In this episode, Dr. Laura Sicola interviews Angelo J Valletta, CEO of Ben Franklin Technology Partners, about leadership communication and taking risks. They discuss the importance of concise communication, the challenges of being an expert in a specific field, and the need for empathy and servant leadership. Angelo shares a personal story about dealing with a toxic team member and the lessons he learned from that experience. He also talks about taking a big risk in his career and how he communicated that decision to key stakeholders. In this conversation, Angelo J. Valletta discusses the risks he took in his career and the importance of understanding the core drivers of revenue in an organization. He shares his experience in advocating for mobile banking and the challenges of persuading others to invest in new technology. Angelo also emphasizes the value of empathy in communication and the importance of storytelling to effectively convey messages. He challenges listeners to practice empathy and find ways to help others within their organizations. Angelo also shares his journey of developing concise storytelling skills and the impact of having mentors in his career. In this episode you will learn: Master your subject to communicate complex ideas simply and concisely. Listen more than you speak to engage your audience effectively. Empathy and servant leadership are crucial for building a cohesive and successful team. Dealing with toxic team members requires addressing the issue directly and setting clear boundaries. Taking risks in your career can lead to growth and new opportunities, but it's important to communicate your decisions to key stakeholders. Understanding the core drivers of revenue in an organization is crucial for success. Advocating for new technology and innovation may require persuading others to invest in the future rather than focusing solely on immediate revenue. Empathy is a powerful communication skill that can help build relationships and drive success. Storytelling is an effective way to convey messages and engage others. Having mentors can greatly impact your personal and professional development.   About Angelo J. Valletta Angelo has close to forty years of progressively responsible managerial experience in diverse industries with companies ranging in size from small consultants to multi-national firms. He has a proven track record of developing and building effective internal and outsourced distributed teams and is a turn-around specialist in operations and customer service. He has held multiple board-level leadership roles and had his book “7 Rs of Leadership and Life” recently published by Newman Springs. Angelo currently serves as President and CEO for the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania. Prior to joining Ben Franklin Northeast, he served in several executive leadership roles at FISGlobal, one of the largest FinTech’s in the world; President and CEO of an independent Community Foundation; Senior Vice President and Chief Bank Operations and Information Officer at Sun National Bank; and Philadelphia Market Chief Information Officer at PNCBank. Angelo earned his undergraduate degree in Computer Science from Temple University and his MBA from Philadelphia University. He serves on several non-profit boards and mentors students at a number of fine universities.  You can connect with Angelo J. Valletta in the following ways: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aundrea-mitchell-06746370/  “7 Rs of Leadership and Life” book: https://www.newmansprings.com/release/?book=7rs-of-leadership-and-life Ben Franklin Technology Partners: https://benfranklin.org/ You can connect with Dr. Laura Sicola in the following ways: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drlaurasicola LinkedIn Business Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/laurasicola-inc YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LauraSicolainc Facebook: Dr. Laura Sicola Twitter: @LauraSicola Inst