Ever notice how the best companies are built on great teams? That's what drives me at KMP Consultants. We're all about putting people first to fuel sustainable growth and create workplaces where top talent thrives. 

My journey? It's been quite the ride! I've spent years in aerospace and defense, leading global teams with some pretty hefty budgets. I've had the chance to shake things up with innovative products and weather storms like economic downturns and natural disasters. Trust me, nothing teaches you about leadership quite like those experiences! 

But wait, there's more! I also helped kick off Excelation, where we're all about boosting company performance through smart benefits, savvy financial moves, and some cool automation tricks. Our goal? Save companies millions while making work better for everyone involved. 

Oh, and did I mention I lived in Asia for 16 years? Talk about an eye-opener! It really shaped my global perspective. When I'm not working, you might find me in the cockpit – I'm a commercial pilot and flight instructor. I also love participating in international missions, which keeps me on my toes and constantly learning. 

So that's me in a nutshell – always looking for new ways to lead, innovate, and make work life awesome for everyone involved. Let's connect and chat about how we can make great things happen!

Karen M. Pierce

Transforming Healthcare Through Product-Driven Technology Leadership

As Chief Information Officer and Chief Information Security Officer at Delta Dental, one of the nation's leading dental insurance providers, I drive product strategy and innovation through advanced analytics, AI, and digital experience platforms, serving over 2.5 million members. My focus extends beyond traditional IT operations to product-centric leadership that delivers measurable business outcomes and customer value.

💡PRODUCT-DRIVEN CIO APPROACH:
I've transformed our technology organization into a product-focused engine for business growth. This includes building our enterprise AI practice from the ground up with governance frameworks, strategic use case prioritization, and measurable ROI delivery. I've migrated our legacy data warehouse to Google Cloud Platform, which has accelerated our analytics and ML product capabilities while maintaining platform availability.

🎯 STRATEGIC PRODUCT ACHIEVEMENTS:
✅ Built an enterprise AI practice with a governance framework and strategic use case prioritization
✅ Established analytics center of excellence driving product innovation across underwriting, sales, and operations  
✅ Led cross-functional teams to deliver integrated data, reporting, and analytics solutions across all business lines
✅ Introduced secure API architecture while maintaining HITRUST certification and zero security incidents
✅ Transformed IT into a consultative product partner, rebuilding stakeholder relationships and developing long-term growth strategies

🔬 LEADERSHIP PHILOSOPHY:
I champion a contrarian approach to technology leadership: most digital transformation initiatives fail not because of technology, but because organizations optimize existing processes instead of creating new value. My product-centric methodology emphasizes customer experience, cross-functional collaboration, and outcome-focused innovation.

🤝 INDUSTRY ENGAGEMENT:
Currently serving on the Executive Advisory Board at Fluent Dental, guiding product development and technology innovation for emerging dental technology platforms. Active thought leader in healthcare product strategy, AI governance, and digital transformation.

I'm passionate about driving human-centered solutions that extract value from technology to benefit our company, external partners, and most importantly, our customers. My focus remains on harnessing innovation through product leadership and strengthening strategic relationships to maintain Delta Dental's position as a leader in the industry.

Justin Lahullier

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫: 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐨𝐦?
As leaders, we spend a lot of time in meetings, making decisions, and setting direction. But the true measure of our leadership is not what happens when we are in the room, but what happens when we are not.

Do our teams continue to operate with clarity and purpose? Do they feel empowered to make decisions? Do they treat each other with respect? The answers to these questions reveal the true health of our culture.

I believe the goal of a leader is to make themselves obsolete. Not in the sense of being unnecessary, but in the sense of having built a team and a system that can thrive independently. This requires a deep investment in three key areas:
➡️ 1. Clarity of Mission: Is the mission so clear and compelling that it guides decisions even in your absence? A clear mission is a powerful decision-making tool that empowers your team to act with autonomy.
➡️ 2. A Culture of Trust: Do you trust your team to make the right decisions? And just as importantly, do they trust you to have their back, even if they make a mistake? Trust is the currency of a high-performing team.
➡️ 3. Investment in People: Are you developing the next generation of leaders? A leader's most important legacy is not what they achieve, but who they empower to achieve. Mentorship and development are not nice-to-haves; they are core responsibilities.

My goal is to build a team that is so strong, so aligned, and so empowered that they don’t need me in the room to do great things. That, to me, is the ultimate measure of success.

What do you believe is the most important quality of a leader who builds a self-sustaining team?

#Leadership #Management #Culture #Values

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Clarity of values enables speed of execution. When your team knows the principles, they can make decisions without waiting for permission.

Transformative CIO/CISO | Product Strategy & AI Innovation Leader | Driving Digital Experience & Advanced Analytics Solutions | Healthcare Technology Executive

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗜𝗢'𝘀 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗝𝗼𝗯: 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗿
In today's tech-driven world, the CIO has two jobs. The first is to manage technology. The second, and arguably more important, is to translate it.

We can build the most sophisticated AI models, the most elegant cloud architectures, and the most secure networks. But if the board, our executive peers, and our employees don't understand what it is, why it matters, and how it creates value, we've failed.

Being a Chief Translation Officer means:
➡️ Speaking in Business Outcomes: Don't talk about terabytes and APIs. Talk about market share, customer retention, and operational efficiency.
➡️ Using Analogies: Explain complex concepts using simple, relatable analogies. An API is like a universal power adapter for your business systems.
➡️ Visualizing Value: Use diagrams, infographics, and simple charts to make the invisible work of technology visible and understandable.

The most technically brilliant CIO who can't translate their work into the language of the business is just a cost center. The most effective CIOs are master storytellers. They bridge the gap between technology and business, creating a shared understanding and vision.

What are your most effective techniques for translating complex tech concepts to non-technical stakeholders?

#CIO #Leadership #Communication #BusinessStrategy

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝟑-𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐑𝐎𝐈
As a CISO, I'm often asked to prove a negative. "How do you measure the ROI of an incident that didn't happen?" It's a classic boardroom challenge.

The answer is to shift the conversation from preventing hypothetical events to enabling tangible business outcomes. A modern security program isn't a cost center; it's a trust accelerator.

We need to move beyond fear-based metrics and start measuring what matters to the business: speed, efficiency, and resilience.

Here’s a mini-playbook for proving the ROI of your security program:
➡️ 1. Measure "Time Bought Back": Security automation isn't just about reducing risk; it's about giving the business time back. By automating high-volume SecOps tasks like triage and enrichment, you free up your most valuable resource—your people. Track this metric relentlessly. "We automated 500 hours of manual work this quarter" is a powerful ROI statement.
➡️ 2. Quantify "Dwell Time" Reduction: The faster you can detect and respond to a threat, the less damage it can do. Measure the time from initial compromise to full remediation. Show a clear, downward trend. This demonstrates that your investments in detection and response are making the organization more resilient.
➡️ 3. Report on "Frictionless Trust": How long does it take to complete a customer security review? How quickly can you provide evidence for an audit? By moving from manual questionnaires to continuous control monitoring, you can dramatically accelerate sales cycles and reduce compliance costs. This is a direct, measurable impact on the top and bottom line.

Stop trying to sell fear. Start demonstrating value. By focusing on these three metrics, you can transform the security conversation from a necessary evil to a strategic enabler.

What are the most effective metrics you use to communicate the value of security to the board?

#Cybersecurity #CISO #ROI #TechLeadership

At Davos last week, Accenture's CEO said something that stopped me in my tracks: "Human-in-the-loop is a huge disservice."

She's right. And the data backs it up.

As AI automates routine tasks, demand for human critical thinking skills has surged 168% year over year. We're not being replaced. We're being elevated.
But only if we stop thinking of ourselves as passive supervisors and start leading from the front.

I just published a new article on why "human in the lead" is the most important AI trend of 2026—and a 3-step framework for making it real in your organization.

What's one step you're taking to put your people in the lead of your AI strategy?
#AI #Leadership #CIO #DigitalTransformation #FutureOfWork

At Davos last week, Accenture CEO Julie Sweet said something that should make every CIO pause: "The future of AI and companies is human in the lead." 

Stop Putting Humans 'In the Loop'. Put Them in the Lead.

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺: "𝗪𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻'𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗔𝗜 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁." 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗻𝘀. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺.
I hear it constantly from my peers: the AI talent gap is our biggest problem. I disagree. The real problem is a deployment gap. We have brilliant people in our organizations, but we're not giving them the right tools to solve AI-related problems.

We don't need every engineer to be a PhD in machine learning. We need to empower our business analysts, our product managers, and our operations experts with low-code and no-code AI platforms.

Here's the simple, 3-step solution:
➡️ Invest in a Unified AI Platform: Give your teams a centralized, secure platform with pre-built models and easy-to-use interfaces. This democratizes access to AI and ensures proper governance.
➡️ Create a "Citizen Data Scientist" Program: Identify high-potential individuals across the business and provide them with the training and support they need to become AI champions within their own teams.
➡️ Change Your Metrics: Stop measuring the number of data scientists you hire. Start measuring the number of business problems you solve with AI. This shifts the focus from accumulating talent to delivering value.

The next wave of AI innovation won't come from a handful of elite data scientists. It will come from empowering thousands of employees to solve their own AI-related problems. It's time to close the deployment gap.

What's the biggest obstacle to empowering "citizen data scientists" in your organization?

#AI #Talent #Leadership #CIO

"𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐀𝐈 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲?" 𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐛𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧𝐞.

Chasing a standalone "AI strategy" is like having a "spreadsheet strategy" in the 90s. It mistakes the tool for the outcome. AI is a horizontal enabler, a powerful capability that should be woven into the fabric of your *business* strategy, not isolated in a separate silo.

The real question we should be asking is: "How can we leverage AI to accelerate our existing business goals?"

This shift in perspective changes everything. It moves the conversation from hypothetical tech roadmaps to tangible business problems.

Here’s a how-to guide for reframing the AI strategy conversation:
➡️ 1. Start with the Business, Not the Tech: Instead of a blue-sky brainstorming session on AI, start with your company's top 3 strategic priorities. Is it improving customer retention? Reducing operational costs? Accelerating product development?
➡️ 2. Identify the Friction: For each priority, ask: "Where is the friction? What are the biggest bottlenecks, manual processes, or data-deficient decisions holding us back?" This is where AI can have the greatest impact.
➡️ 3. Map AI Capabilities to Friction Points: Now, and only now, do you bring in the technology. Map specific AI capabilities (e.g., natural language processing for document review, machine learning for demand forecasting) directly to the friction points you've identified.

An "AI strategy" is a solution in search of a problem. A business strategy accelerated by AI is a recipe for measurable value. Let's stop chasing the hype and start solving real problems.

#AIStrategy #DigitalTransformation #Leadership #Contrarian

𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗔𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝗜 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀
"What's our AI strategy?" It's the question every board is asking. And it's the wrong one.

You don't need an "AI strategy." You need a business strategy powered by AI. The obsession with creating a separate, grand AI plan is a distraction. It leads to technology in search of a problem, expensive science projects, and significant wasted time.

The more effective, contrarian approach? Start with your most critical business problems. Then, ask how AI can help you solve them in a way that wasn't possible before.

➡️ Problem: High member churn. AI Solution: Use a predictive model to identify at-risk members and proactively intervene with targeted outreach.
➡️ Problem: Inefficient claims processing. AI Solution: Use natural language processing to automate the extraction and validation of information from claims documents.
➡️ Problem: Inconsistent customer service. AI Solution: Use an agent-assist tool to provide your service representatives with real-time guidance and information.

Stop admiring the technology and start applying it. The best AI strategy is a relentless focus on solving real business problems. The technology is just a tool. The goal is the outcome.

What's one business problem you're solving with AI right now?

#AI #Strategy #Innovation #CIO

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀 🧭, 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗽 🗺️
In technology, we love roadmaps. We create detailed plans with timelines, milestones, and deliverables. We want certainty in an uncertain world.

But here's the truth: the map is always wrong.

Technology changes too fast. Business priorities shift. Unexpected opportunities emerge. The roadmap you create today will be obsolete in six months. And that's okay.

What you need isn't a better map 🗺️. It's a better compass 🧭.

A compass 🧭 is a set of principles and values that guide your decisions when the path isn't clear. It's your "true north." And unlike a map 🗺️, it doesn't go out of date.

At Delta Dental of NJ/CT, our compass 🧭 has three points:
1️⃣Business Value First: We prioritize projects that solve real business problems and deliver measurable outcomes. If we can't articulate the value, we don't do it.
2️⃣Security and Compliance Always: In healthcare, trust is everything. We never compromise on security, privacy, or regulatory compliance. Ever.
3️⃣People Over Process: Technology is built by people, for people. We invest in our team, listen to their feedback, and create a culture of continuous learning.

These principles don't tell us precisely what to build or when to build it. But they guide every decision we make. They keep us on course, even when the path is unclear.

So forget the perfect roadmap 🗺️. Build a strong compass 🧭. It will serve you far better in the long run.

What are the core principles that guide your technology decisions?

#Leadership #Strategy #Values #CIO #SundayThoughts

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲
As I was talking to an associate this week, I was reminded of an item that I attribute a lot of my success to. It wasn’t about a specific skill. It was much simpler: "Be relentlessly curious."

In the world of technology, the tools and platforms are constantly changing. The hot new programming language today will be legacy tomorrow. The only skill that will never go out of style is the ability to learn and adapt.

Curiosity is the engine of growth. It’s what drives us to ask questions, challenge assumptions, and explore new ideas. It’s what allows us to connect disparate concepts and find innovative solutions to complex problems.

My advice to anyone looking to build a career in tech is this: Don’t just learn to code; learn to learn. Don’t just master a platform; master the art of inquiry. Read widely, ask questions, and never be afraid to say, "I don’t know, but I’ll find out."

The most successful people I know are not those with the most knowledge, but those with the most curiosity. They are lifelong learners who are constantly expanding their horizons.

#CareerAdvice #Leadership #Community

𝐓𝐡𝐞 "𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚-𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧" 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞
Most organizations claim to be data driven. It's a lie.

They have dashboards. They have analytics teams. They have mountains of data. But when it comes to making critical decisions, they revert to gut feelings, HiPPO (Highest Paid Person's Opinion), and political consensus.

The problem isn't a lack of data; it's a lack of a data-centric culture. A culture where data isn't just a report to be glanced at, but the lifeblood of every decision. At Delta Dental, we're working to build this culture by embedding analytics directly into our core business processes, not just treating it as a separate function.

We're moving from "Here's a report on what happened" to "Here's a predictive model of what will happen, and here's the recommended action." It's a subtle but profound shift. It's about making data actionable, not just available.

What's one time you saw a data-driven insight get overruled by gut instinct?

#Leadership #CIO #DataStrategy #DigitalTransformation

𝗛𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗿. 𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄: 𝗢𝗻 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽, 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗿𝗰 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲
In my career—from volunteer firefighter to CIO—I've had many opportunities to reflect on what leadership actually means. Dr. King's example keeps teaching me.

Three principles I keep coming back to:
1️⃣Leadership is about direction, not position.
Dr. King didn't lead from a corner office. He led from wherever he was standing. The title doesn't make the leader. The willingness to point toward something better does. In tech leadership, I see this all the time. The most impactful people in any organization aren't always the ones with the biggest titles. They're the ones who see a better way and have the courage to advocate for it.
2️⃣Real change is uncomfortable for everyone, including the change agent. We sanitize Dr. King's story now. But in his time, he made powerful people uncomfortable. Good leadership does that. If your ideas never create friction, you're probably not pushing hard enough. The transformations I've been part of—the ones that actually delivered value—all had moments of intense organizational discomfort. That's the tax on meaningful change.
3️⃣Service is the point. Dr. King's holiday is a day of service for a reason. Leadership divorced from service is just ego. Whether you're leading a team, a function, or a community—the question is always: who are you serving? If the answer is primarily "yourself," you've lost the thread.

Tomorrow, I'll be reflecting on these questions. What does leadership look like in my corner of the world? How can I serve better?

I hope you find a moment to do the same.

𝗔 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿: 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗼𝗲𝘀
It's Saturday morning, and while most of us are enjoying coffee and downtime ☕, people are keeping the lights on.

The database administrators' monitoring systems. The network engineers are troubleshooting issues. Security analysts are monitoring for threats 🛡️. The help desk technicians are answering calls.

These are the unsung heroes of technology. They don't get the glory of launching a new AI model or leading a digital transformation. But without them, none of it would be possible.

As leaders, it's easy to focus on the big, visible wins. But the foundation of every successful technology organization is the people doing the quiet, unglamorous work of keeping systems running, secure, and reliable 🔧.

Today, I want to thank you. Thank you to the people who work weekends, respond to alerts at 2 AM, and solve problems that no one else will ever see. You are the foundation of innovation 🏆.

Who's someone on your team who deserves recognition today?

#Leadership #Gratitude #Technology #Teamwork

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗖𝗮𝗻'𝘁 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗮 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗮𝗻 𝗜𝘃𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗧𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿
As leaders, we ask our teams to embrace new technologies and new ways of working. But how often do we subject ourselves to the same changes?

If you're rolling out a new CRM, are you using it to manage your own stakeholder relationships? If you're deploying a new analytics dashboard, are you using it to track your own team's performance? If not, you're failing the ultimate leadership test: "eating your own dog food."

When leaders personally use the technologies they champion, three things happen:
➡️ You Discover the Flaws First: No tool is perfect. As a daily user, you experience friction points, bugs, and usability issues firsthand. This allows you to fix them before they become major roadblocks for your team.
➡️ You Build Unshakeable Credibility: When you can speak from personal experience about the benefits and challenges of a new tool, your advocacy is authentic and powerful. You're not just issuing a mandate; you're leading from the front.
➡️ You Foster a Culture of Empathy: By walking in your employees' shoes, you develop a deep understanding of their daily reality. This empathy is the foundation of a strong, collaborative culture.

Don't just talk about transformation. Live it. The next time you approve a new technology project, ask yourself: "Am I willing to be the first user?"

What's one way you've seen leaders successfully "eat their own dog food"?

#Leadership #ChangeManagement #DigitalTransformation #CIO

𝗜𝘀 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 "𝗔𝗜 𝗩𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗿" 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗮 𝗗𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱-𝗨𝗽 𝗗𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱?
Everyone is an "AI company" now. The market is flooded with vendors slapping an AI label on their products. As a CIO, how do you cut through the noise and identify the partners who can deliver real value?

It comes down to asking the right questions. Forget the marketing slicks and demand to look under the hood. Here’s a 4-point checklist for your next vendor evaluation:
➡️ Ask About the Model: Is it a proprietary model they built, or are they just a thin wrapper around an open-source model or a major provider like OpenAI? If it's the latter, what unique value are they adding?
➡️ Ask About the Data: How was the model trained? What is their data pipeline? Most importantly, how will your data be used, protected, and isolated? If they can't answer this clearly, it's a major red flag.
➡️ Ask for a Real-World Demo (with YOUR data): Don't settle for a canned demo. Insist on a proof-of-concept with your own data and use cases. This is the only way to see how the system performs in your actual environment.
➡️ Ask About the Roadmap: How are they planning to evolve their models? What is their strategy for dealing with model drift and continuous improvement? A true AI partner will have a clear vision for the future, not just a static product.

Choosing an AI vendor is a long-term partnership. Don't be fooled by the hype. Do your homework, ask the tough questions, and choose a partner who is as serious about results as you are.

What's the most important question you ask when evaluating an AI vendor?

#AI #VendorManagement #CIO #TechStrategy

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬
"Because that's the way we've always done it."

These are the most expensive words in business. They represent the death of innovation, the acceptance of mediocrity, and a refusal to adapt to a changing world.

As a leader, my job is to challenge this thinking at every turn. To create an environment where curiosity is rewarded and the status quo is constantly questioned. It's not about change for the sake of change. It's about a relentless pursuit of better.

Every process, every system, every assumption should be on the table. If it doesn’t serve the business, it needs to go. This can be uncomfortable. It can create friction. But it's the only way to build a truly agile and resilient organization.

When was the last time you successfully challenged the "way we've always done it"?

#Leadership #CIO #Innovation #ChangeManagement

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗰𝗲𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
Everyone sees the technology. Few see the real work.

Digital transformation is like an iceberg. The visible part—the new software, the cloud migration, the AI models—is only 10% of the effort. The other 90% is hidden beneath the surface: culture, people, and process.

Above the Waterline (The Easy Part):
• Buying new technology
• Migrating to the cloud
• Implementing new tools

Below the Waterline (The Hard Part):
• Changing organizational culture
• Reskilling your workforce
• Redesigning business processes
• Overcoming resistance to change
• Building cross-functional collaboration

Most digital transformations fail not because the technology doesn't work, but because we underestimate the human and organizational challenges. We focus on the 10% above the waterline and ignore the 90% below it.

The CIOs who succeed at transformation aren't the ones with the best technology. They're the ones who excel in change management, communication, and culture building. They understand that technology is the easy part. People are the hard part.

If you're leading a digital transformation, spend 10% of your time on technology and 90% on people and process. That's where the real work happens.

What's the most underestimated challenge in digital transformation?

#DigitalTransformation #ChangeManagement #CIO #Leadership

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝟒-𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐒𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐀𝐈 𝐏𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐭
An AI pilot that doesn’t scale is just a science fair project. To ensure your AI initiatives deliver real business value, you need a structured approach from day one. A successful pilot isn’t about proving the technology works; it’s about proving it works for your business.

Here is the 4-part framework we use to move from idea to impact:
➡️ 1. Define a Narrow, High-Value Use Case: Don't try to solve everything at once. Start with a single, well-defined business problem that is causing significant pain. The narrower the focus, the easier it is to measure success and the faster you can get a win.
➡️ 2. Assemble a Cross-Functional Team: An AI pilot is not an IT project. It’s a business project. Your team must include not just data scientists and engineers, but also the frontline employees who will actually use the tool and the business leaders who own the outcome.
➡️ 3. Establish Success Metrics Upfront: Before you write a single line of code, you must define what success looks like. Is it reduced call handling time? Increased customer satisfaction? A higher conversion rate? If you can't measure it, you can't manage it.
➡️ 4. Plan for Scale from Day 1: Don't build a pilot in a sandbox that can't be moved to production. Think about data pipelines, security, and integration with existing systems from the very beginning. A pilot should be a miniature version of the final product, not a disposable prototype.

By following this framework, you can ensure your AI pilots are not just interesting experiments, but the first step in a successful, scalable AI strategy. Stop experimenting and start executing.

What is the biggest challenge you face when trying to scale AI pilots?

#AIStrategy #DigitalTransformation #CIO #Playbook

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦: 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐞𝐬 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐃𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 "𝐒𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞." 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐀𝐈-𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
What is the biggest killer of productivity and morale in your organization? It's not the big, complex projects. It's the "sludge"—the endless, repetitive, low-value administrative tasks that consume your team's time and energy.

From filling out expense reports to manually updating CRM records, this sludge is a silent killer. It burns out your best people and prevents them from focusing on the high-impact work they were hired to do. The solution is not to work harder, but to work smarter with AI-powered automation.

Here’s how to start:
➡️ 1. Conduct a "Sludge Audit": Ask your team a simple question: "What is the most tedious, repetitive task you do every week?" Create a list and prioritize it by time spent and level of frustration.
➡️ 2. Deploy Low-Code/No-Code AI Tools: You don't need a team of PhDs to solve this problem. Modern AI platforms allow you to build simple automation workflows with little to no coding. Empower your teams to build their own solutions.
➡️ 3. Measure the Impact in "Hours Reclaimed": The ROI of this initiative is not just in dollars, but in time. Track the number of hours you are giving back to your employees to focus on more strategic work. This is a powerful metric that demonstrates the real value of AI.

At Delta Dental, we are constantly looking for ways to eliminate sludge and empower our teams to focus on what matters most: serving our members. By automating the mundane, we unlock the potential for the extraordinary.

What is one piece of "sludge" you would love to eliminate from your workday?

#Productivity #AI #Automation #Leadership

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 (𝐀𝐆𝐈) 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐳𝐳𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞. 
Anthropic's CEO suggests it could be just 2-3 years away. DeepMind's founder says 5-10 years. Whether it's two years or ten, the window for strategic preparation is closing.

But here's the disconnect I see everywhere: while we speculate about AGI, most companies are still struggling to extract value from the AI we have today. A recent survey found that while 50% of companies have adopted AI tools, only 12% are leveraging them to deliver tangible business value.

This isn't just an academic debate; it's a preparedness crisis. The gap between the power of the tools and our ability to govern them is widening. As leaders, we need to shift the conversation from when AGI will arrive to how we build the operational muscle to manage it.

Here's a pragmatic framework for today:
➡️ 1. Master Narrow AI First: You can't run a marathon if you haven't learned to walk. Focus on mastering today's AI. Build a robust data foundation, demonstrate value through well-defined use cases, and foster a culture of data-driven decision-making.
➡️ 2. Build a Governance Flywheel: Don't wait for AGI to start thinking about governance. The principles of fairness, transparency, and accountability apply right now. Create an AI inventory, establish clear data guardrails, and demand auditable evidence for your current models. This builds the muscle for the future.
➡️ 3. Invest in Human Skills: As AI handles more technical tasks, our most valuable skills become more human: critical thinking, ethical judgment, and collaborative problem-solving. The best-prepared organizations will be those that invest in developing their people, not just their tech stack.

The AGI countdown has begun. But the race that matters isn't about building AGI—it's about building the wisdom to wield it. Let's get our house in order.

What steps are you taking to bridge the gap between AI hype and business reality?

#AGI #AIStrategy #TechLeadership #FutureOfWork

𝗪𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲—𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲𝘀.

When your best people resist a new initiative, it's rarely because they fear change. It's because they see flaws you don't. They're living the operational reality of your top-down decisions every day.

The instinct is to push harder. Reiterate the vision. Overcome the resistance.

But what if we did the opposite? What if we treated that resistance as real-time strategy feedback?

A few things that have worked for me:
➡️Seek out the skeptics. Don't just listen to the enthusiasts. Find the respected critics and ask them directly: What are we missing? What breaks when this hits the real world?
➡️Separate discomfort from dysfunction. Change is always uncomfortable. But frontline teams know the difference between temporary adjustment pain and a fundamentally broken process. Learn to read those signals.
➡️Make feedback safe. If the only feedback you hear is positive, something is wrong. Create channels where people can challenge the strategy without risking their careers.

Most of my best pivots came from listening to internal friction early. Treating employees as strategic partners—not just implementers—builds better products and a more resilient organization.

Your team's resistance isn't an obstacle. It's data. Use it.

What's one time employee feedback made you rethink a major decision?

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