Episode 48

Smart IT | Leadership

Published on: 14th October, 2025

On this episode of The Smart IT Podcast, I welcomed Melissa Marks to the show to explore what leadership really means in today’s workplace. From employee engagement and culture to navigating layoffs, leading through adversity, and integrating AI responsibly, Melissa shared practical wisdom and human-centered strategies for building stronger organizations.

🔷 Smart IT - Leadership

The conversation explored the idea that leadership is not about titles but about daily actions; whether parenting, caring for others, or stepping up in teams. Melissa described how remote work and Zoom created more equality by giving everyone a “front row seat,” allowing quieter voices to be heard. She stressed that leaders should foster unconditional love at work, supporting team members when they make mistakes rather than punishing them, because punitive cultures stifle growth and loyalty.

We also discussed culture during adversity, such as economic downturns or layoffs. There is much that can be improved upon when it comes to the tendency of companies to abruptly reduce staff without transparency, leading to erosion of trust for those left behind. Melissa advocated for humane practices, early communication, and involving employees in problem-solving. She suggested that restructures often overlooked employee skills and innovative ideas that could save costs without losing talent.

The conversation then shifted to AI in the workplace. Melissa, with her engineering and physics background, viewed AI as an exciting enhancement tool but not a replacement for human judgment, morality, or creativity. She noted that while AI could accelerate brainstorming and writing, it lacked the human accountability and ethical discernment needed in critical decisions. We both agreed that leaders must integrate AI thoughtfully, maintaining responsibility for outcomes rather than offloading it to technology.

We closed with Melissa introducing her collaborative project, The ABCs of Leadership, a workbook guiding leaders through 26 behaviors to build high-performance, people-centered cultures.

Leadership opportunities exist for everyone, regardless of title, and everyone is encouraged to embrace everyday chances to lead with vision and humanity.


🔑 Key Takeaways

✅ Why leadership is not about titles; it’s about daily actions, responsibility, and influence.

✅ How to align people with purpose, transforming disengaged employees into engaged contributors.

✅ The importance of unconditional love at work; supporting mistakes as learning opportunities rather than punishing them.

✅ Why culture and transparency matter most during adversity and layoffs, and how humane communication sustains trust.

✅ How to embrace AI as an enhancement tool while keeping humans accountable for ethics, creativity, and decision-making.

✅ Many disengaged employees are “persuadable” if leaders intentionally connect them to the organization's vision.


Melissa also shared insights from her upcoming book, The ABCs of Leadership, a workbook designed to help teams build 10/10 cultures where people feel seen, valued, and empowered; with  cultures of engagement, accountability, and results.


#SmartIT #Leadership #WorkplaceCulture  #AI #EmployeeEngagement


Show notes:

🔹Link to this episode: https://youtu.be/ER8D8MBnr8Y

🔹Melissa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-j-marks/

🔹Team Excellence: https://tinapauluskrause.com/teamexcellence/

🔹The Smart IT Podcast YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thesmartitpodcast

🔹Captivate Website for all episodes: https://the-smart-it-podcast.captivate.fm/

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About the Podcast

The Smart IT Podcast
Where IT explores what's next...
The Smart IT Podcast, where IT professionals can assemble and hear from each other, industry leaders, thought leaders, and those in adjacent fields to collaborate and learn from each other and explore what’s next for IT.

The Smart IT Podcast explores what’s next for IT as it continues to find ways to get the important things done for our organizations.
Preparing for the next decade, we need to think differently about how we approach our work to continue to thrive into the future.

Smart IT is an approach, conceptual framework, and development model to getting the important things done by transforming the way traditional IT thinks, works, and leads. It supports the disruption of the status quo, simplifies the complex, reduces uncertainty, and improves risk mitigation.

There has never been more pressure to deliver for our organizations; but I know IT is up to the challenge.

That will require IT to lead by working smarter. Let’s do it together.

About your host

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William Reed

I am an advisor of technology for business use, have seen the possibilities, the challenges, the constraints, and the risks. I have seen firsthand the technical debt, silos, broken communication, despair of IT, and business frustrations. And, I have seen the possibilities, the hopes, and the opportunities while working in the trenches of IT.

As someone that has analyzed, designed, built, and supported technology infrastructure for many businesses over the years, and followed the technology trends and cyber threats, I see the opportunities for our organizations and for the professionals of IT as a fulfilling and thriving career.

I believe we have been blessed with great opportunities to continue to improve ourselves and organizations. If it’s possible, there is no reason enterprise IT cannot reach new heights and help our businesses thrive in age of disruption, complexity, and risk.

I have a passion is bringing a fresh perspective to the challenges in front of IT and help inspire a team to tackle and win. And to help individuals and organizations make better decisions to improve outcomes and experiences.

I advise on matters of technology use for organizational benefits. He has over 20 years’ experience in the Information Technology field. He has worked for multiple technology value added resellers, representing the major vendors and technologies in the industry. He has consulted across the major industries, including banking, health care, retail, oil & gas, education, government, finance, and legal.