Shows
The Tech TrekGetting the Best From Your EngineersIn this podcast episode, the VP of Engineering at Fond, Srividhya “Vidhya” Chandrasekaran, shares her insights on getting the best out of engineers. She discusses the importance of empowerment, accountability, and mentorship. Vidhya emphasizes the need for leaders to lead the way of their teams rather than telling them what to do. She encourages empowering engineers to come up with their own solutions and ideas, promoting involvement and accountability.
Highlights:
00:02:52 Empower your engineers for success.
00:05:45 Empower employees, take calculated risks.
00:10:05 Focus on continuous feedback.
00:17:30 Managing customer requests and employee burnout.
Guest:
Sriv...2023-07-2119 min
The Tech TrekAdapting Your Leadership StyleIn this episode, Nav's VP of Engineering, Gian Perrone, joins Amir Bormand to discuss organizational design and leadership styles. The discussion focuses on how leaders can adapt to the company's culture or change the organization to fit their leadership style. They discuss the importance of assessing the organization before making any changes and the potential pitfalls of imposing a leadership style that doesn't fit the company culture.
Highlights
[00:01:29] Adapting leadership style to organization.
[00:05:21] New leaders and reorgs.
[00:07:04] Change management in organizations.
[00:10:23] Comms plan and collaboration.
[00:14:43] Dealing with o...2023-07-1821 min
The Tech TrekSecurity, Privacy and AIIn this episode, Amir Bormand interviews Prabhath Karanth (PK), the Global Head of Security & Trust at Navan, an all-in-one travel and expense management SaaS platform. They discuss the growth and evolution of the security function and how it interacts with engineering and technology. PK shares insights into how security is scaling and taking on more functions, with everything becoming "as a code." The conversation also covers the role of PK's team in relation to their other peers.
Highlights:
[00:02:02] Security in hypergrowth companies.
[00:03:56] Emerging Technologies and Security.
[00:08:31] Embracing AI technology.
[00:11:11...2023-07-1418 min
The Tech TrekAdapting Management Styles to a New EnvironmentIn this episode of Tech Trek, Amir Bormand interviews Andy Foglia, the Director of Engineering at JupiterOne, to discuss adjusting management styles after joining a new company. Andy talks about his experience of transitioning from a big company to a startup and gives insights on how to adapt to new management styles. He also sheds light on the Jupiter One product that helps security practitioners understand what assets they have within their enterprise and identify potential vulnerabilities.
Highlights:
[00:01:15] Adjusting your management style.
[00:03:05] Transitioning to a new challenge.
[00:06:36] Taking risks in management.2023-07-1218 min
The Tech TrekMoving From a Product to Engineering Leader RoleIn this episode, the host interviews Rebecca Greene, the co-founder and CTO of Regal.io, about her journey from a product background to engineering leadership. Regal.io is an outbound phone and SMS sales solution that helps B2C brands drive more conversations. Greene is responsible for the product, engineering, design, data, and people and talent teams at Regal.io. She started her career in financial services and consulting but later transitioned to product and engineering leadership. The conversation covers her experiences and insights on balancing different hats and leading a team.
Highlights:
00:00:00 Balancing product...2023-07-0721 min
The Tech TrekData Governance for Data OffenseIn this episode, the host interviews Peter Kapur, the Head of Data Governance and Data Quality at CarMax. They discuss the importance of data governance as an offensive strategy rather than just a defensive one. Peter explains his role in making data an asset that drives business and improves profitability, customer experience, and associate experience. They also touch on privacy as a component of data governance and the need to change the mindset around data governance from a defensive weapon to an offensive one.
Highlights:
00:00:09 Data governance as an offensive enabler.
00:07:00 Shift from...2023-07-0520 min
The Tech TrekExploring the SRE FunctionIn this episode of the podcast, Peter Teitelbaum, director of site reliability engineering at Peacock, discusses the SRE function and the business impact of building it out. Peacock is a TV streaming service that offers both video-on-demand and live offerings. Peter's role at Peacock was to build out the SRE team and define what SRE meant at Peacock. The discussion covers the importance of resiliency, stability, automation, infrastructure management, and observability in ensuring the platform is robust and reliable.
Highlights:
[00:03:04] Building SRE on Four Pillars.
[00:06:25] Relationship between SRE and security.
[00:08:15] Importance o...2023-06-3025 min
The Tech TrekBuilding AI Native ProductsIn this episode, Amir Bormand interviews Karan Uppal, EVP of Engineering at Evolution IQ, about building AI native products. They discuss the difference between building AI native products and what goes into it. Karan's responsibilities include hiring and growing the engineering team, ensuring technology strategy aligns with business goals, and ensuring the organization can execute and deliver on product commitments.
Highlights
[00:02:23] AI native products.
[00:07:16] Thinking about higher dimensions.
[00:10:48] Variability in AI outcomes.
[00:14:16] Ramp up time for AI.
[00:18:07] Building Confidence in Software.
[00:22:19] Hiring in the market...2023-06-2725 min
The Tech TrekInheriting an organization and it’s transformationIn this episode, Amir Bormand talks with Ashu Agte, the CTO at Artera, about dealing with an exit and its impact on organizational transformation and design. Artera is a messaging platform for health systems that aims to improve patient experience and satisfaction. Ashu shares his experience and insights on the responsibilities of an engineering leader, organizational restructuring, and the challenges of managing a team during an exit. He also highlights the importance of communication and transparency in the process.
Highlights:
[00:01:06] Improving patient experience.
[00:04:19] Startup leadership and acquisition.
[00:08:34] Post-acquisition challenges.
[00:14:21...2023-06-2037 min
The Tech TrekOnboarding and building a BI TeamIn this episode, the host interviews Chris Majka, staff VP of Business Intelligence at FM Global, a commercial property insurer. Chris shares insights about his team's structure, which includes ten analysts with a mix of experience levels. He also explains how they approach working with stakeholders with a centralized and advanced data analytics team. The discussion also touches on onboarding new team members and making them valuable contributors. Overall, the episode provides valuable insights into data analytics in a commercial insurance context.
Highlights:
[00:02:30] Stakeholder discussions and requirements.
[00:04:08] Building a talent pipeline.
[00:08:39...2023-06-1619 min
The Tech TrekCreating a Culture of FeedbackIn this episode of the podcast, the host interviews Anna Chalon, Head of People at Runway, a content creation platform powered by machine learning. The discussion focuses on building a feedback culture, with Anna defining it as ingrained in the day-to-day without additional efforts. Topics covered include the benefits of a feedback culture, the steps to building one, and lessons learned from implementing it at Runway. The episode offers insights into creating a healthy culture where employees can learn, grow, and thrive.
Highlights:
[00:01:51] Feedback culture defined
[00:04:13] Demystifying feedback culture.
[00:08:06] Giving and...2023-06-1441 min
The Tech TrekThe Future of Attack Surface ManagementIn this episode, Amir Bormand interviews Aruneesh Salhotra, Nomura's global head of application security. They discuss the future of attack surface management (ASM) and the additional risks posed by shadow IT. Aruneesh explains the differences between ASM and other components of security and shares his experience as a fractional CISO for his own consulting company, S&M Consulting, where he advises organizations on setting up security programs. They also touch on Aruneesh's experience helping numerous organizations with their cloud assessments, including AWS and Azure.
Highlights:
[00:02:26] Attack Surface Management and Risks.
[00:06:33] Cloud security and...2023-06-0719 min
The Tech TrekScaling Best Practices for Early Stage StartupsIn this episode, Amir Bormand interviews James Turnbull, SVP of Engineering at Sotheby's, about organizational design. James shares his experience working with early-stage startups and emphasizes the importance of scaling best practices. He also talks about dealing with cultural changes and logistics while working with legacy companies. James explains his role as the owner of all engineering functions, including mobile and data engineering, at Sotheby's. They touch upon Sotheby's diverse business ventures, including an e-commerce luxury goods marketplace and a financial services business, SFS, that lends money against art.
Highlights:
[00:02:30] Scaling a growing company.
2023-06-0127 min
The Tech TrekObservability Best PracticesIn this episode of the podcast, Amir interviews Matt Drozdz, the Engineering Manager of Observability at Okta. They discuss best practices for observability, differentiation with SRE teams, and hiring challenges. Matt explains Okta's role in simplifying security for developers and shares his journey as a new observability manager at the company.
Highlights:
[00:01:43] Observability and its importance.
[00:03:07] Observability in SRE teams.
[00:08:56] Cost reduction in observability.
[00:09:36] Observability and OpenTelemetry.
[00:14:36] Finding purpose in observability.
[00:18:35] Moving into the observability role.
[00:19:56] Skills gap in tracing.
[00:23:28] Impact...2023-05-2525 min
The Tech TrekExploring Leadership GrowthIn this episode of the podcast, Amir talks to Vlad Eidelman. Vlad is the CTO of Fiscal Note and joins this podcast to discuss his journey toward becoming CTO. Fiscal Note is a software-as-a-service company that collects, analyzes, and refines policy and regulation data from local to global levels to help its customers understand how laws and regulations can impact their businesses and nonprofits. Vlad has been working in the industry for 15 years, focusing on building machine learning systems, becoming the first data science hire, and ultimately managing the R&D side of the business.
[00:05:48] Perseverance in...2023-05-2330 min
The Tech TrekBalancing Quality and Speed in Delivery ValueOn this episode of Tech Trek, Amir asks Suresh Teckchandani, the VP of Product and Engineering at Ancestry, how to balance the need for speed with quality when delivering value at scale. As companies grow and expectations increase, quality becomes crucial to making or breaking a product. Suresh explains that the key is to focus on automation and establishing good communication channels between teams to ensure that quality is not sacrificed for speed.
Highlights
[00:01:15] Balancing quality and velocity.
[00:03:44] Experimenting with ideas.
[00:07:15] Managing tech debt properly.
[00:10:51] Team-specific metrics.
[00:14:26...2023-05-2021 min
The Tech TrekTailoring Cybersecurity Strategies for Startups and Enterprise CompaniesOn this episode of Tech Trek, Lisa Hall, Chief Information Security Officer, talks about her experiences building a security program at the genetic testing company. The program covers infrastructure security, application security, product security, governance, risk, and compliance. Lisa discusses the challenges and strategies in building and maintaining a security program in a constantly evolving landscape.
Highlights
[00:02:29] Building security strategies.
[00:03:42] Adapting to different company cultures.
[00:07:16] Engineering first organizations.
[00:11:16] Finding security champions.
[00:14:30] Celebrating quick wins.
[00:17:25] Finding the right leadership voice.
[00:20:49] Cybersecurity and Business Impact.2023-05-1728 min
The Tech TrekUnderstanding the Cloud Cost Puzzle - FinOpsIn this episode of Tech Trek, the host interviews AJ Wasserman, Portfolio Product Owner of Cloud FinOps & Tech Data Insights at Liberty Mutual Insurance, about the financial aspects of cloud computing. She discusses the challenges and cost considerations that come with cloud migration and the importance of monitoring and optimizing cloud usage to maximize cost savings. She provides valuable insights for businesses considering or currently utilizing cloud computing.
Highlights:
[00:02:34] Cloud financial operations.
[00:03:26] Cloud cost management.
[00:08:50] Cloud adoption challenges.
[00:11:29] Automation for optimization.
[00:13:03] Cloud cost optimization strategies.
[00:17:50...2023-05-1226 min
The Tech TrekDealing with Cloud at ScaleOn this episode of The Tech Trek, Shiva Parinandi, SVP of Cloud Infrastructure and Advancement at Paramount+, joins as a guest to discuss the challenges of dealing with the cloud at a large scale. He discusses the scale of his company and how they handle the technical aspects of dealing with cloud operations at a large scale. He explains that the amount of preparation needed depends on the size of the event. Shiva guides us through the significance of both the science and art of scaling for such large operations.
Highlights
[00:01:31] Large-scale live events on...2023-05-0926 min
The Tech TrekFollowing Your Passion and Building a BusinessIn this episode of Tech Trek, Amir interviews Charlie Greene, the co-founder, and CEO of Rimento. This mobile app allows users to collect and enrich their family's most treasured stories and memories. Charlie talks about his journey of chasing his passion and turning it into a business. He shares details about Rimento's science-backed framework for uncovering stories and how it provides the tools to record, organize, and share memories with loved ones. Charlie also discusses his responsibilities as CEO, including fundraising, finance, strategy, marketing, and partnerships. Overall, this episode offers insight into the intersection of personal interests and business...2023-05-0425 min
The Tech TrekUpskilling your team for better execution, efficiency and performanceThis episode of Tech Trek features Susan Dikramanjan, a member of the IT leadership team at John Hancock, a Manulife company, who shares her insights on upskilling and ensuring optimal team efficiency, performance, and execution. Susan discusses her experience setting up an upskilling program at Manulife and the benefits of promoting a culture of lifelong learning within a team. As a lifelong learner, she highlights the importance of constantly seeking new knowledge and developing new skills for personal and professional growth.
Highlights:
[00:01:09] Upskilling program.
[00:03:54] Gamifying Learning with Salesforce.
[00:07:39] Balancing workload and u...2023-05-0225 min
The Tech TrekHow Do You Know When You're Ready to Start a Company?How do you know when you’re ready to start a company, especially with few resources or capital? Ken Babcock, Co-Founder and CEO of Tango, offers his insights on this episode of The Tech Trek. Ken also discusses several key moments in his career with host Amir Bormand.
Show Notes
03:23 - Ken discusses his past experiences with Uber and Atomic.
08:05 - How do you know when you’re ready to start a company?
11:43 - Going back to school vs. searching for more opportunities.
20:26 - How can you resolve your weak...2023-04-2532 min
The Tech TrekWhy is Data-Driven Leadership Important?Allan Cutler, Director of Engineering at Endpoint, discusses why data-driven leadership is important on this episode of The Tech Trek. Allan also shares several standout moments from his 15 years as a technology leader with host Amir Bormand.
Highlights
00:47 - Allan explains what data-driven leadership means to him.
06:03 - Finding the right software for the right job.
11:17 - Using data to overcome tech debt.
16:35 - The impact of high-level metrics on data.
21:12 - Allan’s best practices for continued education concerning data.
About:
Allan Cu...2023-04-2025 min
The Tech TrekSimplifying Shared ServicesThis episode of The Tech Trek features Harish Parwani, the VP of Platform Engineering at CarGurus. Host Amir Bormand and Harish discuss the intricacies of shared services and how teams can maximize their productivity.
Highlights
00:56 - Harish offers his perspective and experience with shared services.
03:12 - Why do we need shared services?
06:37 - How do shared services impact team structure?
13:02 - Demonstrating the value of shared services to leadership teams.
16:45 - Prepping shared service teams for mergers and acquisitions.
21:04 - What’s the “wrong way” of organ...2023-04-1332 min
The Tech TrekGet Your Head Into Cloud TransformationPartha Chakraborty, security executive at Humana, joins host Amir Bormand in episode #230 of The Tech Trek. He and Amir explore the critical factors contributing to successful - and unsuccessful - cloud security projects.
Highlights
00:51 - Partha shares his perspective on what contributes to the successful adoption of Cloud security services.
09:20 - What is the “Fail-Fast” approach, and how does it apply to Cloud Security?
15:46 - How to keep matrix teams aligned on Cloud transformation projects.
22:48 - Partha offers advice for dealing with common (cloud security) challenges when adopting the Cloud...2023-04-0629 min
The Tech TrekPromoting Internally Versus Hiring ExternallyIn this episode of The Tech Trek, host Amir Bormand interviews Roman Kleiner, the VP of Engineering at Egnyte. How and when do you decide to hire external talent when working on a task? When should you promote internally over hiring externally? These are just some of today’s topics.
Show Notes
00:50 - What factors cause companies to look for external help?
06:27 - Is it possible to seamlessly integrate external talent with your team?
11:03 - The pros and cons of letting internal talent handle a challenging task.
13:21 - How fa...2023-04-0423 min
The Tech TrekBuilding A Cloud Security TeamJonathan Villa, Practice Director of Cloud Security at GuidePoint, meets with host Amir Bormand in this episode of The Tech Trek. Jonathan shares his insights on how organizations can build effective Cloud security teams and adapt to a changing environment.
Highlights
2:29 - How to upskill your Security team for the Cloud.
7:46 - Best practices for integrating Cloud security.
11:21 - Which skills best equip you for Cloud Security?
14:02 - Working with Cloud Security for the first time.
19:21 - How do you start learning and training...2023-03-3025 min
The Tech TrekMigrating to the Cloud with Microsoft AzureThis episode of The Tech Trek features Vinod Ralhan, Director of Engineering at SurePrep. Vinod has immense experience managing projects and working with Microsoft Azure. He shares his best practices for using Azure for migration and modernization.
Highlights
2:50 - Vinod recalls what his on-premises environments looked like before Azure.
4:36 - Which internal and external professionals can help with the transition?
8:09 - What sort of timeline can you expect when integrating Azure?
10:41 - Best practices for building your Azure implementation roadmap.
11:59 - How to hire the right people...2023-03-2819 min
The Tech TrekFear of Failure Leads to FailureHost Amir Bormand speaks with Leadership Coach Taha Hussain in Episode 226 of The Tech Trek. Taha started his career as a software engineer who made his way into management. Now, he helps teams and individuals improve their leadership skills.
Highlights:
2:05 - How can you motivate someone to try something they’re initially uncomfortable with?
5:34 - Can a blameless culture help or hinder growth?
9:11 - Making time to learn new skills.
14:04 - How can leaders overcome their own fears?
22:36 - Best practices for motivating people via 1 on 1’s.
...2023-03-2330 min
The Tech TrekTransitioning From Large Companies to StartupsHost Amir Bormand speaks with Indy Khare, the Head of Engineering at Convex. Indy previously worked with Google to reach 1 billion users for Google Photos. Transitioning back to a startup has a host of challenges and opportunities that Indy is happy to discuss.
Highlights:
2:25 - Indy shares how he landed his position with Google.
8:26 - How to know if you should leave a large company for a startup.
11:04 - Learning which organization is right for you.
14:39 - Readjusting to a work environment with fewer resources.
17:03 - Why...2023-03-2125 min
The Tech TrekHow to Build A Culture of AccountabilityHost Amir Bormand sits down with Paul Kocan in this episode of The Tech Trek. Paul is the Senior Director of Infrastructure Services at CCC Intelligent Solutions. Today, he shares his experience with promoting a culture of accountability on a company-wide scale.
Highlights
04:29 - Paul explains how “the power of focus” can strengthen infrastructure.
10:34 - Transparency makes all the difference regarding accountability.
18:00 - Here’s how leaders can support their teams when tackling new challenges.
20:43 - Can leaders increase their tolerance for mistakes and failures?
25:32 - How to eff...2023-03-1731 min
The Tech TrekFast and Functional TeamsIs it possible for a team to think and act quickly without sacrificing quality? This episode of The Tech Trek delves into this ever-divisive topic. Host Amir Bormand asks Ross Desmond, Head of Software at Butlr, to share his insights and experience on building fast and functional teams.
Highlights:
03:57 - Here’s how to start building fast teams the right way.
06:55 - Ross recommends asking yourself this question before broadening your scope.
12:54 - How can you keep your teams focused as they separate and expand?
17:59 - Building confidence and tr...2023-03-1629 min
The Tech TrekAre All Companies Now Tech Companies?Vijay Rudrappa joins The Tech Trek to share his extensive experience working with manufacturing-first organizations. Vijay is the Head of Security, Cloud, and DevOps at Lennox. Wearing many different hats over the years has granted Vijay unique insights.
Highlights:
05:48 - Vijay discusses how he’s helped companies transition into the tech space.
09:38 - Which priorities matter the most when a company transitions?
16:53 - How to ensure your team reaches targets and not just metrics.
21:40 - Here’s how you can effectively measure your metrics.
24:28 - What is a “c...2023-03-1431 min
The Tech TrekOpen Standards Meet Industry-Wide NeedsIn today’s episode of The Tech Trek, host Amir Bormand talks with Atul Tulshibagwale, the Chief Technology Officer at SGNL. Amir and Atul discuss Open Standards and the various factors that contribute to the creation of new standards.
Highlights
03:39 - Atul explains what Open Standards are.
06:56 - How to determine if a phenomenon could be an Open Standard
11:35 - How can you encourage more people to support your ideas?
15:49 - What are some of the best ways to join in on a project, even if you have little ex...2023-03-0823 min
The Tech TrekImproving D&I in Virtual WorkplacesHost Amir Bormand interviews Dr. Lauran Star on this episode of The Tech Trek. Dr. Star is a Workplace Inclusion, Diversity & Equity Psychologist. She and Amir explore virtual diversity and inclusion.
Highlights:
03:08 - Dr. Star explains why your organization needs both diversity and inclusion.
08:50 - Here’s how D&I can improve your workspace both culturally and productively.
17:59 - What are some of the limits of inclusion in the workplace?
24:09 - How can you practice D&I at every level of your organization?
28:09 - Is it possible to...2023-03-0742 min
The Tech TrekWhere Have All The Cyber Security Pros Gone?Ben Rothke, Senior Information Security Manager at Tapad, is the featured guest on this episode of The Tech Trek. Host Amir Bormand asks Ben to share his insights about Cyber Security and employee burnout.
Highlights:
2:09 - Ben gives us an overview of burnout in the Cyber Security industry.
6:43 - Which signs should managers look for that indicate burnout?
10:32 - How can people get into the Cyber Security industry?
16:55 - The relationship between security and information technology.
19:18 - Ben offers his perspective on the near future of Cyber S...2023-03-0222 min
The Tech TrekConnecting Cloud Security and Developer ExperienceIn this episode of The Tech Trek, host Amir Bormand speaks with Asish Soudhamma. Asish is the Vice President of Platform Engineering at PIMCO. He and Amir delve into the topics of Cloud Security and Developer Experience.
Show Notes
05:08 - Asish shares his outlook on developer experience.
07:53 - Here’s how leaders can effectively improve the developer experience.
10:50 - Can products clash with customer experience?
15:00 - Asish discusses how he effectively gathers customer feedback.
18:53 - How can you serve every developer in your team equally?
Gu...2023-02-2828 min
The Tech TrekMake Progress With Your Software Development ProcessHost Amir Bormand speaks with Jack Kora in this episode of The Tech Trek. Jack is the Vice President of Engineering at dscout. He and Amir talk about the various ways organizations can drastically improve their software development process.
Highlights
3:00 - Jack recounts his early experience with dscout.
6:41 - How do you decide on a process when two or more different teams are working together?
9:14 - Look out for factors when deciding when it’s time to change a process.
13:45 - Best practices for implementing process changes.
16:50...2023-02-2327 min
The Tech TrekUnderstanding The Ins and Outs of Information SecurityThis episode of The Tech Trek explores the field of Information Security. Host Amir Bormand sits down with Rohit Parchuri, the Chief Information Security Officer of Yext, to discuss Rohit’s background, experiences, and insights concerning the world of Cyber Security.
Highlights
02:09 - Amir and Rohit briefly discuss the history of the CISO (Chief Information Security Officer) role.
06:23 - Rohit explains his strategies for building out Security Information teams.
10:14 - How do Security Architects fit into the Cloud Security pipeline?
14:12 - Rohit shares his insights on dealing with human is...2023-02-2127 min
The Tech TrekIs Digital Health the Future of Healthcare?Host Amir Bormand meets with Sunil Mallya in this episode of The Tech Trek. Sunil is the Vice President of Engineering at OncoHealth and he has many years of experience in the digital healthcare space. He and Amir discuss the unique challenges that engineering teams often face in digital healthcare.
Highlights:
03:44 - Sunil discusses some of the common challenges in the healthcare industry.
07:12 - Strategies for properly staffing a team when off-shore assistance isn’t available.
10:38 - Distinguishing and connecting with HIPAA-compliant vendors.
13:10 - How does build vs. buy af...2023-02-1623 min
The Tech TrekImproving Cloud Efficiency With International TeamsHost Amir Bormand meets with Eric Labourdette, a seasoned Cloud Services Consultant in this episode of The Tech Trek. Amir and Eric dissect the Cloud Services industry and leverage Eric’s experience to paint a fuller picture of cloud computing trends.
Highlights:
01:15 - Eric shares his philosophy for improving Cloud efficiency.
03:23 - Which metrics can companies use to gauge how well they’re adopting Cloud strategy?
07:50 - How can you effectively transition from old processes to Cloud efficiency?
12:13 - How can Cloud technology help build and maintain 24/7 organizations?
17...2023-02-1423 min
The Tech TrekHere’s How DevOps Teams Can Refine SDLC ProcessesOn this episode of The Tech Trek, host Amir Bormand meets with Kelsey Steinbeck, the Director of Software Engineering DevOps at Indigo. Amir and Kelsey delve into the subject of DevOps best practices and break down various ways that teams can stay agile when working on large and small projects.
Key Takeaways
04:24 - Kelsey shares her strategies for determining when and how she makes adjustments to her team’s processes.
09:07 - What to do when a process doesn’t suit the capabilities of your team?
13:32 - Kelsey breaks down the real impac...2023-02-0927 min
The Tech TrekHere’s How Data Experts Can Impact CybersecurityHost Amir Bormand meets with Vivek Menon in this episode of The Tech Trek. Vivek is the Head of Cybersecurity & Compliance at Digital Turbine who also boasts a strong background in Data. He and Amir explore Vivek’s unique experiences and discuss how more Data experts can impact Cybersecurity.
Highlights:
04:12 - Why aren’t there more Data experts in Cybersecurity?
11:12 - Will the CISO role drastically change in the foreseeable future?
17:02 - Vivek discusses this unique background, experiences, and goals in Data and Cybersecurity.
21:43 - What are some of the...2023-02-0731 min
The Tech TrekHow To Think Like A Startup As Your Team GrowsOn this episode of The Tech Trek, host Amir Bormand speaks with Tony Dong, the Senior Director of Engineering at Rippling. Tony is a major advocate for maintaining a startup mindset regardless of your team’s size. He and Amir also discuss strategies for effectively scaling a team.
Notes
04:29 - Tony explains why he prefers to maintain a startup mindset even as his teams grow.
09:03 - How can engineering leaders stay connected with their teams as companies start to scale?
12:41 - Tony shares his experiences dealing with changing team structures.
...2023-02-0221 min
The Tech TrekEngineering Leadership Changes You - And Changes With YouIn this episode of The Tech Trek, host Amir Bormand speaks with Amit Gulati, the Senior Vice President of Engineering at Angi. Amit reflects on his 20 years of experience as an engineering leader - sharing the ups, downs, ins, and outs of the various roles he’s taken on.
Highlights
00:02:51 - Amit discusses some of the changes that he encountered while he progressed as an engineering leader.
00:05:33 - How do you develop and refine your leadership skills when you’re promoted to a new position?
00:08:05 - What’s the best way to est...2023-01-3127 min
The Tech TrekLeaders Need Two Things: Time to Learn and Time To FailIn this episode of The Tech Trek, our host Amir Bormand speaks with Lee Eason, the Director of Digital Branch Experience at Edward Jones. Amir and Lee share insights about working with distributed/remote teams, supporting new leaders, and prioritizing team health.
Highlights:
00:05:35 - Lee shares his experience with adapting to leading a distributed/mostly remote team.
00:12:55 - What’s the link between team health and team performance?
00:19:05 - Strategies to support new leaders taking on their roles for the first time.
00:21:39 - How can autonomy strengthen the confidence an...2023-01-2630 min
The Tech TrekPhases of Growth in Engineering ManagementIn this episode of The Tech Trek, Amir Bormand speaks with Shruthi Murthy, the Executive Vice President of Engineering at Modern Treasury. Amir and Shruthi discuss the various phases of growth that companies like Modern Treasury and WhatsApp experience. They also discuss how businesses and entrepreneurs can choose the right growth strategies for their needs.
Highlights:
00:01:47 - Shruthi breaks down her role and responsibilities as the Head of Engineering at Modern Treasury.
00:04:53 - What were the phases of growth for Modern Treasury? How can an organization determine the right approach for itself?
2023-01-2420 min
The Tech TrekLeadership’s core function is facilitationIn this episode, Hadi Radwan, Co-founder at Asteya, talks about leadership and the core function of facilitation!
Key takeaways:
Executing the strategy
The leader should not be the bottleneck
2-way communication
Wearing different hats when communicating
Fail fast, learn fast
Lines of communication: remove yourself from the centerpiece
Thinking frameworks - how do you structure problems
Dunning-Kruger effect
Shape the culture
You always don’t have the answer unless you have seen the situation before
About today’s guest:
Hadi Radwan is an industry-leading expert in insurance technology, product, and operations.
Hadi...2023-01-1924 min
The Tech TrekTech debt - SW is short lived anyways, why over engineerIn this episode, Ozan Bilgen, Co-founder and CEO at base64.ai, talks about technical debt and why you should avoid over-engineering!
Key takeaways:
Tech debt is a conscious way of something things can wait
Knowingly you under-engineer certain parts where you can afford to
Focusing on the thing that does 99% of the job
SW is short-lived anyways, so why over-engineer
Scale and compliance are drivers for revisiting the architecture
Tech debt is the delta between MVP and V1
When to decide to through away your MVP and restart
The tradeoffs between over or under engineer something...2023-01-1723 min
The Tech TrekData Transformation at a Large Public CompanyIn this episode, Rob Phillips talks about making an impact through data transformation at a large public company.
Key takeaways:
Becoming a more data-driven company
Using data to predict what’s going to happen
What does that mean to the company?
How far down the maturity path do you look to build your roadmap
Benefits of moving quickly to prove your MVP
Focus on testing out new capabilities
Give the team a problem to solve and allow them to figure out how
How do you compete and attract the type of talent you need
Innovation garage an...2023-01-1224 min
The Tech TrekHiring for a niche skill setIn this episode, Shweta Saraf, Head Of Engineering, Edge Infrastructure Services Engineering at Equinix, talks about how she handles hiring for a niche skill set and things you can do to help find the right talent.
Key takeaways:
Focus on optimizing the talent pipeline
Removing the requirements friction
Have existing staff find opportunities to grow skill sets
Training from within
What happens when you can't check the boxes
Everything is now engineering
About today’s guest: see below ⬇️
Shweta Saraf is the Head of Engineering for Edge Infrastructure Services at Equinix. She leads the te...2023-01-1028 min
The Tech TrekPlanning across the engineering orgIn this episode, Mark Isham, VP of Engineering at FullStory, talks about how he handles planning across the engineering organization.
Key takeaways:
Identifying the top 2-3 priorities
Tips for effective planning.
Building a product security team.
Dealing with different personalities/styles
Flexibility is important in teams.
Running effective one-on-ones
About today’s guest:
Mark Isham has led engineering teams for over 25 years, focusing primarily on hyper-growth Enterprise startups in e-commerce, web performance, and digital analytics. Mark is VP of Engineering at FullStory, where he leads up the Channels Engineering group responsible for its dev...2023-01-0625 min
The Tech TrekSoftware Engineering Team Performance Metrics and ReportIn this episode, Dan Kador, VP of Engineering at Clockwise, walks us through how and where engineering teams spend (and "waste") their time!
Meetings and coordination “tax”
“Focus time”
What activities do companies spend the most time on?
Learn to implement no-meeting days
Ways to run a team effectively
Productive one-on-one meeting structure
Pros & cons of asynchronous stand-up meetings
Different kinds of one-on-one meetings
About today’s guest:
Dan Kador currently runs the engineering teams at Clockwise. Clockwise optimizes your team’s calendars to create more time in everyone’s day. Before that, Dan helped run engineering...2023-01-0324 min
The Tech TrekFor better adoption, build security into your engineer's workflowIn this episode, Zeeshan Khadim, Head of Security at Panther Labs, discusses how to improve security adoption by building security into an engineer's workflow.
Key Takeaways:
Security and privacy are part of the core product, not an overhead
Security implications from the design phase
Empower users to start with security in mind
Make sure you triage before involving other teams
Understand what the “Crown Jewels” are to put things in perspective
Treat the root cause and not the symptom
Instead of alerting in production, leverage the tools to warn for issues sooner
When it comes to tool...2022-12-2825 min
The Tech TrekManaging in a fast growing environmentIn this episode, Selim Onal, the Director of Engineering at Ladder Life, talks about managing in a fast-growing environment.
Challenges involved in managing rapid growth.
Being intentional in the people systems you implement.
The power of “putting people first”
Balancing a people-first culture with delivery.
People systems should support career growth
Benefits of hiring non-traditional people
How do internships prepare you for your career?
About today’s guest: see below ⬇️
Selim Onal was born in Istanbul, Turkey. He graduated from Sabancı University with a major in Computer Science and Engineering in 2008. He then moved to the US to d...2022-12-2227 min
The Tech TrekBuilding a high-performing engineering cultureIn this episode, Claude Jones, an engineering leader, talks about how to build a high-performing team. At the time of this recording, Claude was the SVP of Engineering at Strava.
Key takeaways:
How to ramp up as a new leader?
Tips for planning smooth transitions.
Learn how to scale engineering teams.
Steps to build a high-performance culture
What is envisioned as engineering excellence?
Strategy to measure the progress of your team
Ways to evaluate team performance.
3 tips to becoming a great team leader.
What should be the end goal of a leader?
About today’s gu...2022-12-2025 min
The Tech TrekEstablishing a Data Governance StrategyIn this episode, Mike Bennett, Head of Data Governance at Bayer Crop Science, discusses starting and growing a data governance strategy.
Key takeaways:
Access and control
Touches on security and compliance
Compliance is just one aspect of governance
Treat data as a physical product
Start with a minimal process, then evolve and mature it
Embracing data privacy as it’s not going away
Build an adaptive model
About today’s guest:
Mike Bennett
Head of Data Governance, Bayer Crop Science
An accomplished leader with extensive experience across multiple technical disci...2022-12-1629 min
The Tech TrekData Protection and Privacy StrategyIn this episode, Omar Turner, Managing Director of Cloud Security at Microsoft, discusses data privacy and protection.
Key takeaways:
Data protection and privacy
Evaluating smaller vs. big companies
Stakeholder buy-in
Data protection/privacy divergence from security
Classifying data
Privacy defines who has access
Being aware of the data you have
Understanding data sovereignty
About today’s guest: Omar A. Turner is a Managing Director of Cloud Security for Microsoft. He brings over 25 years of experience supporting, deploying, architecting, and securing solutions for startups and globally recognized organizations. He holds numerous certifications, including the CISSP, CCSP, CR...2022-12-1319 min
The Tech TrekStrategies for frontline managersIn this podcast, Eddie Flaisler, Head of Products Engineering at Lob, talks about managerial strategies for frontline managers.
What frontline managers do
Making sure the team is delivering high business value
Conveying the problem statement, not the strategy
Balancing constraints and business priorities
Delegation Strategies for Leaders and Managers
Importance of asking the right questions
A key to delegation is people that can resolve dependencies and break down tasks
About today’s guest: Eddie Flaisler heads Products Engineering at Lob - A YC-backed API company. Lob revolutionizes direct mail by introducing intelligence and sustainability to one of th...2022-12-0832 min
The Tech TrekYour engineering team’s mental healthIn this episode, Kevin Dotzenrod, VP of Engineering at Total Expert, talks about the mental health of your team’s individual contributors.
Dealing with Impostor syndrome.
Being as fearless as possible when you are starting off
How do you manage your first-time manager
Balancing of Empathy and Accountability
Managing managers on their responsibilities
Helping people flourish in a new environment
What triggers imposter syndrome?
Adjusting different learning styles
How to develop a culture of meritocracy
About today’s guest: Kevin brings over 20 years of software development, technical architecture, and engineering expertise to Total Expert. He has led engi...2022-12-0629 min
The Tech TrekSolving congestion problemsIn this episode, Balaji Prabhakar, co-founder of Clockwork and Professor of Computer Science at Stanford, discusses congestion problems in data centers and real-life congestion issues.
Challenges when dealing with network congestion within cloud infrastructures.
What does it mean to build out a system of accurate clocks?
Understanding the package switching networking and distributor systems.
Creating fair transactions (first come, first serve)
Uses cases for highly accurate clocks
How do to evaluate and solve congestion problems?
About today’s guest: Balaji Prabhakar is VMWare Founders Professor of Computer Science and a faculty member in the Departments of Electrical En...2022-12-0537 min
The Tech TrekImpacts on engineering team productivityIn this episode, Karim Fanous, VP Engineering @ strongDM, talks about the impacts on an engineering team's productivity.
Key Takeaways:
Impacts on productivity for the team
Context switching between interviewing and development
Importance of Having a repeatable and objective process
Challenges in onbarding process for newly hired engineers.
Understanding the people retention process.
___About today’s guest: Karim Fanous
https://www.linkedin.com/in/karimfan/
Link to article: https://karimfanous.substack.com/p/scaling-an-engineering-team-will
Karim is the VP of Engineering at strongDM. Before that, he was in similar roles at st...2022-12-0127 min
The Tech TrekTips to help Founders find a coachIn this episode, Beth Scheer, Talent Partner at Homebrew, talks about the drivers for hiring a coach and what to look out for while going through the process.
Key Takeaways:
Why would a founder should look for a coach?
Big commitment to hiring a coach
Make sure you do a reference check with people the coach has worked with the right questions are a must.
A good coach for someone else might not be the right coach for you
How to interview a coach
Costs of hiring a coach
Red Flags to look for when hiring...2022-11-3022 min
The Tech TrekHow to Structure Your Engineering Team to ScaleIn this episode, Jeremy Eastwood, the Head of Engineering at DroneDeploy, talks about velocity and adding processes as your team grows.
Key Takeaways:
Metric to measure velocity
Reconciling struggles
Experimenting while using guardrails
Devote an engineer to reliability during each sprint
Making sure there is an expected result when experimenting
When to sit back and let the team execute
Definition of done and compliance
Seeing the whole field and providing feedback to your managers
About today’s guest: Jeremy Eastwood is the Head of Engineering at DroneDeploy. Jeremy oversees the talented engineering org at DroneDeploy and...2022-11-2931 min
The Tech TrekThe relationship between data and engineering teamsIn this episode, Che Sharma, Founder & CEO of Eppo, talks about the relationship between data and engineering teams and how both teams can originate impactful experiments.
Key takeaways:
Data teams are trying to improve decision quality across the org
How do data quality metrics affect the engineering team?
Importance of experiments and feedback loops
Experimentation maturity curve
Engineering can be a source of experimentation
Leadership needs to provide clear metrics to help prioritize
Moving requirements from sales-driven to product-driven
About today’s guest:
Che Sharma is the Founder & CEO of Eppo, a next-gen AB...2022-11-2325 min
The Tech TrekEmpathy-driven process developmentIn this episode, Ty Sbano, an Information Security executive with over 17 years of experience heavily focused on empowering end users securely, talks about “Empathy-Driven Process Development.” He speaks about driving change and how we are changed by empathy.
Key takeaways:
What is empathy-driven process development
Taking yourself out of the equation when changing processes
How fast do you want to drive change
Understand the impact of change on people
The larger the scale of the impact, the more time you might need
Understanding your change curve and having your champions
Avoiding thrash by making only a fini...2022-11-1727 min
The Tech TrekScaling up your hiring, retention, and management.In technology, scaling your team is not an easy thing to do! In this episode, Doron Segal, the Co-Founder & CTO at Per Diem, talks about his insights regarding hiring & retention.
Key Takeaways:
Improving your hiring and retention process.
Recruiting pitfalls and how to avoid them.
Hiring junior vs. senior-level employees
Going after different talent as you scale
Hiring the right person at the right time
How employee feedback loops increase employee retention
About today’s guest:
Doron Segal: Co-Founder & CTO at Per Diem (YCW21)
A seasoned, hands-on, technical leader with a trac...2022-11-1523 min
The Tech TrekChallenges in hiring for an analytics teamOn the show, I speak to Yanyan Wu, the Vice President of Data and Analytics at Verisk. Yanyan shares her strategies, from structuring to scaling an analytics team.
Key Takeaways:
Challenges in building and scaling an analytics team.
Dealing with the technology gap
Getting the right people on your team,
Roles and responsibilities of a team leader
Learning metrics that matter to your members.
Challenges in finding someone technically strong and a great analyst.
Ways to Identify the future leader in your team and traits that must-haves.
About today’s guest:
As a vice...2022-11-1027 min
The Tech TrekEffectively Onboarding New EngineersIn this episode, Ishmael Samuel, the co-founder and CTO at Paragon, discusses how to effectively onboard new hires. He goes over what should be included in onboarding and thinking about the team's velocity when making a new hire.
Key Takeaways:
Walk through the onboarding process
A holistic view of products as a customer
Importance of filing issues
Opinionated frameworks and tools
Integrations as a core value prop
Understanding a new hire's biggest blocker is key
Why is it important to ask team members for feedback?
Building a real relationship with your team members.
Sprint planning
...2022-11-0831 min
The Tech TrekEstablishing and growing a security planIn this episode, I have on Nate Lee, the Chief Information Security Officer at Tradeshift, a B2B SaaS platform specializing in digitizing supply chain financing. He talks about how to grow and establish a security program.
Key takeaways:
Preparing a security plan for your business.
Avoid process for the sake of process
Security program priorities
Tools that you can use to help - SQL injections, static code analysis, vulnerability management
When do you make your first security hire
What you need to look for when hiring your security personnel.
How to introduce a security person...2022-11-0327 min
The Tech TrekDriving success through experimentationOn this episode, Luis Bruder, the Director of Data Science, Machine Learning, and Advanced Analytics at Foot Locker, talks about managing experiments and how these experiments drive decisions.
Key Takeaways:
Definition and Classification of experiments
Moving from experiments to project evaluation
Who owns the experiment
Metric evaluation
Experimentation to Production Life Cycle
Aligning your team with new experiment opportunities.
Balancing project and maintenance work
About today’s guest:
Luis Bruder brings over 11 years of experience in Data Science and Analytics, with his most recent work in the marketing and retail industries. His background is i...2022-11-0121 min
The Tech TrekApplying An Engineering Perspective to the Sales ProcessKanat Bektemirov, the CTO at Supplypike, let’s talk about his involvement in sales during the early days and leveraging his engineering expertise to define the sales process.
Getting to the first million dollars of revenue
Personalize beyond the basics and automate it
Reaching out to other experienced founders to get help.
The idea of doing Personalized landing pages
Playing the pre-sales roles
Context switching - managing sales and engineering
Aligning the Sales, Product, and engineering teams.
Hiring a Sales SVP and taking a step back from the process
About today’s guest:
Kanat Bektemirov is t...2022-10-2725 min
The Tech TrekHow the ML Product Got Built with Jesus MartinezJesus Martinez, Senior Engineering Manager of Machine Learning at Planet, walks us through how the ML product was built at Planet. He also talks about balancing R&D and Delivery Teams in the ML space.
Challenges in building machine learning products.
R&D techniques, processes, and challenges.
Skill set needed from a software engineer.
New Territories. New People (the hiring process)
The vision of “Help Life on Earth Using Space”
R&D spending and monetization
Balancing Research Development and Delivery
Importance of communication within the company.
About today’s guest:
Jesus is originally from Sevilla, Spain. H...2022-10-2525 min
The Tech TrekMaturing and scaling an analytics team with Ty LunsfordOn this episode of the Tech Trek, we have Ty Lunsford, Senior Manager at Instacart. Ty discusses the process of maturing analytics org. He provides a first-hand account of how they split their function into two parts ( analytics & business intelligence ) and then reorganize them based on what’s needed for delivery.
Key Takeaways:
When the intake process isn’t understood by those both internally and externally, it may be time to restructure the team.
Jira or Trello can help improve the intake process.
It is important to make sure processes are understood not only internally but also...2022-10-2126 min
The Tech TrekRansomware: prevention, preparation and response with Dean SappIn this episode, we talk with Dean Sapp, the Vice President of Information Security, Risk, and Compliance, from Filevine. He discusses prevention tactics for ransomware and other cyber threats that businesses need to be aware of, as well as preparation techniques to prepare themselves against these types of events if they happen at some point
Key Takeaways:
Importance of having a cyber breach policy in place.
Educate your people about the human element in cybersecurity and how to stay protected.
When a breach does occur, make sure you have a plan in place and know who to c...2022-10-1825 min
The Tech TrekRefactoring Your Data Team For Success with Oliver BandteWhether you are a startup, a small, or a large company, you can have different models in your organization. On today’s episode, we have our special guest, Oliver Bandte, the VP of Data & Analytics at Wellframe, to tackle what are the different organizational models and find out when you should reevaluate your org structure.
In this episode, we cover the following:
Different data org models and structures
Pulling apart the team's capabilities to help them best excel
Tips to create strategic guidance for your org team.
When do you re-evaluate the team's structure
Ways to bui...2022-10-1325 min
The Tech TrekMoving into a management role with Bren BriggsOn the show, I have on with me Bren Briggs, the VP of DevSecOps at Hypergiant. Bren talks about some of the realities of moving into a role in management, what happens if you decide to move back into an IC role, and managing with empathy.
In this episode, we cover:
Moving into a management role
Management skills should be equal to expertise.
Indicator when to step down from management role.
Having the most successful leaders and successful hierarchical structures.
Having a culture of leadership that values feedback is a must.
Psychological safety is essential.
How...2022-10-0425 min
The Tech TrekBuilding Business-Focused Machine Learning Teams with Yash DesaiToday Yash Desai is on the show, the Head of B2B Machine Learning @ Wayfair. He’ll be diving into how he manages a team that stretches across multiple business units.
In this episode, we cover:
Ways to manage a team that stretches across multiple business units
Organizing a team into sub-teams or pods
Business leaders will often expect you to know about the business.
Importance of blocking times
Importance of relationship for your business
Creating a strategy-based team roadmap
Using data to influence stakeholders
Having a simple alternative solutions
Understanding your roadmap timelines.
Having a mi...2022-09-2927 min
The Tech TrekNurturing Engineering Skills and Talents with Rajeev NandaNurturing engineering talent is an art, not science.
My guest, Rajeev Nanda, the Director of Engineering Operations at Unlearn.ai. dives in to talk about career growth and exploration. He will share what he has learned in his managing career, including his tips and tricks.
In this episode, we cover:
The concept of nurturing talent — career growth & talent growth.
Importance of having a mentor in your organization.
How to lead a technical organization: Manager responsibilities
Technical versus Organizational growth path, what you need to know.
Lesson Learned: Skills you need to manage people or tec...2022-09-2733 min
The Tech TrekEmpowering DevOps teams with Quentin HartmanIn today’s show, we have our guest, Quentin Hartman, VP of Infrastructure and DevOps Engineering, at Velocity Global, LLC. We cover a lot of DevOps ground...
In this episode, we cover:
What historically has been called the DevOps team.
Balancing the DevOps engineers team and the value of splitting them.
DevOps team structure
Differences between tooling and operations
DevOps pillars
What’s next with Quentin's team
“Automation shelf life"
DevOps career advice
Connect with Quentin Hartman at:
https://mastodon.social/@qhartman
https://twitter.com/qhartman
https://www.linkedin.com/in/qha...2022-09-2326 min
The Tech TrekBuilding high performing engineering focused GRC functions with Terry O'DanielOur guest is Terry O'Daniel, the Director of Security Governance, Risk, and Compliance at Instacart. Terry talks about building high-performing engineering-focused GRC functions.
Key Takeaways:
Unnecessary overhead on the engineering team
Importance of focusing on operational hygiene and security risks.
Risk as the common language between security and compliance.
Dealing with risk and your engineering team
Is shifting left, really the goal?
Terry’s success formula, REVEALED!
Importance of having deep conversations with your engineering functions.
The value of shifting left
Working with your developer towards better behavior.
Security and compliance checkbox must-haves
Importance of knowing yo...2022-09-2030 min
The Tech TrekThe Business Value of Identity and Access Management with Grant RevealIn this episode, Grant Reveal, the Director of Identity and Access Management at Micron Technology, talks about how we can demonstrate the business value of Identity and Access Management and how we get away from being viewed as the department of “NO” to “more SECURE”.
Key Takeaways:
From the department of “no” to “more secure”
Three components of IAM (People, Process, and Technology)
Why does the story matter?
Why Is Information Security important?
Time component in learning IAM is a must.
The day-1 Process is building relationships and making people secure.
Identity and Access Management vs Traction
The Au...2022-09-1531 min
The Tech TrekScaling Within The Biomedical Industry with Matthew ClementeIn today’s episode, Matthew Clemente talks about the product and engineering scaling challenges working in the biomedical industry.
Key Takeaways:
An overview of the Biomedical Industry
Understanding the Biomedical regulatory overhead on the product roadmap
Testing and regulatory issues.
Acceleration and efficiencies in the development process.
Understanding the team’s role & risk management.
Mission-driven drivers
Connect with Matthew Clemente at https://www.linkedin.com/in/prspctvs
About today’s guest:
Matthew Clemente currently serves as the Senior Vice President of Product & Development at Bigfoot Biomedical, responsible for an innovative, emerging portfol...2022-09-1322 min
The Tech TrekBuilding Data Governance Strategy with Solomon MadadhaWhat Is Data Governance and why does it matter? On the show, we have Solomon Madadha, the SVP of Data Analytics & Governance Wealth Management at Regions Bank. We talk about the increasing complexity of data, data collections, data democratization, and so much more….Tune in to the full episode.
In this episode, we cover
Solomon’s responsibilities at Regions Bank.
What are the challenges for Data Collections
What is Data Quality and its importance
How to ensure accuracy in data collection processes
Importance of data consistency.
Data Warehouse fundamental skill set.
Data Quality and Accessibility measure.
Data...2022-09-0825 min
The Tech TrekPredictability vs Forecasting Empowers Decision Making with Philip GollucciToday’s guest is Philip Gollucci. Philip is an Executive Engineering Leader, a servant leader focused on building high-performing teams. Listen to the full episode as we discuss Predictability vs Forecasting analytics that empowers your decision making
In this episode, you’ll discover:
Difference between Forecasting and Predictability
Metrics of Forecasting and Predictability
Metric: Calculating Demo complete rate
A clear Illustration of ROI
Understanding the value chain management
Advantage of Predictability as your development model
Having a decision framework and sharing goals is a must.
Learn how to take an action plan based on your data.
How t...2022-09-0621 min
The Tech TrekBuilding Data Analytics TeamsIn this episode, we talk to Suxi Li, the head of data analytics at Investors Business Daily in Los Angeles, California. They discuss building teams, onboarding through COVID-19, interview tips, and more. Suxi shares his background and extensive experience in data science, business insights, and market research across various industries. He also talks about how he built a centralized data and analytics department at IBD to support different divisions with reporting, analysis, and actionable insights that enable smart business decisions. The episode provides informative insights into building a successful team and utilizing data analytics for business growth.
...2020-08-2528 min
The Tech TrekTransitioning from Academia to a Career in Data ScienceSivan Aldor-Noiman, Data Science leader, speaks on the podcast about her transition from academia to industry and why data science is an ideal field for diversifying the industry. She talks about her background in Israel and her experiences managing teams and transitioning back to technical work and data engineering. She describes her current role and the platform her team is working on, designed to enable people to figure out what's healthy and tasty for them.
Highlights:
00:03:48 Data Science for Everyone.
00:10:01 Reduce food waste with smarter shopping.
00:15:38 Academia to industry transition was...2020-08-1848 min
The Tech TrekEntrepreneurship, the startup race, and AI scheduling assistants with Dennis Mortensen, CEO of X.aiI had an insightful conversation with Dennis Mortensen, CEO and founder of x.ai, about the software’s uses and the people it serves.
Founded in 2014, x.ai is a productivity tool powered by AI that allows users to schedule meetings effortlessly. It should be easier and less time-consuming to schedule meetings, and x.ai is built to help achieve that.
Dennis is an entrepreneur at heart and we discuss his thought process in how he launches his ideas as well as making sure he stress tests them before diving in.
Key listening po...2020-07-1542 min
The Talent TangoDaily 10 - Someone’s OOO - who picks up the slack?Everyone loves going on PTO. Heck who doesn’t! But what about the work and people that aren’t taking time off that have to pick up the slack. In this episode of the Daily 10, we’re talking about what happens when someone is out of the office and the rest of the team has to show up. You have to have processes in place to make sure there is a clean handoff and continuity when the person returns. Amir and Arash Bormand are the Co-Founders of Elevano, a California-based recruitment agency that does t...2019-08-1409 minThe Talent TangoDaily 10 - Interview debrief is a goldmineFeedback. Feedback. Feedback. Sure you need to set up the interview. But what happens after that is absolutely key...for the current and future candidates you work with. In this episode of the Daily 10, we’re talking about gauging candidate interest and making sure you are following up. A core part of our job is to constantly find out more information and gain depth in terms of what our candidates and hiring managers want. With more information, we can help guide the process and provide push back to the hiring team if necessary. Am...2019-08-1310 minThe Talent TangoDaily 10 - Dig and ask questions to solve problemsAs recruiters, we won’t actually do any of the jobs we recruit for - aside from recruiter roles :) But it is part of our job in ramping up to understand as much as we can about the roles we work on. In this episode of the Daily 10, we’re talking about how as recruiters we can go about ramping up their knowledge to become even more dangerous in their recruiting game. This can be from shadowing subject matter experts to hitting Google really hard. Amir and Arash Bormand are the Co-Founders of E...2019-08-1210 minThe Talent TangoDaily 10 - Snacks in the office?! Yes Snacks!Who doesn’t love to snack! Every office that puts snacks out has to go through a process of figuring out what to put out. Simple right. Nope In this episode of the Daily 10, we’re talking about how something like snacks requires thought and due diligence to figure out what to offer. You certainly want to be aware of people with dietary restrictions and you want to put out a balance of snacks that people will enjoy. Someone has to figure that out. And depending on the size of your organization this gets more comp...2019-08-0909 minThe Talent TangoDaily 10 - Candidate experience drives allCandidate experience is a hot topic. In every facet of your life, you are always looking at experience. So it would imply that the interview process will be evaluated the same. You will remember the positive or negative experience and emotions above all else. In this episode of the Daily 10, we will be talking about how a candidate had such an offputting experience with one interviewer that she no longer was considering the opportunity. And the hard part about this is that the interviewer is in HR. Amir and Arash Bormand are the C...2019-08-0811 minThe Talent TangoDaily 10 - What Happens When Candidates Ghost YouWhat happens when your candidate starts ghosting you? We’re recruiters. We’re not strangers to candidates ignoring our emails, texts or phone calls. But when that candidate has already accepted our client’s job offer and starts dodging us, that’s when we have an issue. In this episode of the Daily 10, we’re telling the story of one candidate we had who never returned from their overseas vacation after accepting a role with our client. What stops candidates from sending a quick text or email to close the loop? What about the ‘ripple...2019-08-0711 minThe Talent TangoDaily 10 - Breaking your old workflowUpgrading your software applications is like getting a shiny new toy… only there’s more of an adjustment period. It’s like moving houses: you pack up all your files and folders and bring them over to a new system. But then you’re left wondering how you’re going to organize it all. In this episode of the Daily 10, we’re talking about the challenging ‘in-between’ period where you’re tying up loose ends on your old software while starting projects on your new one, and all the other short-term chaos you deal with while adjusting. 2019-08-0609 minThe Talent TangoDaily 10 - Making the Most Out of Your MeetingsIn this episode of the Daily 10, we’re talking about how we’ve ditched the dreaded ‘Monday morning meeting’ into a more streamlined process that borrows from project management methodologies. How much do people really accomplish in one hour, sit-down meetings? Whether it’s daily standups, one-on-one or group meetings, share what’s working for your team with us! Amir and Arash Bormand are the Co-Founders of Elevano, a California-based recruitment agency that does things differently. From managing client and candidate relationships to improving your productivity and time management, the Daily 10 gives you an insight int...2019-08-0510 minThe Talent TangoDaily 10 - Close the Loop and Control Your NarrativeIn this episode of the Daily 10, we’re talking about what happens when clients go dark after an interview round. It’s not just a communication issue between candidate and client. It puts the client’s reputation on the line, too. So, what needs to change? In this episode, we tackle this all-important question by discussing how ‘closing the loop’ with candidates lets clients stay in control of the narrative. Remember, candidates are modern-day consumers. If they’re not happy with their experience, they’ll take to social media and let people know about it. And no...2019-08-0210 minThe Talent TangoDaily 10 - how we keep our day organizedWhat does productivity look to keep organized? How about those who keep their files in an 'organized mess'? In this episode of the Daily 10, we’re sharing two different perspectives on productivity and time management. We might organize our workdays differently, but if there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that it doesn’t matter how you manage your time. As long as you’re keeping yourself accountable. Whether it’s starting a written to-do list, emailing notes to yourself or just remembering to keep a mental checklist: productivity is something we...2019-08-0109 minThe Talent TangoDaily 10 - Onboarding content delivered live or recorded?What’s the best way to onboard your employees? Pre-recorded training save you time and money. Employees can always refer back to them if they need to. But on the flip side, they might set the wrong tone about how you manage your team. Sometimes, though, the cost of taking half a day to train employees live and in-person just doesn’t make sense. Is there a happy medium here? Tune in to the latest episode of the Daily 10 to and tell us what you think. Amir and Arash Borman...2019-07-3108 min
The Talent TangoEp 1: Introduction to the Talent Tango - talking recruiting, marketing, and techEp 1: Introduction to the Talent Tango Calling all hiring managers, recruiters, and staffing superstars! Join us in the first episode of The Talent Tango, where host Amir Bormand dives into everything talent acquisition. Amir is the Co-Founder of Elevano, a California-based recruiting company. He helps hundreds of people find more fulfilling jobs every year. In this episode, Amir shares how he is unique to the recruiting industry. As a former engineer himself, he could still jot out a few lines of code! He’s seen tech recruiting from both sides: during his engineering ca...2019-06-0414 min