Can You Lead the Future?
In an era defined by rapid global pivots and "economic fan fiction," success belongs to those who can bridge the gap between their past adversity and future innovation.
This 58th edition of Scaling My Impact investigates whether your current professional habits are serving your goals or if they are simply old armor you forgot to take off.
From the high-pressure runways of Orlando to the rising tech hubs of Hanoi and the innovative boardrooms of Menlo Park, we explore the frameworks necessary to reclaim your professional identity and leverage the fastest-growing digital economy in Southeast Asia.
Stay tuned until the end of this newsletter to catch our last week’s poll result on what helps our community stay grounded during busy seasons!
Are Your Current Leadership Habits Just Old Armor You Forgot to Take Off?
Many executives find themselves trapped behind a professional "mask" that feels heavy and restrictive, often unaware that childhood survival tactics are sabotaging their boardroom performance.
Tim Dickey shares his journey of evolving from a bullied youth to a resilient Navy leader to show how shedding this emotional armor leads to real authority.
Here’s our key takeaways:
🔑 Update Your Internal Software: Growth often requires unlearning the very behaviors that once kept us safe. Tim notes:
“Ultimately those habits that served us well from a defensive standpoint as a child no longer serve us... In fact, being well used to an asset becomes a liability.”
🔑 Redefine Your Narrative: Stepping out of your comfort zone, like Tim’s move to the Navy, allows you to "reset" your identity. He reflects:
“As a leader, I got to choose what that story looked like and how I related to people around me.”
🔑 Practice Intestinal Fortitude: Leadership offers a daily temptation to quit when the toll becomes too high. Tim highlights the necessity of grit:
“It just becomes a question of; do you have the intestinal fortitude to push on through to make it happen?”
💡 Did You Know?
- Long‑term studies show that children who are bullied are significantly more likely to struggle with mental health and relationships at work as adults—conflict doesn’t just “stay in the playground.” (Iwanaga M., et. al)
- Systematic reviews suggest that leadership behavior explains most of the success or failure of organizational change—when managers are open and intentional in how they show up, employees align far more strongly with the change. (Khaw, K.W., et. al)
True leadership authority is found when you have the courage to shed old defensive habits and choose a persona that reflects the leader you want to become.
Replay + Resources
📺 Watch this week’s Life Lesson Learned series in YouTube:
Catch next week’s Life Lessons Learned in Tim Unscripted!
📬 Get most of the insights from Tim!
→ Company Website: Improving
→ YouTube Channel: Subscribe here!
→ LinkedIn Newsletter: The Great Inversion
Is Your Professional Value Tied to Your Typing Speed or Your Strategic Thinking?
As loud marketing claims about AI create a deep sense of powerlessness among veterans of their craft, many wonder if their skills will be obsolete by next year.
In this week’s Top Voice Podcast, host Michael Lopez and software veteran Philip Ledgerwood discuss how to face this existential threat by reclaiming your identity.
Here’s our key takeaways:
🔑 Move Beyond "Economic Fan Fiction": Anxiety is often fueled by viral success stories that lack verifiable details. Philip notes:
“The power of the hype behind AI is just so massive... The actual data tells a very different story.”
🔑 Redefine Your Value: Your identity should not be tied to transitory skills like writing code or emails. Philip explains his team philosophy:
“We didn't hire you to type... We hired you because you can listen to business problems and think of solutions in software terms”
🔑 The Only Way Out is Through: The best way to reduce fear is to move toward the threat by experimenting with tools yourself. Philip reminds us:
“Engagement... is the best place to be... you will come to find out that... there's actually not a whole lot to be afraid of here”
💡 AI Reality Check:
While 76% of developers now use AI coding tools, most of them report that AI output adds to technical debt and can’t be fully trusted without extra review. (Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2024, Sonar State of Code 2026)
As Michael puts it:
“Just because you give someone a basketball doesn't make them Michael Jordan.”
AI is a building tool, not a thinking tool; while it can build the "pipes," it still requires a human to tell it where the water should flow.
Replay + Resources
📺 Watch the Full Episode of this week’s Top Voice Podcast
- On LinkedIn
- On YouTube
Join the next episode of Top Voice Tuesday with Matt Forrest on March 10 at 12:00 PM EST on LinkedIn Live. Register here!
📬 Get the most of the insights from our featured Top Voices in this episode!
→ Company Website: Integrity Inspired
→ Podcast: Agile Bites
→ Newsletter: Friday Focus
→ YouTube Channel: Subscribe here!
→ Purchase his book “CHANGE” on Amazon
Is the Next Silicon Valley Already Being Built in Southeast Asia?
If you are looking for the next tech giant, look toward the tech hubs of Hanoi, Saigon, and Da Nang.
This week, the Silicon Zombies hosts Nick Larson and Hooman Khalili introduced a high-level panel at the Park James Hotel in Menlo Park, including Ambassador Hoang Anh Tuan (Consul General of Vietnam), Dr. Kieu-Linh Caroline Valverde (UC Davis Professor and Diaspora expert), and Dzung Nguyen (COO of Viettel America).
They discuss why Vietnam has become a strategic necessity for global tech.
Here’s our key takeaways:
🔑 Leverage a Massive STEM Pool: Vietnam boasts ~530k software developers within a 1.5M ICT workforce (VTI Developers Outlook 2026) and recently hit 8.02% GDP growth in 2025. (ICIS Report)
Ambassador Hoang explains:
“Vietnam is no longer a country... a dynamic country now, a country that wants to be an important player in the region and in the world”
🔑 Adapt the Silicon Valley Model: Local giants like the $9 billion Viettel Group are learning from the West while adjusting for local conditions. Dzung notes:
“We will take the best practice from Silicon Valley... but we adjust with conditions and resources that are flexible.”
🔑 Tap into Youthful Innovation: With 70% of the population born after the war, the country is focused entirely on the future. (Population Pyramids 2025)
Dr. Kieu-Linh shares:
“The reality is Vietnam... youthful, innovative, dynamic.”
💡 Global Market Data:
Furthermore, the Vietnamese diaspora remittances hit $10.3B+ in HCMC alone in 2025 (national ~$18–20B), fueling local startups." (Bao Chinh Phu)
The "next" Silicon Valley isn't a replacement for the U.S. model, but a dynamic regional hub where youth and R&D are fueling unprecedented growth.
Replay + Resources
📺 Watch the full episode of this SIlicon Zombies episode:
Join the Silicon Zombies team in their next episode! Catch their livestreams in LinkedIn and YouTube Live in Silicon Zombies channel.
🤝 Connect with our Silicon Zombies guest speakers and hosts!
→ Company Websites
→ Company Website: Viettel America
→ Personal Website: Hooman.tv
→ Company Website: Park James Hotel
→ YouTube Channel: subscribe here!
→ Company Website: Silicon Zombies
→ YouTube Channel: subscribe here!
→ Need Advice? Book a 1:1 with Nick in Hubble!
→ Subscribe to Nick’s LinkedIn Newsletter: Brain Food
Is Staying Quiet About Your Expertise Actually a Business Liability?
For founders in Architectural Engineering and Construction (AEC), hiding your expertise is more than just humility—it is a threat to your firm's security.
In the comeback episode of Live with Top Voices Unite, Nikki Estes and Jonathon Chambless explain why visibility is a functional requirement
Here’s our key takeaways:
🔑 Accept the Responsibility of Being Seen: If stakeholders don't understand your vision, they cannot align with your goals.
Nikki notes:
“I believe that once you have a good idea, it's your responsibility to make sure that your audience understands what it is”
🔑 Defend Your Information Property: Without a secure strategy, firms risk "leaking" their most valuable assets.
Jonathon warns:
“If you're not defending your information property... then you are leaking your information property.”
🔑 Adopt an AI Harness: Move away from "vibe coding" (building without a formal framework) and toward a multi-model system with clear handoff points:
💡 Operational Insight:
Miscommunication and poor project data cost the U.S. construction industry $31.3 billion in rework in a single year. (Autodesk/FMI Report)
Additionally, 60% of people expect employers to speak publicly on social issues like climate change and inequality. (Edelman Trust Barometer 2022)
Leadership in 2026 requires a blend of technical mastery and public presence; if you are ready to stop being a "best-kept secret," start by sharing one insight today.
Replay + Resources
📺 Watch the replay here:
- YouTube
🔎 Explore more from our Featured Voices here:
→ YouTube Channel: LVR8LABS
→ Linktree: Tradesmantools
→ YouTube Channel: Scaling My Impact
→ Company Websites:
→ Subscribe to Nikki’s active newsletters!
Last Week’s Poll Results
Last Friday, we asked our community about their top workplace priority, and the results were a clear call for reflection.
Our community spoke unanimously about the need for space to think.
Jose Kiggundu shared a powerful perspective, arguing that quiet time is not just a luxury but is essential for clarity and sustainable leadership. We hear you, Jose!
This preference for quiet time relates directly to @Tim Dickey’s lessons on "intestinal fortitude" and "updating defenses.”
To unlearn survival habits and redefine your professional narrative, you must first have the quiet space to reflect on which habits are serving you and which are just old armor.
A special thanks to our Community Voices who voted and engaged:
This is what a community looks like. When you engage (whether through voting, commenting, or sharing) you're part of a movement of leaders committed to growth, accountability, and lifting each other up.
See the full conversation on LinkedIn
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