Most Transformational Business Leaders to Follow | Dr. Amol Soin | Exeleon Magazine

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LEADERSHIP BEING. NOT LEADERSHIP DOING.

EXELEON LISTS EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP STYLES FOR WOMEN IN BUSINESS

DYNAMIC LEADERS 2024

EDITORIAL NOTE

In this edition of Exeleon Magazine, we delve into the essence of what truly defines transformational leadership. Our focus is not merely on the success achieved by these leaders but on the profound impact they have on their industries, their teams, and the broader community.

At the heart of transformational leadership lies the ability to inspire and motivate. Leaders like Dr. Amol Soin, featured on our cover, exemplify this quality. They are catalysts for change, fostering environments where creativity and innovation thrive. They challenge the status quo and push boundaries, turning obstacles into opportunities for growth and learning.

These leaders also possess an intrinsic ability to connect with people. They build trust and loyalty through authentic engagement, demonstrating empathy and a genuine concern for the wellbeing of others. This human-centric approach is pivotal in their ability to drive change and achieve sustainable results.

Within these pages, you will find a series of compelling stories, insightful interviews, and expert analyses focusing on a diverse group of business leaders and entrepreneurs. Each profile delves into the strategies that have set these individuals apart and examines the impact of their work on their companies and society at large.

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CAROLINA CARO 38

Dr. Amol Soin

Revolutionizing Pain Management

BBorn and raised in Dayton, Ohio, Dr. Amol Soin's journey into the medical ield began after completing high school in Beavercreek. He embarked on a challenging but rewarding path at the University of Akron, where he was part of a combined 6-year BS/MD medical school program.

His early years were marked by a strong work ethic and a keen interest in research, leading him to publish the book "Curing America: A Look Inside America's Failing Health Care System” when he was 19. This work highlighted the plight of the 40 million Americans (1997) without health insurance, despite the country's vast economic resources.

Dr. Soin's medical training continued at Rush University in Chicago, where he specialized in anesthesiology and further honed his research skills, particularly in pain management. His residency was followed by a fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic, one of the United States' most prestigious pain management departments. Here, Dr. Soin mastered advanced pain management techniques and contributed to the ield through research and publications.

Over the years, Dr. Soin has developed numerous technologies – drugs as well as medical devices. Most recently, in 2022, he sold Soin Therapeutics to a publicly traded company on NASDAQ for $30 million. “It was super cool because when we closed the deal they announced it on times square in NYC on the NASDAQ building,” he recalls.

SOIN NEUROSCIENCE AND SOIN BIOSCIENCE

With a vision to address the opioid crisis in Montgomery County, Dr. Soin founded two companies: Soin Neuroscience and Soin BioScience, biotech startups dedicated to developing non-opioid solutions for pain management.

Witnessing the staggering statistics of addiction and overdose deaths, Dr. Soin realized the urgent need for alternative pain management solutions. "I started it after realizing people are dying of opioid overdoses because we don't have great alternatives to treat pain without addiction," he relects. His mission was clear: to develop better, non-addictive ways to treat pain.

The company's notable achievements include the development of a novel type of spinal cord stimulator (Soin Neuroscience) and a gel patch (Soin BioScience), both innovative approaches to pain relief. The spinal cord stimulator uses customized electrical signals to block pain signals in the spinal cord, while the gel patch offers a convenient and effective method for delivering pain medication.

Dr. Soin's work has not only contributed to the advancement of pain management but also provided hope for countless individuals suffering from chronic pain.

A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

Dr. Soin's commitment to his mission is further illustrated by his personal clinical experiences. One such experience involves Tyrone, a former college athlete from Southwest Ohio. Tyrone suffered from a severe nerve disorder that resulted in excruciating leg pain, to the point where he couldn't even touch his leg. After enduring this pain for 20 years, Tyrone turned to Dr. Soin for help.

Under Dr. Soin's care, Tyrone received treatment with Soin Neuroscience's novel and experimental spinal cord stimulator, which delivers a complex waveform to block pain signals. The results were nothing short of miraculous. "We delivered our proprietary complex waveform and his pain dropped to 0," Dr. Soin recounts. The moment Tyrone could touch his leg for the irst time in years was profoundly moving, with his wife breaking down in tears over the phone. This story, among others, underscores the profound impact that Dr. Soin's work can have or has had on individuals' lives. This short YouTube link shows Tyrone’s and others story of pain dropping to 0 with this new device: Click Here.

Talking about his work, innovations, and accomplishments, he passionately mentions “The key is to always put the patient's experience irst. If you spend all your time and efforts focusing on that, then you are bound to do well.”

SPINAL CORD STIMULATOR: A CUSTOMIZED APPROACH TO PAIN RELIEF

Invented by Dr Amol Soin and Dr Eric Schepis, Soin Neuroscience's new spinal cord stimulator is a marvel in the ield of pain management. It operates through a surgically inserted lead placed directly on the spinal cord, equipped with multiple electrodes that transmit electrical signals to block pain signals. This process, known as neuromodulation, alters the iring of pain signals, offering patients signiicant relief.

What truly distinguishes this device is its approach to signaling.

Traditional spinal cord stimulators emit basic signals, akin to blips or beeps. In contrast, Soin Neuroscience has pioneered the use of complex electrical signals, akin to delivering harmonious symphonies to the nerves. This innovative approach was inspired by the realization that certain sounds, much like musical compositions, are more pleasing than others. By converting spinal cord stimulation signals into a form of noise, the team at Soin Neuroscience has been able to identify and deliver signals that are not only effective but also more agreeable to the patient.

One of the most groundbreaking aspects of this technology is the use of a frequency of energy that echoes through every atom in the universe, known as the "primordial sound of the universe." This frequency, believed to be signiicant in the creation event, has shown remarkable results in making pain virtually disappear when applied to the spinal cord.

Dr. Soin has shared insights into this technology through a concise two-minute video on YouTube, which provides a helpful overview of how the spinal cord stimulator works and the principles behind its success: YouTube Video: Spinal Cord Stimulator.

By harnessing complex electrical signalsand crafting customized tuned signals speciic and unique to each patient, Soin Neuroscience is not only advancing the ield of pain management but also offering hope to countless individuals suffering from chronic pain.

GEL PATCH: A DISCREET AND VERSATILE PAIN SOLUTION

In addition to the spinal cord stimulator, Soin BioScience has developed the "gel patch," a unique pain relief solution that applies like a gel and dries clear and functions like a pain patch. Unlike traditional topical medications, the gel patch is water-resistant and can continuously deliver medication for 6-8 hours. Its innovative formulation allows for targeted application, making it ideal for treating a variety of pains, including joint pain, arthritis, and back pain.

These products demonstrate Soin BioScience's commitment to developing non-opioid pain relief options that are both effective and patient friendly. By focusing on personalized treatment and innovative delivery methods, the company is making signiicant strides in improving the quality of life for those suffering from chronic pain.

NAVIGATING THE CHALLENGES OF THE BIOTECH INDUSTRY

Dr. Amol Soin is acutely aware of the hurdles faced by the biotech industry, particularly in the realm of pain management and medical innovation. He outlines several key challenges that impact the development and adoption of new medical technologies.

• Price Controls: He expresses concern about potential price controls on pharmaceuticals, which could limit the inancial upside for new innovations. "This may have downward pressure on innovation," he explains, emphasizing the high costs of development and the risk of not being able to recoup those expenses.

• Regulatory Hurdles: The FDA approval process is another signiicant barrier, characterized by its expense and time-consuming nature. Dr. Soin highlights the necessity of rigorous studies for patient safety but acknowledges the challenges they present for getting products to market.

• Complexity of Clinical Trials: Pain, being a subjective symptom, adds another layer of complexity to clinical trials. Dr. Soin notes the reliance on patient-reported outcomes, which can be more challenging to quantify and validate compared to objective measures.

• David vs. Goliath: The dominance of large multinational corporations in the biotech industry presents a daunting challenge for startups like Soin Neuroscience and Soin BioSceince. The

•transformational leader articulates the threat of being overshadowed or crushed by these giants, especially if their products pose a disruptive threat.

• Insurance Companies: Finally, he points out the reluctance of insurance companies to cover new, potentially superior treatments due to cost considerations. He criticizes the preference for covering cheaper, narcotic painkillers despite their addictive nature and lack of eficacy in addressing the root cause of pain.

Through his insights, Dr. Soin sheds light on the multifaceted challenges that innovators in the biotech industry face, emphasizing the need for a supportive ecosystem that fosters innovation and patient-centric solutions.

LEAVING A LASTING LEGACY

Dr. Soin's commitment to innovation and patient care extends beyond his clinical practice. He has served in various leadership roles, including as President of the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians, The Ohio Society of Interventional Pain Physicians andthe State Medical Board of Ohio. His contributions to the ield have been recognized through multiple awards, including being named one of America's Top Doctors in Pain Management and receiving the Patient's Choice Award (Ohio Pain Clinic).

Today, Dr. Soin continues to lead the way in pain management as the medical director of the Ohio Pain Clinic. His work not only addresses the immediate needs of patients but also contributes to the broader efforts to combat opioid addiction and improve healthcare accessibility in the United States.

Talking about his vision going forward, Dr. Soin concludes saying “I am excited to continue bringing-in new innovative technologies to the market.”

EXELEON SHORTS

One Book Entrepreneurs must read –Survive to Thrive: Journey of Dr. Rajesh Soin by Vinit K. Bansal.

One Quote that Motivates you the most –“Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps a songbird will come.” Chinese proverb

One Advice for Emerging Doctors – Try to maintain your autonomy. In the days of corporate healthcare, private equity buying up medical practices, and physicians working

for large entities, it is important to stay focused on your patient as your “bosses” will focus on inancials and proits. You need to always put the patient experience irst.

One Movie / Podcast / Show you recommend – Moneyball. I love the concept of data analytics and how that can maximize your organizational team.

One Tool / App that you Use the most –ChatGPT.

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Leadership Being. Not Leadership Doing.

Wrien By Steven Howard

The business environment was changing before Covid, but these changes are now happening at warp speed. We are in the throes of a pivotal moment, facing the greatest transformation in how we work since the early days of word processing and the desktop computer (the so-called Information Revolution).

Part of this transformation is technology-related, but mostly it results from the changing relationships between employees and employers, combined with an unfortunate lack of people's leadership skills across management ranks.

The result has been increased fear, trepidation, and uncertainty around what it means to be a leader in today's constantly changing world of business and leadership.

Leadership is no longer conined to the C-suite or upper management ranks. Leadership now includes managers, supervisors, team leaders, irst-line leaders, secondline leaders, and those higher in organizations. It also includes entrepreneurs, whether yours is a one-person business or a growing start-up.

How can you overcome the fears and uncertainty around leadership

today? Two ways:

1) A changed and enhanced mindset about what it means to be a leader.

2) Understanding that leadership is more about BEING a leader than doing leadership things.

Unfortunately, we are not witnessing the inculcation of this thinking rapidly enough. Too many leaders still want to return to the pre-pandemic ways of leadership. But the pre-pandemic models of leadership do not work with today's workers. Employees have changed their mindsets about the role of work and the workplace in

their lives. Now, leaders must enhance their mindsets as well.

There is still too much emphasis on what leaders should do when it is more important that managers and leaders learn to BE LEADERS.

To understand this better, let's use parenting as an analogy. "Doing" parenting includes driving children to school, making lunches, attending their events, etc. BEING a parent includes loving, teaching, motivating, comforting, being supportive, and providing a foundation for your children's growth.

As Mika J. Cross, a workplace transformation strategist and strategic advisor to corporations and government agencies, notes, " Leadership is like being the head of the family who sets the emotional thermostat of the home. Providing a reliable sense of security in a world that is constantly changing, much like parenthood, is what being a leader is about in today's workplace ."

"Doing" leadership entails setting direction, conducting staff meetings, dealing with staff conlicts, and conducting annual performance reviews. Being a leader involves mentoring, coaching, developing future leaders, and building stronger relationships with team members. It also means leveraging personal resilience and adaptability skills.

As Cross says, " Being a leader in today's workplace means setting the tone, being calm in the storm, and guiding your team through the unknown with conidence and care.

This is how you embody the values you wish to instill while creating a legacy of empowerment and resilience while getting the job done ."

NEW LEADERSHIP MINDSETS NEEDED

Being a leader requires a mindset shift. You must be able to look in the mirror and see a conident, authentic person ready to bring order to ambiguity, relate to all personality types, lean into uncomfortable but necessary conversations, and shoulder the responsibility of making some dificult and sometimes unpopular decisions.

Leaders, managers, and supervisors must become peoplecentric leaders to build sustainable businesses and organizations. So what should organizations do to instill these leadership mindset changes in their leaders? One step is to switch the emphasis and reliance on leadership skills training to developing leaders (at all levels of their organizations) through coaching and mentoring.

Leadership coaching, because it is ongoing and not a one-off event, builds competency, capability, and conidence. It also gives leaders and managers a sounding board to spitball ideas and evaluate options before making decisions. This helps drive sustainable and purposeful transformation in the coaches and the organizational culture (when multiple leaders are coached simultaneously). Research also shows that leadership coaching positively impacts talent retention, an issue almost every

organization struggles with today.

PEOPLE-CENTRIC LEADERSHIP

Being a successful leader requires a people-centric approach and mindset. It is what I call Humony Leadership. Humony is a word I created comprising human, humanity, and harmony to emphasize the leading of people and the need for leaders to create workplaces of wellbeing and harmony.

At the heart of Humony Leadership is the mindset change that you manage things, projects, processes, policies, and projects, but you LEAD people! Throw out the notion that a leader's role is to manage people. Managing people is a 1980s construct not viable today. No one wakes up in the morning and says, "I cannot wait to be managed by my boss today." And certainly, no one ever utters, "I look forward to being micromanaged at work today."

How do you build workplaces of wellbeing and harmony? The foundation is mutual trust and respect. The lack of trust is a serious issue in our workplaces. A global study by the Workforce Institute revealed the top ive factors inluencing the lack of trust in bosses:

1. Is not open or transparent in communication.

2. Is not appreciative / does not provide recognition or praise for a job well done.

3. Does not communicate with me enough.

4. Does not value my point of view.

5. Does not make wise business decisions.

That same survey shared how employees believe managers can earn higher levels of trust: being dependable (52%), being honest (34%), actively listening (28%), providing helpful feedback (25%), and caring about employee wellbeing (22%).

Respect and trust go hand-in-hand. Leaders do not need to be "tough" or "hard-nosed drivers" to produce outstanding results through others. You can get a great deal more accomplished by being a kind, compassionate, caring, and respectful leader.

Leaders need to stop treating employees as only a means to an

end. This mindset contributes to millions of people quitting their jobs and seeking new employment with organizations that value them as human beings (not as assets, resources, or headcounts).

There has been a fundamental change in what people value. Work is no longer the most important thing that deines a large portion of the workforce. Working harder and longer is no longer worth sacriicing health, harmony, personal relationships, and nonwork responsibilities.

People want to be led, not managed. They want (and need) to be coached, mentored, empowered, unshackled from directives, and freed from being told how to accomplish their work. They also want to be given opportunities to grow their skill

sets and decision-making capabilities.

Leaders need to excel at coaching and people development aspects of leadership. And they must stop micromanaging and start microcoaching.

Yes, fundamental managerial and leadership skills remain important, just as basic parenting skills do. But basic skills only get you so far, as will doing the things you think leaders should be doing. To step up your leadership game, focus on BEING a leader instead of doing leadership stuff. The performance of you and your team will improve and your legacy as a leader will grow.

About the Author

Steven Howard is the award-winning author of 22 leadership, business, and professional development books. He is the Founder and CEO of Dion Leadership, a leadership and organization development consulting irm based in Michigan. His latest book is Humony Leadership: Mindsets, Skills, and Behaviors for Being a Successful People-Centric Leader. In awarding the book a Gold Medal, the Noniction Authors Association called Humony Leadership "a signiicant work with an important mission."

Steven was named one of the 2023 Top 200 Global Biggest Voices in Leadership in recognition of his thought-provoking and leading-edge thinking on leadership and to the 2023 CREA List of Top Inluential Leaders for his thought leadership and writing.

He has trained, coached, and mentored over 11.500 supervisors, team leads, managers, and leaders over the past 30 years.

Liviu Tanase

eet Liviu Tanase, a visionary entrepreneur and the mind behind ZeroBounce, a leader in email validation, deliverability, and email-inding.

With a passion for innovation and a keen eye for opportunities in the B2B tech space, Liviu has founded ive companies, each contributing to his reputation as a serial entrepreneur.

As an email marketing thought leader, Liviu's insights and expertise are highly sought after, leading him to contribute to renowned publications such as Inc. and Entrepreneur. His entrepreneurial spirit and contributions to the tech industry have not gone unnoticed, as Forbes magazine honored him on their Forbes Next 1000 list, celebrating "entrepreneurial heroes redeining the American dream."

Read this exclusive interview with Liviu Tanase for more insights into his

journey and about ZeroBounce.

What according to you makes one transformational? How do you integrate the same thought into your leadership?

You become transformational in business when you push for better. As I like to remind myself, your strengths aren't your problem; rather, it's your weaknesses .

When you're willing to conquer your weaknesses, you'll create dramatic changes in your organization and in the people around you.

You integrate that into your leadership by always leading by example. If you see that someone is missing the mark, try to ind out if the cause is

something you personally need to improve on. I don't think you can be transformational or innovative until you start assessing progress and deciding on direction. It's so important to calibrate. You don't want to exert your operation in the wrong direction.

Can you share the story of how you ventured into entrepreneurship, and what motivated you to establish ZeroBounce?

I can't ever remember not having an entrepreneurial heart. I can recall seeing movies early on that depicted businessmen. They traveled around and got to be a part of exciting things.

Also, I've always been fascinated by technology. I loved staying abreast of all things tech and was always wondering about technology's evolution and its impact on the world.

My irst business? I was just a kid. I was selling computers, but it was an ofline business. Then, everyone seemed to have internet access and I wanted to move with the times. I got involved in telecommunications and worked with some talented people. I was always learning and thinking about ways in which I could bring my contribution to the tech space.

I irst got the idea for ZeroBounce about eight years ago. By then, I had already grown an email marketing business in Europe and knew the many facets of email and what goes into running successful campaigns. Connecting with real people is where it all begins – and to do that, you need genuine, valid email addresses.

Email contacts decay fast – about 23% of an email list dies yearly. There were a few services out there that could check the validity of email addresses. Although I was impressed with the technology of these platforms, I couldn't help but envision some alternative approaches. The idea of improvement is a huge driving force for me, so I gathered a small team of experts and got to work.

Then, the excitement of a new venture started feeding me with energy. We were going to build our own email validation service and improve the way poor-quality data is detected. Our goal was to give

email senders a more reliable manner to reach their customers.

Congratulations on being a Forbes Next 1000 honoree. How has this recognition impacted your work and your position as a thought leader in the tech space?

Being a Forbes “Next 1000” honoree was a real achievement. I look at awards and other public recognitions as an indicator that you're doing a good job, but the thing I always take from them is to try and work harder. You'd think that it would make me feel like it's time to coast, but it goes back to the desire to be innovative. You won't get anywhere if you become complacent.

The Forbes award also solidiied our hard-earned trust with our audience and got the attention of more businesses looking to boost their email results. That only motivated me and my team further to continue being pioneers.

Please highlight some key milestones and achievements of ZeroBounce that you are particularly proud of.

It was a milestone to launch, which anyone who has started a business can testify. Through the years, there have been a few things that stand out in my mind. When we validated our irst billion email addresses. Every billion since then is exciting. We're at 24 billion now – three

times the population of our planet.

It was thrilling when we made the Inc. 5000 list for four consecutive years in a row. Forbes “Next 1000” was a milestone. Anytime someone recognizes you, it's a reason to be happy. But the number one source of pride comes from our customer reviews. That's really what it's all about for us. We've got a lot of satisied customers – more than 300,000, including brands like Amazon, Netlix, and Sephora.

What advice do you have for businesses looking to optimize their email marketing strategies, considering the dynamic nature of the digital landscape?

If you want to optimize your email marketing, you must be willing to put in the time and effort. But thankfully, there are so many aspects you can automate. For instance, the easiest way to engage your customers right away is to send a welcome email. These emails tend to perform well and help you create an immediate connection with your audience.

Also, segmenting your email list allows you to create more relevant emails and increase your click rates. The average person receives about ten dozen emails daily. So, before you send an email, ask yourself if you would want to open it. How will you stand out? By making sure every email speaks to a speciic audience and its needs. Personalization is a must.

Finally, keep an eye on your metrics. If it's been more than six months since you checked your list, chances are many of your emails are bouncing. An average bounce

rate of 2% is acceptable, but if it's higher, your email list isn't healthy, and your campaigns may be going to spam. It takes only minutes to remove that invalid data and help your emails get to the inbox.

Once you become familiar with email validation, look into other email optimization tools. For instance, you no longer have to wonder where your email ends up. You can use an inbox tester to determine if your email will land in the inbox. If you ind out that it's going to spam, you can make changes so it can go to the inbox.

What are your future aspirations for ZeroBounce, and how do you envision the company evolving in response to the evolving needs of the market?

Global email usage has seen exponential growth. More than half of the people in our world currently use email. It's astonishing to me that we can all communicate so easily. And we don't take being a part of the email industry lightly.

Our ultimate goal is to continue building ZeroBounce into the best email optimization platform. We've made ZeroBounce a place where businesses can ind everything, they need to accomplish their email communication goals. There will be even more services on our platform, one of which is launching soon.

With the proliferation of AI, businesses will try to preserve and strengthen their human connection with their audiences. The irst step toward that is to be in people's inboxes – and all our tools work together to help our customers accomplish that goal.

ZeroBounce is an awardwinning email veriication, deliverability, and emailinding platform helping 300,000+ customers achieve email success.

Its 99% accurate email validation service removes obsolete and risky email addresses to help senders prevent bounces and maintain a good reputation. ZeroBounce's email deliverability toolkit –including inbox testing and DMARC monitoring – further

supports companies in their quest to reach the inbox. Activity Data, one of ZeroBounce's most popular features, offers subscriber activity insights, allowing marketers to target their most active audiences. Email Finder is ZeroBounce's latest tool that provides professionals with valid business email addresses to enhance their email outreach efforts.

ZeroBounce has validated 24+ billion emails and

serves companies of all sizes, from solo business owners to Amazon, Disney, Netlix, and Sephora. The platform ensures military-grade security and is GDPR, SOC 2 Type 2, ISO-27001-certiied, and India DPDP-ready.

In 2022, ZeroBounce founded Email Day (April 23), now an international holiday honoring email inventor Ray Tomlinson.

90-day Onboarding Plan and Scorecards

Most employers have it wrong. They hire someone and then immediately dive into scorecards, KPIs, and ROI's without measuring the effectiveness of the initial onboarding process. Offer letters typically have a “90 Day Probationary” period in the letter but who is to say if the new employee is a total rockstar or a colossal disaster? The 90-day probationary period is so arbitrary. Let's get this right once and for all and start with onboarding and then move into scorecards and KPIs.

THE POWER OF A 90-DAY ONBOARDING PLAN

Did you know only 12% of new hires surveyed said their organization had a good

The list of Measurables we need to Consider as Employers

Wrien by Molly McGrath

onboarding process? That presents a huge opportunity considering employees who undergo effective onboarding are 2.6x more likely to be satisied in their workplace. Just 29% of new employees reported that they feel fully ready and supported to excel in their new role.

This is exciting news for employers. Because it really is that easy to create an amazing culture where rockstar employees never want to leave. An intentional onboarding initiative will result in employees saying they have 'the best job.'

People onboarding programs are essential for any business that wants to attract and retain top talent. In today's competitive job market, new employees have more

choices than ever, and they're not afraid to walk away from a job that doesn't meet their expectations.

A successful onboarding 90-day program will ensure you will know if the new employee is hitting the ball out of the park or struggling. An active onboarding process gives new employees enough time to learn about the company culture, their roles, and responsibilities, and how to be successful.

KEY CHARACTERISTICS OF ALL SUCCESSFUL ONBOARDING PROGRAMS

1. Cultural immersion. New employees need to feel like they're part of something bigger than themselves. They need to

understand the company's vision, mission, and core values, and how they it into the overall picture.

2. Successful integration. New employees need to know what success looks like in their role. This means having clear expectations and goals, as well as regular feedback from their manager.

3. Consistent upkeep. Onboarding doesn't end after a new employee's irst week or month. It's an ongoing process of providing support and guidance and helping them feel comfortable and valued.

TIPS FOR CREATING AN EFFECTIVE ONBOARDING PROGRAM

Ÿ Start before day one. Send your new employee a welcome email with information about the company, their role, and what to expect on their irst day. You can also send them links to relevant onboarding materials, such as the employee handbook and the company directory.

Ÿ Make a good irst impression. On their irst day, give your new

employee a tour of the ofice, introduce them to their team members, and set them up with their computer and other supplies.

Ÿ Provide clear expectations and goals. Meet with your new employees regularly to discuss their progress and provide feedback. Help them set goals for themselves and develop a plan for achieving them.

Ÿ Offer support and guidance. Be available to answer your new hire's questions and help them troubleshoot problems. You can also assign them a mentor who can provide guidance and support.

Ÿ Create a sense of community. Encourage your new employee to get involved in company events and social activities. This will help them feel more connected to the company and its culture.

WE ARE HIRING HUMAN BEINGS FIRST AND FOREMOST

Onboarding doesn't have to be a lot of work. And when coupled with

About the Author

Molly McGrath is the Founder and CEO of Hiring & Empowering Solutions and the author of Amazon's top #1 Best Seller: ‘Fix My Boss: The Simple Plan to Cultivate Respect, Risk Courageous Conversations, and Increase the Bottom Line.’

She is a thought leader with 27 years of

Weekly Scorecard Metrics the investment of time, attention, and feedback into your people will pay off in the long run.

We have to remember we are hiring human beings irst and foremost, and human beings secondly. It is the human “being” stuff that typically creates a “bad hire” or an “underperforming employee”.

In our experience when employees are given intentional, consistent time and feedback, they are set up for continual success. They want to stretch and grow because they are getting feedback in real-time. Both leadership training and general employee development can align under the same action plan, tailored to each role.

Thus, by giving your employees dedicated time for onboarding for the 1 90 days and then weekly st Scorecard metrics, you help them become productive members of your team more quickly and reduce the risk of turnover.

experience in the CEO space. Since the late nineties, Molly has coached, consulted, and directed presidents and founders of national organizations and over 4,500 law irms in executive-level leadership, continuous improvement, and team empowerment initiatives to iniltrate new markets, leverage partner ecosystems, and produce proitability.

Leading with Awareness

Carolina Caro and her Journey in Conscious Leadership

In this exclusive interview, we delve into the transformative world of conscious leadership with Carolina Caro, CEO and Founder of Conscious Leadership Partners. Carolina brings a unique perspective to leadership development, focusing on assisting leaders from multi-generational backgrounds in shedding detrimental generational conditioning to unlock their full potential.

With an emphasis on integrating mindfulness and ontology into her coaching practices, Carolina is dedicated to fostering environments that encourage self-awareness and proactive behavioral changes. Through her innovative POCA model—Pause,

Observe, Choose, Act—she aims to equip leaders with the tools necessary to make incremental yet impactful changes, paving the way for more dynamic and inclusive workplaces.

Can you please introduce yourself, your business, and your specialization as a coach.

I'm Carolina Caro, CEO and Founder of Conscious Leadership Partners, a irm that is dedicated to conscious leadership development through coaching, training, and speaking. We specialize in supporting leaders from multi-generational organizations to unlearn any unfavorable

Generational Conditioning in order to consciously develop behaviors that will cultivate their leadership potential.

Generational Conditioning includes beliefs, behaviors and somatic experiences that are ingrained from their formative years that inluence how they see the world and how they show up as leaders. To create future-forward workplaces that leverage the strengths of our multigenerational leaders, we need to provide them with the tools to discern which habits are serving them and which ones are not.

As a coach, what are some of the biggest challenges that you have faced in your journey?

There have been so many challenges on this path! I would divide them up into two sections, the personal challenges and then the challenges of running a business.

The personal challenges have been about the inner work that coaches need to do on themselves to sharpen their skills. I've had so many mentors share with me that your work as a coach is only as good as how deep you're willing to go on your own development journey. That allows you to be more mindful to mitigate any biases with a client, avoid the desire to ix the other person, give them advice or even project your "stuff" onto them.

I've had my own Generational Conditioning to unlearn and most of that has revolved around selfworth and examining my scarcity beliefs (that there isn't enough love, money, time, resources etc.).

The business development side is tied into the personal space because success is often a relection of our self-worth and beliefs. And there's also the challenge of managing so many aspects of the business (sales, marketing, admin, operations etc.) in addition to actually coaching - that it can often be overwhelming.

Then, there's bringing on a team and all the new challenges that come with that. But I wouldn't trade it for anything because this is more than a job for me, it's my calling.

Can you share a success story or a signiicant achievement in your coaching career?

I attribute many of the success stories where individuals have experienced a transformational shift in their perspective and behaviors to the framework that I developed in our practice. I spent so many years studying different models but the one that inluenced me the most were mindfulnessbased practices (which is about heightening the awareness of our thoughts, feelings, and the sensations in our body) and ontology (which is the nature of being).

Our model is called the POCA model for change, inspired by the Spanish word for 'small'. And this is to underline the power of incremental steps that can have a big impact. The acronym POCA stands for Pause, Observe, Choose and Act.

When individuals have an opportunity to intentionally pause, this is where self-awareness begins. Observe is where they can begin the discernment process of the

behaviors that may not be supporting the goals they want to achieve. That leads to Choosing a different behavior that will be more aligned with their outcome and inally stepping into Action.

One story that comes to mind is a leader that was completely unaware of how her defense mechanisms and coping strategies were creating a toxic work environment. When she started to uncover these blindspots, her commitment to change was profound. It was a big aha moment for her to realize how her Generational Conditioning had been inluencing her leadership style. For her, there were controlling tendencies that she had developed as a young child to be able to manage through turbulent family matters. That translated into micromanagement with her team who were very frustrated by her style.

When she started doing the work to recognize that her current circumstances did not warrant the default responses she was used to using, it changed everything. She became a more compassionate and collaborative leader. And it even helped her circumstances with her family. It's stories like that which get me up every morning.

How do you measure the impact of your coaching on your clients or teams?

The companies that hire me to coach their leaders want to see an ROI on the investment that they are making in the coaching process. That's why it's so important to work with the coach and the executive sponsor from the very

beginning to clearly deine what a successful engagement looks like.

For example, in the success story I shared, we had identiied that we wanted to shift the micromanagement tendencies for a leader who would become more of a coach to her team. Instead of giving them a ish, she would teach them how to ish. And when she stepped into better supporting her team members that way so that she didn't have to jump in to do the tasks herself, that was one marker of success for the engagement.

There are usually 3-5 clear targets that we aim for in any given engagement to deine success.

What advice would you give to other women aspiring to be leaders in the coaching industry?

I'm often approached by people who are thinking about going down this path and I just say, "start!". Don't spend too much time in your head because you might talk yourself out of even trying. And by actually getting in the ring, you allow yourself the opportunity to

grow, make mistakes, navigate the challenges and determine whether it's the right path for you.

I would also say that it's important to hire help sooner than later. Having support is the only way to grow and sometimes we don't invest in ourselves early enough in the process because it can be scary to hire team members. This is one thing I would deinitely change if I had to go back and do it all over again. I would hire support even on a part-time basis almost immediately.

What are your future goals for your business and brand? What is your vision through coaching?

I look at Conscious Leadership Partners as a movement that can be a portal for healing and growth so that collectively we can be better leaders and overall better people. I have seen the change that individuals and team experience as a result of the work and it's completely transformative.

I'd love for our brand to have a global presence and for the work we do to be accessible to more people and more organizations. We are in a state of growth right now and I welcome the partnerships and collaborations that will come from being open to co-creating this vision with others because it takes a village.

8 Effective Leadership Styles for Women in Business

In the dynamic landscape of women in business, leadership styles can make a signiicant impact. We've gathered insights from eight female leaders, including founders and CEOs, to share the styles they've found most effective. From empathy and authenticity to team-focused leadership, these are the diverse approaches that have resonated in their professional journeys.

One style that I've found to resonate profoundly with women in the legal sector is leading with empathy and authenticity. This style foregrounds the empowerment of future female leaders by acknowledging and addressing the unique challenges they encounter, particularly in traditionally male-dominated ields like law.

The eficacy of this approach lies in

Empathy and Authenticity

Michele Ross, Founder & CEO, M. Ross & Associates, LLC

its underlying ethos of solidarity and guidance. Mentorship creates a supportive framework wherein experienced women leaders help the upcoming generation not just to excel in their legal careers but also to ind passion along with equilibrium in their personal lives—a harmony that is often considered far-fetched in highstakes environments.

From my personal experience, having entered the legal profession when female mentorship was a rarity, I understand the impact such leadership could have had. Starting a law irm while seven months pregnant came with a medley of challenges, from battling inherent

gender biases to managing the delicate interplay between professional ambitions and family responsibilities. These adversities, though stressful, equipped me with invaluable insights and a steely resolve.

Now, with a platform of my own, I choose to empower other women by sharing the insights learned irsthand, from many years of trial and tribulation. By being the mentor I once needed, I endeavor to nurture a more inclusive and supportive legal community. I irmly believe that when women leaders take an active role in mentoring, they not only strengthen individual careers but also contribute to reshaping the industry's values towards a more equitable and supportive culture.

The coaching approach to leadership is a particularly impactful leadership approach for women in business. It is the approach I predominantly use in my own business and the approach I coach my executive and mid-level leaders to adopt. The coaching

In my experience leading and coowning Bonsai Builders, a construction irm, I've discovered that a collaborative leadership style is exceptionally impactful, especially for women in business. This approach hinges on open communication, shared objectives, and collective problem-solving, which are all values we prioritize in our company. For instance, we make it a point to involve our team and clients in decision-making processes, ensuring everyone feels heard and respected.

One speciic example of this in action was during a challenging home renovation project. We faced unexpected structural issues that signiicantly altered the project's scope and budget. Rather than making unilateral decisions, we held a series of discussions with our team and the clients. By openly discussing each other's concerns

Coaching

Emily Golden, CEO & Strategic Talent Advisor, Golden Resources, LLC

approach to leadership focuses on guiding and developing others to reach their full potential rather than simply directing or instructing them on “how” to do it. In my experience, this approach comes more naturally to women, perhaps as a result of how women are raised in our culture.

Leaders who adopt a coaching approach support their team members to identify their strengths, weaknesses, blind spots, goals, and opportunities for growth.

Collaborative

Kristin Hintlian, Owner, Bonsai Builders

and potential solutions, we ultimately devised a creative remodeling plan that met the clients' needs without compromising on quality or escalating costs. This collaborative effort not only led to a successful project outcome but also strengthened our relationship with the client and crew, reinforcing the trust and respect that are critical to our business' reputation.

What makes this leadership style so effective, in my opinion, is its focus on building and nurturing relationships. Whether it's with employees, clients, or partners, adopting a collaborative approach fosters a sense of belonging and signiicance. It demonstrates a

This approach is characterized by active listening, asking powerful questions, providing constructive feedback, and offering support and encouragement.

I am a big believer that when we are doing our own work, applying the coaching approach to leadership to how we are leading ourselves, we will show up as our most evolved selves and support our team members to do the same. This is what workplaces need now and in the future to thrive.

commitment to mutual success, rather than a singular focus on personal or immediate business gains.

In a ield like construction, where projects can often become highstress environments, maintaining open lines of communication and ensuring everyone is aligned and committed to a common goal can be the difference between a project's failure and its success.

As a female business leader, investor, and dedicated professional, I've found that adopting a transformational leadership style has been particularly impactful for women in business. This approach emphasizes fostering a supportive and empowering environment, where leaders inspire and motivate their team members to reach their full potential.

By prioritizing open communication, mentorship, and individualized attention,

Unapologetic Confidence

Juliet Dreamhunter, Founder & AI Strategist, Juliety

An unapologetic leadership style can be incredibly powerful for women in business. Too often, women feel pressure to soften their approach or downplay their ambition. An unapologetic style means owning your expertise, advocating for

Transformational

Sarah Marie Naska, Founder, SMHavice Investments

transformational leadership encourages collaboration, innovation, and personal growth within the organization. This style aligns well with the relational and empathetic strengths often associated with women leaders, enabling them to cultivate strong bonds with their team members and drive sustainable success in

Amy Tribe, Director, OGLF (Our Good Living Formula)

yourself, and refusing to shrink back to it outdated expectations.

This doesn't mean being aggressive—it's about conidence and clarity. When women leaders are unapologetic about their goals and the value they bring, it creates a ripple effect. It sets a powerful example for other women and challenges those outdated stereotypes that can hold everyone back.

today's dynamic business landscape.

Afiliative Leadership is the modern, inluential leadership

style, particularly effective for women in business. It demonstrates conidence and empowerment in female leadership. The shift to remote work has allowed for more lexibility in personal presentation and leadership, relecting changing mindsets and adaptations to the “new normal” in leadership approaches.

In my experience, leaders who embrace an afiliative style focus on fostering a sense of unity among their team members. Female managers who adopt this style prioritize establishing emotional connections with each employee. The belief is that team members who feel a strong bond with their colleagues are more motivated to excel. This approach to emotional connection is especially resonant for women, enabling us to build more intimate and cohesive teams as leaders.

One leadership style that has demonstrated signiicant beneits for women within our Services company is the participative (or democratic) leadership style. This approach actively involves team members in the decision-making process, fostering a sense of

Democratic

Katrina Elbahey, CEO & Founder, Matchmaking Services

ownership and accountability among everyone.

From my perspective, what makes participative leadership especially effective for women is its ability to create an environment of mutual respect and collaboration. It allows for diverse perspectives to be heard and valued, which is critical in a ield as nuanced as matchmaking, where understanding different viewpoints and emotional dynamics can make all the difference in service delivery.

This style encourages women to speak up, share their insights, and contribute to the direction of projects and initiatives conidently. By promoting inclusivity and equal participation, it has helped to break down traditional hierarchies within our company, enabling women to shine as leaders, innovators, and problem-solvers. The result has been a more dynamic, creative, and cohesive team dynamic that directly beneits our clients and bolsters the overall success of our business.

Team-Focused

Loretta Kilday, DebtCC Spokesperson, Debt Consolidation Care

A team-focused way of leading has worked well for me as a woman in charge. People complete their best work through cooperation, not commands.

By trusting workers freely with responsibilities, their talents shine through. My experience also complements their efforts. Problems get solved smoothly together versus through confrontation.

An open-door policy invites empathy toward issues. I aim to address concerns through engaged

discussion, not just orders alone. This fosters ownership over jobs through participation.

Valuing varied views counters biases trying to dismiss women leaders' worth. By cultivating strengths through teamwork, careers succeed un-tied to unfair limits blocking success due to gender unfairly. Results prove steady through cooperation built on encouragement and hard work.

Different situations require adjusted styles. But an outwardlooking approach uniies skilled,

driven teams, enhancing options for all based on mutual respect over imposed management only. Positive environments let talents thrive where diverse strengths join forces.

Report: B2C Brands Prioritize Customer Acquisition Over Retention

In a recent study by Moengage, titled "The State of CrossChannel Marketing 2024," it has been revealed that B2C brands are increasingly focusing on acquiring new customers, with 57% of respondents considering it a top objective for 2024. This is followed by 44.9% who aim to increase customer engagement or loyalty, and 40.8% who are focused on retaining current customers.

The report highlights a trend where marketers are aware of the long-term beneits of customer retention, but the majority still prioritize acquisition. This is attributed to challenges in retaining existing customers due to ineffective personalization, caused by data silos, lack of real-

time analytics, and inadequate tools and methods.

Customer acquisition is notably more expensive than retention, potentially costing between 5 to 25 times more. However, the study points out that increasing customer retention rates by 5% can boost proits by 25-95%, showcasing the untapped potential for ROI through retention strategies.

Email remains the most popular engagement channel for 89.6% of B2C marketers, followed by social media (80.3%), desktop website (67.1%), and mobile website (65%). Despite the use of multiple channels, email is still considered the most effective for engagement by over three-quarters of marketers.

The report also emphasizes the growing importance of digital channels such as mobile apps, SMS, and mobile push notiications. Marketers who overlook these channels risk missing out on irst-mover advantages, as these channels have shown positive correlations with ROI.

The impact of AI in cross-channel marketing has been signiicant, with over 66.61% of marketers considering it important or very important. Top uses include content generation, subject line selection, targeting, and customer chatbots. The study warns that marketers not leveraging AI are losing out on the opportunity to analyze vast amounts of data and deliver relevant, engaging experiences.

MoEngage, an insights-led customer engagement platform, is trusted by over 1,200 global consumer brands. The platform empowers marketers and product owners with insights into customer behavior, enabling them to engage customers across various channels. MoEngage is recognized as one of the most preferred vendors for multichannel marketing, with a strong presence in 35 countries.

AI Revolutionizing the Legal Industry: The Acquisition of Mirage by Harvey

In a landmark deal that underscores the transformative impact of artiicial intelligence (AI) on the legal sector, San Francisco-based custom LLM startup Mirage has been acquired by GenAI company Harvey, backed by Sequoia and the OpenAI startup fund. This acquisition is set to accelerate Harvey's mission to reshape the future of professional services through applied research in AI.

The legal industry is poised for a seismic shift as AI-driven tech companies like Harvey emerge as formidable competitors. Goldman Sachs predicts that genAI could replace up to 44% of legal tasks, while Reuters forecasts that traditional law irms will face intense competition from AIpowered irms, compelling them to either adapt or risk obsolescence.

The integration of AI in legal services is expected to bring about signiicant changes, including:

Ÿ The introduction of Artiicial Intelligence as a Service (AIaaS) tools in law irms;

Ÿ The rise of AI irms as alternative legal service providers (ALSP);

Ÿ A reduction in junior roles and a decrease in time spent on basic tasks;

Ÿ A shift in billing from billable

hours to value-based pricing;

Ÿ A disruption of the traditional pyramid hierarchy in legacy irm structures.

While the legal industry has historically approached AI adoption with caution, due to concerns about explainability and accountability, the acquisition of Mirage by Harvey indicates that these challenges are being addressed as AI models become more transparent and reliable.

In this evolving landscape, the irms that will thrive are those that can adapt by incorporating AI tools, forming partnerships, or

developing in-house expertise. Legal professionals, from solo practitioners to global irms, will have ample opportunities to leverage the value-added beneits of AI. Additionally, there will be a heightened emphasis on building human-centric client relationships and highlighting the unique creative, strategic, and problemsolving abilities that humans bring to the legal profession.

Ultimately, this AI-driven transformation could result in a win-win situation for both legal companies and their clients, as the industry moves towards a more eficient, innovative, and clientfocused future.

Accel leads $20m

round in Sprinto as it helps businesses build trust through its compliance and risk platform

Businesses are facing

mounting pressure to prioritize security risks and ensure compliance with leading security and privacy standards. Non-adherence can result in loss of business, hefty regulatory ines, and damage to reputation. However, despite the critical importance of these activities, they struggle to build a robust, responsive risk and compliance program due to the amount of manual work involved and the limited availability of resources.

Helping businesses to address

these challenges, leading automated risk and compliance platform Sprinto is today announcing a $20m funding round. Accel led the series B funding round with participation from existing investors Elevation Capital and Blume Ventures. Including this round, Sprinto has raised $31.8 million to date. Sprinto will use the fresh funds for R&D, with a sharp focus on intelligent automation and AI, and expanding into new markets.

To empower businesses in navigating risk and compliance with clarity and conidence,

Sprinto has pioneered technology rooted in intelligent automation that eliminates barriers to establishing trust. The platform plugs into a company's processes to create intelligent worklows using AI. By doing so, Sprinto tears down silos and produces a connected view of assets, risks, controls, and compliance. This structured approach enhances security programs, fostering seamless operations and tangible results.

Founded in 2020 by Girish Redekar and Raghuveer Kancherla, Sprinto marks their second

entrepreneurial endeavor. The company has amassed thousands of customers and extended its reach to more than 75 countries. The co-founders observed irsthand the challenges of dealing with compliance with their irst venture Recruiterbox (acquired in 2018). They found it to be tedious, manual, confusing, and costly. Sprinto was born out of this frustration, designed and engineered to help other companies eliminate busywork through intelligent automation, liberating themselves from compliance drudgery and reclaiming time to do business.

Girish Redekar, co-founder and CEO of Sprinto, said: “Companies are increasingly dependent on third and fourth parties to provide mission-critical services – from payroll processing to managed web hosting. It's inevitable that this will expose them to vulnerabilities. They are doing their best to follow best practices for cybersecurity, but less than a quarter of execs believe they are meeting the bar (Bain & Company). Compliance serves as a way of seeding good security behaviors that help maintain security while ensuring high operating standards, high service levels, and risks under control. I've seen how CEOs are now increasingly engaged in risk and compliance-related projects, transitioning from viewing it solely as a monitoring and reporting mechanism for regulators to recognizing its potential as a driver of growth. Trust is the currency of any business transaction. Removing barriers to establishing

trust can hyper-accelerate the GDP growth of B2B commerce. We are committed to building the technology that enables this mission.”

Sprinto customer Alessio Panni, Partner and Head of Cloud & Platforms practice at Prometeia commented: "As a leading company in the ield of consulting services and software solutions for the inancial sector, we irmly believe security and compliance lie at the very heart of our SaaS Cloud offering for risk management and wealth management. Sprinto is our trusted security and compliance platform, enabling us from the early days to enhance protection for our client's assets and to accelerate the path towards secure growth and compliance goals.

The Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) market is undergoing unprecedented changes. Total spending reached $54.61 billion in 2023, and it's expected to climb to $134.86 billion in 2030 (source: Grandview Research). With its automationirst, intelligent, and adaptive risk and compliance platform, Sprinto is primed to succeed. The founding team and core leadership bring together decades of collective SaaS experience, drawing from diverse backgrounds as former founders, investors, and senior management professionals at companies like IBM, McKinsey, LinkedIn, Tata Consultancy Services, and BrowserStack.

Shekhar Kirani, Partner at Accel, commented: “With the

proliferation of data across digital platforms, the secular shift to the cloud, and the growing adoption of SaaS tools, information security is gaining central importance in the enterprise. Every companywhether tech-enabled or traditional, large or mid-sized - is increasingly required to comply with standard frameworks and protocols. Sprinto is doing an incredible job of helping companies focus on their core business by making compliance low-touch, automated, and eficient. With a deep understanding of the product and a sharp focus on execution, Sprinto has been on a rare growth trajectory. We are thrilled to partner with Girish, Raghuveer, and their team at Sprinto in their mission to ensure that compliance becomes a driver of growth for businesses,”

"We are thrilled to deepen our partnership with Sprinto as they continue to disrupt cloud security and compliance. Girish, Raghu, and the team have created a superior and comprehensive product, enabling hundreds of customers to achieve their compliance necessities. Sprinto's reviews and customer feedback are a testament to the product quality, which has enabled the company to grow over twenty times in a highly capitaleficient way since we led their Series A fundraising in 2021." Ravi Adusumalli, Co-managing Partner, Elevation Capital.