Roar with Lakecia Gunter

Only 37% of professionals have a mentor. This statistic is surprising, as mentorship is the secret behind so many successful people. Modern mentoring and the power of mentorship can help you achieve your goals—both personally and professionally. We should all be seeking to develop our skills, continually learning new things, and challenging ourselves on a regular basis, which takes a good degree of devotion and commitment. In a mentor, you have someone who can help guide, advise, and teach you through a problem or towards a goal. My guest today is Lani Phillips, vice president of global partner solutions, US Channel Sales for Microsoft. She has over 20 years of experience and inclusive leadership and transformation management in the tech industry and has developed a reputation for being a transformational and inclusive leader who is committed to empowering people. Her passion for inspiring, transforming and growing leaders lead her to launch Modern Mentoring with Lani Phillips, a digital mentoring series created with the intention of sharing wisdom globally and making it accessible for anyone looking to thrive in corporate spaces.In this episode, you’ll hear Lani’s personal experience with mentorship, how it has contributed greatly to her success and why she believes so deeply in the practice.  She shares how she took to heart her mother’s prioritization of education, why it’s important not to limit our network, and how she recently launched her own digital show centered on modern mentoring, What You Will Learn:The power of mentorship from a young age (09:59)Deliberate career planning is one key to success (13:57)Before looking for a mentor, define your needs (18:27)Mentorships should have a defined start and end date (22:19)The importance of valuing every member on your team (29:15)A sponsor should also be an advocate (32:39)Connect with Lani Phillips:Modern Mentoring with Lani PhillipsLinkedInLet’s connect!LinkedInTwitterInstagram

When we meet obstacles in our lives and careers, how do we move forward? After such a tumultuous year, we’ve learned to expect the unexpected with greater frequency. This has allowed us ample opportunities to test our ability to recover from adversity, and it’s built up our resilience to weather and learn from the challenges we face. My guest today is Kim Stevenson, Senior Vice President and General Manager of NetApp’s Foundational Data Services Business Unit where she’s helping to lead the charge into a new technology era. Kim most recently served as a senior executive with Lenovo as Senior Vice President and General Manager for the Data Center Group. She’s also a valued member of my personal board of advisors.In this episode, Kim shares the lessons she’s learned about overcoming adversity throughout her distinguished career. It’s taught her that avoiding change is never the best way forward, and the real wisdom is in the learning process. You’ll hear how she’s transformed adversity into her superpower, and why she believes diversity is so important in shaping a successful business. What You Will Learn:Drawing the line between kindness and being firm (6:06)Learning how to use your voice (11:09)Choosing to face the fire when things get hot (15:42)The simple key to overcoming adversity (21:41)Cultivating the muscle of resilience and recovery (33:25)Calling on the power of reflection (36:43)An outline for building a diverse team (43:50)Connect with Kim Stevenson:TwitterLinkedInLet’s connect!LinkedInTwitterInstagram

Success is something that builds up over time, making early influences fundamental. Having a strong support system of people who champion you and unbridled access to recreational and educational opportunities plant the seeds for strong, smart, and bold leaders.My guests today are Cyreena Boston Ashby, CEO of Girls Inc. in the Pacific Northwest, and Amaya Gustave, an alumna of the program and currently a student at Pitzer College in California. At Girls, Inc., Cyreena offers a variety of programs and after-school activities for youth, from 8 up to age 18. Amaya is a bright young woman on the rise who has come up through the organization since the age of eight. Both of these women share a capacity for inner strength, resilience, and a desire to make their voices heard. Through their mutual involvement in Girls, Inc., they’ve demonstrated how dedicated service to your community can become a pathway to your calling. Through effective mentorship, young people are able to use their voices fearlessly and courageously, building confidence and self-acceptance from the inside out.In this episode, we’ll talk about the early influences that led to a successful, service-focused career, and how that calling helped transform and enrich the life of one particular young woman. You’ll hear about the wide variety of programs that have influenced countless young people growing up with the support of Girls, Inc., and how access, encouragement, and early exposure are the foundational keys to future leadership.What You Will Learn:Early foundations for a legacy of service (3:45)How an iconic institution helped amplify a Roar (9:16)Carving out a career path through advocacy (13:55)Educating and preparing young women for lucrative careers (22:04)Key qualities that build resilience (32:32)The lasting power of being championed (34:12)Taking personal time to invest in young people (45:32)Connect with Cyreena Boston Ashby:LinkedInConnect with Amaya Gustave:LinkedInLet’s connect!LinkedInTwitterInstagram

If you can see it, you can be it, right? We know from history that it’s not always easy to become something when you’ve never seen your face reflected in the stories we’re taught. March is Women's History Month, and it’s an important time to recognize the trailblazers who have led the way. Their bravery and persistence have created pathways that make the journey less challenging for future generations who follow in their footsteps. My guest today is a trailblazer in every sense of the word. Dr. Renee Horton is an entrepreneur, author, international speaker, and physicist. After earning her bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from Louisiana State University in 2002, she went on to earn her Ph.D. in Material Science with a concentration in physics from the University of Alabama. As the first African American to earn this degree, she continues to pay it forward as the proud founder of Unapologetically Being Incorporated, a nonprofit for advocacy and mentoring in STEM. Today, she works at the NASA Residential Management Office in New Orleans as a Space Launch System Quality Engineer. Her work is in helping to develop rockets for the 2024 Artemis mission, which will land the first woman on the moon.In today’s episode, you’ll hear her personal story of bravery and persistence as she rose above the challenges that life presented and claimed her seat at the table. She viewed every bump in the road as an opportunity, and her unique experience of rising to the top is helping countless others survive, thrive, and advocate for the success of future generations. You’ll hear how she’s literally sending rockets to the moon, and working every day to change the face of STEM. What You Will Learn:How strong early influences shape perspective (5:08)What perseverance looks like (10:16)Moving from imposter syndrome to owning our achievements (15:12)Sustaining the motivation to help your tribe (20:34)How a bump in the road led to novel innovation (21:55)Teaching the next generation how to survive and thrive (28:27)Manifesting your future into existence (34:58)Connect with Renee Horton:Renee Horton Ph.DLinkedInTwitterUnapologetically Being IncorporatedDr. H Explores the Universe: Mercury to Mars by K Renee Horton, Ph.D.Dr. H Explores the Universe: Jupiter to Uranus by K Renee Horton, Ph.D.Let’s connect!LinkedInTwitterInstagram

Throughout 2020, organizations have been tested as the pandemic quickly swept across the globe. Despite the rapid pace of change, some companies were able to meet their operational challenges head-on and actually thrived. These organizations share one trait in common. They were able to demonstrate resilience in the face of change. For high-performing leaders, resilience is imperative in order to thrive. Covid-19 has taught us the importance of being able to make quick decisions, and we’ve had to learn to be malleable as the conditions around us changed. Resilient leaders are born in these moments of adaptation, often learning through challenging personal circumstances.My guest today is Dr. Ruba Borno, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Global CX Centers at Cisco. Her role spans the full portfolio of Cisco support and professional services, including technical support, professional services, managed services, customer success, and global spare parts and repair logistics. Since first meeting Ruba at an event in Silicon Valley, we instantly struck up a lasting friendship. Her life story is one of great resilience, which has markedly shaped her life and ethos. Today, she shares her personal experience as a refugee, and how it led her to a keen understanding of the important things in life at a young age. The value she places on education, integrity, and family have played a pivotal role in her professional success, and her resilience in life has translated into outstanding professional success. What You Will Learn:How a resilient past paves the path to resilient leadership (4:49)The responsibility of leaders to those who come after them (6:55)Confidence in quick decision-making (11:21)Professional allies and the importance of advocacy (16:31)The most important skills young leaders must cultivate to be successful (20:13)How urgency can unleash innovation and inspire growth (24:40)Building better leaders through empathy and understanding (30:16)Connect with Dr. Ruba Borno:TwitterLinkedIn Let’s connect!LinkedInTwitterInstagram

Having a handful of professional role models to look up to is important for anyone climbing the corporate ladder. But, we all know that work isn’t everything. When it comes to measuring the level of fulfillment in our lives, personal relationships are an important source of comfort and strength. We need role-models who represent our relationship goals, in conjunction with our professional aspirations.My guests today are power couple Tony and Lisa Neal-Graves, two people who have mastered the art of building successful careers and nurturing their strong partnership. They have served as industry leaders from high-tech to state government. Tony is Chief Information Officer and Executive Director of the Colorado Office of Information Technology, where he leads over 1,000 technology professionals. Lisa is a bonafide cultural innovation trailblazer. As CEO of Trustify Community Incorporated, she’s responsible for driving the creation of AI-augmented applications to address racial equity issues. Tony and Lisa were instrumental in my success at Intel, and they continue to be mentors and close friends. I’m excited to have them here sharing their unique and impressive experiences of navigating professional success while simultaneously nurturing their partnership. In this episode, Tony and Lisa share their sage advice on keeping a relationship strong when you’ve got two successful, continent-hopping executives in the mix. We’ll also talk about staying career flexible, embracing new opportunities, and the importance of making room for relationships within the context of busy work lives. What You Will Learn:How pioneering “firsts” help pave the way for many (4:30)The importance of building a solid foundation (15:10)What you can learn from your employment patterns (22:04)Staying flexible through phases of discovery (24:36)Sage advice from an intercontinental career (34:05)Deciding to be a force for change in your community (38:02)Lessons on work/life balance and effective leadership (49:15)Connect with Tony Neal-Graves:LinkedInConnect with Lisa Neal-Graves:LinkedInLet’s connect!LinkedInTwitterInstagram

We’re living in changing times, and we’ve certainly seen how true that is with the disruption that’s been caused by Covid over the past year. We’ve all had to stay resilient through changing work, life, and family situations. It’s required us to think differently. It’s required us to be innovative in the face of change.There’s no denying that the digital revolution has arrived, and the pace of innovation isn’t losing any speed. If we want to stay relevant, we have to keep up and get comfortable with the pace of these changes. It’s become apparent that a personal innovation strategy is not only necessary, but it’s vital if we want to ride the digital wave. If we’re able to innovate in terms of the value we offer within the workforce, not only will we stay relevant, but we’ll create a unique niche for ourselves and stand out from the competition.  My guest today is Steve Brown, a futurist, author, entrepreneur, and advisor. His experience in the world of high tech has spanned over 30 years, including a role as Intel's chief evangelist. He’s also worked in Intel labs, imagining and building plans for the world of the future. After Intel, Steve went on to build his own consulting business, Possibility and Purpose, LLC. His goal is to help companies understand and get comfortable with the breadth of technologies available to them, such as AI, blockchain, sensors, and augmented reality. He inspires companies to think innovatively as they prepare for the future. He’s the author of The Innovation Ultimatum: How Six Strategic Technologies Will Reshape Every Business in the 2020s.In this episode, we’ll talk about how you can prepare yourself, both personally and professionally, to be an active participant in the digital revolution, and why that’s crucial for the future of your life and business. We’ll also discuss how diversifying your experiences can ultimately help carve out a future that you’re uniquely qualified for, and how to avoid the limiting beliefs that can sometimes cause us to turn down great opportunities. What You Will Learn:How to raise a futurist (5:55)Building connection with your audience (8:35)Why the fear of failure can equal missed opportunities (13:09)Finding your personal definition for success (16:51)How diversification can broaden your path and create unseen opportunities (21:25)The “Four C’s”: Skills that will never be automated away (31:33)Technology trends that are shaping the future of business (41:14)Finding optimism through technology in a complicated world (51:11)Connect with Steve Brown:LinkedInTwitterResources:Website: The Bald FuturistBook: The Innovation Ultimatum: How Six Strategic Technologies Will Reshape Every Business in the 2020s by Steve BrownYoutube: The Bald FuturistLet’s connect!LinkedInTwitterInstagram

How much do you think about your role as a communicator? For leaders at every level, effective communication is what distinguishes the most impressionable leaders from the rest of the pack. Investing in this “soft” skill is not an elective in business; it’s an absolute necessity if you want to rise to the top. Good communication is universally agreed upon as being the most important and indispensable quality among leaders. It is inextricably linked to effective leadership because it is the basis of how we get things done day to day, it’s how we motivate people, and it’s the key to building lasting teams.My guest today is Larry Shoop, an expert in communications who helps leaders everywhere elevate their messaging, enhance employee engagement, and become more effective storytellers. Calling on over 40 years of experience in mainstream media and a distinguished career at Intel Corporation serving as Employee Communications Director and Executive Keynote Speaker, he started his own company. For over 5 years, FialloShoop Communications has been inspiring Fortune 100 leaders and executives to masterfully connect through more powerful and effective messaging. In this episode, we’ll hear about Larry’s journey towards becoming a master communicator, and the powerful lessons he learned from working with some of the most influential leaders in media and the corporate world.  We’ll also discuss the lasting power of first impressions, the incalculable ROI when leaders invest in their own communications skills, and how leaders who listen can inspire and retain the people they lead. What You Will Learn:How tough love can inspire us to be better (6:33)How to have a constructive confrontation (8:57)The power of being prepared (17:01)Why good leaders are always great listeners (23:36)The weight of a first impression (32:52)Mistakes to avoid in the art of presentation (38:50)Getting comfortable with the physical aspects of presenting (40:33)Effective communicators who will inspire you (45:50)Connect with Larry Shoop:LinkedInEmail: larry@fialloshoop.com Resources:FialloShoopLet’s connect!LinkedInTwitterInstagram