Leaders24x7 Podcast

Our guest today is Niel Nickolaisen, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at O.C. Tanner, ranked on the Fortune 100 “Best Companies to Work For” list.

In this interview Niel offers a laser-focused perspective on the art of leading people and building capability in others. Niel has a passion for the development and delivery of innovative technology, providing exceptional customer service, and building great teams. He loves nothing better than seeing his IT teams grow and succeed.

Niel has a long career specializing in leadership positions, typically in turnaround roles. His strategic and tactical alignment model significantly improves returns on technology and business initiatives. He has a passion for helping others deliver on what he calls the dual role of enterprise IT: 1) Enable strategy and 2) Achieve operational excellence.

Niel’s degrees include:

• MS in Engineering from MIT
• BS in Physics from Utah State University
• MGA from Utah State University

He writes an enterprise CIO column for SearchCIO and is a contributor to CIO Magazine. Niel is also a co-author of The Agile Culture and Stand Back and Deliver.

Some of the things you will learn in this podcast include:

• How to build trust with your people.
• The qualities sought after in future leaders.
• Pitfalls leaders ought to avoid.
• The art of developing future leaders.
• How to build a strategy that creates competitive advantage.
• What to know about leading technologists.

We are pleased to present Niel Nickolaisen on our Leaders247 leadership series.

Our guest today is Niel Nickolaisen, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at O.C. Tanner, ranked on the Fortune 100 “Best Companies to Work For” list.

In this interview Niel offers a laser-focused perspective on the art of leading people and building capability in others. Niel has a passion for the development and delivery of innovative technology, providing exceptional customer service, and building great teams. He loves nothing better than seeing his IT teams grow and succeed.

Niel has a long career specializing in leadership positions, typically in turnaround roles. His strategic and tactical alignment model significantly improves returns on technology and business initiatives. He has a passion for helping others deliver on what he calls the dual role of enterprise IT: 1) Enable strategy and 2) Achieve operational excellence.

Niel’s degrees include:

• MS in Engineering from MIT
• BS in Physics from Utah State University
• MGA from Utah State University

He writes an enterprise CIO column for SearchCIO and is a contributor to CIO Magazine. Niel is also a co-author of The Agile Culture and Stand Back and Deliver.

Some of the things you will learn in this podcast include:

• How to build trust with your people.
• The qualities sought after in future leaders.
• Pitfalls leaders ought to avoid.
• The art of developing future leaders.
• How to build a strategy that creates competitive advantage.
• What to know about leading technologists.

We are pleased to present Niel Nickolaisen on our Leaders247 leadership series.

Our guest today is Kevin Crandall, Vice President at Xactware Solutions, Inc., located in Utah Valley just south of Salt Lake City. Kevin has been with Xactware since 2004, and over this time he has held positions of General Manager; Assistant Vice President of Implementation; and now Vice President of Quality and Claims Solutions. Kevin is one of those people you just like to get to know. He’s been highly successful everywhere he has been, and it doesn’t take long to learn that Kevin cares about the people he works with.

For those who don’t know about Xactware, let me explain. This is a unique company that develops software for estimating the cost of building and repair. 22 of 25 U.S. property insurance companies use Xactware Solutions.

In this interview you will learn:

• Why some people are constantly selected for leadership.
• How to turn a leadership failure into success.
• Guidance for young aspiring leaders.
• How to use your management role to help others.

We are pleased to host Kevin in our Leaders247 Leadership Series.

Our guest today is David Stirling, a Founding Executive, Chief Executive Officer, and President of doTERRA, a worldwide health and wellness company headquartered in the heart of Utah Valley in Pleasant Grove, Utah. David is one of the individuals responsible for having grown this company from a start-up idea to a place that now employs over 1,300 people, engages over 1 million Wellness Advocates, and enjoys many million-dollar revenue days. doTERRA is one of the fastest growing companies in history.

David’s journey is an interesting one and anyone looking to gain insights into the challenges of leading people in a dynamic international market will enjoy this particular show. In this show some of the key insights David shares include:

• How to lead high performing people.
• How to organize a top leadership team.
• Why it is important to learn to be strategic.
• Mistakes you just cannot afford to make.
• Lessons for growing as a leader.
• Principles to live by as a leader.

We are thrilled to have David kick off our leaders247 series.

Former Marine Officer and current professor, Dr. Kate Hendricks Thomas shares valuable lessons from her journey into the world of leading in the mostly male-dominated U.S. Marine Corps environment.

Watch for three themes in this show:

• Challenges facing new leaders.
• Challenges facing female leaders.
• Challenges facing veterans returning from combat-like conditions.

Our discussion weaves in and out of all three themes providing priceless leadership insight for anyone facing a demanding leadership role.

Dr. Thomas is a professor of Health Promotion at Charleston Southern University.  She is a former Marine Officer, a fitness professional, and the author of Brave, Strong, True: The Modern Warrior’s Battle for Balance.

Leaders247.com highly encourages listeners to read her book. Men and women who return from combat and war-like situations deal with scarring and debilitating mental and emotional issues that most people cannot conceive. But, Veteran or not; or related to a Veteran or not; this book provides deep insight into successfully navigating, and then healing from intense and traumatic situations. Every leader should know this content.

We are pleased to present Dr. Kate Thomas on our Leaders247 podcast series.