In this powerful Verses in Service episode of No Boxes: Just Verses, we sit down with visionary global CTO and corporate board director, Lakecia Gunter. Are you a leader battling imposter syndrome, seeking to master the calculated risk, or looking to build a career that is truly purpose-driven? Lakecia's story is a profound testament to the value of sowing good seeds, owning your brilliance, and believing that you are Unstoppable. From her humble, supportive roots in Florida to leading Microsoft's global technology strategy, tune in for the playbook on navigating corporate tech with high IQ and EQ.

Lakecia Gunter is an accomplished corporate board director and C-suite executive, currently serving as an independent director for IDEX Corporation and a board advisor for Responsive.io. As the former CTO for Microsoft’s Global Partner Solutions, she led digital transformation and technical innovation, shaping the technical vision for the industry's largest partner ecosystem and empowering partners with AI and Microsoft technologies.

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Key Takeaways:

• Learn how Lakecia’s mother and a strong family/community showed her that support and resilience are the foundation for rising above circumstances.

• Discover how strong mentors, including her college director and her manager at a major tech company, created a blueprint for success—giving her internships, securing her fellowship funding, and planting the seed for her C-Suite trajectory.

• Hear Lakecia's journey to realizing that she had earned her seat and had to stop trying to prove anything to anyone else, embracing the mantra of being Unstoppable and owning her unique differentiation (high IQ and high EQ).

• Find out why Lakecia believes her career success and opportunities are a direct result of sowing good seeds and extending grace to others, knowing that actions are lasting and emotions are temporary.

• Understand the devastating moment her mentor passed away, leaving her without a safety net, and how she channeled that loss to carry on the mentor’s work, proving her faith and resilience.

Lakecia Gunter’s journey is a powerful call to own your brilliance and trust that you have what it takes to succeed. How will you walk into the confidence that you should possess this week? Follow Lakecia's podcast and step into your unstoppable future!

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Theme Song: Pedal to the Medal by Martin Luther (Spotify | Apple Music) 

The CTO's Blueprint: How to Lead with High IQ and Unstoppable EQ

Have you ever wondered what it truly takes to rise to a global executive role, especially in the high-stakes world of technology? You might think it’s just about having the highest IQ, but the truth is, the most successful leaders have mastered a powerful formula: High IQ + Unstoppable EQ.

In an interview on the No Boxes: Just Verses podcast, visionary CTO and corporate board director Lakecia Gunter shared her deeply personal journey. From a supportive but humble background in Florida to leading Microsoft's global technology strategy, her story is a profound blueprint for mastering resilience, conquering imposter syndrome, and building a career on purpose. This article is for you if you're ready to stop just working hard and start working smart by investing in your full, brilliant self.

Are you ready to stop battling imposter syndrome and start owning your seat at the table? This content is for any leader who understands that support is a superpower and that you must be intentional about your personal growth. You don't need a perfect background to get started. You just need a strong desire to sow good seeds and the courage to follow through on your potential.

Step 1: Forge Resilience Through Adaptability and Support

It’s a common mistake to view a challenging upbringing as a liability. Lakecia's story proves the opposite: a difficult background, led by her "warrior" mother, instilled core traits of resilience and adaptability. She learned early that support is a superpower, coming from her family, her church, and even a strong black couple who owned a KFC franchise and gave her a job that taught her business fundamentals. This powerful network gave her the confidence to keep saying "yes" to opportunity, even when she was afraid.

Conclusion:

Your supportive community and your ability to adapt are the foundational assets for your entire career.

• View your early challenges as the necessary training for adaptability and persistence.

• Seek out mentors and sponsors who will create a blueprint for success for you, securing internships and opportunities.

• Say "yes" to opportunity, even when you are afraid or outside of your comfort zone.

• Remember that support is a superpower that allows you to rise above your circumstances.

Step 2: Master the Formula: High IQ + High EQ

Technical intelligence (IQ) will open the door, but emotional intelligence (EQ) is what keeps you in the C-Suite. Lakecia’s success formula is mastering both. She leveraged strong mentors to secure funding for her master’s in Electrical Engineering (high IQ) while simultaneously building her soft skills (high EQ). She learned that a leader's ability to drive innovation must be coupled with the capacity to extend grace, understanding that "actions are lasting and emotions are temporary." This human-centric approach is what makes people-centric leaders.

Conclusion:

The C-Suite formula for sustained success requires a strategic investment in both your technical and emotional intelligence.

• Invest strategically in your IQ by pursuing the highest levels of education and technical training available.

• Develop your EQ by understanding that emotions are just data and learning to extend grace to your colleagues.

• Build strong teams by working for human-centric leaders who invest in the people they lead.

• Remember that a leader's ability to influence is tied to their emotional maturity and how they treat others.

Step 3: Own Your Brilliance and Be Unstoppable

Every successful leader battles imposter syndrome, but the key is to develop an internal strategy to defeat it. Lakecia shared that she fought self-doubt by realizing she had earned her seat and had to stop trying to prove anything to anyone else. She embraced the mantra of being "Unstoppable," which means walking confidently in your credibility and owning your unique value—that she brings a technical depth (IQ) and a profound understanding of people (EQ) that no one else can match.

Conclusion:

You must develop an internal strategy to combat imposter syndrome by consciously owning your brilliance.

• Remind yourself that you have earned your seat at the table through hard work and experience.

• Stop trying to prove yourself to others; focus on owning your credit and your brilliance.

• Walk confidently in your credibility by trusting the body of work you have already created.

• Embrace the mantra that nothing can stop you except your own self-doubt.

Step 4: Sowing Seeds: Purpose Beyond Position

A successful career is not the destination; it is the launchpad for a deeper purpose. Lakecia believes her opportunities and success are a direct result of sowing good seeds and living her life on purpose, not for position. She channeled the devastating loss of her mentor into carrying on her mentor's work, ensuring the legacy of opportunity continued for others. This commitment to "lifting as I climb" through service organizations proves that a leader's ultimate role is to open doors of access for the next generation.

Conclusion:

Your ultimate legacy is built on purpose, not position, and measured by the support you provide to the next generation.

• View your current position not as an end goal, but as a platform for service.

• Sow good seeds by giving back and opening doors of access for others.

• Understand that purpose outlasts titles, and your legacy is the work you do for your community.

• Remember that the final measure of your success is the impact you have on the lives of others.

Conclusion

You’ve learned that the blueprint for executive leadership is an unboxed journey built on resilience, adaptability, and the powerful formula of High IQ + Unstoppable EQ. Lakecia Gunter’s story is a profound call to own your brilliance and turn your entire life into a mission of service.

The big idea: Your unique combination of brainpower and heart is what makes you truly unstoppable.

Now it’s time to integrate these ideas into your life:

Final Steps to Take:

• Develop your EQ: Who is one person you can offer to extend grace to this week?

• Embrace a mantra: What is your personal "Unstoppable" affirmation to conquer self-doubt?

• Sow a seed: What is one opportunity you can create or open for someone else this month?

• Walk with confidence: What action will you take this week to own your brilliance and stop trying to prove yourself?