Venture Visionaries with Thomas Igeme

🚀 Excited to announce a special episode of Venture Visionaries with Thomas Igeme where we feature a recent invite-only TL Partners Fireside Chat: "Day One Readiness: Laying the Groundwork for Successful M&As in Due Diligence" 🎙️ 🔍 Dive deep into a discussion on the essential strategies for M&A success with insights from industry leaders Nikoleta Vlamis, Theresa Rowsell, Warren Ragoonanan and myself. This episode is packed with expert advice on building trust early, mastering cultural integration, and evolving leadership styles for seamless transitions. 👉 Whether you're a seasoned executive or new to the M&A arena, this discussion will equip you with actionable strategies to enhance your next big move. Don’t miss out on mastering the art of successful mergers and acquisitions! 🎧 Listen now and transform your approach to M&As! [Link to full podcast episode in the comments] #MergersAndAcquisitions #BusinessStrategy #LeadershipDevelopment #Podcast #BusinessGrowth #TLPartners

🚀 Another Week, Another New Episode Alert! 🚀 🔍 How does a minor who hasn't finished high school get themselves a job offer from Google? In the latest episode of Venture Visionaries with Thomas Igeme, I had the privilege of sitting down with the brilliant Larry Gadea, founder and CEO of Envoy. 🎙️ 🔹 Meet Our Guest: Larry’s journey is nothing short of inspiring. From his early days in Romania to being recruited by Google as a minor, and eventually founding Envoy, Larry’s story is a testament to resilience, innovation, and visionary leadership. 🌟 🔹 What's in it for You: Discover how Envoy is revolutionizing workplace management with AI and automation. 📈 Learn about Larry's entrepreneurial journey, the challenges he has faced, and the insights he has gained along the way. 🤖 🔹 Episode Highlights: - From Romania to Silicon Valley: Larry’s incredible personal and entrepreneurial journey 🌐 - Building Envoy: How his experiences at Google and Twitter shaped his vision 📚 - Adapting to Change: Navigating the COVID-19 pandemic and evolving Envoy’s product line 🔄 - AI and Automation: The future of workplace efficiency and technology 🌍 Whether you’re a tech enthusiast, a leader, or someone passionate about workplace innovation, this episode is packed with valuable insights and actionable advice. 💡 🎧 Tune in now to explore the future of work with us! 🎧 #Leadership #Entrepreneurship #AI #Automation #WorkplaceInnovation #Envoy #Podcast [Link to the podcast episode in the comments]

The 80/10/10 Rule: 80% of the value of a project comes from: (1) The first 10% — how clearly you define what you are trying to accomplish (objectives), how you want to accomplish it (approach & norms) and who you need to accomplish it (team) (2) The last 10% - how willing you are to take a step back, and go through your end product with fresh eyes and a fine-tooth comb. Making those irritating last iterations to truly meet your goals. I’m also most excited by the creative middle! But what you get from that part is largely dependant on what comes before it and what comes after it.

One telltale sign of trauma is a diminished capacity to imagine. Focused on surviving immediate dangers, we lose the ability to envision or articulate our goals. Today, our world is rife with trauma—be it from economic turmoil, political division, or war and injustice. This has significantly narrowed our collective imagination. I hearing a lot about fears and what's broken, but very little about hopes for the future or visions of a restored world. Consider something in your life that isn’t quite as you wish. How vivid is your ideal future? Can you articulate it? Take the time to imagine it deeply and boldly. Then, start plotting your course and compatriots to achieve it. Whether it’s a project, your company, or a cause, getting stakeholders on board is easiest when you clearly point to where you ship is heading. Right now, the opportunity is great; numerous potential shipmates are yearning for a compelling, hopeful vision to follow. Give. Them. One.

🚀 Exciting news! Today, we launch a brand new episode of Venture Visionaries with Thomas Igeme featuring the incredible Roxanne Bras Petraeus, CEO of Ethena! 🌟 🎧 In this episode, Roxanne shares her journey from the U.S. Army to revolutionizing compliance training with Ethena. We dive into how her experiences have shaped her approach to leadership, innovation, and the creation of a workplace culture that's both inclusive and effective. 🔗 [Link to the podcast in the comments] Here's what you'll gain by tuning in: 💡 Insights into ethical leadership and creating inclusive environments. 🔄 Tips on balancing professional and personal life for optimal success. 🛠️ Strategies to finally make mandatory training engaging and impactful. Whether you're a leader, an innovator, or someone interested in the dynamics of modern workplaces, this episode has valuable insights just for you! Don't miss out – listen now! 🎙️ #PodcastLaunch #Leadership #Innovation #WorkplaceCulture #Entrepreneurship

🧐 It’s not a productivity issue — it’s a trust one! In my consulting conversations with CEOs, the initial concern nearly always revolves around metrics. "Is my team productive enough? Is our talent up to par?" But as we peel back the layers, a common theme emerges—it's not really about the numbers. It's about trust. 🔍 The deeper we dive, the clearer it becomes: the metrics are a mask for the real issue—a lack of trust in the commitment and capability of their executives and team. This realization often brings so much discomfort, they are unwilling to admit it at first — even to themselves. Trust is emotional, subjective, and doesn’t fit neatly into a spreadsheet. 🤔 As leaders, we shy away from such intangible discussions. After all, it feels unfair to question someone's competence based on a 'feeling.' Yet, dismissing these concerns means missing the silent signals that are driving our interpretation of the spoken numbers. 🗣️ True leadership requires the courage to confront these feelings head-on. It's about getting curious about our doubts. Why don’t we trust our teams: Do we need to repeat ourselves? Is there defensiveness rather than collaboration? Do we feel uncomfortably vague about the person behind the title? 🤝 Uncovering these personal experiences helps to pinpoint our exact needs for rebuilding trust. When we have that trust the data and analytics become a powerful tool to collaboratively assess whether our efforts are moving us in the right direction and how to adjust, without that trust they are just anchors to defend our entrenched positions. It doesn’t start with more data or better analytics— it starts with having the tough conversations that metrics can’t navigate. 💡 Remember, metrics can guide us, but they can never compensate for dysfunctional human elements in a team. So, when you run into a performance concern, let’s start with the vital question: "What do I need to see to trust you?" Trust is the intangible metric that always tell us the most. Credit: A fascinating conversation with brilliant People leaders Itamar Goldminz, Golbie Kamarei and Emily Couey that crystallized my perspective.

🌟 The Real Value of Peer Networks in Executive Development 🌟 First off — if you aren’t actively engaged in a professional network, fix that! Professional networks have been a not-so-secret weapon throughout my career, as sources of unique insight and value that have scaled my impact and accelerated my growth. It feels like a superpower walking into a job, knowing I have the best thinking of peers I respect at my fingertips when tough challenges will inevitably arise. Now TL Partners, I get to facilitate CEO circles—invitation-only, tight-knit groups of executives dedicated to sharing best practices and fostering personal growth. But not all networks are created equal. I’ve found a peer network's value is defined much more by how the network engages, than who happens to be in it. Here are critical questions I encourage you to ask about your own peer networks: 1. Give vs. Take: What is the ratio of giving to taking within your network? Is it a group of passive consumers of content and resources, or active engaged looking to add value 🔄 2. Transformative Learning: When was the last time you genuinely learned something that inspired a change in your actions or thinking? 📚 3. Inspiration to Grow: Can you recall a moment when your network pushed you to expand your boundaries? 🚀 4. Support and Sacrifice: When was the last time someone in your network sacrificed to help you, and when did you last do the same for another member? 🤝 A truly effective network challenges you, supports you, and pushes you towards greater personal and professional growth. And a smaller groups nearly always find this easier than larger ones. But no matter what - don’t do it alone! No one who is really successful is doing it that way. 🌐 #Leadership #ExecutiveDevelopment #CEOcircle

Look what just came in the mail! 🙂 My friend Joe Davis, just released "The Generous Leader: 7 Ways to Give of Yourself for Everyone’s Gain" and my pre-order is in. I first met Joe nearly 15 years ago 😳 when he was head of the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) West Coast System and I was a new associate in my first job out of college. It's difficult to overstate the career impact that a single mentorship conversation with a senior leader can have on you early in career. I'm grateful that Joe was always willing to generously give me many of those conversations, and share his wisdom. And with this book, the whole world can get a taste! Joe has over four decades of leadership experience, and offers a transformative perspective on heart-led leadership. Thank you for practicing what you preach, Joe!   #TheGenerousLeader is available at most book retailers: https://lnkd.in/dJzG9uHz

By continuously acquiring new skills and knowledge, you can stay on top of the game. Here are 5 ways to incorporate continuous learning into your life 👇🏾 "The only constant in life is change." ↳ Micro-learning: Make use of small pockets of free time throughout your day to engage in bite-sized learning activities. This could be listening to educational podcasts during your commute, watching short tutorial videos during your lunch break, or reading a few pages of a book before bed. ↳ Set learning goals: Identify the skills or knowledge areas you want to develop, and set specific, measurable goals to work towards. This could be mastering a new software tool, learning a new language, or improving your public speaking abilities. By having clear goals in mind, you can stay focused and motivated in your learning journey. ↳ Join a learning community: Surround yourself with like-minded individuals who are also committed to continuous learning. You can always join the Frictionless Learning community, but within LinkedIn and Reddit there are tons of communities to choose from. Engaging with others who share your learning goals is a great way to gain new insight and stay accountable to your own learning journey. ↳ Embrace experiential learning: Some of the most powerful learning experiences come from hands-on, real-world applications. Seek out opportunities to put your learning into practice, whether through side projects, volunteer work, or on-the-job challenges. Continuous learning is not about perfection or mastery overnight. It's about making a commitment to ongoing growth and development, one step at a time. Your future self will thank you.

The best executives have learned to listen to *what* is said, not just *how* someone said it. This is harder than it seems. As leaders ascend, they spend more and more time with voices polished in persuasion - whether or not those ideas have actual merit. And poorly presented ideas, whether in the flow, the language or the delivery, can feel more and more inscrutable. And it’s not just senior leaders. So much of corporate America is oriented around learning to make ourselves sound compelling, and an occupational hazard is learning to listen for things that sound compelling rather than the things that actually are. I spend a lot of time coaching rising leaders to be better communicators, and master the art of persuasion. However, the best leaders won’t allow poor delivery to get in the way of understanding the best idea. They learn to listen beyond the surface—to recognize brilliance in its rawest form. And we would all be wise to do the same.