Jote Taddese is a C-Suite strategic advisor, a board executive and a social entrepreneur, Jote is also a connector of individual strengths to make dreams come true by approaching every interaction as an opportunity to inspire others and look for what is possible versus focusing on the problem. He is a Lifetime-Learner, a Coach and a Mentor focused on fostering a culture of curiosity to inspire entrepreneurial spirit, innovation and co-creation in order to
deliver meaningful business value in global and matrixed organizations.
FMM: How are you helping C-suite business executives to incorporate new insights into their decision-making processes?
I come from a technology background both academically and professionally. As I progressed in my IT leadership career, I began to cultivate an interest and passion around how data and analytics provide critical insights into pressing business problems that C-Suite executives often struggle to address. For example, as an IT strategist and advisor, I often spend time with healthcare executives to help them develop new business or revenue models that are powered by data and analytics. I use my experiences in digital platforms, data ecosystems, and storytelling to help business executives see new possibilities on how they can grow or transform their businesses.
FMM: As an industry thought leader, what are some of the trends you are seeing as a result of the pandemic?
The pandemic has certainly changed the face of the healthcare industry. We are already seeing expanding trends in healthcare delivery models such as the growing ecosystems of telehealth platforms. This is because governments, policymakers, and healthcare organizations across the globe have responded to the pandemic by rapidly implementing digital health capabilities. As a result, it is clear that the pace of digital transformation has accelerated across governmental and private institutions. The other change in trend is how we think about our individual health journeys and experiences – the pandemic is challenging today’s status quo of in-person healthcare delivery model by forcing care providers to prioritize a digital way of providing health services throughout the entirely of our individual health journey. This means how we interact with doctors and clinicians, how we search and find local pharmacies and clinics, and how we search for and receive our medications, and how we pay for all these healthcare services will dramatically and permanently change.
FMM: Tell us about your background as a Social Entrepreneur.
As a technology professional and leader, social entrepreneurship is a passion that has always been moving through my veins. I am an outcome and impact-driven leader and I use social entrepreneurship as a way to bring positive impact to my communities locally and globally. My social entrepreneurship activities span across running startups, mentoring entrepreneurs, volunteering in the effort to bring books to children in Africa, taking active leadership roles in the African diaspora communities to participate in the development of Africa..etc.
FMM: You are a Connector of individual strengths to make dreams come true. Share a few stories.
The gift of recognizing the value in individual talents was instilled in me at a very young age when I used to be a team leader at neighborhood soccer matches. As a young boy, one of my favorite activities was to select players to build a winning soccer team by harnessing strength from the skills that each player would bring to the team. I understood very well what individual talents were required to play each position in a soccer match and how each player complemented one another to make a cohesive team. This passion has stayed with me where I now apply the same principles in my community and work settings to engage, inspire and build high-performing teams.
FMM: Tell us about DiaspoCare and your vision for 2021,
DiaspoCare is a digital healthcare platform connecting the African Diaspora to the pharmacists and clinicians that care for their families back home. Whether separated by thousands of miles or living in another city, our healthcare financing services give you the peace of mind that your funds are used as intend to deliver quality healthcare for your loved ones. To truly understand what DiaspoCare is all about, consider the following scenarios:
- Imagine you have family members who live in a part of the world where basic medications are not affordable to 2/3 of people and needed medications are not available 60% of the time.
- Imagine the majority of the time the funds you send for your family’s health care expenses are diverted for other purposes.
- Imagine 80% of all pharmacies in the country where your families get their medications from lack an electronic inventory management system
- Imagine the majority of private clinics and specialists that care for your family lack electronic medical records
Essentially, our digital platform builds a support system for the entire community within the value chain. We have been testing and validating our business model in various African markets and our focus for 2021 will be secure the funding required to scale our platform through an aggressive customer acquisition process.
FMM: As a much sought after Coach. What are some of the challenges people are facing?
Coaching and mentoring others is a two-way street. I draw much of what I give as a coach from the experiences and learnings I gained by being on the receiving end. One of the challenges people face in their professional journey is how to cultivate the leadership characters they need to connect with and lead teams authentically. I often try to show the leaders I coach that the strength of their leadership character would be measured by their ability to build bridges and relationships and that the trust of their stakeholders and partners was their most important asset as leaders and of much greater value than their subject matter expertise, ranks or titles. Finally, at the heart of my coaching style lays an African philosophy termed “Ubuntu” which basically means “I Am Because We Are”! What we do for one another influences people that we will never know. When we mentor a young professional or help educate a child, we help fulfill not only the potential of the person but also change the impact on the communities he or she will touch.
FMM: What are you most proud of?
I am most proud of seeing how the legacy I am currently building through my social entrepreneurship and community leadership efforts will continue to impact others long after I am gone. This is what leadership is all about, to see to it that what we do for others will continue to change the lives of people for generations to come.
FMM: Tell us about Books for Africa. Why is this so important to you?
Books For Africa is the world’s largest shipper of donated books to the African continent, shipping over 50 million books and serving all the 55 African countries in its 32-year history. Books For Africa is important to me because I am a living example of when we put a book in the hands of a child, we not only help fulfill the potential of the child, but also change the impact on the lives of individuals and communities that child will touch.
View about our library project at http://youtu.be/9Lhm7EkppzU
FMM: Please share your social media links
My interview with SPNN about my Books For Africa story: http://youtu.be/9Lhm7EkppzU
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jote-taddese-8274088/
Congrats Jote hard work pays off.