HRx Radio – Executive Conversations: On Friday mornings, John Sumser interviews key executives from around the industry. The conversation covers what makes the executive tick and what makes their company great.

HRx Radio – Executive Conversations

Guest: Carol Leaman, President & CEO, Axonify

Episode: 328

Air Date: June 21, 2019

Transcript

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Full Transcript with timecode

00:00:13 :25 – 00:00:33 :24

Good morning and welcome to HR Examiner’s Executive Conversations. I’m your host John Sumser and this morning we’re going to be talking with Carol Leaman who is the CEO of Axonify. I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am to talk to her because she is changing the way learning and development works, so good morning Carol. How are you?

00:00:34 :12 – 00:00:36 :06

I’m great John. Thanks for having me.

00:00:36 :26 – 00:00:46 :07

Yeah. So so much to cover but would you start by introducing yourself and you’ve got this tremendous history. And so talk a little bit about the tremendous history.

00:00:47 :03 – 00:00:48 :07

Absolutely.

00:00:48 :08 – 00:01:11 :04

So I am what is sometimes referred to as a serial entrepreneur. I have been running technology companies for gosh more than 20 years now. And all of those companies serving what I would call a unique need of particular customer segment. And Axonify is the last of one of those.

00:01:11 :21 – 00:01:48 :00

We identified a really clear need about seven years ago in the learning space. And so we embarked on this journey to build technology that would solve that problem for our what we believed to be our customer base. So I’ve had a long storied history of running technology companies super fun. Some great successes and and this is I would say of of the various ones that I’ve had this one by far and away is the most impactful and interesting and truly I think driving value for our target customers.

00:01:48 :12 – 00:02:10 :13

So a couple of years ago you were you were given an award as Canada’s leading female entrepreneur. That’s quite a mantel. And so be interesting to understand how you feel about that but also if you have a couple tidbits that you might want to dispense to the aspiring women entrepreneurs who listen to this show, that would probably be pretty helpful.

00:02:12 :00 – 00:02:29 :28

Yeah. Well thank you for that. I continue to be surprised that anybody notices to be honest. I’m just you know working hard like everybody else and trying to do my thing. And when you get recognition it is for me anyway always a surprise and a delight and

00:02:30 :16 – 00:03:06 :17

Really makes me feel quite humble in fact it’s not me it’s the teams of people that I work with and have worked with over years that really drive our success. And so I appreciate it tremendously. But you know it certainly doesn’t go to my head. It is truly a team effort. I would say to your your point at the end about being a woman and tidbits for other women it is the case that I am unusual in the sense that certainly when I was coming up over the last 25 years and building my career there were very very few women in technology that I could point to

00:03:07 :01 – 00:03:39 :27

As examples or mentors for me. And so I just took the approach of why not me. Why why can’t I achieve what up to that point had. Been. Success in a largely male dominated industry. And I had a moment of realization probably 15 or 20 years ago. Where I realized I’m as smart. As anybody else. I make good decisions I sometimes make bad decisions and I’m completely okay with owning that.

00:03:39 :28 – 00:03:41 :04

And I think women

00:03:41 :17 – 00:04:15 :02

Tend to stress about and worry about not measuring and and being an impostor and not being as smart as others or men in particular and that’s just not true. And so I just think having co