Meet Sallyann Della Casa, CEO and Chief Identity Hacker at GLEAC. When Sallyann was younger, she worked as a corporate lawyer. Later, in her thirties, she managed her own foundation. Then, something special happened: she was given the opportunity to lead the Culture and People team at Careem, a big company in the Middle East. Saying yes to this changed her life. Sallyann got really interested in technology, data science, and artificial intelligence. This made her brave enough to start her own tech company called Gleac. Gleac uses all the things she has learned over the years to help other people learn new skills and do better in their jobs.
Below are highlights of the interview conducted between World’s Leaders and Sallyann Della Casa:
Tell us about GLEAC and its offerings?
- GLEAC offers Experts-as-a-service in three ways:
- Through 50,000 workplace practice modules on its APP with on-demand expert insights.
- A global community with 500+ Coaches, Mentors, and Experts for virtual and live learning, as well as opportunity networks.
- Through emerging technologies like MentorGPT and NFTS.
- GLEAC focuses on 5 very distinct problem areas for Corporations and governments:
- Closing the Skills Gap.
- Accelerating Innovation and Go-To-Market Pace with Experts.
- Mentorship + Coaching to Improve retention
- Unleashing the Potential of Women, Improving.
- Increasing Engagement and Measuring Impact Through Community.
What is your vision for the future of the company? How do you plan to extend the company services, globally?
I plan to do Gleac big, tall, and wide. I plan to take my own breath away. Gleac, at its core, is about inclusion. Upskilling has no benefit if you do not have a seat at the table or even the visibility to be invited. Because of the network effect of Gleac and our signaling system of human wisdom ( aka human soft skills), I do think platforms like LinkedIn, job boards, etc. need to partner with us and integrate with us. The job to skill ratio at the right place and pace for anyone is terribly wrong, and we are solving it without the legacy and burden of old systems that are hard to fix and change.
If we do Gleac right, we will become the engine that powers the watering-holes for human ingenuity to stand out and be seen,” particularly in a world of A.I.
How do you continue to grow and develop as a tech leader? And what qualities are lacking among today’s emerging leaders?
I am constantly learning and growing. The fact that I am surrounded by 500+ of the world’s leading experts as part of our expert community means I have access to the best minds of thinkers and doers in the world, and that lifts up my game daily. I am truly blessed this way.
Leadership is damn hard. Each day in the world of emerging technologies is one where true self-aware leaders wake up with one foot in fear and one in courage. The ability to keep calm in the eye of storms is key; the ability to see around corners and innovate across domains; reflect and change course quickly, and the ability to influence your stakeholders, be they investors, employees, or customers, is critical.
Leadership has to be congruent with who you are, particularly on bad days. You show up and do the work, no matter how motivated you are. Many emerging leaders miss this congruency.
What are the three things you would like to improve in society, organizations, or people’s lives?
1) Every person should know their strengths, blind spots, and hidden areas.
2) Every human should be able to clearly signal their wisdom, ingenuity (aka human skills), and usefulness to the world.
3) Every human should have the opportunity and networks to be included regardless of age, geography, education, social standing, etc.
What are your responsibilities as Founder of the company? What is the happiest part of your daily routine?
You have to own every success and mistake since everyone and everything is under your watch and leadership while they are with your company and beyond.
I love innovating on the product side of my company. I love when the team teaches me things. I also love learning from and engaging with our industry experts’ community.”
As per you, what are the most important traits to look for when hiring a new team member?
Ability to learn, prompt in taking action, flexible, clear in communications, Emotionally balanced, with boundaries, and self-aware of their strengths, weaknesses, and how they contribute to the business.
New hires are a 50/50 hit or miss. You can hire a CEO from a very successful company, and they will fail at yours because it is not the right place for them.
Employees who give too much, work too much, are overwhelmed in their home lives, and don’t know when they are going to break are dangerous. You cannot give what you do not have in you. This is particularly true for women in the workplace.”
What’s the greatest risk you’ve taken as a professional? Where do you see your company in the next five years?
I made more money in my last job in 6 months as a C-suite executive than I have made as a startup founder in the last 5 years. Before that, I climbed up the wrong ladder as a corporate attorney and was so unhappy. I had the courage to stop and follow my curiosity to figure out who I am and why I am here. That was scary, especially after 5 degrees.
In all of this, I have learned that I am one determined, hard-headed human. I am extremely risk-tolerant, which surprises me daily. And money and security alone do not drive me. I want to make my mark while passing through this life. The journey is about our continuous becoming, over and over again, until our last breath.
What advice you would like to give if someone is going into a leadership position for the first time?
Not everyone is meant or built to lead others. Nobody ever has this conversation, and we take it for granted that as you rise, you lead others. Some of us enjoy and prefer just leading ourselves, and that’s perfectly okay.
For those who like to lead others, it is very much like parenting. Who those you lead become during and beyond your watch is very telling of your leadership. You have to want to see those you lead leapfrog ahead of you and thrive beyond the job they do for you. At least that’s the standard I hold myself to each day.
