The Saturday Study: Never Give Up – You’re Closer Than You Think + Creative Partnerships That Affect Real Change

?? from Austin, and welcome to my Saturday Study.

For those who don't know me my name is Joe Toste, and I'm a podcaster by day, basketball coach by night (and even on Saturday mornings, too!)

Fun fact: I'm flying back at 5:40am central to coach a game in the afternoon. Go Chargers!

This past week I loved personally catching up with a number of my podcast guests -from the City of San Jose to the DIR (Department of Information Resources), and the various state agencies DIR supports in Texas. If there's a common theme among the conversations I've had with CIOs and leaders it's that people are starved for connection within community.

Without community, there's no connectedness

For some of us, community can seem difficult and scary to build because it requires a level of vulnerability and openness that many aren't comfortable with. But what if vulnerability and openness are exactly what is needed to strengthen and build a strong community? People joke around about Zoom (or Teams, etc.) fatigue, but it's real! That's why more people are finding the courage to step out of virtual inertia and reconnect in person.

Speaking of in-person - the painting below is from?Krishna Edathil's?(head of Cloud/AI for the State of Texas)?son (Nirupad). Even kids love TechTables, too! : )

The Study

Zlata Gleason, CFA is the Partner of Client Advisory at Indus Capital Partners. For those who don't know Zlata, she has an incredible story of grit, persistence, and drive. Zlata started out in Turkey (she even played on a feeder team into the Turkey National Basketball Team), moved to Oxford, and eventually New York.

It’s not everyday I get to sit down with someone who has fled their home due to war! Zlata Gleason, CFA's life story is such a great example of taking the circumstances life throws at you and CHOOSING to pivot away from the current direction life seems to be turning you. I left our talk feeling inspired and I know you will, too.

In today's episode you will learn:

• The power of shifting from an “I’ll show you” to “I’ll show up” attitude
• The paradox of hardship
• How generalists succeed in a highly specialized world
• Living out a multi-chapter life philosophy
• Blue Devils vs Tar Heel's rivalry and banter?

This week on TechTables we featured Rob Lloyd, CIO at the City of San Jose. : )

Ep.67 - The GovTech + CivTech Strategy: Creative Partnerships That Affect Real Change

We cover:

• De-centering the “superstar” and stacking organizational teams through perseverance
• The role of brutal prioritization and trust metrics in the strategic planning process to deliver what is actually needed
• Closing the digital equity divide through creative digital inclusion and broadband strategies
• The “Pivot Moment” we are in, and how Rob sees CIO’s multi-stacking tools and strategies to transform their organizations and the communities they serve
• GovTech + CivTech strategy: challenging corporate citizens to partner together to identify who’s missing and build better services that positively impact communities

Transcript & Links

Have a fun weekend,

Joe Toste : )

PS: It would mean the world if you would give TechTables and The Study a quick review. Just tap the number of stars you think each show deserves, and drop a quick rating.