When Casey Neistat announced that he, Candice and the family were moving back to Manhattan, you might have heard a collective cheer from his many fans and followers, rising just above the distinctive 'bzzzz'ing' sound of his beloved Boosted Board motors. What many don't know, is the impact Casey had on my life, along a number of tangents, Boosted Boards being one, but more importantly, the lessons learned about content discovery in an asynch content consumption world. These are lessons I've try to incorporate in my content strategy, and teachings. And while I should have recorded it on my board or OneWheel, let me invite you to join me on a morning coffee walk, a bit less precarious, and less wind noise. Shot on my Samsung S21 for something different. I also read somewhere that most podcasts don't get past episode 20, so what better way to celebrate moving past that post, and doing something special for 21, on S21, like we did something special for Episode 13.So without further delay, and with my B2B marketing, product, and communication pros in mind, Lessons from Casey.

Martina Lauchengco is a fantastic B2B tech marketer, who learned from some of the brightest in the business, on a few of the most important software products ever, including Microsoft Word, Microsoft Office, and the first browser wars, between Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Explorer. She's worked for Bill, Marc, and Ben, and splitting early career time between Microsoft and Netscape provided an early graduate level experience in two very different methods of delivering software. Microsoft's rigorous methodology and process, Netscape's focus on speed, speed, ship, course correct and ship again.

In her new book LOVED, Martina meticulously sets the table, then works through the details, of laying a solid product marketing foundation, significantly increasing the probability of success for sales, engineering, and the entire company. Marketing is a function, not a personality type. It take work, not magic, and Martina clearly lays out the concepts in easy to follow detail.
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In this far ranging discussion, Martina shared her insight on some core marketing concepts like framing, story telling, product market fit, pricing, packaging, and bundling. Martina's guidance on content, have a point of view, perhaps provocative, break through the noise. The desired goal of modern marketing is to work into the day's attention and conversations by incorporating education, entertainment, and emotional connection. The target response (less specific than a CTA link), have your content be discovered by the people that matter, excite the audience so that that a) their intellectual curiosity is sparked & they need to learn more and b) intellectual curiosity sparked and a burning need to share with someone. Lots more in the book and the inter view. Martina is always fun, educational, engaging and thought provoking. A great teacher with fantastic work life lesson stories.
Thanks again Martina, Congratulations again with LOVED, quite a undertaking.

I used to see Jon Fortt at all the big tech events, sitting under lights, ear piece in and connected, waiting for the throw from CNBC New York for the latest in technology from The Sands, Moscone, or Javits Convention Centers. Jon has interviewed most of today technology leaders, including Andy Jassy, Shantanu Narayen,, Sandy Speicher, Satya Nadella, and many more. In this far ranging discussion, Jon shares his take on a number of topics, from leadership, culture, authenticity, and other observations time with some of today's top leaders. We covered the evolution of media, and Jon's personal experimentation in varying content formats, structure and delivery, stretching the limits inside, and outside the formal confines of CNBC. After recounting a career journey of from news papers to magazines, national to local to national again, print to television, and adding successfully adding LinkedIn, YouTube & WordPress to the mix.I'm sure fans will enjoy getting to know another side of Jon, being on the other side of the questions. And for those who don't follow Jon, let me introduce you to a positive force in journalism, innovating in delivery, and leveraging his platforms to help others through education. Thanks again Jon, really enjoyed our conversation

I was introduced to Chris and Melissa Bruntlett in 2018 through 'The Dutch Blueprint for Urban Vitality: Building the Cycling City', a bookshelf stable for anyone involved in urban mobility & transportation planning around the globe. Chris and Melissa took it up a notch with their 2021 release 'Curbing Traffic: The Human Case for Fewer Cars in our Lives' where the focus widens  beyond bikes and transportation to broader societal and individual ills caused though the use of a transportation system optimized around metal boxes shooting through space, at the very expensive taking an very expensive toll it talks on that space, and the people in it. The second order impacts of a bike first transportation (or more appropriately, 9-to-5-commute-in-car-optimized') system, are pretty amazing. Beyond physical to mental health in a constant multi-sensory engagement with the community and environment around us, navigating a world not of rules, but of flow at human speed.  Not car first mean the very youngest can safely navigate to school and activities with friends, no need for the minivan.  The old and infirm who've had their keys taken away, are no longer facing a mobility death sentence, forever dependent on a car driving assist. When the car is only one of many options, and especially when it's not the primary, mobility independence is opened to all who can't drive. Can't wait to meet in person on that side of the Atlantic one of these days. Thanks Chris and Melissa

Cities and municipalities and working to do more with the acres of space they own as 'streets' to make them more than simply a thoroughfare for cars. @MrBarricade aka Vignesh Swaminathan uses modern design methods like Tactical Urbanism & Quick-Build techniques to speed and humanize projects for the people who'll live in them. @MrBarricade's mission is much more than bringing a smile or pointing out a protected path, Vignesh is all about teaching members of the community how to use the tools of local government, to learn the language, attend the meeting, join the councils and commissions, and drive change in more than safe streets. In this Far ranging conversation, from the Highway Capacity Manual circa 1965  and 'Level of Service' to the reprioritized thinking in 'VMT Vehicle Miles Traveled', Tactical Urbanism and Dutch design. From Curb management to PEVs. And lots of references to Janette Sadik-Khan. I learned a lot. Hope you do to. Thanks Vignesh Let's go ride!

I was so excited to visit Keith and Melissa Townsend, Mr and Mrs CTO Advisor, on the CTO Flying Cloud Cross Country Bay Area Tour Stop, accompanied by one of the best creators in the B2B business, Vittorio Viarengo. We settled into the Airstream to talk all things B2B content, to help you better engage with your audience. A real treat.
Thanks for hosting us Keith and Melissa.
Thanks for joining us Vittorio.
Hope you learn a little, I always do with these two.

I always enjoy a look into the lives and activities of those fortunate professionals who carry the title of 'Evangelist.'  Hugo Bowne-Anderson, Head of Data Science Evangelism and Marketing for Coiled joined me from his home in Sydney, Australia for a conversation all things Coiled, Dask, and the Pythonic ecosystem. Hugo shares a unique perspective, having been a practicing data scientist in the world of molecular cell biology, as well as an instructor, developing and delivering online interactive data sciences classes that have been enjoyed by over half a million students.  A big part of Hugo's mission is the capture and share the stories how people are using data science to improve our lives, one application at a time.
Thanks Hugo.

The never ending cybersecurity battles have only increased as attackers and defenders have both integrated more advanced techniques, including the increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI). Mike DeCesare has been in the proverbial trenches, most recently at Forescout. Mike recently joined Exabeam as President and CEO to take the company to the next level with the assistance of a recent round of funding.  In this far ranging conversation, Mike and I discuss the evolving security landscape, Zero Trust, and the fundamentally different security posture required in today's world. Thanks again Mike, always enjoy getting the latest from you.

Everyone said, "Jeff, give us the short version"
And, didn't think it fair to put a guest on Episode 13
, so here it is.....

Menlo Creek Manifesto, in 10 min or less
- Turn the Lens Episode 13
(extended version at www.MenloCreek.com/Manifesto
Looking forward to your feedback.

Matt Rocklin has been in the center of the Python renaissance in enterprise data science, at Anaconda, NVIDIA, and now Coiled, Matt's start up focused on helping enterprises more easily deploy parallelized python in production at scale. Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Machine Learning (ML) are two of the most important technologies of our time, data scientists write the algorithms that make it possible. Coiled is enabling more data scientists to do their job better by removing friction, both for scaling (to cloud) and working within the confines of corporate governance, compliance, and economic requirements. In this far ranging interview, Matt discussed the continuing advances in data science,  open source in the enterprise, the python resurgence, and the challenges of building a company during a global pandemic.
Thanks Matt.

Electric cars are one of the most visible signs of the electrification and eventual automation of an increasing number of transportation vehicles. The benefits of electrification are numerous, especially when looking beyond the consumer application to commercial and fleet operations. In this interview,  Bill Loewenthal, SVP Product shares his views on ChargePoint's integrated network of smart devices approach to keeping these vehicles fueled, while providing an entirely new asset for employers, retailers, municipalities, restaurants, schools, parking providers, and more can leverage to deliver more value to their customers, patrons, students, employees, citizens, and community. Thanks Bill, electrification of mobility is such a dynamic and exciting space right now.

Visualization is a hot topic in the data world, but I hadn't heard anyone reference visualization in the context of helping humans write better code. In a world where the competition for relevance to developers is at an all-time high, this unique take deserves a deeper dive.  In this  conversation, we cover topics, including visualization, their career journey, and the specific challenges of creating and nurturing Observables’ unique culture during a Pandemic. Melody has to one of the more intentional CEOs I've ever met, in walking the culture walk, investing in a number of specific actions and activities to ensure everyone understands their role, their value, their contribution to the larger goal. Really insightful conversation, Thanks Melody and Deepti.

For the last 21 years, Accenture has published and presented their annual Tech Vision Research Report. The report it typically 70 - 120 pages, from surveying hundreds of professionals, I've been covering the report release since 2017.

Michael Biltz, MD, Accenture Technology Vision, one of the lead authors, and I continued our tradition of digging into findings of this report that is not your typical look forward.

The report is organized around a theme, and five trends. For 2021...

Leaders Wanted - Masters of Change at a Moment of Truth

Trend 1 - STACK STRATEGICALLY - Architecting a Better Future

Trend 2 - MIRRORED WORLD - The Power of Massive, Intelligent, Digital Twins

Trend 3 - I, TECHNOLOGIST - The Democratization of Technology

Trend 4 - ANYWHERE, EVERYWHERE - Bring Your Own Environment

Trend 5 - FROM ME TO WE - A Multiparty System’s Path Through Chaos

For the complete report - Click Here

Upon seeing a post on LinkedIn, loudly proclaiming in bright red all caps .... 'I DO NOT CHECK EMAIL. Yep you read that right, No email for KMo, I had to learn more.  Regardless of your reaction to that statement, Kyle Moschetto outlines a very intentional process to identify and stack rank the dozens of communication tools we use every day, and for Kyle, email ended up at the bottom of the list. In a world where more communication channels keep getting added, should we also remove the ones that aren't effective (like voicemail for me)? How much value/signal email provide you relative to the noise? Really interesting questions in an increasingly noisy world, and Kyle has really thought it through, and put his solution in action.

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Retracing Michele Bettencourt's professional and personal journey promises to be one of the more interesting rides you'll take in 2021. From turning around companies to turning heads and minds, in this wide-ranging conversation, Michele shares lessons learned from 35 years as a tech CEO, while balancing a home and personal life a bit more complicated than most. Really enjoyed getting to know Michele through this process, and can't wait to see how she changes the world. 

Thanks Michele, thanks for sharing.

Always a treat to take a random walk with the Dean of Big Data, Bill Schmarzo. In this conversation, we touch on quite a few bases, from how to print money with your data project, drive innovation through empowerment, leverage design thinking for better outcomes, and pass the ball when the situation dictates. Oh yeah, and we reviewed his latest book.

Thanks Bill, always a pleasure.

Let me introduce you to Liza Donnelly, award winning cartoonist, illustrator, visual journalist, live drawer, & observer of humanity. I first met Liza when she was live drawing the keynotes at the Stanford Women in Data Science Conference and was amazed at the way she captured the personalities of the speakers and their talks in just a few lines, splashes of color, and just the right expression.

In this far-ranging discussion, we cover the importance of cartoons and illustrations in helping to communicate difficult topics and ideas. We explored the new world of direct connection with fans through various channels beyond traditional publications. And we close on the process, and how that's changed over time with new tools and techniques.

Liza is very thoughtful, intentional, and her messages carry power and weight that far exceeds the somewhat whimsical lines and watercolors on paper.

Thanks for the conversation Liza.

In this episode, we look back to Amanda Palmer's "The art of asking" TED Talk from 2013. With over 18 million views and counting, Amanda clearly touched a nerve with the core message of knowing how to ask. But there are many more lessons to be learned, from the evolving role of distribution in an increasingly digital world, the value of direct connection to small number vs large number with small conversion, changing scope of connection with today's tools, value exchange, and most importantly (for me), lessons on trust.

I've had the pleasure of interviewing PagerDuty's CEO Jennifer Tejada on a number of occasions. She's an inspirational & successful leader, in all that the term encompasses. In this live look back to Girls in Tech, Inc. Catalyst Conference 2016, Jennifer shares a few of the values that have shaped her as a leader & more importantly, as a person. Perhaps you can incorporate some of these best practices in your relationships at work and beyond.

Thanks, Jennifer.

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In this episode, and in the context of tightening of Covid restrictions, and new way to work, work from home, work from anywhere, we look back at a 2013 interview with Marcia Conner, where she goes into depth in the need for a more Human Centric approach to managing people. Topics include working with the person you hired, enabling all people to contribute (not just the extroverts), re-thinking value metrics solely based on in-the-moment engagement, and a positive note on taking advantage of the opportunity to change things that were designed for 18th Century work.

In this episode, and in the context of tightening of Covid restrictions, and new way to work, work from home, work from anywhere, we look back at a 2013 interview with Marcia Conner, where she goes into depth in the need for a more Human Centric approach to managing people. Topics include working with the person you hired, enabling all people to contribute (not just the extroverts), re-thinking value metrics solely based on in the moment engagement, and a positive note on taking advantage of the opportunity to change things that were designed for 18th Century work.

Was writing a post about Nick Mehta and the Gainsight acquisition by Vista Equity Partners, but figured, I'd just do a quick video (my preferred format). Periscope for now. Enjoy & Congrats Team Gainsight!