Why Empathy is the Key to Performance and Growth – Matt Stoyka KEYNOTE SPEAKER

03/18/25 • -1 min

Revenue By Design In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, leadership is being redefined. Success is no longer just about strategy, execution, and results—it’s about people. In The New Leadership Imperative, Matt Stoyka explores why empathy is no longer optional—it’s essential for leaders who want to drive performance, build resilient teams, and create lasting value. With over 25 years of experience as a CEO, founder, advisor, and investor, Matt has seen firsthand how companies that embed empathy into their culture consistently outperform their peers. In this talk, he shares real-world insights on how leaders can shift from traditional command-and-control mindsets to an empathy-driven approach that fuels innovation, trust, and sustainable success. Attendees will walk away with: A clear understanding of why empathy is the most important leadership skill of the future. Practical strategies to build high-performing, engaged teams in any organization. Insights on how an empathetic culture creates measurable business impact, from employee retention to customer loyalty. Actionable steps to integrate process-driven leadership with a people-first mindset. Whether you're leading a startup, a high-growth company, or a large enterprise, this session will challenge the way you think about leadership and equip you with the tools to lead with impact, inspire your teams, and drive meaningful change. Matt Stoyka has over 25 years of experience as a CEO, founder, advisor, and investor. His career has been defined by his ability to build and lead high-performing teams, always with a deep focus on relationships as the most valuable asset—both professionally and personally. His trademarked “process first, technology second” approach has been a driving force behind his success in the technology services industry, enabling organizations to maximize client value and long-term success. Currently, Matt is a partner at Resonance Equity Partners, a private investment firm specializing in scaling services companies for rapid growth. He serves on the board of three technology services firms and advises multiple private equity firms. Most recently, he co-founded three new technology services companies focused on Agentic AI, data engineering/data science, and Salesforce Agentforce. A two-time CEO, Matt has led organizations across startups, high-growth firms, private equity-backed companies, and publicly traded enterprises. His diverse experience has shaped a leadership philosophy that balances strategic vision with tactical execution, all rooted in empathy. He believes that organizations that embed a culture of empathy not only outperform their peers but also create significant value for employees and customers. Matt is currently working on his first book, which explores the intersection of empathy and leadership—a topic that has been at the heart of his career. http://www.newrocket.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattstoyka/ ~ More About Revenue By Design ~ Revenue by Design, led by Dionne Mejer, is more than just a consulting, coaching, and advisory firm—it’s a movement dedicated to helping sales professionals and leaders achieve lasting success. With over 25 years of experience in sales, tech, professional services, and coaching, Dionne has built a reputation for bringing people, processes, and technology together in a way that drives unapologetic success. In addition to leading RbD, she spearheads a prestigious consortium of companies and leaders who share a commitment to excellence. Now, as we step into our Decade of Destiny, we invite you to be part of a powerful movement—1 million revenue professionals taking ownership of their craft, their clients, and their future. [email protected] https://rbd-advisory.com/ Sponsors BDR.ai https://www.bdr.ai/ Open Forge AI https://www.openforge.ai/ To get more of Revenue By Design, be sure to visit the podcast page for replays here: https://www.inspiredchoicesnetwork.com/podcast/revenue-by-design/

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From Drama to Empowerment, High Performance and Happiness – Merilee Smith

Revenue By Design As high-achievers, we constantly strive to be our best and make great things happen! With our success, comes challenges and never-ending expectations. It’s easy to run on autopilot and react to situations. We can get sucked into energy-draining stress, low vibe thinking, and unnecessary drama—at work and in life. When this happens, we lose focus of what’s most important. We feel the pressure to do more and be more. Stress affects our overall performance, well-being, and relationships. It impacts how we communicate and work with others and it keeps us from our fullest potential. Understanding how you can consciously respond to stress in an empowering way instead of reacting to it, will help you lead and live as the best version of you in all aspects of your life. This is what you will learn during this highly engaging and practical session. You will: • Learn The Drama to Empowerment Framework, a self-awareness tool for daily presence and control, enabling you to reduce stress and live with more purpose and passion. • Understand which of your reactive thoughts and habits trigger you into the Dreaded Drama Triangle roles of Victim, Persecutor, and Rescuer and the costs to you, your team, those you support, overall performance, and culture. • Realize the positive and sustainable outcomes you create when you proactively lead from The Empowerment Dynamic roles of Creator, Challenger, and Coach. • Embrace, learn, and grow from your stress and drama, rather than avoid or resist it, so that you can be more intentional, resourceful, resilient, and confident. You will walk away: • Equipped to handle stress and changes with agility and embrace opportunities with confidence. • Feeling energized, more present and focused, lighter and inspired. • Read to consciously live from your highest self and make a positive impact on others and our world. Merilee Smith is a high energy, Mindset Development Coach and Speaker. She equips high-achieving leaders and teams with the mental and emotional agility skills needed to disrupt stress and drama and boldly lead with purpose, passion, and a positive impact. Merilee’s clients walk away with a higher consciousness and in charge of their thoughts and energy. They see opportunities rather than problems and focus on what matters most. They successfully lead themselves and others through stressful times and changes because they have the wherewithal to lead with compassion while simultaneously challenging the status quo and inspiring others to the next level. Those who work with Merilee tap into their fullest leadership potential. They spark high performance and collaborative relationships that achieve top priorities and results. They have the mindset mastery to improve their overall well-being and live a fulfilling and happy life—no matter what challenges arise. Merilee has a Masters in Leadership, starting her leadership career at Walt Disney World. She is a Certified Professional Coach and Facilitator with 28 years working in leadership development across diverse industries. She is also a business coach for The Alternative Board. Merilee is a featured author in the book, Twenty-Won where she shares her story of resilience in her chapter Ditch Drama and Take Charge of Your Story. When Merilee is not teaching, you can find her making memories with family and friends. She appreciates going for a good run and loves live music, dancing, visiting local breweries, and all things Irish! [email protected] http://www.sparkwithmerilee.com/ https://www.facebook.com/merilee.smith https://www.instagram.com/sparkwithmerilee/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/sparkwithmerilee/ ~ More About Revenue By Design ~ Revenue by Design, led by Dionne Mejer, is more than just a consulting, coaching, and advisory firm—it’s a movement dedicated to helping sales professionals and leaders achieve lasting success. With over 25 years of experience in sales, tech, professional services, and coaching, Dionne has built a reputation for bringing people, processes, and technology together in a way that drives unapologetic success. In addition to leading RbD, she spearheads a prestigious consortium of companies and leaders who share a commitment to excellence. Now, as we step into our Decade of Destiny, we invite you to be part of a powerful movement—1 million revenue professionals taking ownership of their craft, their clients, and their future. [email protected] https://rbd-advisory.com/ Sponsors BDR.ai https://www.bdr.ai/ Open Forge AI https://www.openforge.ai/ To get more of Revenue By Design, be sure to visit the podcast page for replays here: https://www.inspiredchoicesnetwork.com/podcast/revenue-by-design/