Technology Leadership Masterclass feat. Kelsey Ruger

In this episode, our hosts Jennifer, Matthew and Siara engage in insightful dialogue with Kelsey Ruger, the Chief Product and Technology Officer at Hello Alice. They dive into topics such as the synergy of being leading both product and technology teams, the value of investing in becoming a good leader, and the importance of learning how to operate in the business world while specializing in technology. The Heat Check segment introduces listeners to several conspiracy theories surrounding this year's Super Bowl game and a special Black History Month tribute to Doug Williams, the first black quarterback to play in and win a Super Bowl game.

00:00 Introduction and Guest Background

02:28 Kelsey's Journey into Technology

06:10 The Importance of Breaking Things and Learning

07:10 The Evolution of Technology and Its Accessibility

08:35 Transition to Chief Product and Technology Officer

10:18 The Role of a Manager and Leadership Skills

10:58 The Cognitive Load of Managing Multiple Teams

16:50 Advice for Aspiring Designers and Engineers

20:49 Building Diverse Teams and Hiring the Right People

23:14 Increasing Black Talent in Technology

27:14 Understanding Business Motivations

28:31 Personal Experiences in Corporate America

29:14 The Burden of Representation

30:29 The Heat Check Segment Begins

31:26 Super Bowl Conspiracy Theories

34:41 The College Admission Game

44:35 Black History Month Tribute

46:23 Wrapping Up and Guest Contact Info

Notable Quotes

“Yeah. I don't think people appreciate breaking things enough. Like when you break it and you have to fix it, you learn a lot. Even if your life is at risk at the moment, you learn a lot about how to get things working…”

“…start with making sure the vision is clear. So, if, for example, I want to do a new feature around AI, I'm not going to just go and say, we need this feature. I need to plug it into what our vision is. Like, what is our vision as a company, how this fits with what we said are the particular OKRs we're working on in that particular timeframe, and then make sure that the expectations are clear. Sometimes I will sketch out things or I'll give them an idea, especially if it's something really new that we haven't talked about before. What I do try to avoid is giving them the solution because that's why you hire people, right? Like you don't hire people as an executive to dictate to them, go build this thing that I thought of.

Links
Matthew Heat Check

Siara Heat Check

Jennifer Heat Check

Contact Kelsey

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelseyruger/

Instagram: @kelseyruger

Reach out to The Interface Podcast Crew at

· interfacepodcast@pros.com OR

· Jenni Plummer - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniplummer/ OR

· Siara Barnes - https://www.linkedin.com/in/siara-barnes-b47a923a/ OR

· Matthew Negron - https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-negron94/