62 | Technology for Good: Leadership, Community, and Culture Transformation

Today's episode is a special "Black History Month" Simply Tech LIVE interview, produced this time, by my co-host, Ali Mazaheri, and featuring our guests, Sonya Weaver-Johnson: Director of Sales for Healthcare and Life Sciences at Microsoft, and Celeste Alleyne, Director of Executive Engagements for Content Operations & Corporate Events.

We visit topics across the episode ranging from the very idea of Technology for Good and what that means, to the power of community and culture transformation in large organizations, to how to build communities - however that may need to come about, whether in organization or in your local community. Both Sonya and Celeste really bring an incredible energy that you'll feel in the discussion, I'm proud to be connected to these two women, and so happy that we can share some of their perspective with you today.  

 

Key Take-aways:

[06:19] Sonya & Celeste describe their current roles at Microsoft, and their journey into big-tech 

[10:12] A description of what “Technology for Good” actually means, as a focus area for business 

[12:40] The Global Skills Initiative, and the impact that skilling can have on the digital divide as exacerbated by the global pandemic 

[14:48] Sonya’s opportunity to be part of Nasdaq’s closing bell ceremony, to kick off Black History Month 

[15:23] The Blacks at Microsoft (BAM) employee resource group, and the foundations of its mission oriented pillars 

[17:50] National Ambassador Councils, and how assembling people within distinct communities can generate lasting change and impact at scale 

[20:18] The new Empathy in Action initiative at Microsoft in response to needed culture change, and Celeste’s visit with Brian Stevenson from the Equal Justice Initiative 

[22:14] The most critical components in building successful communities 

[25:10] What both Celeste and Sonya both wish they knew Ten years ago coming into their career 

[28:06] Guidance on how organizations can approach using technology or business for good 

[29:49] Q&A: The difference between a mentor and a sponsor 

 

Memorable Quotes:

[22:18] “I think community building is something that we do out of your heart really, right? And so,  when you think about building a community or think you have what it takes, I think there are three imperatives I call the three Ps. You have got to have the Passion for bringing folks together. You have to be Persistent, and you also have to be Patient. And there is no compromising on those three things.” - Sonya Weaver-Johnson 

[23:16] “I have three things that have people to take away in terms of building communities. When we first get started with the Ambassador Councils, we want to bring people of all backgrounds and various backgrounds together. So that was number one. Number two was we wanted people to feel empowered to be creative. We did not want to tell them what they should do, but we wanted them to figure out what is important for their community within their city. The third one is to look