What is Culture?

This summer, after months of planning, Tangoe's Operations department rolled out the Service Delivery Manager Service Excellence Employee Development Program. Also known as the SDM SEED Program. In late September, our first round of Service Delivery Managers went in front of the SDM Quarterly SEED Board, and eleven employees achieved SEED certification. In this episode, you get to hear global experiences from three of the certified: Vicky Pearce, from England; Christian Smith from the United States; and Imran Hussain, from India. You'll learn why they each decided to take part in the SEED program, some valuable things they've learned throughout the process and how it has and will continue to help them in their role. And of course, because this is the What is Culture podcast, you'll also get to learn more about them beyond their work. 

Carmen Sorice, Tangoe's Senior Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, is fairly new to the company though is already making a big impact. In this candid episode, we talk about how to have both productive work weeks and productive weekends, why recognition is an important part of being a leader, what it takes to become a best place to work, and how he's helping build a “winning culture” within the sales organization.

Derek McCauley, Tangoe’s Vice President of Services, indirectly supports and manages a team within our operations department comprised of nearly 250 employees. Hear what he believes makes a company, “a best place to work.” In addition, you’ll get to learn more about Tangoe’s newly released SEED (Service Excellence Employee Development) Program and our commitment to improving the customer and employee experience.

One of Tangoe’s Priorities for 2021 is to become, “The best place to work.” But what does that mean to different people across our organization? What do we expect from our jobs, our colleagues, our managers? What does it take for a company to be considered a best place to work? In season six, we’ll search for answers to all those questions. The premiere episode features Patricia Cairns, Tangoe’s Service Delivery Manager, who has been with the company since 2010 when she began as an Invoice Processing Analyst shortly after college. We cover quite a bit in a short time: we talk about her childhood dream of becoming a commercial airline pilot, her African culture, her perception of what it means to be a best place to work, and why integrity is a huge factor.

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, which is a time to raise the collective awareness of online threats and vulnerabilities. It's also a time to ensure that everyone does their part to increase online safety and security. You might be wondering: What does cybersecurity have to do with culture? Why is this a relevant topic for this podcast? Both fair questions, and in this episode, you will hear Tangoe’s Chief Information Officer, Mark Troller, discuss what it means—and why it’s so important—to help foster a culture of cybersecurity.

Gene Gurkoff founded Charity Miles in 2012 in honor of his grandfather who passed away from Parkinson’s Disease. Eight years later, it’s one of the top-rated health and fitness apps, and the #1 charity app in the app store. In this episode, we talk about Charity Miles’ Empowerment Program, which is designed for companies looking to build a culture that values health, empathy, and giving back. In addition, Gene and I discuss some challenges associated with being an entrepreneur, as well as his own podcast The Extra Mile, and of course, his take on company culture.

This compilation episode features the past ten conversations, which aired from May to August 2020, and includes a wide variety of guests (both inside and outside of Tangoe) from current and former employees, to entrepreneurs, to professors. To hear any of the ten episodes featured here today, visit whatisculturepodcast.com and the associated blog for this episode includes information and links to every guest.

In this week’s episode, Anna Evans and Austin Trout, both Tangoe employees from Indianapolis who serve on the culture committee, come onto the podcast to discuss challenges posed on their teams during the pandemic and to address why our entire organization must work to think differently about how best to engage our employees during a very challenging time.

Lauryn Robinson, Tangoe’s Director of Service Excellence, takes time out of her Kentucky vacation to discuss her progression at Tangoe, challenges posed by COVID-19, the struggles of a working parent, and the current state of our company culture, including what we can or should start doing to help nurture it. This episode also includes a surprise guest who shares a revealing account of her experience joining Tangoe in the midst of a pandemic.

This week we head southeast of Denver, Colorado for an inspiring conversation with Tangoe’s Stephanie Newman, Senior Business Analyst, tenured remote employee, and an industry veteran with more than 20 years of experience. In this candid episode, Stephanie shares challenging yet pivotal moments in her life — including the acquisition of Telwares in 2011, living with a chronic disease, and undergoing a divorce — all events that ultimately helped her regain confidence and achieve a healthier state-of-mind. Additionally, Stephanie offers advice for those still struggling to find a rhythm while working from home.

This week, we step outside of Tangoe to speak with Esther Weinberg, Founder & Chief Leadership Development Officer of The Ready Zone. Esther coaches leaders through change with proven systems to reframe, refocus, realign—and ultimately—put people first. In this episode, we discuss what makes an organization resilient and offer up some practical advice on what leaders can do to help create a "culture of readiness," even during a global pandemic. Esther’s breakthrough strategies have assisted many clients in the entertainment industry, including Netflix, ESPN, Warner Bros., CNN, DreamWorks Animation, National Geographic, and Nickelodeon.

In case you’ve forgotten, resilience is a key topic throughout season five, and this week, you’ll learn from the very inspiring Jennifer O’Hagan, Tangoe’s Director of Service Excellence, who’s been with the organization for more than 17 years. In this candid episode, Jen and I discuss many areas, including the true goal of Service Excellence, how to nurture workplace culture during a pandemic, and how her colleagues became her “virtual support system” as she experienced a very significant loss as a result of COVID-19.

The season 5 premiere features Jasen Corrente, Tangoe's Director of Implementations, who’s been with the organization over 13 years. In this timely and important conversation, not only will you learn about Jasen and his team’s contribution to the business, as well as his perceptions of our culture (pre and post COVID-19), you will also discover more about LGBTQ Pride Month, and why it’s so important that we all help contribute to a collective company culture that promotes equality.

Season 4 concludes with a professional and outside perspective from Paul Mastrangelo, the Principal Strategist at CultureIQ, a global culture management company, headquartered in New York City, that helps organizations align their culture with their business goals. Paul is a former tenured professor who received his Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Ohio University. He has more than 25 years of experience in organizational development, organizational research, and adult education. Essentially, as the title of this episode suggests, Paul discusses how COVID-19 has and will continue to affect workplace culture. Note: This episode was recorded on May 22, 2020, which was before the racial and civil unrest that we’re seeing today. Had we recorded after these events, I’m sure the conversation would’ve been different.

This week's episode features Tom Nevins, Tangoe’s Director of Solutions Architecture, who has been with the organization more than 15 years. Tom and I recorded back on March 10th, with the intention to release his episode the following Monday, but almost immediately after our conversation, the coronavirus pandemic took over this show and much of our lives. And although season four of this podcast has been utilized to discuss the impact/effect that the global pandemic has had on Tangoe, this episode is a nice break from all that coronavirus talk. It offers listeners a change of pace and returns to the original intention of this podcast: To hear from Tangoe's employees, to learn about their contributions to the organizations, and to discuss their perceptions of our culture. We cover many areas, including what Tom and his team does to support Tangoe's sales and implementations, and how they instill trust and confidence within our customer base. We also discuss shooting pool and playing golf, and Tom even describes the kind of workplace culture where he hopes his three children will enter in the not-so-distant future.

As the Chief Revenue Officer (CRO), Mark Desautelle is responsible for all revenue generating activities, including the direction and the management of Tangoe’s sales organization and all of our business development efforts. Think pre-sales, sales, renewals, sales enablement, and sales operations. In this episode, Mark discusses the current sales environment, including the specific challenges (and opportunities) that the coronavirus pandemic has posed for Tangoe’s sales team.

Thus far in season four, we’ve spent a lot of time talking about COVID-19 and how it has affected our Tangoe employees, both personally and professionally. But, we’ve never spoken to anyone whose job is preparing for and responding to these kinds of emergencies and natural disasters. This week’s guest is Gavin Tavares, Tangoe's Senior Manager of Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery, and we talk about all of the preparation and action that was and is involved behind the scenes during a global pandemic.

This look-back episode features the past ten conversations, which aired from February to April 2020, and includes quite a mix of guests (both inside and outside of our organization) from current and former Tangoe employees, to authors, to therapists. Guests in this episode: Tanner Steele: Director of Client Experience at Lessonly; Sarah Argenal: Speaker, Writer, Author & Marriage and Family Therapist; Kelsey Balimtas: Customer Success Enablement Manager at HubSpot; Billy Boughey: Speaker, Entrepreneur & Author of "Culture Reconstructed"; Amy Densmore: Director of Service Excellence; Tara Rodriguez: Senior Business Analyst; Sarah Curtis: Former Director of Sales Enablement; Kirk Webb: Solutions Architect Director; Ailsa Stewart: Operations Manager for Mobile Solutions; Danielle Bauer: Vice President of Global Solutions; Karen Litz: Director of Product Management & Compliance; Shellie Allen: Senior Manager of Implementations; Tammy Hunter: Project Manager; Stephanie Davis: Project Manager; and Michelle James: Project Manager.

Shellie Allen (Tangoe’s Senior Manager of Implementations) and I initially set up a time to record an episode with just the two of us, but we quickly decided that it would more fun and more informative for our listeners if we brought on Shellie and her whole team, which includes Tammy Hunter, Stephanie Davis, and Michelle James, all Project Managers who work from our Memphis, Tennessee location. In this fun, yet very honest conversation, Shellie and her team (known as “The Allen Achievers”) talk about how they lean on each other heavily to make it through each day as we endure COVID-19 and all the stressors it brings.

Karen Litz, Director of Product Management and Compliance, has been a remote employee of Tangoe for more than 20 years. She has undergone several mergers and acquisitions, and in that time, she’s worked in nearly every department, including: implementation, operations, customer service, development, products, sales, and legal. She’s a wealth of product knowledge, she’s seen many organizational changes, and she has overcome many personal challenges, making her an ideal person to bring on the show right now. In this episode, in addition to a discussion of the impact and effects of the coronavirus pandemic, Karen shares her battle with cancer at the age of 27 and what she calls the worst and best year of her life. She tells her story to offer hope to those who may be experiencing their own challenges, both personally and professionally, as we endure a time of worry and uncertainty.

Danielle Bauer joined MOBI in 2009 as in intern and is now Tangoe's Vice President of Global Solutions, where she indirectly leads a team of about 500 employees. Danielle and I recorded on March 20, 2020 - just one week after Bob and the rest of the executive team made the decision that all of our employees (who can fulfill their duties remotely) work from home for the remainder of March. In this episode, we talk about how COVID-19 has affected Danielle personally, as well as her team.

Ailsa Stewart works in our Abingdon, England office and is an Operations Manager for Mobile Solutions. She's been with Tangoe more than six years and is also a member of the culture committee. We recorded on March 24, 2020, and we had scheduled this interview well before the coronavirus had overtaken our lives. We both decided to record anyway, so I put my typical what is culture podcast questions aside, and we talked about how the global pandemic has affected her world, her country, her work. In many ways, this is a conversation that I think we should all be having with our colleagues right now.

This is a trying time for so many of us around the world, and it’s possible that you may find yourself feeling anxious, angry, scared, or disconnected. In the season four premiere, I bring back my friends and colleagues Sarah Curtis and Kirk Webb to offer up ways and ideas for how to take care of ourselves both mentally and physically during these challenging times, while many of us find ourselves somewhat isolated during the coronavirus outbreak. Disclaimer: We are not doctors. This episode is not a substitute for professional care or treatment from a mental health professional, and if you are experiencing severe anxiety or panic, we encourage you to reach out to your physician. Additionally, you can find online resources that accompany this episode at whatisculturepodcast.com.

This special episode is for those currently working from home, as we all embrace the new normal and do our best to stay healthy throughout the coronavirus situation. Join Tangoe’s Amy Densmore, Director of Service Excellence & Tara Rodriguez, Senior Business Analyst (both long-time remote employees), as we share six best practices on how to make the most of working from home.

The season three finale features Billy Boughey, a nationally recognized host and speaker who’s led events for Delta, Chick-fil-A, Coca-Cola, FIFA and more. Billy’s also the Founder & President of the Atlanta-based company Elevate Experiences, a brand experience agency specializing in events and leadership. Plus—and the key reason I’ve brought him onto the show—just a few months ago, Billy released his brand-new book titled, Culture Reconstructed, a “start-where-you-are” guide to building a culture of impact, which I really enjoyed reading. In this episode, we talk about what it was like to have his baseball career cut short at the age of 24, we talk about when Billy had the chance to freestyle rap on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, we talk about why he wrote his book, and we also talk about the importance of leaders having a, “Fourth-quarter approach to life.”

If I'm going to do a podcast about workplace culture, I should probably interview an employee from HubSpot - the winner of Glassdoor's Best Places to Work in 2020 (in the category of large U.S. employers). This episode features Kelsey Balimtas, HubSpot's Customer Success Enablement Manager and someone I once worked closely with before joining Tangoe in 2018. We cover many areas in this episode: We talk about what HubSpot is doing and has done to foster a positive workplace, including some of their philosophies and internal training initiatives. We talk about the trend of unlimited PTO (paid time off); we even cover Kelsey’s African safari trip. In addition, Kelsey shares an interesting story of when she had to diffuse a situation with an angry customer (and I swear it wasn’t me). A lot to learn here.

Sarah Argenal, MA, CPC is a speaker, writer, and facilitator on a mission to eradicate the burnout epidemic that’s crushing working professionals, specifically working parents. Being overwhelmed by your responsibilities at work is not uncommon, and the topic has come up more than once on this podcast. Still, as Sarah and I cover in this episode, there’s a difference between being super-busy and being burnt out. In our frank yet thoughtful conversation, Sarah discusses what a burnout culture is, some societal contributions to it, how to identify it, and what employees and organizations can do to help defeat it.

Tanner Steel is the Director of Client Experience at Lessonly, a cloud-based learning management system (LMS), and one of Tangoe’s vendors. Interestingly enough, Tanner is also a former MOBI employee (2013-2017) and a follower of the podcast. In this candid episode, Tanner and I discuss fatherhood, his passion for culture, his experience at MOBI, and why he ultimately left the organization to join Lessonly.

On January 7, 2020, Bob invited me to Tangoe's Leadership Kickoff Meeting at the Hilton Parsippany in New Jersey, where nearly 40 leaders were in attendance, representing every department. The goal of the meeting was to launch the new year with a clear, collective direction, ensuring that all leaders and all departments were aligned with Tangoe’s 2020 objectives. In this episode, eight members of Tangoe's leadership team answer three simple questions: (1) What is one word to describe an element of our culture you would keep? (2) What is one word to describe an element of our culture you would add? (3) What is one word to describe an element of our culture we could, perhaps, do without?

This episode is a compilation of the last ten interviews, which were aired from October 2019 to January 2020. Compilations are great because it’s way for you to get the essence of the last ten guests by listening to one short episode. Plus, these shows are perfect for new listeners. So if you are enjoying the show and want to share it with someone – this a great one to send their way.

Mike “C-Roc” Ciorrocco is an entrepreneur, motivational speaker, mortgage & real estate expert, and host of the new podcast, "What Are You Made Of?" In this episode, you’ll learn how Mike and his three best friends focused on culture to help build one of the most profitable divisions within their organization, Nations Lending. You’ll also hear the four focus areas Mike used and continues to use in order to help develop, nurture, and maintain a healthy and productive culture. Plus, you'll hear about the power of storytelling, including a pivotal moment in Mike's childhood that helped spark his new podcast and the entire 'what are you made of' movement.

If you’re familiar with this podcast, then you know that most of the guests have been employees of Tangoe, the global Enterprise Technology Management company that I work for. But looking ahead, I will feature guests from several other organizations, professions, and industries, all with their own unique perspectives and contributions. This week, I’m happy to share my conversation with Nicole Jansen, keynote speaker, founder of Discover the Edge, host of the podcast Leaders of Transformation, and co-author of the book, "Power Up, Super Women." Although Nicole and I cover many topics in our conversation, the importance of vulnerability and the positive impact it can have on culture, both inside and outside of work, stuck out the most to me, hence the title of this episode.

In this special episode, the tables get turned on the host, Rocco Lungariello, as he gets interviewed by Tangoe's Mike Iong, a past guest on the podcast (featured in S3-E4). Learn about how Rocco is handling the complexities of fatherhood, hear about his past corporate experiences, as well as how he uses his background in poetry and creative writing to help him produce this podcast. This is part one of the interview; part two will be released at a later date.

Brett Bonner, Tangoe's Director of Product Ops, talks about the culture shock that he experienced as Tangoe merged with Asentinel back in 2017. We talk about the journey and the progression of his career, including a management approach that has helped him lead a team of highly-engaged individuals. Very candidly, we also talk about the strides Tangoe has made in the last year in terms of culture, while recounting the past, as a reference point, to highlight how far we’ve progressed. Additionally, Brett and I discuss Tangoe Learn, a new website that will deliver interactive and on-demand training content to our Tangoe users. We talk about how when it rolls out in January 2020, it’s expected to be a “game changer” for our customers and for our industry. There’s a lot to learn here.

What’s interesting about Audra is that she’s the first employee I interviewed from our Indianapolis, Indiana office, who isn’t a former Mobian. She joined the company in April 2019, four months after the acquisition of MOBI, and has always been a Tangoeroo… I found that very interesting, especially with regards to her perception of our culture. As a Product Marketing Manager, Audra says she’s passionate about helping Tangoe tell its story, while also providing the tools and the content that can allow our sales team to be successful in their role. You’ll also hear her discuss some of the key differences between traditional marketing and product marketing.

Kirk Webb, Tangoe’s Solutions Architect Director, helps our internal teams solve problems with technology, specifically by leveraging business applications. Currently, Kirk and his team is working on implementing a customer billing automation solution that can be fastened to our finance tool, NetSuite. We cover a lot in this episode: We talk about his new puppy, Ozzie. We talk about the Tangoe of the past, we talk about the Asentinel merger, we talk about the MOBI acquisition, we talk about our culture committees, and we talk about how Kirk, a once self-described skeptic, is now happily engaging in Tangoe’s office activities.

Katie Nehrenz, Tangoe's Director of Operational Enablement, who works from our Indianapolis office, discusses the Learning Management System, Lessonly, and the reasons why it's such a valuable internal resource. We also cover parenthood, including the challenges that come with raising a four-year-old son; and of course, we talk about the culture in the Indianapolis office, including how Katie feels we have and are handling the Tangoe/MOBI integration. Katie joined MOBI in 2013, and began as an Account Specialist, and has since served as a Service Delivery Manager and a Client Services Manager before advancing to her current position.

This week, the spotlight falls upon Mike Iong (pronounced Young), Tangoe’s Director of the Corporate Program Management Office. We cover many topics & areas in this episode, including Mike’s love for Brazilian jiu-jitsu, his relationship with his family, an incredible story of how he met his wife, the influence of his Chinese ancestry, his direct involvement with the Tangoe-MOBI integration team, as well as the current culture and vibe inside of Tangoe’s Parsippany, New Jersey office. Also, there’s an interesting twist at the end of the episode, where Mike pulls a switcheroo, and he becomes the interviewer, and Rocco becomes the interviewee.

This week we head to Australia for a compelling conversation with Deb Hughes, Tangoe’s Regional Vice President/Director of Service Delivery for the APAC region. Deb is very knowledgeable about the Technology Expense Management industry and is also a wise and insightful person with a unique and interesting tale of her journey with Tangoe. In this episode, you'll also learn that Deb is a world traveler, a huge Star Wars and ABBA fan, and somewhat of a celebrity, having appeared on three television quiz shows this year, including The Chase.

This week, we travel to Bangalore, India, which is roughly 8,000 miles (or about 13,000 kilometers) from New York City, for an honest and inspiring conversation with Aarti Sharma, a Service Delivery Manager, who works from Tangoe’s Bangalore office. We cover many topics, including the struggles that come with working a night shift, the culture of the Bangalore office, and even her role as a Zumba instructor. Aarti also highlights and reminds us that as a Service Delivery Manager, part of her role, or actually part of her purpose, is to help protect Tangoe’s identity.  A profound and courageous statement.

Season three premieres with a compilation of the last ten episodes, which aired from July to October 2019. Hear insights from Tangoe employees, psychology professors, and outsiders who have been affected by our show in this very eclectic episode. Also, don’t forget to share this episode with any of your friends and/or colleagues that you know have not yet listened to the podcast. This week’s show is very shareable: It’s short. It includes multiple guests and perspectives, and it paints a clear picture of what we hope to achieve with this show.

Part two of the season two finale of What is Culture? features Dr. Mary Ignagni, a Psychology Professor at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut, and their Director of the Industrial-Organizational (I/O) Psychology program. In this episode, you'll hear Mary discuss the role of an I/O Psychologist, national culture versus organizational culture, dominant culture versus subcultures, as well as some challenges that Tangoe may face on our journey to rediscovering our culture.

This week, you'll learn from Dr. Christopher J. Budnick, an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Southern Connecticut State University, who earned a Ph.D. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from Northern Illinois University. So, why did I choose to speak with an expert in this field? There are many reasons, and some of the answers will be revealed in this episode, but essentially, I thought it would be interesting to shed light on this particular field - to even know that it exists - to learn more about the complexities of the workplace and to hear a professional's thoughts on this podcast, our journey, and to offer advice and insight for me, for our listeners, and for Tangoe, as we work to discover our culture. Note: This episode is part one of two of our Season 2 finale.

This week, I'm excited to share a fun and candid conversation with five members of the Collections Team at Tangoe, who all work together from our Shelton, Connecticut office. We talk about their primary goals and responsibilities, their group dynamic, their perceptions of our culture, their thoughts about our leadership, as well as why the team recently decided to listen to this podcast together as a department.

Marina Deane is Tangoe's Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist helping bring the right people into our organization. Marina was born in England and began her career with us nearly six years ago, shortly after the British company ttMobiles was acquired by Tangoe. In 2017, Marina and her husband moved from England to the United States and have been living in New Hampshire ever since. Fortunately for us, Marina retained her position with Tangoe. Before joining our organization, for more than 20 years, Marina worked for recruitment agencies, which she says has shaped and influenced the way in which she approaches her current role. Marina is a true advocate for our candidates, ensuring they all undergo a very positive learning experience, whether they acquire a position with us or not.

This week, we learn Tara Rodriguez, Senior Business Analyst, a seasoned professional who’s been in the Technology Expense Management (TEM) industry more than 20 years. In fact, she’s one of Tangoe’s most tenured employees and has worked in nearly every sector of the business; she’s also experienced several mergers and acquisitions. Currently a remote employee based in our Parsippany, NJ office, Tara’s a Senior Business Analyst with two chief responsibilities: First, overseeing ongoing implementation activities for General Electric (GE); and second: Developing ways to build automation into the implementations group, as well as throughout all of Tangoe, to help simplify our processes.

This special episode features more than a dozen Tangoe employees from our Indianapolis office and was recorded during their Power Week (August 19-23), which was five consecutive days of activities and events that celebrate Tangoe's four core values: integrity, excellence, selflessness, and courage. It was also a week chock-full of activities and events that exemplify employee appreciation. This episode also includes portions of Tangoe's August Town Hall address (broadcasted via Instagram Live), which was delivered by Bob Irwin, our CEO.

Caroline Couer, Tangoe’s Project Director, has been with the organization since 2017, though she was part of Anatole going back to 2006. In this informal conversation, Caroline discusses what it was like for her to be a part of two acquisitions—once in 2016 and again in 2017. You will also get to hear how the Tangoe offices in Europe are working more closely together every day, and how they’re integrating more and more with their colleagues in America. We even talk books, cuisine, and how to maintain a healthy work-life-balance.

This week’s episode features Tangoe's new Chief Marketing Officer, Jill Ransome, who's been with the organization less than one month. In this candid conversation, Jill discusses the unusual interview process she experienced with Tangoe, her perceptions of our current culture, and some of her immediate plans of action for Marketing. Jill is the first C-level Tangoe employee, as well as our first new hire to be featured on the show.

In celebration of Friendship Day, this week’s episode of the podcast What is Culture? features the host's best friend, Dan DiVito, Director of Technology at Shelton, Connecticut public schools, who works in a building less than five minutes from Tangoe's Shelton, CT office. In this special episode, Dan discusses how he's been influenced by this podcast, the importance of empathy, as well as his plans to launch his own podcast, which is aimed at tech professionals who work in education.

Kevin Redmond, Tangoe's Product Manager, educates us a bit about retrospective meetings in the Agile & software development world, how they translate directly to any field, and how they can affect company culture. Kevin is a close follower of this podcast; in fact, he and his direct manager use every episode as a learning opportunity and discuss them together each week. Plus, Kevin is a wealth of knowledge, as he holds several certifications from the Project Management Institute and the Scrum Alliance. He’s also an adjunct professor at Union University, where he's currently teaching Information Systems in the Workplace.