Bill Murphy's RedZone 10X Podcast

Bill Murphy

The 10X Podcast explores the latest in technology, innovation, creativity, leadership, psychology, health/wellness, and more. Host Bill Murphy is joined by top CIOs, authors, and other leaders at the forefronts of business and innovation. A great listen for business IT leaders guiding their organizations through disruption and exponential change. read less
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Season 13

S13 E2: Smart Cities of the Future - Leveraging Data to Improve the Quality of Life for All Citizens Featuring Brian Chidester
Jul 1 2022
S13 E2: Smart Cities of the Future - Leveraging Data to Improve the Quality of Life for All Citizens Featuring Brian Chidester
Welcome Back to Bill Murphy’s 10x Podcast. Our guest in this episode is Brian Chidester, award-winning, public sector marketing executive, and expert integrated messaging strategist. Brian is currently the Industry Vice President at Genesys, an Advisor to the G20 Global Smart Cities Alliance, and a member of the Forbes Technology Council.   Today, Brian shares with listeners the benefits of developing smart cities and explains how they promote sustainable practices that will address growing urbanization challenges that cities face. By leveraging the data that smart cities provide, stewards within a community can help make better decisions on behalf of the constituents.   As a supporter of smart city evolution, Brian shares examples to describe how process efficiency, edge computing, and curb management can help advocate for the future and advancements of smart cities.  Tune in today and learn about the possibilities smart cities are providing our communities. As a Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Business IT Leader here are some wins you will get by listening:  [5:30] Brian: To be a true advisor to sales leadership, you must have a deep understanding of the market and the reason behind what you are doing.   [7:00] Brian: Anyone working in the technology sector begins to realize that everything is interconnected.  [8:00] Brian: When looking at the government space, it pulls you into an experience. The experience can be a digital experience through your mobile device, tablet, or computer, but it also evolves into smart cities.  [9:00] Brian: A smart city is a framework, an idea, that is composed of information communications technology (ICT).  [9:40] Brian: The idea behind smart cities is to develop and promote sustainable practices that help address growing and advancing urbanization challenges that cities face.   [9:55] Brian: A foundational piece of a smart city is cloud. Cloud-based IoT applications and sensors can receive, analyze, and manage data in real time to help improve the quality of life for citizens living in a city or connected community.  [10:30] Brian: The most important piece that comes from the cloud based IoT applications is the data. The data provides insights so that stewards within the community can make better decisions on behalf of the constituents.  [11:30] Brian: London pioneered the initial smart city.   [12:55] Brian: Smaller cities have the greatest innovation despite having a smaller budget because they do not have to go through policy roadblocks that stand in the way of bigger cities.   [13:50] Brian: For example, when it comes to trash removal, technology is not added to help get the trash out faster but to understand where the process slows down. Therefore, technology is used for process efficiency.   [14:35] Brian: In Buffalo, NY the city turned trash removal trucks into moving sensors by adding video cameras, leveraging AI (Artificial Intelligence), and using 5G capabilities to find potholes that need to be filled.   [15:25] Brian: Edge computing is the ability to process data at the point. An example of this is a sensor.   [16:00] Brian: Edge computing and 5G from an infrastructure perspective can allow quick reaction times to help the evolution of smart cities.  [17:00] Brian: The concerns surrounding 5G are the pockets of the broadband infrastructure. Smart cities can help with digital equity, but one of the biggest challenges is access to broadband.   [19:10] Brian: GDPR and the Europeans are ahead of the US when it comes to privacy practices and policies.   [20:14] Brian: Security of data is critical for protecting privacy. With new video footage capabilities such as speed cameras or security cameras, we must ensure this information does not fall into the wrong hands.   [21:30] Brian: Policy is always lagging behind technology. That is why the government tends to be late adopters of technology.  [24:30] Brian: There is a lot of value that data can bring to the citizen.   [24:38] Curb management is a big trend happening with smart cities because of curb real estate. The data surrounding curb management can help cities identify how to manage and optimize curb space to allow for curb demands.  An example of this is DoorDash pickups and drop offs.   [26:04] Brian: A big topic that's being looked at within smart cities is how to help address climate change. How can we lower the city's carbon footprint by leveraging smart devices?  [29:07] Brian: The City of Chattanooga is looking at how they can prevent car accidents and pedestrian deaths by having a sensor speak to a vehicle which then stops it when the car gets close to a crosswalk.   [29:53] Brian: When we think of smart cities, it's an ecosystem. It's not just about a device here and there. It's a framework and policies, but it is also a complete ecosystem that plays together.   [30:05] Brian: Look to the Googles and the Apples of the world that have next generation technology and understand what that is, where it's going, and how it can be enveloped properly into the smart city ecosystem.  [33:05] Brian: What does the future of smart cities look like? It starts with the data. Then, it's what the city's going to do on behalf of its citizens. It's not about technologies and sensors, but it's about how the cities can become smarter from the data that's ingested to be more prescriptive for their citizens.  [33:53] Brian: How will the metaverse impact smart cities and digital experiences for citizens? Both augmented reality and virtual reality are giving governments opportunities to be able to meet the next generation of citizens.  [38:00] Brian: The goal of smart cities is to provide citizens with the types of technology and the types of services that are needed within their area. You're not beholden to just what you've had in the past.   [41:48] Brian: It's not just about getting technology into the hands of the community. It's understanding how to best use and push the adoption of this technology and do it in a way that's going to drive the type of outcomes they are looking for.   Resources World Economic Forum  OpenText  G20 Global Smart City Alliance  The Program: Shot Spotter  Open Government Partnership  Kevin Kelly’s “What Technology Wants”  Brian Chidester’s Podcast “The Government Huddle”    Love this episode? Leave a Review  Share it on your LinkedIn feed.  If you have not already, please leave us a review on iTunes.    About Bill Murphy  Bill Murphy is a world-renowned IT Security Expert dedicated to your success as an IT business leader. Follow Bill on LinkedIn.  If you are interested in learning more about RedZone Technologies, and its security expertise, email us at info@redzonetech.net
S13 E3: The Last Thing First- Learn to Create Compelling Demonstrations
Aug 1 2022
S13 E3: The Last Thing First- Learn to Create Compelling Demonstrations
Welcome Back to Bill Murphy’s 10x Podcast. Our guest in this episode is Peter Cohan, founder and principal of The Second Derivative, author of “Great Demo!” and a savant in the sales world.   Additionally, Peter serves on the Board of Directors for Collaborative Drug Discovery, Inc., is an advisor to IN2SV, Inc., holds a degree in chemistry, and is a mentor to StartX, the Stanford University start-up accelerator.  Peter has vast experience working with senior management in marketing, sales, and business development. and has learned to discover and understand the needs of a customer. Peter’s mission is to advise organizations on the ways they can better improve their sales and marketing results through creating and executing compelling demonstrations.   In this episode, he shares with listeners his best-known method, the “Last Thing First,” which teaches you to “turn the demo upside down” and start with the end-result first.  You do not have to be in sales to benefit from Peter’s methods, his principles prove valuable to many parts of an organization  Peter hopes to inspire you to constantly seek ways to improve upon your skills and practices.  Show your customers the possibilities that will benefit the future of their business and an end- result that cannot be refused.  Tune in to learn more.   As a Chief Information Officer and Business IT Leader here are some wins you will get by listening:  4:00 There are two roles of an IT Leader: offense and defense. The defense protects the kingdom, keeps the lights on, and ensures the users are happy. The offense helps put points on the board and supports sales.   5:00 Modern IT leaders can support sales in the future by providing subject matter expertise to the sales team, enabling a demo environment, and seeking to understand where the organization needs to go and what can be done to help by providing tools and services.   6:30 The key success factor in the pre-sales process is having a structured way of communicating information.  6:40 “The Great Demo” introduces a structure called the situation slide, which is used to recommunicate key pieces of information to deliver a credible demo.   8:00 Before you call a prospect, have a conversation with the vendor and ask: What is our objective for this demo? What do we know about this prospect? What do you want me to present in this demo? What do you not want me to present in this demo?  10:00 The key element in creating any demo is understanding what specific capabilities a prospect needs to see versus everything else that is in your offering.   11:30 Find sales representatives who are highly respected and use those people as your models to learn their best practices.  12:00 Successful sales reps execute the most important part of the sales process: sufficient discovery of the customer's needs followed by communicating those discoveries with the team.  18:30 Vision generation demos spark interest and highlight what is possible.  20:30 Lead with pictures of graphs, reports, and dashboards to present complex ideas in a straightforward way. Do not bury people in complexity.   23:30 The goal of a demo is to show your customer a “menu” of your offerings. If you are offering several different modules, utilize vision generation.   27:00 In a demo, do not show a prospect a boring boat. Show them that it is a battleship driving through the heavy seas. This is the result a prospect is looking for.  28:00 The higher you go in an organization, the less they care about the process and more just the end-result. Turn the demo upside down and do that last thing first.   32:30 A successful salesperson is interested in continually improving his or her process.     Resources:   Great Demo Book  GreatDemo.com  LessIsMore.com (For PowerPoint Presentations)   Information is Beautiful  _____________________________________________________________________  Love this episode? Leave a Review  Share it on your LinkedIn feed.  If you have not already, please leave us a review on iTunes.  ______________________________________________________________________  About Bill Murphy  Bill Murphy is a world-renowned IT Security Expert dedicated to your success as an IT business leader. Follow Bill on LinkedIn.  If you are interested in learning more about RedZone Technologies, and its security expertise, email us at info@redzonetech.ne
S13 E4: An Inside Look into the World of A CIO & Venture Capital Investor
Sep 6 2022
S13 E4: An Inside Look into the World of A CIO & Venture Capital Investor
Welcome back to Bill Murphy’s 10x Podcast. Our guest in this episode is John Arsneault, CIO at Goulston & Storrs, a venture capital investor and a startup advisor. With over 30 years in the tech industry, John is an expert strategist ensuring business growth.    John began his career repairing PCs at an after-school job before transitioning to working for a small venture capital company in Boston. Through this experience and by observing his co-workers making investment deals, he found an interest in investing.  Fast forward to today, he is now the founder of Portfolio X, a venture capital company that invests in emerging technologies. John is passionate about offering investing advice, and emphasizes the importance of betting on a person, not their ideas. John also talks about his role as CIO and strongly encourages us to be the curators of change within our organizations.  In addition to his useful advice, John tells us about his family roots in Maine, his love for baseball, and explains to us that we do not need a grand plan to be successful. Through hard work, making mistakes, and trying a couple of times, growth is achieved, and remarkable things happen.  Oh, and did someone say flying cars? Tune in and listen to the Podcast to learn more.   As a Chief Information Officer and Business IT Leader here are the wins you will get by listening:  Bill [11:12] “There is some wisdom in non-traditional paths as far as what growth opportunities it gives people.”  John [12:42] After working at a small venture capital company in Boston, John developed a strong interest in investing.   John [13:12] There are two streams of technology professionals in the world. The people that maintain technology environments for enterprise or existing businesses. Then there are people that work in the actual tech industry.   John [13:42] Realizing you could go work for a technology company and be the product itself, not just the back office necessary expenditure, was exciting because this meant that you are building an actual product while earning equity.   John [15:42] Everything a person learns is the outcome of watching, making mistakes, and trying a couple of times until they got it right.   John: [16:12] The biggest mistake that people make when entering the world of investing is, they get so enamored with somebody’s idea. There are lots of entrepreneurs that have cool ideas. There are very few of them that can turn that idea into a functioning burgeoning business.   John [16:42] In these days investing is cloudy because it is easy to get venture capital, but in the past, it was hard. So, people assumed that if somebody got funded the company was destined to do well, however 90% of new businesses fail.  Bill [17:12] Are we betting on the idea? Or are we betting on a growing business?  John [17:42] You bet on the entrepreneurs themselves and not the ideas.   John [18:42] When investing, be on the side of something that has already proven itself in the marketplace, has brand recognition, and seems obvious that it’s the new way to do it.   John [20:42] Over the last five years, everything has become a technology startup. Even existing businesses in a way are becoming technology startups within themselves.   John [23:12] You have no crystal ball. You do not know if entrepreneurs are going to guide the business properly, but to make an informed decision you can look at what they’ve done and how they’ve gotten to that point.   John [24:42] Private market exchanges   John [28:42] You can do all the homework in the world, at the end of the day you just do not how things are going to turn out.  John [31:12] A spec is a special all-purpose collection of equity investors.   Bill [34:42] Apps and technologies are so quick that they outstrip our ability to regulate.  John [35:12] The next iteration of innovation is going to be technologies that bump up against compliance and regulation.  John [36:12] There is technology that already exists but is not being utilized because it’s not yet legal.   John [37:12] Regulation and compliance must catch up with technology, or the technology is going to slow down.   John [39:42] 40% of the world’s population have never been on the internet.   John [40:42] People can suddenly go from being behind the rest of the world by a hundred years, but in a split second can be ahead of everybody because their adoption rate will not be getting rid of the old thing but going right to the modern setup.   John [40:57] The biggest barrier for the United States to be competitive in the next hundred years is going to be our will to adopt new things.   John [43:42] A CIO's role traditionally in a law firm was to put together the technical Legos to make people efficient and allow them to do their jobs. However, in the next decade, the CIO's role is going to be to help protect the business.  John [44:42] Innovators are coming into the legal industry with no intention of taking the technology that they develop and licensing it to law firms. They want to build platforms that will allow them to take clients away and build processes that facilitate legal happenings within the platform itself.   John [46:20] It took Amazon 25 years to build their successful e-commerce fulfillment model that disrupted the rest of the industry. Once companies realized where they were failing, it was too late  John [47:42] I can't tell them, this is exactly how they need to approach all this innovation, but I can tell them that they need to pay attention. There are going to be moments of clarity, you must watch for it.   John [51:42] As a CIO, look outside your own industry for what is going to happen.    Resources  Steve Case’s The Third Wave  A360 Summit  Legal Tech Fund  Gartner  Singularity University  Peter Diamandis  Northeastern University  Boston College High School (BC High)  Fenway Park   Portfolio X  Goulston & Storrs    Love this episode? Leave a Review Share it on your LinkedIn feed. If you have not already, please leave us a review on iTunes.    About Bill Murphy  Bill Murphy is a world-renowned IT Security Expert dedicated to your success as an IT business leader. Follow Bill on LinkedIn.  If you are interested in learning more about RedZone Technologies, and its security expertise, email us at info@redzonetech.net
S13 E5 Predict the Future of Technology by Appreciating the Past
Oct 3 2022
S13 E5 Predict the Future of Technology by Appreciating the Past
Technology has been around long before we were born. Today, we welcome Kevin Kelly back to the show. Kevin Kelly, a modern futurist, is the founding executive editor of Wired magazine, and a former editor/publisher of the Whole Earth Review. In addition, Kevin is also a writer, photographer, and conservationist.   In the episode, Kevin speaks to listeners about technological revolutions and offers his knowledge on the future of AI. With inspiration from Amish traditions, Kevin explains that the technological advancements that are bound to happen in the future are inevitable and are driven by technological trends that have already been in motion.  Tune in to learn why understanding what is occurring today is the most powerful starting point for the future. As a CIO and Business IT Leader here are some wins you will get by listening: Kevin [1:54] When we talk about technology, we should be talking about the 95% of it that's been around long before we were born.Kevin [2:27] There is more technology being made than we individually can use ourselves.Kevin [2:49] The primary difference between the Amish and us is that they decide collectively on what to choose, whereas we decide individually.Kevin [6:14] Identifying the qualities you want in a technology can help you choose which new technology to use.Kevin [7:16] Be a minimalist in terms of the technologies you use daily but be a maximalist in terms of encouraging the abundance of technological choices.Kevin [8:20]: Technology leads to choices.Kevin [9:14] Technology is about doing things now that we could not before, even though the old forms of technology stick around.Kevin [13:16] What will be important tomorrow began two or three decades ago.Kevin [18:25] The goal of AI is not to replicate humans, but to encourage the benefit of having a technology that thinks differently from us.Kevin [21:16] AI is not superhuman intelligence that grows smarter, AI is about making a planet-sized machine of all connected devices to create a world brain.Kevin [23:14] Global planetary awareness is critical when it comes to technology and securing technology.Kevin [24:29] The way that information flows around the world is a non-linear system.Kevin [25:34] The idea of ownership, intellectual property, and copyright have been mistaken. It’s not possible for people to own ideas or data because of inter-relationships.Kevin [25:59] New ideas are a recombination of existing things.Kevin [26:20] New innovations have the same attributes as an ecosystem.Kevin [34:00] Will the AR world be economically and culturally bigger than the VR world?Kevin [38:50] Facial recognition is an example of the conundrum with the idea of ownership. Who owns your face? When we have VR and AR worlds, people will be claiming ownership which is the wrong model.Kevin [41:30] NFT’s gives you zero copyright claims, unless it’s part of the contract.Kevin [46:36] The best ideas are the ones that nobody likes or wants to pursue.Bill [49:23] Instead of trying to figure out who's going to buy something, focus on your own internal enthusiasm for a subject. Let your enthusiasm be the GPS and people will follow.   Key Resources: Cool Tools Book   Recomendo Institute for the Future Out of Control Better Than Free Essay Vanishing Asia Wired
S13 E7 9 Steps to Secure Your Dealership to Comply with FTC Safeguards Rules
Nov 15 2022
S13 E7 9 Steps to Secure Your Dealership to Comply with FTC Safeguards Rules
On today’s episode I am joined by Brad Miller, Chief Regulatory Counsel for Digital Affairs and Privacy at NADA, and James Crifasi, CTO at RedZone Technologies.  Brad and James are presently working together with car dealerships and other businesses to translate the recently revised FTC Safeguard regulations about data security and privacy into practical action plans.  Here are the 9 key areas that were discussed in the conversation about what car dealerships must comply with prior to December 9th 2022.  “Determine the right person to implement and oversee company’s information security program.” “Conduct a risk assessment.” “Design and implement safeguards to control the risks identified through your risk assessment.” “Regularly monitor and test the effectiveness of your safeguards.” “Train, educate, and test your staff.” “Monitor your service providers.”“Keep your information security program current.” “Create a written incident response plan.” “Require your Qualified individual to report to your Board of Directors.”  As a CIO and Business IT Leader here are some wins you will get by listening: (3:52) Brad Miller: “The type of data financial institutions is so sensitive that they have to have special obligations with respect to this information.”  (3:55) Brad Miller: “One side is the privacy rule...you have to tell the consumers what you’re gathering and what you’re going to do with it. The other half is the Safeguards Rule where you have to take steps to protect this information.”  (6:45) Brad Miller: “What resulted was a rule that came out about a year ago, it’s a mix of technical steps, contracts, policies, and training that companies have to do just as a minimum to meet your obligations.”  (7:35) Brad Miller: “The FTCs looking for a way to move the market forward, to really push data security across the board.”  (9:05) Brad Miller: “If you don’t think data security is part of your core competency, you have to make it one.”  (10:25) James Crifasi: “In the Safeguards, there’s a lot of room for what’s called the qualified individual or whoever is in charge of the IT security program.”  (12:57) Brad Miller: “Dealers are buttoning up their internal systems but need to make sure those third parties are doing the things they can.”  (16:20) James Crifasi: “This DMS provider just won’t budge. What do I do?”  (17:46) Brad Miller: “Dealers shouldn’t assume that just because you’re dealing with someone larger means they’re probably further along.”  (21:15) Brad Miller: “What makes it particularly difficult for dealers?”  (29:33) James Crifasi: “We want to keep the business side progress going as much as the security side.”  (31:36) Brad Miller: “We’re living in an age where the FTC is very, very activist.”  (31:53) Brad Miller: “We want people to do as much as they can as far as they can by the deadline, then continue plowing forward.”  (39:42) James Crifasi: “Advances in cars are going to start making security more important.”  (41:35) Bill Murphy: “The most inexpensive way to raise your security profile is to educate and train your employees.” (43:15) Bill Murphy: “What does a written response plan look like?” (44:42) Brad Miller: “Think beforehand what you’re going to do in the event of an issue and then practice.”  (48:34) James Crifasi: “When it comes to incident response plan and training, more attention to not assuming people know what the right thing to do is because naturally people don’t know the right thing to do.”   Key Resources:  RedZone Technologies  National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA)  “Data Security and Privacy: What Dealers Need to Know”  “FTC Issues Guidance on the Revised Safeguards Rule: The Time for Dealers to Act is Now”  “A Dealer Guide to the FTC Safeguards Rule”  “Drive Down Your Cyber Risk and Stop Breaches”  “FTC Safeguards Rule: What Your Business Needs to Know”
S13 E8 A Deep Dive Into the Dark Side of the Internet: Ransomware
Dec 1 2022
S13 E8 A Deep Dive Into the Dark Side of the Internet: Ransomware
Hello everyone and welcome back. In this episode, we are here with Roger Grimes, Data-Driven Defense Evangelist at KnowBe4, cybersecurity architect, and Author.   Roger first made his debut on the podcast in 2020, when he unlocked the truth and disproved assumptions about multifactor authentication. We are excited to welcome Roger back to discuss his new book, "Ransomware Protection Playbook," in which he outlines a practical roadmap to protect your networks against one of the most insidious and damaging cyber threats, ransomware!  In today’s episode, learn why the Zero Trust method is the future of computer security and how ransomware attacks better equip companies for future attacks. Be a part of our discussion as we uncover the secrets behind cryptocurrencies, Web 3.0, NFTs, cybercriminal safe havens, dynamic DNS services, network access brokers, and AI bots.  Are you ready to explore the uncharted territories of the dark web? We sure are. Listen in today.   As a CIO and Business IT Leader here are some wins you will get by listening: Roger (6:11): Technological advancements exist that make the internet more secure. Why do people need to agree to and utilize them to prevent cyber-attacks we should’ve seen coming? Roger (8:03): Who is Kevin Mitnick and why is he the most infamous hacker of our time? Roger (11:07): The benefit of offensive penetration and how this provides better advice to keep cyber-attacks away. Roger (13:10): The truth about cryptocurrencies, Web 3.0, and NFTs. Roger (14:00): Secrets behind cryptocurrency transactions and money laundering. Roger (18:00): Cybercriminal safe havens do exist! What measures can users take to protect themselves against cybercrime? Roger (21:30): How nuclear programs are funded with stolen ransomware and cryptocurrency. Roger (22:00): Ransomware on Windows machines checks for coded languages in Russian, Cyrillic, Ukrainian, and other deviations. Learn why setting as a second language on your Windows machines can protect against ransomware. Roger (24:00): The ransomware industry is considered the malware industry. Ransomware is a subclass of malware.  Roger (26:00): The dangers that network access brokers create through secret deals that are happening behind the scenes. Roger (33:00): What is dynamic DNS services and why is it a solution for fixing the internet's malicious attacks? Roger (35:00): What is Zero Trust and is this method the future of computer security? Roger (35:30): "Zero Trust" is a mentality that says we are not going to trust you simply because you authenticated correctly. Roger (38:30): Cyber threats are increasing due to the automation of artificial intelligence bots. Roger (51:00): The majority of attacks are client-side attacks that get past the firewall, past the antivirus, and past the VPN. Zero Trust says you don't trust anybody, even those claiming to be Zero Trust. Roger (52:00): Zero trust is about evaluating a user’s behavior and other characteristics. From those behaviors, a rating takes place. If the rating is above the risk threshold, the system aims to block you or will ask for additional information. Roger (56:30): How ransomware forced companies to be better by revealing to organizations what they needed to be protected from or by showing the great secure backups they had in place.    Resources  Ransomware Protection (Book)  Kevin Mitnick  Hacking Multifactor Authentication  Whitepapers called Fix the Internet. To receive and read email: rogerg@knowbe4.com
S13 E9 CIO Leadership: Are You Making Decisions or Just Building Consensus?
Jan 3 2023
S13 E9 CIO Leadership: Are You Making Decisions or Just Building Consensus?
Welcome back to my podcast. On today’s episode, I am joined by “Pro Troublemaker,” professional business coach, and president of Stefanie Krievins & Co., Stefanie Krievins. Since earning her trained coaching certification through Erickson’s International in 2014, Stefanie has built a company and team of “troublemakers” that provide tools for others to help them define their organization’s vision, work with trust and accountability, and communicate clearly to advocate for their own ideas.  Here are some of the top transformational wins you will receive as an IT leader:  How to Navigate Multiple Generations within the Workforce  The Power of Seven Messages, Seven Channels, Seven Times  Using the DISC Behavioral Method to Better Understand Your Team  How to Build Self Awareness  How to Run a Better and Effective Meeting  How to Start Small and Build Stronger Leadership Skills  Tune in and hear how you can transform your skills as a leader and create actions that leave an impact. As a CIO and Business IT Leader here are some wins you will get by listening: (1:05) Stefanie: “We get to work with ambitious, fast growing scaling companies when they have messy, middle, growing pains."(2:10) Bill: “What is happening that there’s an opportunity for you and your organization to work for people to solve their particular problems?”(3:13) Stefanie: “I’m seeing a lot of leaders trying to use a consensus model of decision-making, which can be the fastest way to get nothing done.”(3:50) Stefanie: “For folks who want to run a high-performance team, hard times call for bold decisions.”(5:01) Stefanie: “We need to, as leaders, broaden our skillset when it comes to who makes the decision, how do they make it, who’s involved so that our organization can continue to grow.” (5:42) Bill: “What’s the genesis of consensus decision making?” (10:18) Stefanie: “There are new ways for you to be more transparent in your company in a way that makes sense for your business.” (10:47) Stefanie: “One of my goals is to help people understand those nuances that create friction every single day. Seven messages, seven channels, seven times.” (14:17) Stefanie: “Repetition is the magic of making your messages stick.” (14:28) Bill: “Is that sort of the empowerment you’re trying to establish if you don’t have the view of the CEO in mind but rather an individual leader within their company?” (15:46) Bill: “If you’re coming in from a technical orientation versus an analytical, do you find that people have different things you have to coach them up on?” (16:17) Stefanie: “We are big fans of the DISC behavioral assessment.” (20:40) Bill: “You’re essentially using this model to make sure that we know where we all are from our own style.” (21:46) Stefanie: “Just recognizing that you need other people to help you make decisions.” (22:18) Stefanie: “You need a high performing team that knows how to leverage all styles so they can make the best decisions possible.” (23:14) Bill: “It is one thing to make a fast decision, but it is another thing to make a fast implementation.” (25:09) Bill: “Is there a recommended meeting style or cadence that gives a framework for people?” (27:39) Bill: “How do you coach a team or an individual on how to hold people accountable?” (28:36) Stefanie: “We have to remember that the accountability is the other person’s responsibility.” (32:08) Stefanie: “You have to define what kind of meeting it is so people understand how to best participate.” (37:54) Stefanie: “Spend the first 20% of every single workday being completely unavailable to anybody else to do your deepest, most important work.” (38:38) Stefanie: “Start with the work where you add the most value.” Resources: Stefanie Krievins’ LinkedIn  Stefanie Krievins & Co.  Stefanie’s Podcast: Hot Mess Hotline
S13 E10 CIO Leadership and Innovation: Earning and Keeping a Seat at the Table
Feb 3 2023
S13 E10 CIO Leadership and Innovation: Earning and Keeping a Seat at the Table
From IT Manager to the CIO of a Gigafactory, Listening, Earning and Keeping a Seat at the Table  On this episode, I am joined by Justin Herman, VP and CIO of Panasonic Energy of North America. Starting  out as an IT Manager for Coca-Cola Bottling Co., he worked his through the ranks in manufacturing and eventually moved from South Africa to the United States.   Presently, Justin leads the technology division for Panasonic Energy at their Gigafactory out of Sparks, Nevada.  Key Wins and Takeaways for You:  How to Show Business Partners the True Value of IT   Speed and Agility for Innovation: “The way we innovate within the Gigafactory is unlike anything I have personally seen on the manufacturing side. We've been here for about six years now, so basically, we're a startup and we continue to think as a startup. We're a 100-year-old company that thinks like a startup.”  The Power of a Mission Driven Company: Building a world of cleaner energy.  How to Use Fusion Teams: Building your speed and agility significantly while transforming your innovation.  How to use the Ontological layer of your business coupled with AI and ML to transform your business, processes and speed of innovation.   How to Select the Right Edge, Cloud, Hybrid Cloud Partners for You  How to Achieve and Keep Your Seat at the Table  Justin’s Superpower of ‘Active Listening:’ “Step back, listen, and understand the pain points. Bring those notes back home in a quiet space and reflect on them.”  The Value of Mentorships   As a CIO and Business IT Leader here are more wins you will get by listening: (3:00) Bill: “What’s the change that’s happening in manufacturing?”  (3:57) Justin: “Our business leaders have really brought the IT leaders into their decision-making because they understand the role we play and how we can create those efficiencies within multiple facets.”  (4:18) Justin: “As we innovate, and as new technologies come on board, we’re able to sit down with our business partners and show true value.”  (6:13) Bill: “What is a Gigafactory?”  (8:19) Justin: “Failure to innovate will put you at a competitive disadvantage.”  (8:22) Bill: How do you do that with a legacy business?”  (8:42) Justin: “We believe the future is in energy and it is our mission to go and change the world through cleaner energy.”  (13:27) Bill: “What does the ontological layer mean regarding ML and AI and Gigafactories?”  (15:52) Bill: “How you went about the journey of finding the right partner?”  (16:55) Justin: “Take a step back, understand your business, the data, and most likely what you’re going to end up with is a hybrid model.”  (18:20) Bill: “How do you focus on the 80-20 principle?”  (18:45) Justin: “Having a seat at the table is extremely important.”   (21:08) Bill: “What skills did you come to need to have set in-house?”  (21:42) Justin: “There’s always a balance between your FTEs in-house and your managed services that you use externally.”  (24:20) Justin: “Being able to sit and communicate to your business leaders and talk to them in a manner they understand while taking a step back to actively listen.”  (26:48) Bill: “What books have been the biggest impact for you?”  (29:45) Justin: “Never pass up an opportunity to keep quiet.”  (32:18) Justin: “How people are looking at security nowadays…invest in people as a number one firewall.”  (35:39) Justin: “Take it in, learn, listen, because everything you’re doing today is going to provide the opportunities that you’re going to get tomorrow.”  (36:17) Justin: “We all as leaders have a responsibility to give back. Let’s train the leaders of the future and let’s help them as well.”  (36:46) Bill: “All leaders need to be looking and surround themselves with the five people that are not necessarily their peers but are in front of them a little bit.”  (37:20) Justin: “As technologists, it is our responsibility to push the envelope, to get a seat at the table with our business partners to help innovation. Let’s try to create a cleaner energy environment through technology.”    Resources  Connect with Justin on LinkedIn  “CIO Paradox” by Martha Heller  “Everybody Wants to Rule the World: Surviving and Thriving in a World of Digital Giants” by Ray Wang  ChatGPT
S13 E11 The Joy Factor: How to Build Your Dream Career from the Inside Out | Lisa Roger, CIO
Mar 6 2023
S13 E11 The Joy Factor: How to Build Your Dream Career from the Inside Out | Lisa Roger, CIO
Welcome back! I am joined by author, award winning business executive (Capital CIO ORBIE Winner, National Corp. InspireCIO Finalist), and transformational CIO of Dewberry, Lisa Roger.   With over 28 years of experience in various industries, roles, and organizations, Lisa has held executive IT positions in companies servicing healthcare, retail, telecommunications, and state and local organizations.  Due to her success, she has recently wrote and published a book, “The Joy Factor: Escaping Job Disappointment and Finding Your Dream Career,” that shares her fascinating journey to finding the ‘joy factor’ in her life with the intention of coaching others to find their own joy.   Here are some of the top takeaways you’ll receive from this episode:   How to professionally brand yourself and avoid imposter syndrome  Investing in leadership within your organization  Joy is an ‘inside out’ game first and not ‘outside in’  Working with millennials: how to avoid change fatigue, quiet quitting, etc.  How to find your joy, confront your destiny, and add value  Board awareness and succession planning  The importance of networking and building relationships   As a CIO and Business IT Leader here are More wins you will get by listening:  5:18 Bill- “When did you discover what your real superpower is and your real strengths?”  6:00 Lisa- “What I really realized was how I could bring people together, how I could problem solve for a mission, keep people focused on it, do team building in critical moments where tensions are high and get results.”  6:21 Lisa- “Building teams and going into dysfunctional organizations and making them functional. Restoring pride is one of the things I love doing.”  7:16 Bill- “What is the genesis of your book, The Joy Factor? What actually started you thinking about writing it?”  7:44 Lisa- “It was my nieces and nephews who are millennials. They were entering the workforce and felt this deep sense of being unsatisfied and being disappointed and not being able to make that difference.”  8:08 Lisa- “I went through the same journey and if there was some way I could accelerate them to a place where their joy factor is way bigger now and they could have control. How can we systematically do that?”  9:08 Bill- “Do you find that that’s an issue with hiring millennials within your company and other companies as well?”  9:24 Lisa- “Indeed. I look at the great resignation and quiet quitting. People are trying to find their own way so they can have control back, whether that’s the hours of the day or how you work. Today’s influences transcends millennials now.”  10:09 Lisa- “How could you add value in the organization that you’re at right now that is going to bring you joy?”  10:31 Bill- “The whole message of the book is an inside out. The joy starts with the individual.”  11:06 Lisa- “Joy does come within your own happiness. It’s a mindset. You can only control you.”  11:47 Lisa- “Don’t assume what is in other people’s brains. Assume good. Apply yourself in ways that are fulfilling who you are.”  12:45 Lisa- “I found journaling to be an excellent tool. Articulate in black and white what changes and life events are happening. Let’s write everything down and start there.”  13:31 Lisa- “Let’s systematically move things over from a negative to the positive column and reframe our mind and look for opportunities that are going to be giving you more exposure to that joy.”  14:20 Lisa- “The last negative thing you’re exposed to often has the most power in your brain. But if you force yourself to write down the most wonderful things that happened to you in a day, really dissect it. What were you doing? Why did it bring you joy? Were you coaching? Problem solving? Were you just listening? Be very mindful and specific about what brought you joy.”  17:25 Bill- “In your book, what do you mean by the acceleration of joy?”  17:32 Lisa- “It’s how do you get to that place where your joy factor is overwhelming the not so good factor. How do you get there quicker?”  17:41 Lisa- “The most powerful thing you can do it let people know. If you don’t tell people what your aspirations are, how can they help you get there?”  19:21 Lisa- “Look at how you’re branding yourself, not only from a professional perspective but to your resume, your LinkedIn profile, etc. You have got to let people know what you want to do.”  23:20 Lisa- “We have a national crisis which is baby boomers retiring. The next generation is very small. Then the millennials who are much bigger but are quiet quitting, working hybrid, in the gig economy. They’re not necessarily going through the same leadership journey that previous generations went through.”  24:32 Lisa- “It is all about just defining our leadership companies within the organization, what opportunities can we bring to people, what are we doing for succession planning, etc.”  26:44 Lisa- “If we invest in everyone from a leadership perspective, then we’re all going to benefit.”  27: 43 Bill- “What percentage of your time each week is really dedicated each month to efforts around that particular leadership journey?”  32:12 Bill- “What differentiates the new people coming into the organizations versus the ones that don’t make it through?”  32:54 Lisa- “The ability to have dialogue around change management and communication culture. Are they going to add value in a way that makes them happy?”  35:06 Lisa- “I think the biggest opportunity lost is creating healthy relationships where they’re at and creating powerful networks.”  35:41 Lisa- “Being the CIO is one of the most unique positions where you get to touch every piece of the organization.”  40:15 Lisa- “There is some fear when it comes to the change that’s happening in the world. Be grounded in your own self-worth. Be purposeful, have the right mindset, and you’ll feel a sense of control that will give you the leverage to do the right things.”    Resources  Lisa Roger’s LinkedIn  “The Joy Factor: Escaping Job Disappointment and Finding Your Dream Career”
S13 E12 Digital Trailblazer Essential Lessons to Jumpstart Transformation and Accelerate Your Technology Leadership
Apr 11 2023
S13 E12 Digital Trailblazer Essential Lessons to Jumpstart Transformation and Accelerate Your Technology Leadership
I am joined by best-selling author, digital transformation leader, successful CIO, and founder of StarCIO, Isaac Sacolick. Recognized as a top 100 social CIO, blogger and industry speaker, Isaac has over 20 years of experience delivering innovative solutions, leading IT teams, and transforming underperforming businesses.  On this episode, we discuss his new book, “Digital Trailblazer: Essential Lessons to Jumpstart Transformation and Accelerate Your Technology Leadership,” his journey to becoming a digital transformation leader/CIO, how the audience can employ their skills as a digital leader, and more.  Here are some of the top takeaways you will receive from this episode:  The impact of generative AI from both an opportunity and a risk perspective  Navigating your role as a transformational CIO  Isaac’s transformational journey  How to use data and analytics to a strategic advantage  Developing and refining your ‘vision’  The clash between CIOs, sales leaders, and marketing leaders  Driving transformation and aligning with your organization’s offense   As a CIO and Business IT Leader here are More wins you will get by listening: (4:32) Isaac: “So that was neural networks back in the ‘90s. We had no algorithms, there’s no tensor flow, there was no cloud, it was all very slow. But we were trying to solve some interesting things around computer vision, around predictions, a little bit of natural language processing.”  (5:19) Isaac: “Three years ago we went from growth to resolving a pandemic set of issues, to supply chain issues, to hybrid working issues. We did this huge pivot in 2020 that I talk about in chapter 10 of the book. I think we’re on the cusp of another major inflection with AI. What’s the impact of generative AI from both an opportunity and a risk perspective?”  (6:06) Bill: “What are the ways that you can have private AI within your organization versus public AI?”  (6:49) Isaac: “We need to look at the horizons and the frequency. Whatever that frequency was before, double it because things are just happening too fast.”  (7:20) Isaac: “Marketing departments are going to really be the first group hit with a whole set of point solutions that can help them generate graphics, videos, and content.”  (9:11) Bill: “It seems to me that ChatGPT and Microsoft’s investment is sort of the first interface that is real practical for human beings to use.”  (9:39) Isaac: “We’re going to have to see how that plays out, especially with Copilot. I think that’s going to change how people work. It’ll be interesting to see where the big four are going to start making their AI explainable or are we going to put regulations in place around that. Are companies going to firewall off this capability because they’re afraid of IP being leaked out to it?”  (11:04) Isaac: “If you don’t say anything to your employees, they’re going to see a green light there. They’re not going to know where to stop in terms of what they should and shouldn’t do because you haven’t provided guidelines.”  (14:47) Isaac: “I was a bit of a go getter in my young days. I joined a startup that was a hosting provider for applications provider for newspapers. And I tell people, that’s where I really learned transformation. We were looking at an industry that went through massive disruption. I got to see that front row in seat with my board.”  (19:16) Isaac: “10 years of being CIO in companies that were trying to figure out how to use data and analytics to a strategic advance and involve their products considerably from what they were doing before.”  (21:15) Isaac: “I used to say CIOs knew more about the boxes that hosted the data than the data itself. I think a lot has changed in the last 10-15 years. CIOs learned to build up their strengths and build up their vocabulary and understand the analytics space a little better.”  (22:18) Isaac: “The reality is that whatever we come in from our backgrounds when we become CIOs, we come in from a single or maybe two lanes of understanding. I think the biggest challenge for CIOs is expanding their own capabilities by hiring lieutenants who are highly versatile, who are two-way learners so that they can educate but also continuously learn.”  (23:24) Isaac: “Digital Trailblazer is a book of stories so that when you’re facing an issue, an opportunity for the first time, you’ve never had a blow up moment, a shock and awe moment. You’ve never stood in front of the board before. You’ve never had to convince an executive group to go and do an investment in an area they necessarily don’t want to do.”  (24:16) Bill: “Which percentage of the folks that are in there agree with you are going to be on your side? Which are the ones who are going to take shots at you? And then which percentage of that audience doesn’t really care? And then who is going to take ownership?”  (25:59) Isaac: “People like the idea of products until you really have that conversation around product management. It isn’t about taking everybody’s wishlist and coming up with a shiny object that checks all the boxes. It’s about trade-offs.”  (27:20) Isaac: “When you see alternatives, when you see new experiences coming in play and business models to the incumbent, that’s what disruption is right? You throw in new technology and that’s the accelerant.”  (28:42) Isaac: “The track that CIOs have had, we’ve come in from the operating world right? And now we’re trying to influence strategy. We’re trying to influence experience, both customer and employee experience.”  (29:26) Isaac: “How do you figure out how a salesperson is being incentive? How am I going to help you in your journey and what parts of your journey am I going to have to go and combat the status quo?”  (30:39) Isaac: “The best salespeople come in and say, “Okay I understand what your problem is. Let me connect you with people who have had similar problems. Let me show you what the outcome of a solution looks like if we implement the solution.” Best salespeople aren’t selling, they’re developing relationships and they’re explaining the value.”  (34:56) Isaac: “Any single solution area, any single technology has a bunch of labels underneath it to get sorted through; lots of choices, compliance factors, multiple vendors, etc.”  (35:33) Isaac: “The level by which we’re connecting the dots is no longer a three-tier application living on a couple servers right? We’re getting into how business is operating.”  (38:33) Bill: “You need a vision for your career and for the role and the position and speed of which we’re changing.”  (39:19) Isaac: “This isn’t an area where there’s a predefined playbook right? You’re always going to be looking at how your organization’s operating and saying, “I got to do things differently.” The world is changing in some fundamental way.”  (41:13) Bill: “Why do CIOs have so many problems with sales leaders and marketing leaders?”  (41:24) Isaac: “I don’t know if it’s a problem or have they struggled to develop relationships with them, is a little bit more work for them to understand their world. I think it again, goes back to our roots. We reported to CFOs, we were asked for ROI. And now we’re flipping the equation and saying, ‘Look I can’t transform the organization just by finding cost.’”  (43:59) Isaac: “What are your assumptions built into your growth model? What are you trying to sell? What are the unknowns for you to be able to hit those numbers. What are your risks and pain points?”  (45:52) Isaac: “If you’re a CIO driving transformation, you’ve got to align yourself with the offense. And part of the reason is, I know I can get help on the defensive side.”  (47:
S13 E13 Clearer, Closer, Better: How Successful People See the World | Dr. Emily Balcetis
May 9 2023
S13 E13 Clearer, Closer, Better: How Successful People See the World | Dr. Emily Balcetis
In my most recent episode, I am joined by top motivation science speaker, author, and associate professor of psychology at NYU, Dr. Emily Balcetis. Emily has over 70 published scientific pieces of writing, her fantastic work has been featured by numerous publications and outlets such as Forbes, Newsweek, Time, and more. She has been a featured speaker of TEDxTalks, various media outlets, podcasts, universities, community organizations, and corporations. Over the course of 20 years, Emily has become one of the most sought-after voices on motivation science.  Most recently, Emily has written and published a fantastic, insightful book, “Clearer, Closer, Better: How Successful People See the World.” Bill and Emily discuss concepts, practices, and ideas found in her new book.  Here are a few takeaways:  The psychology and science of motivation  How to set goals, follow through, and achieve them  What is visual experience and how can it help?  Multitasking and task-switching  Growing your toolbox to get the job done   As a CIO and Business IT Leader here are More wins you will get by listening: (1:50) Bill: “Everybody listening her has goals and things they’re trying to achieve and so I think as we go along there’s more science and more research than 20 years ago.”  (3:30) Emily: “The origins of psychology and motivation science from those studies of how frequently we should give little food pellets to pigeons is really the basis for some of the most pressing questions that we’re grappling with today as scientists.”  (4:30) Emily: “People have thought vision is special, they think it’s the one sense that cannot be influenced by what we’re thinking, by our internal world. I disagree. Our visual experiences that we’re consciously aware of, that we recognize, are not the same and we don’t go about it in the same way.”  (5:30) Emily: “If we are aware of that, we can harness that as a superpower that we have to help us better meet our goals, or to understand why we’re struggling in the first place.”  (6:30) Emily: “Mental representation, that is one aspect of visual experience, the image that comes to your mind when you think about a concept. We also study other elements of visual experience like where I orient visual attention. Do I really pay attention to everything that’s there or just a subset of what my eyes are focusing on?”  (7:00) Emily: “We study all of that in a controlled sense. Here’s a finish line for example, it’s in the same place for everyone but we don’t see distance the same way. It will look farther to you than me, or vice versa, depending on other factors we throw into that calculation.”  (15:30) Emily: “The way we think about time is what stands in our way of doing our best work and meeting our goals, especially when it comes to something that might need our daily investment or continual investment for something that won’t reap results until a far off future.”  (16:00) Emily: “When people feel like something is far away, it is challenging to make that daily sacrifice, and so oftentimes they don’t do it or they think they’ll work on it tomorrow.”  (16:30) Emily: “If we take that idea of narrowed focus of attention and apply it not so much to literally what our eyes are focused on in our environment but cognitively what am I focusing my thoughts on, my visualizations right now.”  (18:30) Emily: “Why do people give up? Why do they throw in the towel? Why do they not go out to exercise in the first place? Their beliefs about that distance demotivates them from even trying in the first place.”  (20:30) Emily: “Time is an element that can stand in our way, and what can we do to contract time when time is the problem.”  (22:30) Emily: “With visual experience, there’s a direct connection between what we see and what we do. And a lot of the times that connection isn’t something that we’re aware of.”  (27:00) Bill: “So you’re making the cognitive load of you’re setting yourself up for success because the vision is so powerful that it either can support or it can override depending for motivation.”  (27:40) Emily: “Cognitive psychologists have said, ‘No, there isn’t such a thing as multitasking, it’s task switching.’ It’s just how quickly can you ping back and forth between things that might seem incompatible to be doing.”  (29:30) Emily: “A lot of people don’t like that experience of multitasking as much as they might like the experience of flow.”  (30:00) Emily: “Rather than trying to figure out is it good or is it bad, can we do it, can we not, let the philosophers figure that one out. Instead, why don’t we just think about it as a tool that there are different things that happen to our brain when we multitask or task switch and let’s be aware of it and use it to our advantage.”  (32:30) Emily: “Stress isn’t always bad. It can jumpstart our neurological architecture that can help us make decisions better, it can think about what is that flight fight response doing.”  (33:30) Emily: “Let’s be aware of what multitasking, task switching does to us, and let’s be conscientious in how we use it.”   (35:30) Bill: “Goal setting and achievement?”  (35:35) Emily: “Step one is thinking about fresh starts; anything that we give psychological import to can be a fresh start. Choose a moment for a fresh start where people feel like they can put the past in the past and not carry baggage moving forward.”  (37:00) Emily: “The second one is a lot of people like dream board within their businesses that reflects their desired outcome. It is important to know where are we headed? What is our five-year goal or 10-year plan? We need the ebbs and flows.”  (39:00) Emily: “We also need to add foreshadowing obstacles. We need to think about what’s going to stand in our way, what are the possible challenges that I might experience, and troubleshoot possible solutions in advance of experiencing them.”  (39:30) Emily: “If you are up against a major obstacle professionally, you’re going to be short on time, resources, people, power, and at a heightened level of anxiety which is not going to let us be our most creative selves.”  (41:30) Emily: “Some disciplines, some industries, their brains are better wired, it’s more habitual for them to be thinking about risk and mitigating it in advance. Sometimes people don’t go through that activity is that they often think that this wouldn’t happen to them, bad things don’t happen to them.”  (42:30) Emily: “We have this cognitive illusion, this cognitive bias to underweight bad things and overweight the likelihood of good things happening to us.”  (47:30) Emily: “We need to expand our toolbox of tools that are available to us to help us get the job done, I encourage everybody to keep building out that toolbox of strategies that they have to help get their jobs done.”    Resources  Clearer, Closer, Better: How Successful People See the World: Balcetis, Emily: 9781524796464: Amazon.com: Books  Emily Balcetis’ LinkedIn  Dr. Emily Balcetis: Tools for Setting & Achieving Goals - Huberman Lab  Dr. Emily Balcetis | NYU SPAM Lab (spamlabresearch.com)  Follow Emily on Twitter

Season 12