Technology Revolution: The Future of Now

The buzz: "You always miss 100% of the shots you don't take" (Wayne Gretsky). Despite headlines about companies that make regulatory missteps and have lax internal controls, many are still playing catch-up to grasp pitfalls in the business environment. In contrast, risk-aware organizations frame risk as an enabler of business performance vs containing it, and embed risk management in day-to-day. If you're one of the former, can technology – cloud, analytics, robotics – help gain a competitive edge via effective risk management? The experts speak. Ben Zimmerman, EY: "The biggest risk is not taking any risk...in a world that is changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks" (Mark Zuckerberg). Brian Ocampo, EY: "Data is the sword of the 21st century, those who wield it well, the Samurai (Eric Schmidt). Kevin McCollom, SAP: "Test fast, fail fast, adjust fast" (Tom Peters). Join us for No Reward Without Risk: Your Company in the Digital Economy.

The buzz: "Human resources professionals have long worked to earn a voice in the C-suite and boardroom; yet the Chief Human Resources Officer role remains elusive…many companies still lag in their perception of HR's value" (Boyden). The unique human capital in your workforce is your only true competitive differentiator. But as the power of the employee takes center stage, does your board have CHRO expertise to guide policies and strategies? The experts speak. Chris Johnson, Mercer: "Society only exists as a mental concept; in the real world there are only individuals" (Oscar Wilde). Fabiana Lacerca-Allen, Ethiprax: "Acknowledge and watch your habits, for they shall become your values. Understand and embrace your values…they become your destiny" (Gandhi). Dr. Patti Fletcher, SAP SuccessFactors: "Digital is the main reason just over half of the companies on the Fortune 500 have disappeared since the year 2000" (Pierre Nanterme). Join us for CHRO: New Roadmap to the Boardroom? – Part 2.

The buzz: "While efficiency…is important…[the HR] function has to think of itself as talent consultants not service deliverers."" (Josh Bersin, Forbes.com) HR evolved in Europe during the Industrial Revolution from an idea by Robert Owen and Charles Babbage to structure, organize, pay and develop the people who lead and execute on business strategy. Fast-forward. The advent of technology and the need to scale have management evaluating HR with a focus on efficiencies, more than people. Now the workforce is demanding HR put the 'human' back into Human Resources. The experts speak. Tim Aldrich, EY: "If I went to work in a factory, the first thing I would do is to join a union" (F.D. Roosevelt). James Sinclair, EnterpriseJungle: Success is 1% inspiration, 98% perspiration and 2% attention to detail (Phil Dunphy). Dr. Patti Fletcher, SAP SuccessFactors: "if it doesn't make the world a better place, don't do it" (Kid President). Join us for Humanizing HR: Is Technology the Answer?

The buzz: "We don't even know If a salesperson replying to us in real-time in the year 2020 would be a human or a robot…AI has already penetrated into our lives with or without our consent" (Mehreen Siddiqua). AI is changing business in ways not seen since the Industrial Revolution, says Accenture. But when we apply AI technologies to human interactions, particularly in B2B Social Selling, will it add value for modern B2B salespeople? The experts speak. Bernie Borges, Vengreso: "The secret to success is good leadership…making the lives of your team members or workers better" (Tony Dungy). Tim Hughes, Digital Leadership Associates: Sometimes it is the people no one imagines anything of who do the things that no one can imagine (Alan Turing). Kirsten Boileau, SAP: "As more and more artificial intelligence is entering into the world, more and more emotional intelligence must enter into leadership" (Amit Ray). Join us for Social Selling and AI: New Frontier or Pricey Gimmick? Part 2.

The buzz: "49% of employees feel that a future in which people will 'work from anywhere in the world' is now" (ADP "The Evolution of Work" 2016). Reality check: Your company can't be global without being local. What is your CHRO's role in this? HR needs to understand and comply with local and global cultures, practices and regulations – recruiting, interviewing, hiring and compensation – while supporting a globalized business with a local feel. Say what? The experts speak. Nicole Sahin, Globalization Partners: "For the first time in human evolution … the individual mind is now a constituent player in the global transformation of human culture" (William Irwin Thompson). Dr. Patti Fletcher, SAP SuccessFactors: "Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark … there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves" (Carl Sagan). Join us for HR, Globalization, and Localization: More than Meets the Eye – Part 2.

The buzz: "You already have zero privacy – get over it" (Scott McNealy). We as individuals have welcomed Internet-connected, mobile devices to help us make daily decisions. But when we share data with companies, and they share it with their business partners, are their built-in and bolted-on data security capabilities enough to protect our personal information? The experts speak. Brian Kilcourse, RRS Research: "If you spend more on coffee than on IT security, you will be hacked. What's more, you deserve to be hacked" (Richard Clarke). Frank Diana, TCS: "You could go crazy thinking of how unprivate our lives really are–the omnipresent security cameras, the tracking data on our very smart phones… (Susan Orlean). Larry Stolle, SAP: "I think computer viruses should count as life. I think it says something about human nature that the only form of life we have created so far is purely destructive…" (Stephen Hawking). Join us for You Don't Own Me: What About My Data? – Part 2.

The buzz: "Stories give people enough space to think for themselves" (Annette Simmons). Your favorite movie, book, and song are memorable because the director, author and songwriter told an engaging story using drama and emotion. Storytelling is also important for everyone in sales for the same reasons. Prospects need to feel, believe and remember you in order to be moved to make a purchase. If you don't make it easy for them, you risk becoming the next book they forgot they ever read. The experts speak. Heidi Berenson, Berenson Communications: "It is no secret in television that the best ad-libs are always thought out and put into notes ahead of time. Two or three words will remind you of whatever the point is... (David Brinkley, A Memoir). Janis Fratamico, SAP: "My mother wanted us to understand that the tragedies of your life one day have to potential to be the comic stories the next (Nora Ephron). Join us for The Art of Storytelling in Sales – Part 2.

The buzz: "Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work" (Aristotle). Coffee Break with Game-Changers Radio was invited to broadcast live from SAPPHIRE NOW 2017. Our assignment: ask SAP partners, customers and executives what's keeping today's C-Suite awake at night – and what makes them excited to go to work. Today we're bringing you six "excited" answers: New World of Cognitive Robotic Process Automation (IBM & Mondi); Innovation and Agility: Accenture Liquid Studio (Accenture & SAP); Technology for Humanitarian Good: Addressing the Refugee Crisis (Deloitte & SAP); Blockchain Driving Next Gen Supply Chain (HCL & SAP); Incentives, Rebates and Complex Partner Programs for Digital Transformation (Vistex); Surviving Your Digital Transformation Journey: Business Partnerships (SAP). If you missed the "awake" sessions, click www.voiceamerica.com/episode/99250/c-suite-insights-from-sapphire-now-2017-part-1. Join us for C-Suite Insights from SAPPHIRE NOW 2017 – Part 2.

The buzz: "I made over 40 Westerns. I used to lie awake nights trying to think up new ways of getting on and off a horse" (William Wyler). Coffee Break with Game-Changers Radio was invited to broadcast live from SAPPHIRE NOW 2017 in Orlando [May 16-18). Our assignment: ask SAP partners, customers and executives what's keeping today's C-Suite awake at night – and what makes them excited to go to work each day. Today we're bringing you six "awake" answers: Enterprise Tax Challenges in the Digital Economy: Look to the Cloud (Vertex & SAP). Golf Industry and Technology: Hole in One! (Callaway Golf & SAP). Turn Your Business into An Intelligent Enterprise (Capgemini & MindTouch). E-Signatures: Streamlining Document Processes (DocuSign & SAP). A Stitch in Time: From Industrial Revolution Business to 21st Century (Coats). Reaching the Digital Summit with SOLEX (SAP's Tom Roberts). On May 31, we'll cover the "excited" answers. Join us for C-Suite Insights from SAPPHIRE NOW 2017 – Part 1.

VoiceAmerica and SAP team up at SAPPHIRE NOW 2017! Bonnie D Graham, host of, Coffee-break with Game changers and SAP radio. Join in today as are wrapping up the Live event with Thought Leader live at SAPPHIRE NOW 2017! Don't miss the inspiring Thought Leadership talk radio on technology and business topics that are changing the game!