value Compass joined me over this session for more about about this incredible book, the inspiration behind it and the overall impact it has had on the world.

Carlos Sarmiento l SVP l Global Executive l Leader joined me over this session to discuss the importance of Positive Leadership, Embracing Ideas and the importance of Teamwork.

Alysa Taylor is Corporate Vice President for Microsoft's Industry, Apps, and Data Marketing team. Leading three teams at Microsoft directly empowering global customers and partners: the Business Applications product marketing organization, the Data & AI product marketing organization, and the Industry marketing organization.

Bhavana Bartholf is the Global Chief Digital and Transformation Officer for the Microsoft Commercial Solutions Area team which is part of the Worldwide Commercial Business. Responsible for building and landing the transformation strategy to accelerate the evolution and shift of Microsoft's solution sales bringing together industry aligned to solution aligned customer/partner strategy. Bhavana is an exceptional People leader, culture impactor and global business executive. She has been recognized as one of the Top 100 Women in Tech at Tech Inclusion. Recognized as a transformational leader, innovative technologist, STEM advocate and ally for women and racial/ethnic minorities (REM). She has a strong proven track record for growing the female/REM workforce while promoting diversity and inclusion. Dedicated to fostering positive, transparent, and collaborative work environments. Bartholf has served for 6 years on the board of The Gift of Adoption, a nonprofit that provides adoption assistance through grants. She also continues to support her passion for Women in technology. Bhavana joined me over this session to talk to me about her leadership journey, lessons learned along the way and some of the factors that drive her to contribute to human society and lead! Enjoy, RB

Chris Weber l Corporate Vice President at Microsoft on the importance of being innovative, embracing big picture thinking, establishing the right culture and most importantly prioritizing self-care and wellbeing to bring out your best self!  Thank you for the wonderful conversation, Chris. RB

Mona Mahdy l Entrepreneur l Leader l Coach l Multi-National Executive joined me during this session to share her leadership journey, the importance of situational leadership, leading with care and empathy along with the significance of capturing progress and failure for growth.

Doug Smith, Senior Leader at Microsoft Canada joined me over this session to discuss his global leadership journey, the significance of doing a great job in your current job, phasing out career development, cultural agility and the importance of prioritizing Diversity and Inclusion.

Gui Carvalhal l Multi-National Executive on Leading with Empathy and Impact

Anasuya Strasner l A people leader, customer focused executive, on a mission to make an impact everyday joined me today to talk about her journey, her leadership approach and also some of the lessons that she has learned along the way..

Daniel Robus l Owner at Life Rocks joined me over this session to discuss his Leadership journey, the purpose of having a positive outlook on life and the foundation he leads - Life Rocks. Thank you, Dan.

A well known Canada native with decades of executive experience at multinational technology companies and is now the CEO Invest Ottawa. A seasoned, compassionate and deliberate leader and volunteer board & committee contributor. Known for his open, respectful and engaging style - naturally building and developing teams towards successes. Michael joined me on this session, to talk about his leadership journey and some of the key learnings that has helped him make an impact.

Prakash Mathew, a retired NDSU administrator and alumnus, recently published his book “We Are Called . . . To Do the Right Thing”. Over this session, Prakash joined me to talk about the book and the stories, personal accounts and the lessons he's learned during his life and career.

Sharon Naidoo, Chief Financial Officer l People Leader and Coach, joined me over this session to talk about her Leadership journey and also the key principles that go into coaching, growing and fostering a leadership culture.

Dr. Kevin Attard, Global Executive joined me to talk about his journey from Malta to Corporate Exec and President at tech companies across the globe, and the importance on Being Fair, Cultural Adaptability & The Art of Teamwork

Nchekwube "Nche" Ngini on his eventful journey from Nigeria to the U.S. The importance of a determined and positive attitude, and and making an impact - regardless the size of the organization. Thanks, Nche. Great discussion as always. RB

Stephen Tanaka, a well known executive in Canada l General Manager for the Microsoft Partner Business. An incredible, and impactful career journey from Network Specialist to Senior Consultant roles, becoming the CTO and GM at Microsoft Canada – and above all leading large orgs – making an impact to People, Culture and the overall growth of businesses.   Stephen joined me on this session to discuss his leadership journey, the lessons learned and the importance of understanding and growing the strengths of a team.

Arun Khehar l Leader l International Executive l Forbes Top 15 Executive. A well known executive business leader recognised by Forbes, and has a long history as Multinational leader for Oracle's business applications suite where he was the Senior Vice President, responsible for People, Customers, Partners and Business responsibility across Eastern Central Europe, Middle East & Africa. His diverse background, leadership principles and early life experiences have served as a foundation and shaped Arun for the stellar but also impactful journey he has been on in his career. In 2018 and 2019 he was recognized among the top 15 Indian Business Leaders by Forbes Middle East, resulting from his successful impact and leadership across multi cultural teams (1000+ employees), execution of successful change management and driving the P&L of the biggest and fastest growing business unit in EMEA. I've asked Arun to connect with me today to share some of the stories of his background. The things that shaped him, and also to discuss his leadership principles, guidance and teachings.

Ehsan Youssef, Microsoft Canada Executive joined me during this session to talk about the criteria, lessons learned and overall components that go into Leading with Clarity, Building a Learn it all Culture and dealing with disappointments. Thank you, Ehsan for taking the time to have this conversation with me. RB

David Ruggiero, Leader and Executive at Microsoft North America joined me for a conversation about People Leadership, and some of the stories that has shaped him into the leader that he is today.

During this session I caught up with Tom Castley, VP of Sales and Leadership Coach to talk about Selling with Value.

”Embrace your identity; don't deprive the world of who you are.” I had the honour of connecting with Mteto Nyati, Author of the book Betting on a Darkie l Chief Executive at Altron, and the former Chief Executive of MTN and former President of Microsoft South Africa to discuss his book, and provide quality advice on how to maximize potential and become the best version of yourself. Mteto, thank you for the incredibly inspiring conversation and for all the remarkable work that you're doing every day to impact human society. Enjoy, RB

Over this session, I was joined by Robert Pierce to discuss themes of building a high performance team.

Ashley Pillay, CEO of Exponant recently joined me to share his experiences, learnings and the Academics of Leadership

In this session, Neal Ramnarain joined me to discuss his journey behind the corporate ladder, entertainment, entrepreneurship and philanthropy. Thank you for sharing your story, Neal.

“Leaders don't create followers, they create more leaders” During this session I caught up with my good friend Zuko Mdwaba, Country Manager and President for Workday South Africa to discuss his journey, experiences and his leadership principles. Zuko, thank you for sharing and continuing to inspire! Enjoy, RB

"Ideas are like light-bulbs, the more you ignore them, the more they dimmer out". In this episode, Leonard Brinson, CIO and VP of South Jersey Industries (a Utility services company in New Jersey, US) joined me to discuss his Leadership Principles, People impact, Technology Strategy and Partnership philosophies. Leonard - thank you joining this session, and for all that you doing to make an impact and serve your teams and customers on a regular basis.

Over this session, I was joined by the stepbrothers, and founders of the Negotiation Tribe Allan Tsang and Dan Oblinger to discuss Negotiation strategies.

Over this session, I connected with Managing Director of Sandler Training, Ireland to discuss communicating effectively virtually, and how to tell Great Stories.

"It all starts with your happiness. When you understand, what it is that makes you happy in your life, you start to understand what you are meant to achieve in this lifetime" Over the weekend, I caught up with my dear friend - the Legend, Humanitarian, Philanthropist and Activist; Jack Devnarain, who has had an incredible journey from studying law, joining the police force, becoming the South African hit star Rajesh Kumar on TV show Isidingo and receiving the Lead Actor award for his performance in the heist thriller 31 Million Reasons. Jack joined me to discuss his journey, core values and the pursuit of happiness. Jack, thank you for the inspirational conversation and for all that you're doing for society. Enjoy, RB

“Pass it on to the next person and the next person, until we go for gold” In this session, I caught up with the legend Donovan Goliath to discuss his background and journey from graphic designer to stand-up, acting and becoming an entrepreneur. Donovan, thank for sharing and for all you're doing for human society. Enjoy, RB

"If you want to get what you want, help enough people get what they want". Some time ago, I had a conversation with Robert Pierce who is a good friend, mentor and executive sales leader, to discuss people leadership, motivating, and building successful teams.

Cherian Varghese, an Executive MD and Vice Presdient in Asia Pacific recently joined me for a discussion on his journey from Mumbai to studying engineering - computer science and becoming an Executive Leader.

Over this session, I caught up with the hit figure Sketchy Bongo (aka Yuvir Pillay) to discuss his journey, experiences and learn more about the man behind the mask. Sketchy, thank you! Enjoy, RB

Lesedi and I hosted an educational huddle in the spirit of Juneteenth, and due to popular demand.. we decided to record and share with the world.

Over this session I was joined by my friend and colleague Rob Shewchuck, who is also an Executive People Leader at Microsoft, Canada to discuss the core components behind Leading with Empathy, Optimism and unlocking Creativity