A network to connect tech leaders to exchange ideas and foster professional collaboration.

THE GROUP

As technology continues to play a vital role in shaping the world, it has become increasingly essential for leaders to collaborate and leverage the diverse perspectives and skills of their teams. By working together, we can unlock the full potential of our organizations and create innovative solutions to move from success to significance.

Through The Leadership Cohort, we have the chance to build strong connections, expanding our networks and deepening our understanding of each other's work. We will also have the chance to share our unique insights and expertise, discovering new ways to approach complex challenges and drive meaningful change.

Engagement with your peers is an important step forward in unlocking the full potential of your team. Together we can network, learn, grow, and make a lasting impact within our communities and the world of technology. We intend for this to be an evergreen group that grows from the seeds we planted at VMware to the futures we build together… 

THE BADGE

The Leadership Cohort Alumni badge recognizes those who excel at cross-functional leadership by driving critical company initiatives and aligning top OKRs to deliver value in response to the market's demand for outcome-driven technology. Badge owners accelerated business outcomes and fostered inclusivity through simplified planning, improved alignment, streamlined solutions, successful transformation and unified execution.

  • Application Criteria: Selection criteria included an individual's alignment as functional leaders who demonstrate the company's cultural values, assessed through evaluations by senior leadership via qualitative and quantitative feedback. These individuals demonstrated their potential for cross-functional leadership by fostering collaboration among diverse teams by synthesizing complex ideas into comprehensive execution.

  • Professional Experience: Each cohort embarked on a journey of coordinated planning and execution for our top strategic company initiatives, harnessing cross-functional insights and resources. This initiative unfolded over a dedicated 12-week cycle of collaboration and execution. This approach exemplified the alumni's unwavering commitment to achieving our organizational strategic goals through persistent teamwork and collaboration.

  • Professional Experience: The Cohort created a repository for Best Practices and Case Studies, along with an OKR Playbook. As the program concluded, the cohort presented their achievements, strategic progress, and plans for continuous improvement to the Senior Leadership Team. They played a pivotal role as change evangelists, planting the seeds of a new culture and translating intricate concepts into easily digestible applications.

  • Educational: Participants deployed key concepts from professional development books like 'Measure What Matters,' 'Beyond Digital,' 'Digital Hesitation,' 'Product-Led Growth,' and 'The Meaning Revolution.' They engaged in insightful discussions with authors, industry experts, and customers, aligning their actions with the set objectives. Internal case studies were used for cross-functional team leadership training, while external cases introduced best practices and lessons from the tech industry

Meet Joel

Joel Neeb is the VP of Execution and Transformation in the Office of the CEO at VMware, where he is helping to accelerate a cultural and operating model renaissance at the software giant. He was previously the CEO of the consulting firm, Afterburner Inc. He led more than 100 former elite military professionals, including fighter pilots, Navy SEALS, and Army Rangers, in achieving strategic objectives and fostering elite teams for Fortune 100 companies and professional sports teams. Joel holds a BA from the U.S. Air Force Academy and an MBA from the University of Texas. Joel enjoys competing in sporting events; he completed the New Zealand Ironman Triathlon in 2015 and was a contestant on American Ninja Warrior several times beginning in 2018. He lives in Atlanta with his wife and three children.

Meet Jamie

Jamie Temple is the Results Management Office Executive in the Office of the CEO at VMware, where she has led culture and operating model shifts as the company pursues their business model evolution to a customer-centric SaaS-first model. She has been with VMware for 13 years, holding roles within Product, GTM, and Operations teams. She and joined through the AirWatch acquisition ($1.54B). Jamie holds a BS in Wireless Electrical Engineering from Auburn University. She is active within her community and the 100+ Women Strong alumni organization supporting women in engineering. She lives in Atlanta with her husband and two children.