Cornerstone Technologies

Good to know, I can still pass a Cloud Practitioner Certification with Amazon Web Services (AWS) even after leaving AWS. :)

As someone who strives to be a servant leader, I truly believe that when my team wins, I win. Leading effectively means staying rooted in your values while always putting others first. This became even more apparent during a recent conversation with Frank Velasquez and Skip McCormick, two faith-driven leaders. Despite making their own plans, their faith has guided their business decisions, sometimes against their initial desires—like Frank, who never intended to go into sales or technology but ended up building a successful company, Cornerstone Technologies, where he's a sales leader. Here are three ways to lead with purpose: 1. Deep-rooted faith Faith is the foundation that can guide leaders through uncertainty and difficult decisions. It creates clarity and resilience, even when the path looks different from what you imagined. Example: Frank didn’t want to go into sales, yet his faith led him to start a company where he now thrives in a sales-driven tech environment. 👉 Trust the process—your faith can often lead you where your plans won’t. 2. Humility True servant leadership requires humility—being willing to admit you don’t have all the answers, and staying open to learn from others. It fosters collaboration and trust within the team. Example: In talking with Skip, I believe he builds a culture of inclusivity by recognizing the value in everyone’s contributions, regardless of position. 👉 Stay humble, and you’ll create space for others to grow alongside you. 3. Willingness to put others first Prioritizing the needs of your team over your own creates a strong bond and sense of loyalty. When your team feels supported, they will work harder and achieve more. Example: Frank came back years after selling Cornerstone, later on returning because his focus has always been on the people, not just the profit. 👉 Put your team first, and their success will naturally drive yours. Servant leadership is about aligning faith, humility, and selflessness to elevate others. When you lead this way, you win by helping others succeed. 💡 Now, how can you apply these principles in your own leadership journey?

Delegation or Escape?   Some years ago, while me and my pastor were "breaking the rules" of Christendom (i.e. taking our children "trick or treating" while sipping our bottles of Mike's hard lemonade), I took advantage of the opportunity to complain to him about the shortcomings of those around me. Namely, my complaint was that those about me didn't run with the assignments I delegated to them and instead would put in periodic efforts to meet the minimum expectation and then hope that I would forget or worst yet, acknowledge the request and then ignore it, which frustrated me. Being a leader who cared more about my character than my comfort, my pastor’s response to me was that my problem wasn't "my people," but was instead my desire to abdicate my assignment vs. delegate the assignment. Instead of pretending my vocabulary was greater than it was, I asked what the difference was and why would it matter if I assigned it to a responsible person. Paul went on to explain that if I wanted to altogether "wash my hands" of the responsibility without any guidance, oversight, or follow-up, then I wasn't really delegating. I just wanted it off my plate. He further explained that with delegation, my engagement should remain and that those I'm delegating to will see my support and recognize the importance of the tasks that are assigned to them to help meet a particular outcome. He further explained that the outcome was still my responsibility and by keeping others accountable to a plan, the tasks associated to the plan and the measurement of success around that plan, that I could help adjust the plan if we were missing the desired outcome. Ownership and accountability still exist, but it is a better leader who supports the owners of certain tasks rather than “washing their hands” of tasks they’d rather not do. I've since learned that I can get lucky if I abdicate to some self-sufficient high performers, but that is the exception more than the rule. However, even with high-performers I've found that the balance of empowering them coupled with continuous support, periodic engagement and accountability reflects the amount of trust I get in return. Respect begets respect; success begets success. This team at Cornerstone Technologies never fails to impress and be diligent as we think big and hit bigger and bigger milestones. I remain thankful for all the lessons I’ve received in truth, growing and learning as we reach new heights every day. 

Last call! The 2024 AI Governance Leadership Summit is today at 12pm ET. Now is the last chance to register here: https://lnkd.in/dRJSuC69 This year’s event is packed with engaging discussions and insights from some of the most influential voices in AI Governance: • Bill Franks, Director of the Center for Data Science and Analytics at Kennesaw State University • Scott Wiener, California State Senator for District 11 and Lead Author of SB 1047 • Gaia Bellone, Chief Data Scientist at Prudential Financial • Sumalatha Bachu, Senior Director of Technology at FINRA • Skip McCormick, CTO at Cornerstone Technologies and Former Managing Director at BNY Mellon • David Trier, VP Product at ModelOp We’ll see you there!