Thought Leader Life

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In this episode, Mitchell Levy and his co-host for the month of April, Chris Kenton, interview #ThoughtLeader Sridhar Ramanathan, COO of Aventi Group. Mitchell and Sridhar met five or eight years ago, making this a great opportunity for them to reconnect. Sridhar has run a high technology marketing agency for many years, and he has been able to observe and witness a tremendous transformation in the business world, where what used to be big value added to integration and implementation has now led to a dramatic change in the channel. There is a great emphasis on making a sharp point on a value proposition for the channel partner, where their value and how they make money is really defined.
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In this episode, Mitchell Levy and his co-host for the month of April, Chris Kenton, interview #ThoughtLeader Chris Becwar, Senior Director of Marketing & Product at CCI Global Channel Management. The conversation starts with the observation that Chris Becwar has been able to witness the dramatic change of the entire business over the last few years. What interests him most is the quest for answers on how it affects the business process and the marketing through indirect channels. He definitely is in the right position to share the changes that he has been able to witness working for a company that it happens to be the fundamental building block providing financial and program plumbing for automating in large vendor relationships with a massive network of resellers and partners.

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In this episode, Mitchell Levy have introduced his Co-host for the whole month of April, Chris Kenton. Chris Kenton, the Founder and CEO SocialRep, a sales provider of social media marketing and marketing intelligence tools which focuses to provide those tools to IT manufacturers who are selling through IT channel. This introductory conversation brings more colors, as both Mitchell and Chris looks forward to the interesting topics that they will be talking about with different thought leaders to be interviewed in the succeeding sessions for the month of April. Chris became so eager and looks forward to the succeeding sessions that he and Mitchell will be having with guest thought leaders to explore his quest for answers on how marketing and social media has changed? How did it impact the IT channel environment? What are the struggles of the IT manufacturers and their partners and on how were they able to address those challenges? What were the best practices of these companies that were able to bring out the best of their product/s for their team, staffs and to the consumers?
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In this episode, Mitchell Levy and his co-host for the month of March, Jim Canfield, share insights with #ThoughtLeader Ken Hazen, CEO of CTSI Global. As a long-time member of Renaissance Executive Forums, Ken says it’s important to have people whom you can talk with, especially those who have been in the same tough situations as you have. Given that CEOs are personally invested in the organization, taking care of the employees, as well as their families, becomes a commitment. Ken highlights the importance offorums like Renaissance, noting that the friendships he has made in it are still strong after 15 years. Mitchell adds that the best part about forum groups is that you can ask people you like, trust, and respect about what they think, and they are not afraid to tell you when you’re wrong. One advice Ken shareswith other CEOs is to trust your peer groups more than your lawyer, because peers are not paid to keep a secret. Jim also notes that in forum groups, you’re not there to hear what you want to hear, but what you need to hear.
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In this episode, Mitchell Levy and his co-host for the month of March, Jim Canfield,interview #ThoughtLeader Tim Leman, the chairman and CEO at Gibson Insurance . The lively discussion starts with Tim relating how being “lonely at the top ” resonates for him. He says that when you’re at the top, the friendships and relationships that you have all change.
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In this episode, Mitchell Levy interviews #ThoughtLeader Jim Canfield, CEO of Renaissance Executive Forums. Jim, who is Mitchell’s #TLL co-host for the month of March, has reached out to thousands of top executives to help them become better leaders of their company by providing a venue where they can share ideas and perspectives with other top executives. The Renaissance Executive Forums currently has over 2,000 members internationally, and after 10 years, it continues to help companies become successful.Jim notes that Executive Forums may seem to tackle various issues, but really there are only five that are discussed repeatedly in different ways: people, process, performance, personal leadership, and planning. Having a forum to discuss these five Ps, getting different ideas and perspectives about them, is the major reason why executives become active in the forum and stick with the group for an average of five years.
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In this episode, Mitchell Levy, together with Renaissance Executive Forums CEO Jim Canfield as co-host for the month of March, talks with Melissa Burkhart on various topics that C-suite executives love to discuss. As the president of FuturoSolido, Melissa provides insights on how many top executives find it lonely at the top. She describes how being a member of a group like Renaissance Executive Forums has given her support and encouragement as the owner of her company. Jim notes that the benefits of being a member of forum groups extend beyond reciprocity (or exchanging referrals) to receiving the help of people whom you trust and look up to. It provides opportunities for getting fresh ideas and perspectives from people who are the top executives of their own organization.
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