Couldn’t have asked for better feedback when the VP of Innovation in a Fortune 50 CPG company said this after my first presentation using HP’s massive Photon studio to share the strategic roadmap developed using our Big Data Lab.

High-fives and chest-bumps were given all around after he left the room from Russ Stanziale, Ed Silva, Susan Samstag, Brad Fellows, and Ed Kintz.

A fantastic, validating experience for my entry into the SI / Technology Analytics space!    Thanks HP team!!

Another huge vote of confidence when I was flown to Mexico on an enormous client pitch…for Supply Chain rather than Marketing Analytics. While this was still a newer space for me, my delivery technique had proven itself transferable to both other industries as well as domains – and the lead sales rep wanted me to deliver our Analytic solution in my own unique way for this 8-figure deal.

Many Thanks to my Genpact colleagues who had faith in me…Mayank Pande, Phil Falato, Casper Synnott, Sebastian Urbina, Aswin Chandrasekaran, Hemal Ghelani, Amaresh Tripathy, and David Hauser.

   ( BTW, we won the deal! )

Couldn’t have imagined a more flattering show of confidence and trust from Nina Richman when she helped me break the mold at Nielsen to bring us this business. It was a first for us in remote servicing - leveraging techniques developed in BASES to bring the best Analytic talent regardless of location – and it validated my move into Nielsen.

Couldn’t have done it without the superstars on my team – especially James Hare, Matt Mohler, Kaitlyn Zucchi, Amy Curless, and Susan Brady…plus support from leaders like Leon Shooter, Allen Burch, and John J. Lewis.    Thanks Nielsen team!!

The Analytics space is tricky. Typically you have brilliant people who use complex data models to make recommendations…so finding individuals with an executive presence to take a step back and listen to clients - yet are smart enough to also understand the details - can be challenging.

Fortunately, there are those I’ve worked with at DXC who understood this dynamic and had confidence enough to bring me in, including Manish Verma, Catherine Gildea, Anthony Carre, Scott Holmes, Radek, Michael Boykin, Alex Gurevich, Jeff Lovett, Patrick Boyle, Dave Dixon, and Amy Zimmerman.

Thanks for seeing this Skill in me!

Sometimes the simplest of words can have the most impact. While personally stretching into a new space of Organizational Design by building an optimization simulator – allowing exploration of different compositions of a global Analytics department ( size, onshore/offshore, in-house/outsourced, etc. ) – I knew we were on the right track when the Head of Insights & Analytics gave me this response.

And the best part was he didn’t even ask for a simulator – just scenarios. This “extra goodie” was provided for free, but was instrumental in cementing our relationship.

Spécial thanks to my Genpact collègues David Hauser, Jeff Cateau, and Tanmay Nagpal.

The best leaders are not after personal glory. They take satisfaction in seeing the team they build, coach, and work with excel. But it’s still gratifying when clients peek behind the curtain and realize your fingerprints are all over the results.

Thanks to my Nielsen teammates who were a part of this journey, such as James Hare, Jon Mills, Mike Murphy, Dan Brady, Sue Brady, Amy Curless, Whitney Dunlevy and the support of leaders like Leon Shooter, Alan Burch, and John Lewis.

It’s extremely rewarding to get validation that your techniques are both working and genuinely appreciated. The true test of leadership is when you can influence colleagues who don’t directly report to you. There’s no stick - only the carrot. You have to convince them why your approach makes sense…get their buy-in. Which, after all, is what a manager should be doing anyway…whether an individual reports to you or not.

Thanks to my the many great colleagues at WNS who bought into my approach...Amanjot Singh, KG Sriram, Kavita Nair, Aman, Nitin Aggarwal, Vishesh Gangal, Gautam Singh, Alpar Kamber, Krupa Singampally, and Vibhor Garg.

I was not a professor – never had been, but the impact I was having at Miami University became validated when a Marketing student asked other professors where my office was. While at BASES and Nielsen, I volunteered for years at my alma matter to present in the classroom, judge case study competitions, and generally offer whatever help I could in sharing what I knew about real-world market research and analytics. A very rewarding experience – not only by giving back, but also learning how to refine my presentation approach!

Thanks to those who trusted me with their students, especially Bob Stearns, Bob Dahlstrom, Mike McCarthy, Gillian Oakenfull, Dave Rosenthal, Tim Greenlee, and Devon DelVecchio.

The true test for a Leader is when participants don’t have to be there. It’s not part of their job, not a required class, not a sports practice. To get things done, you have to hone your approaches to motivation, speaking, and painting a vision. As a volunteer for many different organizations, this feedback was one of the most rewarding to hear – it showed me that my technique was working. And those lessons translated over into my professional life, where a provocative client conversation or an engaging presentation can work wonders for business.

Special thanks to those Sigma Chis trusting me on that journey, including Bob Greiwe, Jesse Dunbar, Eric Hansen, Chad Buecker, Jeremy Saum, Jay DeWitt, Ike Misali, Steve Strickland, John Russell, and Linc Pavey.

( ask me more about the incredible client feedback I received from my award-winning storyTeller(TM) solution! )

( ask me more about the incredible compliment given to me after transitioning my Analytics skillset from the Market Research industry over into the Systems Integration / IT world! )