826: Companies often serve a variety of clients ranging from individual consumers to large-scale organizations. When delivering experiences for each of these clients, Jen Felch, CIO and CDO at Dell, believes they are one and the same. In this interview, Jen explains the interplay between these two types of experiences her team delivers and the customer-centric mindset she fosters at the company. She describes the benefits and challenges of being customer zero for the company’s products, the management of the organization’s modernization efforts, and what having a magnetic and transformative culture looks like. Similarly, Jen talks about the culture of risk-taking when it comes to innovation, her approach to generative AI and AI more generally, and the necessity of weaving together cybersecurity with these innovative technologies and methods of experimentation. Finally, Jen reflects on the keys to her success and looks ahead at the trends in technology that are on her radar.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | Podcast Index | Deezer | Youtube Music | RSS | More
825: Creating high-performing teams is increasingly important in a world defined by hybrid working environments. In this episode, Keith Ferrazzi, Chairman of Ferrazzi Greenlight and bestselling author of Competing in the New World of Work, delves into the world of high-performing teams and the creation of a sense of bonding among team members. Keith explains his process of diagnosing team issues, emphasizing the importance of cross-divisional teamwork and a concept he coined as ‘co-elevation.’ In a profound meditation on evolving work culture, Peter and Keith discuss implementing methods that encourage mutual trust and promote psychological safety in the shifting landscape of hybrid work. They also shed light on re-engineering collaborations and emphasize making the best of face-to-face interactions. Keith also describes his perspective on the implications of generative AI and how to ‘future-proof’ oneself. Finally, Keith reminisces about his transformative journey from being a CMO to becoming a thought leader and shares insightful reflections on leading without authority, the significance of relationships, and the potential for creating high-performing teams in IT.
824: Behind every successful digital transformation is a well-defined mission that drives the enterprise toward a common goal. At Collins Aerospace, CIO Mona Bates leads her team with the company’s mission in mind and ensures everyone feels that tie to the business and the customers they serve. In this interview, Mona talks about the strategy behind Collins’ digital transformation, the four pillars that make up that strategy, and how the company’s mission connects her globally distributed team. She emphasizes the importance of building digital literacy in talent beyond IT, defines the process of digitizing the product lifecycle, and explains her methods of collaborating with the other business units within the broader organization of RTX. Finally, Mona describes her passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion; reflects on the keys to her career success; and looks ahead at the trends in technology and beyond.
823: The role of the technology executive has expanded beyond the help desk capacity and into being a partner to the business. In this episode, Subha Tatavarti, CTO of Wipro, joins us to speak about how she is planning for the future and growing the core capabilities of Wipro in her role at the company. Through a combination of creating compelling solutions, building the right infrastructure, and exploring the art of the possible, Subha aims to grow the company as well as improve its efficiency internally. She explains the organization of her team, the interplay with the company’s think tank Lab45, and the internal training and skill credentialing platform DICE ID. Subha also talks about engaging with technologist clients as a CTO, curating an ecosystem of partners, and experimenting with various use cases for generative AI. Finally, Subha shares the secrets to her career success and the advice she has for other aspiring technology executives.
822: The last decade is referred to as the Age of the Customer due to the digital capabilities that have unlocked the customer experience and increased personalization. In this episode of Technovation, we feature a panel from our September Metis Strategy Digital Symposium where Fahim Siddiqui, CIO of the Home Depot, and Kristie Grinnell, CIO of DXC Technology, discuss the future of the digital customer experience with Metis Strategy Partner and East Coast Lead Alex Kraus. Throughout the session, these two executives share how technology has improved the value streams and end-to-end process behind the customer and employee experiences, how data has allowed them to measure the user experience and take corrective action, and how that same data is at the center of the relationship between the customer and the employee. Finally, these executives speak about the culture of learning they foster to stay ahead of trends, the office of AI that was set up to manage risk, and the role leadership plays in shepherding cultural change at the company.
821: The topic of generative AI needs no introduction, however, that doesn’t mean that it is easy to move fast on the journey towards developing and scaling it within an organization. On a panel from our September Metis Strategy Digital Symposium, Salumeh Companieh, Chief Digital & Information Officer of Cushman & Wakefield, and Dak Liyanearachchi, Head of Data &
Technology at NRG Energy, speak about their approaches to AI and how they prepared their organizations to leverage it effectively. Both executives share the challenges they face in educating their teams, tackling practical problems with AI adoption, and prioritizing the use cases to experiment. They also discuss how it is shaping their respective industries, the what opportunities it presents, and how they balance innovation and risk management.
820: Client-centricity is the key to delivering an excellent digital experience, and TIAA looks to take that a step further. In this episode, we’re joined by Jessica Austin Barker, Chief Digital and Client Experience Officer at TIAA where she explains how she is pivoting the culture of her team towards ‘customer obsession’ to deliver a ‘digital-first client experience’. Jessica shares her early career experience in customer experience and how it has informed her perspective in her current role. She talks about the art of designing products that simplify complexity for the customer, the critical role analytics plays in the client experience, and the future skills shaping talent development in Jessica’s team. Jessica also describes the collaboration she engages in to leverage broader expertise, the metrics she uses to measure quantitative progress toward customer satisfaction, and the importance of retaining the empathy component to customer interactions. Finally, Jessica shares the trends she is seeing in customer experience and the key difference-makers she has noted across her career.
819: When the infamous motto “Move fast and break things” was informally embraced by Facebook years ago, it fueled the idea that there was a trade-off between the pace of transformation and building a great company. Bestselling authors Frances Frei and Anne Morriss assert otherwise. Join us in this episode of Technovation where the renowned authors and co-hosts of TED podcast ‘Fixable’ share valuable insights on leading change management with both speed and excellence from their latest book, “Move Fast & Fix Things: The Trusted Leaders Guide to Solving Hard Problems”. Frances and Anne both draw from their expertise in leadership coaching and provide actionable strategies to build trust through authenticity, logic, and empathy; lead effective change management; and achieve excellence through radical prioritization. Tune in as we explore the importance of storytelling, the advantage of failures, and other key takeaways from their book.
818: Lakshman and Shubham join us on a panel at our most recent Metis Strategy Digital Symposium to discuss the topic of talent strategy in the age of artificial intelligence. Both executives give their perspectives on the general evolution of the talent landscape, the impacts that AI is having on the skills they are hiring for, and use cases for generative AI on internal learning. Each shares his view on the financial component of talent and AI strategies, in-house solutions on cost control, and other opportunities and challenges that AI poses on a company’s talent management strategy.
817: Andrew Brock joins the broadcast to speak about the future of real estate innovation and how he has paved the way for Associa to become a technology company at its core. Andrew shares his journey in the company, the unique approach Associa takes with its entrepreneurial culture and acquisition strategy, and the vision he brings to Associa’s digital transformation. He also explains his purview as President and CEO of HOAM Ventures, the team he has curated there, and how he manages his expansive responsibilities across these roles. Finally, Andrew shares the exciting trends in AI and data that are on his radar for the future and details the secrets to his career success.
