The Pay-It-Forward Society

Bryan Liles has been working in tech for almost 30 years with roles at VMware, Digital Ocean, AWS, and more. He is known for being a great technical leader. He is not a people manager. In this episode, I wanted to explore leadership as an Individual Contributor, and Bryan was the perfect guest for this. He believes in helping others at work so that everyone can win. On this episode of the Pay-It-Forward Society, we talk about:

• T...

In this episode of the Pay-It-Forward Society, we sit down with Adrian Koehler, a 0-bullshit coach and co-founder of Take New Ground. Adrian shares his insights into what truly makes a leader effective and how to cultivate a culture of commitment and purpose within organizations. Our conversation reveals:

• Leadership as a Personal Commitment: Adrian underscores the importance of leaders seeing their role as a personal vocation, f...

James Colgan is a seasoned product leader with a track record in tech companies like Rackspace, Microsoft, Slack, and more recently Spendesk. In this episode, he joins us to share his insights on leading through innovation and strategic frameworks. In our conversation, we cover:

• The essence and impact of the W model in strategic planning: https://review.firstround.com/the-secret-to-a-great-planning-process-lessons-from-airbnb-an...

Ryan Johansen is a seasoned leader with a diverse background in tech sales and leadership coaching. Ryan brings a wealth of experience, from navigating the complexities of team management to overcoming personal challenges in his career. The conversation is a blend of personal anecdotes, hard-earned wisdom, and practical advice for anyone in a leadership role.

In this conversation, we addressed several topics:

• First-Time Lead...

Jovonia Thibert, who goes by Jo, joins us to share engineering leadership lessons from her 20 years at Boeing and Amazon. In this episode, Jo shares some key lessons from her experience as a leader:

• Great leaders show up holistically - they care about their people mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. Jo aims to understand where her people are at and meet them there.
• EQ is as important as IQ. Jo strives for a ...

Vincent Moindrot, CEO of French car rental startup carlili.fr, shares his journey through a leadership crisis. 

Vincent reacted poorly when cash flow issues required layoffs. He abruptly fired staff without empathy. This destroyed employee trust and led to 50% turnover.

With coaching, Vincent rebuilt trust through weekly reconnect meetings and transparent communication. He learned to align actions with values instead of perceived b...

Want to learn how to craft a compelling vision and rally your team? Tune into this insightful conversation with Bill Brown, an accomplished HR leader with 30 years of experience. Bill shares his wisdom on demonstrating compassionate leadership, defining an impactful vision through vivid storytelling, and driving a culture of accountability by setting clear expectations.

You'll hear Bill's tips on bringing diverse perspect...

Meg Brennan has over 20 years of experience driving strategy and operations for top technology companies. She shared her unique perspective on leadership combining strategic thinking, operational excellence, and a passion for developing people.

Meg described her zig-zag career path starting in sales and working across various functions like enablement, product management, and partner marketing. A key moment was joining Riverbe...

In this episode of the Paid-It-Forward Society podcast, I reflect on my journey as a leader. I also share my aspirations for the podcast, and the community I am building.

This time, it is as if I interviewed myself. I discuss the challenges I've faced, the importance of communication and team dynamics, and highlight some of the inspiring guests who have appeared on the show. I also reveal my plans for the future, including lau...

In the conversation with Shannon L. Rich, the President and CEO at Oklahoma Hall of Fame, we delved into her inspiring journey into leadership. Shannon shared valuable insights and experiences, highlighting the significance of diversity, equality, and creating inclusive work environments.

Shannon emphasized the importance of challenging traditional norms and breaking barriers in order to create opportunities for oneself. She d...

In the podcast episode of "The Pay-It-Forward Society," Romain interviews Dominic Tremblay, the CEO of TUX Creative House, an advertising company. Dominic shares his journey into leadership and discusses the implementation of a four-day workweek in his company. He emphasizes the importance of work-life balance and the need for employees to recharge their creativity. Dominic highlights that productivity is not solely dependent on th...

In this episode of "The Pay-It-Forward Society," Romain engages in an inspiring conversation with Paloma Garcia, a dynamic leader in the technology industry. Paloma shares her inspiring journey into leadership, offering valuable insights and lessons for aspiring leaders.

Throughout the discussion, Paloma emphasizes the importance of maintaining a growth mindset. She highlights the significance of setting clear goals and contin...

In this episode, we talk with Holly Foxcroft, a neurodiversity consultant and advocate, about how to create a more neuroinclusive workplace. Holly shares her personal experiences of living with autism and ADHD, and how this has shaped her work in this area. She also offers practical tips for leaders looking to create a more inclusive culture for neurodivergent individuals.

Understanding Neurodiversity

Holly emphasizes the impo...

In this episode, Romain interviews Steve Cuss , a seasoned leader with over three decades of experience in the video game industry. Steve shares his story of resilience and transformation, having faced significant challenges in 2012 when he was forced to take a three-month hiatus due to stress-induced depression caused by a toxic work environment.

Steve's journey to becoming a liberated leader began when he took time off to re...

in this episode, we speak with Sam Nchinda, a seasoned  leader with a passion for learning and growth. Sam shares his insights on how his background being an Olympic athlete has shaped his leadership style, as well as his experiences fostering creativity and curiosity within his team.

The main ideas of the episode include:

1. Resilience is key to success: Sam discusses the importance of picking oneself up after failure and usin...

Remi Vespa, President of Blue Trail Software, is committed to creating a better model for for-profit companies centered on the empowerment of their stakeholders.

With nearly 40 years of experience building and managing companies as a CEO, Remi has spent years researching company structure and organization to improve employee engagement, customer satisfaction, and sustainability.

In this  episode, Remi discusses his path a...

In this episode, I had a conversation with Franco Banfi, the Chief Operation Officer of Decathlon US. With more than 20 years of experience at Decathlon, Franco shares his passion for sports and the company's mission of making sports available to everyone. We dive into Decathlon's philosophy of customer focus and corporate values, including inclusive leadership, and responsibilities. Franco also shares insights from inspiring leade...

I approached Daryl Hammett , GM of Global Demand and Operations at AWS, after reading an interview of him.  Once I read it, I knew I wanted to have a conversation and learn from him. We never met nor worked together before. What Daryl shared in this paper resonated with me so strongly, that I had to talk to him, it was a no-brainer. And this discussion was trully mind blowing!🤯

Daryl has accumulated profound leadership wisdom...

💪 Alison Conigliaro-Hubbard  has an incredible, and communicative energy. In this conversation, she shared how to lead with courage and curiosity, the importance of creating long-lasting relationships, and many personal stories that were trully inspiring. 

I also really liked her mantra "If it is to be, it is up to me." I am all about Ownership, and that resonated very well with me.

Read her Book:

Lessons in Life and Lea...