Tech Talent Today

About Tech Talent Today

If you are looking for fresh ideas and inspiration on how to propel your tech career to the next level this is the show for you. TTT is conversations with IT leaders. Hear about the challenges they face and how they overcome them. Learn how IT leaders build their teams and help them grow to the next level. Learn about leadership in the IT space and how you can advance your career in IT. Your host is Jodi Kulek Mayer, President of Clearmont Technologies. She has 25+ years in IT Staffing and Search.

Publisher

Jodi K Mayer

Category

business · technology

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

15 Jul 2021

Latest episode

28 Apr 2026

Latest episodes

43 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   28 Apr 2026

   Why ERP Implementations Fail (And What You Can Do About It) with Jim Leone, Ep #43

   ERP implementations are among the most complex, expensive, and high-stakes projects a company can undertake. Yet time and again, organizations invest millions of dollars without investing in the right things and the consequences don't show up until after go-live. The warning signs are almost always there from the start, and the reasons for failure are often not what you would expect. In this episode, Jim Leone joins us to break down exactly why ERP implementations fail and what leaders can do to prevent it. Drawing on over 20 years of experience across the Department of Defense, chemical, and life sciences industries, Jim shares the hard-won lessons behind executive sponsorship, testing culture, managing resistors, and what happens when companies try to do too much with too little budget. I have seen entire implementation teams leave because the go-live was underfunded. – Jim Leone You'll want to hear this episode if you are interested in… 0:01:41 — From Defense Systems to ERP: Jim shares how his first job working on Department of Defense systems, where failure was simply not an option, shaped his entire approach to ERP implementation testing. 0:03:13 — The Most Common Reasons Implementations Fail: Jim walks through the list: lack of visible executive sponsorship, inadequate training, and poor testing discipline-- and why body language in a testing meeting tells you everything. 0:05:40 — Pulling Your Best People and Backfilling the Gaps: Why you must dedicate your subject matter experts fully to the project, and how to bring in outside contractors to backfill finance and IT roles so the business keeps running. 0:07:46 — Spotting and Managing Resistors: How to identify resistors at the kickoff session, why telling people what's in it for them is your best tool, and what to do when someone just won't come around. 0:12:46 — What Underfunding Really Costs You: Jim explains why treating an ERP as a low-cost initiative is a guarantee of failure.  He tells the story of an entire implementation team that walked out the door three months after go-live. 0:17:37 — The Conversation Nobody Has Before a Project Kicks Off: Why first-time leaders need an advisor or coach to help them understand what's normal, what's not, and how to stay the course when an implementation feels like a pressure cooker. 0:19:39 — What Jim Wishes He Had Known: If you have executive sponsorship, training, testing, the right people, money, and a realistic timeline, everything is going to be okay. You may not get them all, but you need the majority. About Jim Leone Jim Leone is a senior enterprise leader with over 20 years of experience leading ERP implementations, finance transformations, and dashboard and reporting initiatives across the Department of Defense, chemical, and life sciences industries. Known for bridging the gap between Finance, Accounting, and IT, Jim has led major SAP implementations at Fortune 500 companies and is recognized for building the people, processes, and systems that make complex transformations succeed. Connect with Us ·         Connect with Jim Leone: Jim's LinkedIn Profile (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-leone/) ·         Connect with Tech Talent Today host Jodi Kulek Mayer: Jodi's LinkedIn Profile ·         Visit Clearmont Technologies for IT staffing and search: ClearmontTech.com THANKS FOR LISTENING Did you enjoy this episode? If so, don't forget to subscribe and share it with a friend. See you next time on Tech Talent Today! Subscribe to Tech Talent Today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts This podcast was proudly produced in partnership with Podlad.com

2. 

   24 Feb 2026

   Scaling Beyond Tools: The Multiplier Effect in Retail Tech with Sashi Arumugam, Ep#42

   In the fast-paced world of retail, it is easy to get distracted by "shiny" new technologies. But what happens when these expensive tools fail to deliver a return on investment? Many growth-stage companies struggle to compete with the "Amazon standard" while facing eroding profit margins and labor shortages. In this episode, Sashi Arumugam joins us to explain why scaling isn't actually about having the most tools:  it's about the synergy between people, processes, and technology. We dive into the realities of warehouse automation, the "Ferrari engine" analogy for legacy systems, and how to ensure your technology is a revenue driver rather than a cost center. When you want to scale, you have to make sure that you have the right people with the right skill set so that they can do the job. It's all about the multiplier effect. You have to create a team in such a way that they can do their job without you being needed for every single thing. – Sashi Arumugam You'll want to hear this episode if you are interested in… 0:01:42 — From Developer to Business Leader: Sashi shares his journey from a technical developer to a global leader, and why understanding the "business problem" is more important than knowing the code. 0:06:58 — The "Ferrari Engine" Problem: Sashi shares a powerful analogy about the dangers of dropping advanced AI into an "old car" (legacy systems). He explains why you must look at the full, end-to-end picture to ensure your new technology actually delivers results. 0:10:48 — Competing with the Amazon Standard: How growth-stage companies can protect margins by using technology to understand the "voice of the customer" and reduce the high cost of returns. 0:13:20 — Automation with a Human Touch: A look at how "goods-to-person" systems and robotic arms are helping warehouse workers by taking on physically taxing tasks, allowing humans to focus on higher-level operations. 0:16:24 — Cutting Through the AI Noise: Sashi discusses what is delivering value today, like SEO-optimized content creation, versus the current security and ROI challenges of AI. 0:19:13 — The Scaling Secret: The Multiplier Effect: Why true scaling happens when you move from being a "doer" to a "coach," building a team that functions independently of the leader. 0:24:31 — What Leaders Must Stop Doing: Why moving from a "growth" mindset to a "scale" mindset requires leaders to get out of the weeds and stop micromanaging. About Sashi Arumugam Sashi Arumugam is a supply chain technology leader with over two decades of experience driving digital transformation. He has led mission-critical Warehouse Management System (WMS) transformations at a leading billion-dollar fashion retail brand, supporting over 100 stores and nationwide wholesale distribution. Sashi holds an Executive MBA from Rutgers University and is passionate about building scalable systems that balance technical leadership with strategic business insight. Connect with Us Connect with Sashi Arumugam:  Sashi's LinkedIn Profile Connect with Tech Talent Today host Jodi Kulek Mayer: Jodi's LinkedIn Profile Visit Clearmont Technologies for IT staffing and search: ClearmontTech.com (https://clearmonttech.com/) THANKS FOR LISTENING Did you enjoy this episode? If so, don't forget to subscribe and share it with a friend. See you next time on Tech Talent Today! Subscribe to Tech Talent Today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts This podcast was proudly produced in partnership with Podlad.com

3. 

   7 Oct 2025

   Demystifying System Integration with Mohammed Shanab, Ep#41

   In today's complex digital world, businesses rely on countless systems, but what happens when they don't communicate effectively? Many organizations struggle with poor data flow and frustrating inefficiencies. In this episode of Tech Talent Today, we welcome back Mohammed Shanab (Shanab), a Director in IT specializing in application and data integration. Shanab is here to demystify system integration and explain why a focused approach is vital for any organization's success. We'll dive into the major pitfalls of poor integration, like frustrating data inconsistencies and inefficiencies that drain time and resources. Shanab reveals how strong integration ensures data integrity, providing real-time, accurate information crucial for smart decision-making. Integrations are going to be very key for AI, because the main backbone, or main component of an AI is data, right? And if you don't provide the right data to an AI, AI is not going to give you the right answers. - Mohammed Shanab You'll want to hear this episode if you are interested in… 0:02:20 — The Backbone of IT: Shanab explains what systems integration is and why it's a critical component that is often taken for granted because it runs "behind the scenes". 0:05:00 — The Pitfalls of Poor Integration: Learn about the "spaghetti" environment created by siloed departments and how point-to-point integration leads to confusion and rework. 0:07:27 — The Easiest vs. The Best: Why point-to-point integration is the "easiest" approach but the least desirable, and how to instead adopt a data-driven strategy by identifying a "source of truth". 0:10:50 — Tangible Benefits of a Centralized Strategy: Shanab reveals how a centralized integration strategy can reduce costs by as much as 40% and improve efficiency by promoting reuse and standardized practices. 0:12:37 — The Hottest Skills in Integration: Hear about the technical talent and skills most in demand, including experience with IPaaS platforms like MuleSoft and Dell Boomi. 0:14:22 — Why AI Needs System Integration: Shanab explains how integration is the key to providing AI with the right data at the right time, making it a "driver of more demand" for integration professionals. This episode is a must-listen if you're looking to avoid common integration headaches, improve data flow, and truly optimize your organization's IT landscape. About Mohammed Shanab Shanab is a Director in IT specializing in application and data integration. With a proven track record of success, he has evolved from a software engineer to an integration architect and now a senior management role, making significant contributions in streamlining integration processes and fostering a community of practice. Connect with Us Connect with Mohammed Shanab:  Shanab’s LinkedIn Profile (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mshanab/) Connect with Tech Talent Today host Jodi Kulek Mayer: Jodi’s LinkedIn Profile Visit Clearmont Technologies for IT staffing and search: ClearmontTech.com (https://clearmonttech.com/) THANKS FOR LISTENING Did you enjoy this episode? If so, don’t forget to subscribe and share it with a friend. See you next time on Tech Talent Today! Subscribe to Tech Talent Today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts This podcast was proudly produced in partnership with Podlad.com

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Spotify

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 47 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

67

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

68

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