FountainBlue's August 2022 Newsletter FountainBlue's monthly newsletters include original articles on innovation and leadership topics, notes from past events, and invitations to upcoming online events.
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* Corporate partners receive complementary admission to our online programs, but general admission is available for $50 each at whenshespeaks.com/register
* Sample our coaching services by scheduling a 15-minute no-obligation call on the 'what's next' theme https://calendly.com/fountainblue/whatsnext | Performance Reviews make the most courageous, most resilient of us shudder. It’s cringe-worthy whether you’re giving or receiving the performance review. Complaints and gripes run the gamut and stakes are high as promotions and job security are on the line. Below are some suggested strategies for conducting reviews and managing staff which makes them feel empowered and engaged. |  Empower and Engage while Improving Performance | |  Register Now to join our upcoming program! | Launched in Silicon Valley in May 2006, FountainBlue's monthly When She Speaks luncheon panel discussions feature senior women leaders from partner tech companies speaking on leadership and innovation topics. Our interactive conversations are known for being inspiring, educational, practical and fun. For more information, visit www.whenshespeaks.com Upcoming When She Speaks 2022 Online Programs
* What He Said, What He Meant, August 12, 2022, hosted by Renesas
* One of 'The Onlys', September 9, 2022, hosted by tbd
* Local Input, Global Impact, October 14, 2022, hosted by ASML
* Fourth Annual Mentorship Best Practices Panel, November 11, 2022, hosted by Coupa
* Fifth Annual Men Who Open Doors Awards, December 9, 2022, hosted by Reputation | Join us for this month's online program! August 12, 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. What He/She Said, What He/She Meant Conducted Online with our hosts at Renesas Link will be sent to registered attendees To register, visit https://www.tikkl.com/fountainblue/c/programs | This month's When She Speaks panel will feature pairs of executives, each sharing some thoughts and ideas on how men and women can work together to better understand what was said and what was meant, so that we can all better connect and collaborate on a common mission. (We are featuring a range of male and female executives, without implying that all men or all women could or should communicate in any specific manner.) Facilitator Linda Holroyd, CEO, FountainBlue
Panelist Larissa Crandall, VP, Channels and Alliances, Gigamon
Panelist Michael Dickman, Chief Product Officer, Gigamon
Panelist Ronald Goossens, Senior Director of Marketing, ASML
Panelist Lee Wills, US and Global Chief Diversity Officer, ASML
and representing our host company are: Panelist Stephen Limoges, Sr. Director - Global Industrial Sales, Renesas and
Panelist Krista Pavlakos, Vice President, Marketing Communications, Renesas Order your tickets online: $50 general admission | FountainBlue's June 10 When She Speaks program, on the topic of 'Startups Changing the World'. Please join me in thanking our hosts at Intel and our esteemed panelists. We were fortunate to have a range of amazing leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs for this month's panel. They represented a wide range of perspectives and backgrounds, but they had much in common: ▪ Passionate, intelligent and hardworking, our panelists were not intimidated by the STEM subjects they mastered, and all took their technical abilities into business roles.
▪ Ever fearless, resilient and unflappable, our panelists thrived on adopting and conquering business, technical, and operational issues, earning them leadership roles in companies big and small.
▪ Each panelist has had experience working in companies, start-ups and some even in investment groups, and each is contributing to the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
| ▪ | Passionate, intelligent and hardworking, our panelists were not intimidated by the STEM subjects they mastered, and all took their technical abilities into business roles. | | ▪ | Ever fearless, resilient and unflappable, our panelists thrived on adopting and conquering business, technical, and operational issues, earning them leadership roles in companies big and small. | | ▪ | Each panelist has had experience working in companies, start-ups and some even in investment groups, and each is contributing to the entrepreneurial ecosystem. | Below is a summary of advice for supporting start-ups changing the world. ▪ Work with engineering and product teams to create solutions which address core world issues.
▪ Focus on growing a business which does the right things to support people, the earth, and others while doing well financially and operationally.
▪ Create and support an ecosystem of partners and providers who can collaborate with you to increase influence and impact.
▪ Build momentum with customers, sales, partnerships and keep focusing on the needs of the customer.
▪ Look for a start-up leadership team which is resilient enough to ride the ups and downs of start-ups and of markets, especially now with so much variance and so many unknowns.
▪ Tell your start-up story in a way which is compelling, and fill your story with data.
▪ Let your customers help you define your feature sets, milestones and timelines.
▪ Help successful companies and leaders keep growing and learning.
| ▪ | Work with engineering and product teams to create solutions which address core world issues. | | ▪ | Focus on growing a business which does the right things to support people, the earth, and others while doing well financially and operationally. | | ▪ | Create and support an ecosystem of partners and providers who can collaborate with you to increase influence and impact. | | ▪ | Build momentum with customers, sales, partnerships and keep focusing on the needs of the customer. | | ▪ | Look for a start-up leadership team which is resilient enough to ride the ups and downs of start-ups and of markets, especially now with so much variance and so many unknowns. | | ▪ | Tell your start-up story in a way which is compelling, and fill your story with data. | | ▪ | Let your customers help you define your feature sets, milestones and timelines. | | ▪ | Help successful companies and leaders keep growing and learning. | The bottom line is that start-ups aren't easy to lead or manage, but it is these start-ups that will help us all change the world for the better. | About FountainBlue's Front Line Managers Online Series FountainBlue's Semi-Monthly Front Line Managers Online series features a panel discussion of HR, product, engineering and business leaders, presenting on leadership and innovation topics of interest to front line managers. Our meetings feature interactive conversations on topics raised by our corporate partners and the larger FountainBlue network.
Below are remaining 2022 Front Linda Managers Online programs are listed below, all taking place from 11:50 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. | ▪ Managing Up, Down and Sideways, August 5, 2022
▪ Difficult Conversations - Bring Them On! August 19, 2022
▪ Performance Management Best Practices, September 2, 2022
▪ The Why Before the What, Before the How, September 16, 2022
▪ Making Decisions That Count, October 7, 2022
▪ Change Management Best Practices, October 21, 2022
▪ The Gift of Gratitude, November 4, 2022
▪ Open Hearts, Open Minds, December 2, 2022
▪ Visioning Program for Sponsors and Speakers, December 13, 2022
| ▪ | Managing Up, Down and Sideways, August 5, 2022 | | ▪ | Difficult Conversations - Bring Them On! August 19, 2022 | | ▪ | Performance Management Best Practices, September 2, 2022 | | ▪ | The Why Before the What, Before the How, September 16, 2022 | | ▪ | Making Decisions That Count, October 7, 2022 | | ▪ | Change Management Best Practices, October 21, 2022 | | ▪ | The Gift of Gratitude, November 4, 2022 | | ▪ | Open Hearts, Open Minds, December 2, 2022 | | ▪ | Visioning Program for Sponsors and Speakers, December 13, 2022 | For more information about our Front Line Managers programs, visit www.whenshespeaks.com/frontline.
Notes from our discussions are available online at http://fountainblue.blog/category/front-line-managers/. | FountainBlue's July 1 Front Line Managers Online program on the topic of 'Growing Your Emotional Intelligence'. Please join me in thanking our panelists. ▪ as a Business Leader - Sheri Simmons, Philips
▪ as an HR Leader - Roxanne Dos Santos, Samsung Research America and
▪ as People Leader - Susan Norton, BOLD
▪ as a Product Leader - Ashwini Lahane, Freshworks
| ▪ | as a Business Leader - Sheri Simmons, Philips | | ▪ | as an HR Leader - Roxanne Dos Santos, Samsung Research America and | | ▪ | as People Leader - Susan Norton, BOLD | | ▪ | as a Product Leader - Ashwini Lahane, Freshworks | | Our EQ panel represented a range of organizations and roles, but had much in common: ▪ They humbly navigated their career up, down and sideways, always looking to learn and grow and become a larger and better version of themselves.
▪ They are highly aware of their impact on others, and leverage their power and influence for the greater good, driving bottom line results while also developing their people.
| ▪ | They humbly navigated their career up, down and sideways, always looking to learn and grow and become a larger and better version of themselves. | | ▪ | They are highly aware of their impact on others, and leverage their power and influence for the greater good, driving bottom line results while also developing their people. | Our panelists spoke extensively about Daniel Goleman’s five components of emotional intelligence, as profiled in his Sept 2005 book entitled Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ. ▪ Emotional self awareness: Knowing what one is feeling at any given time and understanding the impact those moods have on others is a foundational quality of emotional intelligence. Staying attuned to your feelings and sensitive to how others are responding to what you're thinking, saying or doing will help develop EQ.
▪ Self-regulation: Putting up filters to control, redirect or otherwise manage one’s emotions supports one's emotional intelligence. In addition, anticipating consequences before acting on impulse helps ensure smooth interactions and communications and build relationships and rapport.
▪ Empathy: Awareness of and respect for the the emotions and feelings of others is another core EQ quality. This other-centeredness helps build understanding and connections between people, even when they are very different.
▪ Social skills: Leveraging EQ skills can help manage relationships, inspire, empower and engage others to participate in the larger cause. Motivation: Leaders with high emotional intelligence can better achieve goals, enjoy the learning process and persevere in the face of obstacles, and mobilize those they touch to do the same.
| ▪ | Emotional self awareness: Knowing what one is feeling at any given time and understanding the impact those moods have on others is a foundational quality of emotional intelligence. Staying attuned to your feelings and sensitive to how others are responding to what you're thinking, saying or doing will help develop EQ. | | ▪ | Self-regulation: Putting up filters to control, redirect or otherwise manage one’s emotions supports one's emotional intelligence. In addition, anticipating consequences before acting on impulse helps ensure smooth interactions and communications and build relationships and rapport. | | ▪ | Empathy: Awareness of and respect for the the emotions and feelings of others is another core EQ quality. This other-centeredness helps build understanding and connections between people, even when they are very different. | | ▪ | Social skills: Leveraging EQ skills can help manage relationships, inspire, empower and engage others to participate in the larger cause. Motivation: Leaders with high emotional intelligence can better achieve goals, enjoy the learning process and persevere in the face of obstacles, and mobilize those they touch to do the same. | Below is a compilation of advice on best practices for growing emotional intelligence: Stretch Yourself
* Embrace challenges as learning opportunities and grow from each experience.
* Have the courage to invite and accept feedback, and the fortitude to grow and learn from it.
* Manage your ego, which may not respond well to the thoughts, words and actions of others.
* Be aware and manage the triggers and buttons which may not bring out the best in yourself, and lead to less than desirable responses to others.
* Know when to Endure, when to Engage, when to Embrace the challenging situations (and people) in front of you.
* Challenge yourself about your perspective, about your pace, about your areas of focus, about the processes adopted, about the scale you're striving for.
* Do what you need to do to keep centered and balanced, including journaling, meditating, reflection, education, etc., Challenge Others to Also Grow ▪ Have the compassion and grace to support others as they also navigate challenges during these times of great change.
▪ Help others to feel safe and supported while raising the bar for them, and providing them with the resources and support to feel engaged, empowered and successful.
▪ Be direct with your feelings, but in a non-emotional way.
▪ Try this formula when you face people not-like-you, 'When you do X, it makes me feel Y. Could you do Z instead?'
| ▪ | Have the compassion and grace to support others as they also navigate challenges during these times of great change. | | ▪ | Help others to feel safe and supported while raising the bar for them, and providing them with the resources and support to feel engaged, empowered and successful. | | ▪ | Be direct with your feelings, but in a non-emotional way. | | ▪ | Try this formula when you face people not-like-you, 'When you do X, it makes me feel Y. Could you do Z instead?' | Grow the Team and Organization ▪ Proactively manage your own emotions so that you can optimize for a productive and constructive response and relationships with the team and the organization.
▪ Help your team tie passion to purpose and collaboratively drive toward measurable outcomes.
| ▪ | Proactively manage your own emotions so that you can optimize for a productive and constructive response and relationships with the team and the organization. | | ▪ | Help your team tie passion to purpose and collaboratively drive toward measurable outcomes. | The bottom line is that your EQ will always be more important than your IQ, and growing your EQ will grow yourself and all you touch. | | July 15 Front Line Managers Online program on the topic of 'Embracing an Agile Mindset' | FountainBlue's July 15 Front Line Managers Online program was on the topic of 'Embracing an Agile Mindset'. Please join me in thanking our panelists. ▪ as a Business Leader - Louise Lamb, Coupa
▪ as a Program Leader - Mona Hudak, Cisco
▪ as an Engineering Leader - Pooja Agrawal, Renesas
| ▪ | as a Business Leader - Louise Lamb, Coupa | | ▪ | as a Program Leader - Mona Hudak, Cisco | | ▪ | as an Engineering Leader - Pooja Agrawal, Renesas | | Our Agility panelists represented a wide range of roles, organizations and backgrounds, but they have much in common: ▪ They navigated their career with agility and grace.
▪ They build deep networks and relationships which transcend roles, organizations and opportunities.
▪ They embrace challenges as opportunities and stalwartly march forward to learn and grow, facilitating success for their teams, their products, and their organizations.
▪ They are passionate and eloquent communicators who enjoy sharing their wisdom and advice.
| ▪ | They navigated their career with agility and grace. | | ▪ | They build deep networks and relationships which transcend roles, organizations and opportunities. | | ▪ | They embrace challenges as opportunities and stalwartly march forward to learn and grow, facilitating success for their teams, their products, and their organizations. | | ▪ | They are passionate and eloquent communicators who enjoy sharing their wisdom and advice. | Below is a compilation of best practices on how to embrace agility. Be Strategic ▪ Be purposeful and intentional about what you do and why you do it.
▪ Be open about the challenges in front of you and inclusive and collaborative as you address them head-on.
▪ Welcome opportunities to fail quickly, and to fail forward, learning what to-do and what not-to-do along the way.
| ▪ | Be purposeful and intentional about what you do and why you do it. | | ▪ | Be open about the challenges in front of you and inclusive and collaborative as you address them head-on. | | ▪ | Welcome opportunities to fail quickly, and to fail forward, learning what to-do and what not-to-do along the way. | Manage Through Change ▪ Align everyone to a common purpose, but be open about HOW each person or group might implement/perform their tasks.
▪ Focus on your performance, but also on the perception others have of you, and the politics which may complicate your ability to perform well.
▪ Accept that change will always happen, and be positive and constructive when facing these changes.
▪ Focus on delivering the business imperatives as you integrate changes.
| ▪ | Align everyone to a common purpose, but be open about HOW each person or group might implement/perform their tasks. | | ▪ | Focus on your performance, but also on the perception others have of you, and the politics which may complicate your ability to perform well. | | ▪ | Accept that change will always happen, and be positive and constructive when facing these changes. | | ▪ | Focus on delivering the business imperatives as you integrate changes. | Overcome Obstacles to Change ▪ Identify and address the root causes for the problems and challenges in front of you.
▪ Encourage everyone to be resourceful problem-solvers and data-centered decision-makers.
▪ Break problems into smaller pieces so that you don't boil the ocean.
| ▪ | Identify and address the root causes for the problems and challenges in front of you. | | ▪ | Encourage everyone to be resourceful problem-solvers and data-centered decision-makers. | | ▪ | Break problems into smaller pieces so that you don't boil the ocean. | Overcome Objections to Change ▪ Distinguish between practical and emotional resistance to change so that you can better manage the adoption of necessary changes.
▪ Be empathetic and supportive to people who are change-resistant, and provide training, support and information so that they can better accept change.
▪ Be patient and persistent and positive as you agilely manage others through change.
▪ Be positive, dynamic and proactive as you lead through change.
| ▪ | Distinguish between practical and emotional resistance to change so that you can better manage the adoption of necessary changes. | | ▪ | Be empathetic and supportive to people who are change-resistant, and provide training, support and information so that they can better accept change. | | ▪ | Be patient and persistent and positive as you agilely manage others through change. | | ▪ | Be positive, dynamic and proactive as you lead through change. | Change is a constant, but agilely and resourcefully responding to the need for change will help yourself and your team deliver business results which satisfy customers. |  FountainBlue's Invitation-Only VIP Roundtables | About FountainBlue's VIP Roundtables Launched in December 2015, FountainBlue convenes executive leaders in monthly conversations on innovation and market trends. This invitation-only event is designed for senior executives and facilitates connections between peers in the context of sharing best practices on today's hottest opportunities and challenges. | Our executives in attendance have consistently remarked on the breadth and depth of ideas introduced and the quality of the connections made through participation in the series. See our notes from all our past roundtable at https://fountainblue.wordpress.com/category/vip/. Our draft plans for 2022 programs are listed below, all conducted online from 7:50 - 9:00 a.m. PST. ▪ Balancing Privacy, Security and Access, August 12, 2022, hosted by Samsung
▪ AR/VR Immersion Experiences, September 9, 2022, hosted by Analog
▪ Automation Use Cases, October 14, 2022, hosted by IBM
▪ Data is the New Black, November 11, 2022, hosted by Renesas
▪ Smart Buildings, Smart Cities, December 10, 2022, hosted by Autodesk
| ▪ | Balancing Privacy, Security and Access, August 12, 2022, hosted by Samsung | | ▪ | AR/VR Immersion Experiences, September 9, 2022, hosted by Analog | | ▪ | Automation Use Cases, October 14, 2022, hosted by IBM | | ▪ | Data is the New Black, November 11, 2022, hosted by Renesas | | ▪ | Smart Buildings, Smart Cities, December 10, 2022, hosted by Autodesk | For more information, visit http://whenshespeaks.com/vip. |  Sign up for our monthly newsletters to receive notes for our upcoming monthly vip roundtables! | Notes from Last Month's VIP Roundtable Online Meeting FountainBlue's July 8 VIP Roundtable was on the topic of 'Next Generation Hardware', with opening remarks by Honda. Please join me in thanking our executives in attendance for their remarks and input. | Collaboration and integration were both themes in this morning's far-ranging discussion about the next generation of hardware. Hardware must integrate with software and processes to deliver full-featured customized solutions which add value, are safe, protect privacy, and, ideally, also be cost-effective, efficient and sustainable. This is no small task, but our experienced and dynamic executives in attendance shared many best practices on doing this well. ▪ Embrace carbon-neutral, sustainable solutions because the customers demand it and because it's the right thing to do.
▪ Look for interconnections between solutions, problems, customers, etc., as it may be a basis future innovations.
▪ When designing hardware prototypes, understand the stressors which would impact the integrity of the hardware, including temperature variations, SW integration requirements, power needs, etc.,
▪ Accept that managing material availability and supply chain challenges is part of the hardware innovation challenge.
▪ Optimize for efficiency and effectiveness while ensuring low-failure rates, sustainability, reliability, and compatibility.
▪ When designing and producing prototypes, assume that speeds will continue to double and that there will be a shorter time to market.
▪ Differentiate on user experience and ease of use.
▪ Work with researchers as well as engineering, business and operations staff to address the design, prototyping, manufacturing, production, and distribution challenges inherent with hardware innovations.
| ▪ | Embrace carbon-neutral, sustainable solutions because the customers demand it and because it's the right thing to do. | | ▪ | Look for interconnections between solutions, problems, customers, etc., as it may be a basis future innovations. | | ▪ | When designing hardware prototypes, understand the stressors which would impact the integrity of the hardware, including temperature variations, SW integration requirements, power needs, etc., | | ▪ | Accept that managing material availability and supply chain challenges is part of the hardware innovation challenge. | | ▪ | Optimize for efficiency and effectiveness while ensuring low-failure rates, sustainability, reliability, and compatibility. | | ▪ | When designing and producing prototypes, assume that speeds will continue to double and that there will be a shorter time to market. | | ▪ | Differentiate on user experience and ease of use. | | ▪ | Work with researchers as well as engineering, business and operations staff to address the design, prototyping, manufacturing, production, and distribution challenges inherent with hardware innovations. | Below are some thoughts on some hardware innovation ideas to watch for: ▪ Scenario-based, photo-realistic renderings are driving real-world innovations
▪ Optimization for power consumption
▪ Novel memory processors which don't require additional capability, packaging or overhead
▪ 3D Printing options which minimize risk and optimize for efficiency and functionality
▪ Digital Twin technology to do prototyping with software to better inform hardware design and layout, hardware requirements and even hardware development and integration.
| ▪ | Scenario-based, photo-realistic renderings are driving real-world innovations | | ▪ | Optimization for power consumption | | ▪ | Novel memory processors which don't require additional capability, packaging or overhead | | ▪ | 3D Printing options which minimize risk and optimize for efficiency and functionality | | ▪ | Digital Twin technology to do prototyping with software to better inform hardware design and layout, hardware requirements and even hardware development and integration. | The bottom line is that hardware innovations are continuing to evolve at breakneck speed, and it's the innovative leaders, like the ones in attendance, and their organizations who are collaborating with others to stay in front of the curve. | Until We Next Connect We hope to include you at the next When She Speaks, advising and consulting needs. Until we next connect, Linda Holroyd
Founder and CEO, FountainBlue
Organizer, When She Speaks, Front Line Managers Online, and VIP Roundtable Series
Change Management Consultant, Executive Coach, Start-up Adviser | |
