546: General Stanley McChrystal has decades of leadership experience. In this interview, we discuss the importance of adaptability and agility, and General MyChrystal’s view that nimbleness is a continuous journey. He notes that cross-functional collaboration is not automatic, and organizations must be deliberate in fostering trust in a distributed environment. To do this, he suggests that transparency, vulnerability, individual empowerment, and a common purpose are all critical ingredients. We also discuss the characteristics of a resilient organization and which lessons from the military he sees as most applicable to the business realm, among a variety of other topics.
Watch the interview on YouTube:
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | Podcast Index | Deezer | Youtube Music | RSS | More
545: Metis Strategy president Peter High discusses his new book, Getting to Nimble. In this interview, Peter shares how he got to the title Getting to Nimble, why he decided to put people as his first principle, and the critical importance of change in any IT organization. He also discusses how data and analytics are rising up many organization’s priority lists, his take on the chief data officer role, and why competition has changed from company versus company to ecosystem versus ecosystem. He also shares the four sets of ecosystems he recommends partnering with, how many CIOs are moving beyond the CIO role, the growing trend of CIOs joining boards, among a variety of other topics.
544: Jeff Immelt, the former CEO of GE, spent over 15 years running one of the world’s largest companies. In this interview, Jeff discusses his experience growing up professionally at GE, Jeff’s relationship with his predecessor and legendary CEO, Jack Welch, and Jeff’s story ascending to the CEO role. We discuss why Jeff decided to write the book about his time at GE, two things Jeff would have done differently if he had the chance to do them over again, and the digital push Jeff made as CEO. Lastly, we discuss what Jeff misses most about his time at GE, Jeff’s views on the global economy going forward, Jeff’s advice to younger individuals at the beginning of their careers, among a variety of other topics.
543: Sandeep Dave, the chief digital and technology officer of CBRE, knows a thing of two about digital transformations and innovation at large companies. In this interview, we discuss the five elements of CBRE digital transformation, why the future workforce is likely to be distributed, and why innovation labs that sit far from core operations do nothing to transform the core business. We also discuss the approach that CBRE uses to innovate, how CBRE leverages AI/ML, the power of bringing emerging technologies together to solve real-world problems, among a variety of other topics.
Watch the video on YouTube
542: Steve Phillpott is an expert in change management having overseen change at one of the largest computer data storage companies in the world. In this interview, we discuss the importance of organizations investing in change management and how he approached change management at Western Digital. We also discuss trends in cloud and DevOps, the crucial importance of building up your peer and executive recruiter networks, among a variety of other topics.
Watch the interview on YouTube
541: Sunny Gupta, the CEO of Apptio, has driven his company to become a market leader with significant scale. In this interview we discuss the Technology Business Management Council the company created and its strategic priorities, the four areas where technology business management plays a role today, and Sunny’s advice for those low on the transformation curve. We discuss why there is no separation between the business and IT anymore, how Apptio integrates with other platforms to create a central financial technology decision engine, and Apptio’s experience going public and then going private. Lastly, we discuss four acquisitions the company has made in recent times, some of the emerging technologies Sunny has his eye on, and a variety of other topics.
540: Paola Arbour has more than 30 years of experience leading and transforming IT organizations. In this interview, we discuss the cultural transformation she’s driving at Tenet Healthcare and why skill sets are more important than titles. Paola also shares tips for effectively managing change, and she discusses the importance of having a culture of innovation, rather than a program of innovation, among a variety of other topics.
Video interview available on YouTube:
539: Daniela Rus, the director of MIT CSAIL, imagines a future where robots are so integrated in the fabric of human life that they become as common as smart phones are today. In this interview, we discuss some of the many examples in which robotics and AI have been used in new ways during the pandemic, why AI is most effective when people and machines work together, and some of the ways AI will positively impact our lives in the future. We also discuss why we should think of AI as interns and humans as the ones who make the important decisions, the state of autonomous vehicles and the work Daniela’s team is doing in that field, among a variety of other topics.
538: Atticus Tysen, CIO/CISO of Intuit, discusses the importance of aligning technology strategy with business strategy and how having a strategic framework facilitates organizational agility. We also discuss how Atticus balances innovation with security in his role as CIO and CISO, how technology creates new opportunities for the business, among other topics.
537: Timothy Kasbe, the president of Zoho, discusses why Zoho has decided to stay private and the freedom and long-term outlook the company has as a result, and how Zoho banks everyone’s salaries for three to five years. We cover Zoho Schools of Learning, and why IT needs to move away from being a function that supports the business to being one that drives the business. We discuss why Timothy decided to get a Divinity School degree, why he believes in the need to engage religious communities in science and math, lessons he has learned in cross cultural communication from living all over the world, among a variety of other topics.
