073 Tom Lattin - Authentic Leading

Create New Futures | How Leaders Produce Breakthroughs and Transform the World through Conversation

Tom Lattin is the Vice President of Mass Market Platforms, Options and Software at Hewlett-Packard Enterprise. In this capacity, Tom leads the multi-billion dollar business of HPE’s ProLiant and cloud-lined servers. Specifically, his team leads product, technology, go-to-market, and supplier strategies for these categories. Tom joined HP in 1986, and he has led in many roles across almost every side of the business, from PC notebooks to HP server options. Tom is a deliberate and thoughtful leader with the capacity to resist the reactivity trap by pursuing strategic clarity and focus. Tom is also a man rooted in deep faith, which has contributed to personal and professional success throughout his life.

In this episode, Aviv and Tom reflect on false assumptions in the technology industry as well as key changes and constants that have defined the sector. Tom shares core practices that he has embraced to get the best out of his team members. These include capitalizing on diverse backgrounds, focusing on outcomes, and seeking opportunities to get outside the comfort zone. Tom opens up about his deep faith as well as his role as deacon within his community. He places a tremendous amount of value on his faith, which has helped guide him both in his professional and personal endeavors. Finally, Tom speaks to the importance of preparation, the power of reflection, and the journey to self-discovery.

• 01:04 – Introducing today’s guest, Tom Lattin
• 02:22 – What Tom enjoys the most about his work
• 03:59 – Strategies that help Tom discover new solutions to problems
• 05:38 – Elements within dialogue that enable discoveries to occur
• 10:09 – Tom speaks to the importance he places on historical context
• 12:52 – Key changes in the technology sector over the past few decades
• 16:08 – Key constants that remain true today about the technology sector
• 20:38 – Tom reflects on some false assumptions in his industry
• 24:17 – The most misunderstood aspects of strategy development
• 31:34 – Tom speaks to the key personal development, insights and learnings from his career
• 33:30 – What surprised Tom about the ability to tap into the collective experience of his team without having a rich set of analytics
• 34:05 – Fostering an environment of collaboration
• 36:22 – Core practices Tom has embraced to get the best out of the people he works with
• 40:33 – Tom’s dedication to living a life of servitude both personally and professionally
• 44:32 – Tom reflects on self-discovery
• 46:25 – How Tom’s faith impacted his personal and professional life
• 49:09 – The importance of execution
• 51:57 – Advice Tom would give his younger self
• 54:13 – Two learnings Tom values above all others
• 57:06 – Parting words of wisdom and insights from Tom
• 58:21 – Now it’s your turn, discover and apply the mental model and the approach that will engage you in your work, identify opportunities to frame the conversation, and understand your purpose

FULL SHOW NOTES: https://www.avivconsulting.com/cnf73