Today's guest is Jean-François Lappas, the founder of a company called Wabya (which stands for "We Are Because You Are").

He left a six-figure corporate job amid a pandemic and burnout to find his true purpose. After a journey of self-discovery fueled by self-help books, self-awareness, and self-compassion, JF now lives in harmony with their core values.

He founded a business that embodies his identity and mission, dedicated to helping individuals from all walks of life uncover and realize their purpose, increasingly through the platform-wabya.

The name represents the reliance that we have on each other. We can't exist without others, and others can't exist without us.

His company now helps people through individualized coaching for self-realization. More about JF and his organization can be found here: we are because you are (wabya.com)

I was so careful to get his title correct. He didn't mind.

I wanted to share how important his role was. It wasn't his focus.

I wanted to celebrate his accomplishments. He turned toward his team.

One of the most humble individuals I've ever met, yet one of the most empathetically aware leaders I've interviewed.

Today's guest: Joe Youssef, Executive Vice President, Commercial North America for Amadeus’ Hospitality Division. This podcast episode was recorded live at HITEC 2024 from the Charlotte Convention Center in between educational sessions and my keynote presentation. Joe took the time to share with our listeners valuable skills that he has learned during his career, and how others might be able to implement them.

My greatest learnings:

-Why "will" can often be more important than "skill" when finding the right talent

-How the "Jetsons" cartoon influenced his views about technology as a young child

-Growing up in Egypt and feeling the need to always prove himself

-Sharing essential values with his children

-Never forgetting the sacrifices of his parents

-Offering similar sacrifices for others; its not about him as a leader, it is always about HIS TEAM

He has more than two decades of executive experience in travel technology, distribution, strategy, and marketing.
Prior to his current role in Hospitality, Joe served as EVP of BI and Data Solutions as well as the global leader of Strategy, Marketing, and Corporate Development for Hospitality in Amadeus. Leading both the organic and inorganic growth strategies as well as the marketing strategy for Amadeus Hospitality globally.

Having joined Amadeus in 2006, Joe was previously Madrid-based Global Director for Operations and Business Development for the Hospitality division. He has also served as Regional Director - Marketing & Operations, and Markets Director for Middle East and North Africa. As Head of the Arab Air Carriers Organization (AACO) Program, Joe, and his team elevated Amadeus into a regional leadership position in Middle East and Africa region.

Prior to Amadeus, Joe worked for several global blue-chip companies, including American Express Travel, as Director of Operations & Business Travel, SHOWTIME networks and Kanoo Travel.
Joe holds a BA in Business Administration with a major in Marketing from the University of Cairo. He completed executive management post graduate studies at Canfield University in the UK and speaks both English and Arabic fluently.

Connect with Joe on LinkedIn here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ahmed-youssef-joe/

More about Amadeus here:

https://amadeus.com/en

This EPISODE SPONSORED BY:

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Chris White has found his destiny. He was meant to be an author and an entrepreneur. He LIVES IN THE TREE, he doesn't just visit.

He attributes this example to his business coach as it defines his journey and his passion. We talk about:

-The encouragement of his wife; "you need to do this."

-Working for the right reason

-Realizing that he was good at sales engineering and finding a need to help others

-Writing a best selling book

More about Chris and his company:

https://www.techsalesmastery.com/

Chris White is the author of the Amazon best-seller "The Six Habits of Highly Effective Sales Engineers", Co-Founder of Tech Sales Mastery, and host of the LinkedIn Live program Tech Sales Advice (#techsalesadvice). After spending 15 years as an IT professional, he moved into a technical selling role and discovered very quickly that he didn’t know anything sales. He turned that learning experience into the book he published in 2019, and now teaches other high-tech professionals how to make the transition into the rewarding profession of technical sales.