Debbie Laskey's Blog: SPRING LEADERSHIP SERIES 2025

Last year, I launched a Spring Leadership Series to think about leadership in nontraditional ways. As 2024 continued, I presented additional ways to think about leadership during my Olympics Leadership Series and Holiday Leadership Series. With a new year upon us, I've invited 25 thought leaders to share their responses to five questions relating to team-building, reading, and leadership. My #SpringLeadershipSeries2025 began the first day of Spring and continues through June 20th, the first day of Summer.

Before we begin, I'd like to applaud two special individuals for providing the inspiration for this series. First, big applause goes to Erika Andersen, a leadership expert and author who I've had the pleasure of knowing for nearly 15 years, and she's appeared on my blog 13 times since 2011. She wrote an article for Forbes entitled, "How Springtime Can Make Us Better Leaders," and that article serves as the core of the series as its first question. Second, I also applaud Joseph Lalonde, a leadership expert and author of a book called REEL LEADERSHIP, for planting the seeds for last year's Spring Leadership Series on my blog. After I read Joe's book, I started looking at movies as well as works of fiction, TV shows, and TV characters with "leadership-tinted glasses."

For today's post, I'd like to introduce Allan Pratt. Allan is an infosecurity strategist and represents the intersection of management and technology. With an MBA Degree and six CompTIA certifications in computers, cloud computing, networks, servers, security, and mobility, he translates tech issues into everyday language that is easily understood by all business units. He has been a contributor to several technology blogs and has been quoted in industry publications. Currently, Allan is an assessment writer for an international scholastic publisher; and for the past 14 years, he has taught numerous CompTIA certification courses at Los Angeles City College (online since the covid pandemic began). His most significant accomplishment was the creation of the Cybersecurity Certificate and A.S. program for LACC, the first program of its kind within the entire Los Angeles Community College District.

Allan is also my husband – we met in grad school – and while we both studied marketing, Allan detoured into technology. With his experience as a technology professor, his view of leadership is unique: he is shaping the tech leaders of the future, which is why his insights are especially relevant for this #SpringLeadershipSeries2025.

QUESTION: Leadership expert and author Erika Andersen wrote an article for Forbes entitled, "How Springtime Can Make Us Better Leaders." In the article, Erika compared gardening to management and leadership. What are your thoughts, or was there something that stood out from the article?

ALLAN PRATT: If you have the right employees (aka, gardening tools), then you can garden all year-round. I strongly believe that for leadership to be effective, it must be consistent. Therefore, while an interesting article, I think leaders must be consistent with their leadership style, their project deadlines and requirements for their employees, their communication styles with their employees, and the manner in which they provide (and frequency of) feedback.

QUESTION: What was the most recent example of inspiring leadership that made an impact on you?

ALLAN PRATT: I've been inspired by the respectful transition from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to Mark Carney - as opposed to the current leadership implosion in Washington, D.C.

QUESTION: What is your favorite team-building activity, and why?

ALLAN PRATT: I always like to look at both sides of an issue. Call me a devil's advocate, but if you need a team-building activity, it's probably too late. The culture should have been addressed a long time ago, and the leadership team should have been re-trained on its people and management skills awhile ago too.

QUESTION: Which book is on the top of your to-be-read pile, and why?

ALLAN PRATT: I enjoy comedy, so I'm looking forward to reading "Danny Kaye, King of Jesters" by David Koenig. Here's a preview: "Danny Kaye was literally both King of Jesters and Jester of Kings. But his was a life built on much more than buffoonery, for he could conceivably master any discipline he committed himself to—: singing straight or scat, dancing, comedy, even the culinary arts and humanitarian efforts, indeed anything he put his mind to...Based on decades of research and interviews, the book clears up previous misconceptions about Kaye, right down to his birthday. Even more, it is a fun, backstage look at the making of his greatest roles."

QUESTION: In the past year, has a TV show, film, or work of fiction stood out as a result of its emphasis on leadership?

ALLAN PRATT: The TV show 9-1-1 features an incredibly competent lead female character, Patrol Sergeant Athena Grant-Nash performed by Academy Award Nominee Angela Bassett. Even though Bassett has starred in and produced the show since 2018, in every episode, her portrayl of Sergeant Grant demonstrates inspiring leadership and support for the Los Angeles community that she serves.

I appreciate TV shows and films that showcase strong and capable female protagonists because, unfortunately, there are too few - and they are necessary to inspire the next generation of women leaders in all fields, especially mine, technology and cybersecurity.

Debbie Laskey's Blog

Monday, May 26, 2025

SPRING LEADERSHIP SERIES 2025 – Featuring Allan Pratt

SHARE THIS: TV shows and films that showcase strong and capable female protagonists are necessary to inspire the next generation of women leaders in all fields. ~@Tips4Tech #SpringLeadershipSeries2025 #DebbieLaskeysBlog

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