Innovation and the Digital Enterprise

The seeds of innovation cannot germinate in a culture in which people feel they need to ask permission. The ability to fail — and share that failure — is one of the most important tenets of any company that has a chance to improve according to today’s guest, Gene Kim.Gene has been studying high-performing technology companies since 1999 and has authored several books on the topic. On this week’s episode of Innovation and the Digital Enterprise, Gene discusses the five central prerequisites of company innovation as well as the role that ritual can play in de-stigmatizing failure.Check out this episode for practical tips on how your company can achieve substantial results simply by changing up habits. [00:25] - This week: Gene Kim [01:40] - The Unicorn Project [07:11] - Celebrating bad news [09:53] - Processes and bureaucracies [12:49] - The Five Ideals [22:04] - Habits and rewards [27:30] - New modes of management and production [32:15] - Fostering innovation at the edges [36:35] - Diversity in teams [39:41] - Humble expertise Gene Kim is a multiple award-winning CTO, researcher and author, and has been studying high performing technology organizations since 1999. He was founder and CTO of Tripwire for 13 years. He has written six books, including The Unicorn Project (2019), The Phoenix Project (2013), The DevOps Handbook (2016), the Shingo Publication Award-winning Accelerate (2018), and The Visible Ops Handbook (2004-2006) series. Since 2014, he has been the founder and organizer of the DevOps Enterprise Summit, studying the technology transformations of large, complex organizations.If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to Innovation and the Digital Enterprise in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the show.This podcast episode was produced by Dante32.

In a corporate environment, a leader’s main task is to keep their team running efficiently and productively. However, in the startup world, a leader needs to jump in and help out at every level. It was this kind of environment and mindset that best informed the leadership style of our guest today, David Hoag.David is the Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer for OCC, the world’s largest equity derivatives clearing organization. His time working at a startup taught him lessons that he’s carried over to his teams throughout the years. David talks to Patrick and Shelli about why it’s so important to look beyond immediate problems, why egos keep business stuck, and why it’s better for managers to lead through inquiry and questions as opposed to dictates and direction.Tune in for a masterclass in effective leadership.  [00:25] - This week: David Hoag [01:12] - The Options Clearing Corporation [02:54] - From CME to startup to OCC [06:34] - The challenge of adding customer value [08:40] - Incremental wins for transformational change [12:53] - Creating a culture of empowerment [17:37] - Acknowledging mistakes [24:52] - Debugging your company [26:51] - Establishing a healthy leadership style through mentorship [36:03] - The innovation leash [39:49] - The Advantage [40:46] - Identifying the perfect candidate In his role as SVP and CIO, David Hoag leads the entire OCC Information Technology team, ensuring that OCC has the technology infrastructure to provide OCC’s approximately 100 clearing members with cost-effective risk management solutions while also meeting the heightened expectations of global regulators.Hoag is a technology executive with nearly 25 years of information systems and development experience. He previously served as Chief Technology Officer at Halo Investing, Inc., which offers a pre-defined market return trading platform for investors. Before joining Halo, Hoag was Chief Technology Officer for NextTier Education, a web and mobile-based post-secondary readiness platform that delivers critical information on every two and four-year college in the U.S. Prior to NextTier, he spent 11 years with CME Group, most recently serving as the Managing Director of Post Trade Technology leading the exchange’s information technology development teams responsible for all its clearing and settlement activities. If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to Innovation and the Digital Enterprise Insider in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the show. This podcast episode was produced by Dante32.

The problem of trying to work on the next big thing in software without bankrupting the company on research and development can be a tricky balancing act. To successfully manage such operations, leaders need to think tactically.Reza Rooholamini is the Vice President of Enterprise Architecture and Technology at CCC Information Services Inc. One way that CCC has managed this issue is by creating an innovation lab that is like its own startup within a company. On this week’s episode of Innovation and the Digital Enterprise, Reza discusses the pragmatic approach that CCC takes toward innovation.Listen in for Reza’s four-pronged approach to successful innovation and his criteria for success.[00:24] - This week: Reza Rooholamini[00:54] - Gaining experience dealing with inflection points[03:28] - Leveraging technology at CCC Information Services[14:17] - Striking a balance with the innovation lab[19:06] - Qualifying opportunities[22:25] - A solution within solutions[25:39] - Start-up inside a big business[27:55] - Innovation theater[32:25] - Center of excellence[36:22] - For the sake of serviceDr. Reza Rooholamini is responsible for the architecture, development operations, new technologies, Innovation Foundry, Data Sciences, Artificial Intelligence, and advanced product development at CCC, AI and tech leader for the automotive, insurance, and collision repair industries. Since joining CCC in 2013, Dr. Rooholamini’s responsibilities have included the full end-to-end architecture and technologies associated with the SaaS operation of CCC suite of service offerings. Before CCC, Dr. Rooholamini was responsible for the operating systems and complex computer solutions at Dell Inc. These solutions included database, messaging, super computers and data centers. He also worked as the engineering manager and architect at NCR and AT&T and as the professor of computer sciences at University of Wisconsin. His current research interests are SaaS, cloud computing, DevOps, mobile computing, artificial intelligence, data analytics and hyper scale data, and application platform design and implementation. Rooholamini earned a BS in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, an MS in electrical engineering and an MS in computer science from the University of Wisconsin. He also earned his Ph.D. in computer science/engineering from the University of Minnesota.If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to Innovation and the Digital Enterprise Insider in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the show.This podcast episode was produced by Dante32.

Private sector companies spend a lot of time innovating to create the best possible user experience for potential customers. Government agencies by contrast, tend to work with outdated, analog tools. Why aren’t government agencies following suit?Sean T. O’Kelly spent more than twenty years in the tech private sector. When he was appointed CIO for Financial and Professional Regulation at the State of Illinois, he jumped at the opportunity to help create a more positive user experience for everyday citizens. Sean talks to Patrick and Shelli about innovation as a public good and why he believes all people should strive to serve in a government capacity at some point in their careers. Tune in for a lively discussion on innovation at the intersection of public and private sectors.[00:25] - This week: Sean T. O'Kelly[00:55] - Sean's role with the State of Illinois[04:31] - The citizen experience[11:42] - Improving security[19:23] - Pushing for innovation[22:52] - From tech to the state[25:59] - Participating in government[27:04] - Blockchain, containers, and AISean T. O’Kelly is the former CIO for Financial and Professional Regulation at the State of Illinois, which governs community banks, financial institutions, real estate, cannabis, and professional licensing. The Department is one of the largest licensing bodies in Illinois and regulates the largest number of state-chartered community banks and credit unions in the country. In this role, he was responsible for supporting revenue in B2B and B2C channels, driving technology strategy and investment, managing a portfolio of applications, delivering new service offerings, improving security and operations, and exploring innovation opportunities with emerging technologies. Prior to joining the State a little more than two years ago, Sean spent 20 years in the private sector in several technology consulting and operations roles, largely within the financial services and insurances industries.  Sean is currently an advisor to start-ups other CIO’s. If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to Innovation and the Digital Enterprise Insider in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the showThis podcast episode was produced by Dante32.

Gone are the days when a company’s IT teams just babysat servers. Today, individual services and outside vendors dominate the industry. With this fast pace of recent technological leaps brings new opportunities to harness technology that can help businesses find creative ways to scale.Karen Fedyszyn, an award-winning Information Technology Executive, sat down with Pat and Shelli for a wide-ranging conversation about her experiences managing teams for brands such as Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurants, Ace Hardware, and HSBC. Karen shares why she believes shadow IT should be treated as an innovation pipeline, the challenges of moving from problem focused to solution focused IT, and her tips for creating productive IT teams that allow members to both learn and work on things they are passionate about.Tune in for practical advice from an IT industry pro.[00:25] – Introducing Karen Fedyszyn, IT Executive[01:05] – Embracing being a mid-sized company at Cooper’s Hawk[04:57] – Keeping your employees current[09:18] – Karen’s ORBIE 2019 finalist award[13:44] – Problem solving from within[17:08] – How going global changes the game[19:36] – Wartime CEO mentality[23:45] – Practicing meditation[27:41] – Having a personal mission statement[29:49] – How an evolving industry creates new problems[35:31] – Keeping your employees interested[38:09] – Proliferation of software as a serviceKaren Fedyszyn is an accomplished information technology executive, CIO Advisor, consultant, and Non-Executive Director board member. She is sought after for her work in information and technology, establishing vision, devising strategy, as well as executing digital transformation, acquisition integration, program execution, cyber security and innovation supporting both local and global companies. She has worked with brands including Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurants, Ace Hardware, and HSBC.If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to Innovation and the Digital Enterprise Insider in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the show.This podcast episode was produced by Dante32.

Failure isn’t always a bad thing. In fact, Sean Brown, CEO of YCharts, wants to hire failures – they are, after all, risk-takers that aren’t afraid to try something new. On this week’s episode, Sean joins Pat for a wide-ranging conversation about the lessons Sean has learned in his 25+ years starting, selling, buying, and running various companies.Sean talks to us about why he believes the KISS (keep it simple, stupid) philosophy works so well in business and shares his four-part playbook for developing successful companies. Listen in to find out how to best get to know your customers, how to attract top talent, and why you need full transparency at every level of your business.[00:53] – Introducing Sean Brown, CEO of YCharts[03:20] – Sean discusses his personal background and how he’s learned from failure[05:44] – Conflict is an inevitable part of business; how do you move on from it?[07:02] – Why the KISS (keep it simple stupid) philosophy works so well in business[10:22] – Why listening is the best way to get to know your customers[13:24] – The qualities of a good product manager[17:13] – Sean’s playbook for successful companies[20:07] – Working backward can help your team find innovative strategies for success[24:47] – Why transparency with employees is so critical[30:04] – Designing your recruiting process to attract “A players”[36:48] – Why athletes are ideal hiring candidates[46:15] – Why Sean loves to hire “failures”Sean Brown is the President and CEO at YCharts, a cloud based investment research "Swiss Army Knife" tailor made for wealth advisers and asset managers. Sean has a 25+ year track record of guiding significant growth of public companies, private equity backed firms, and startups. He has a proven process-oriented approach to achieving results, with significant experience aligning vision, product, go-to-market, culture and operational plans to achieve commercial objectives. Immediately prior to joining YCharts, he successfully led Interactive Data - 7Ticks to an acquisition by Intercontinental Exchange. Previously he held senior positions at CSG, Computer Science Corporation, and Telution. He began his career as a software developer at Accenture. He lives in the northern suburbs of Chicago with his wife, 2 children, and dog. If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to Innovation and the Digital Enterprise Insider in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the showThis podcast episode was produced by Dante32.

Open communication and high performing teams don’t just appear out of nowhere. In order to have a team that gels, you need to put in the work to create a space in which all team members know the vision of your company, have clear expectations, and know how to course-correct when things go awry.Eric Foster, a CIO with experience spanning multiple technology firms sat down to speak with Pat and Shelli on his three-part framework for creating high performing teams. Eric also explains why it is so important that you spend time thinking about the culture you want and how to go about creating it. Listen in for tips and book recommendations so you have the tools you need to create an unstoppable team.[00:23] - This week: Eric Foster[01:25] - Individual all-stars or a high performance team: Reflecting on the 2004 US Olympic Basketball team[03:06] - 3-part framework for improving team effectiveness:[04:26] - Clarity[06:00] - Accountability[07:08] - Course correction[09:34] - Integrating external resources[15:16] - Building high-trust environments[21:00] - Creating a strong culture[27:38] - Building trust as a leader[28:32] - Retaining great people[29:32] - The Leadership Cube for aspiring leaders[32:15] - Serving the organization Eric Foster has been a technology executive in a variety of industries, including Distribution, BioPharmaceuticals, Medical Products, Advertising and Financial Services.   He has been CIO for two Fortune 500 companies, Univar and Baxalta, and has served in IT leadership positions at Baxter International and Heller Financial, as well as CTO for Publicis Groupe.  He started his career in consulting at Andersen Consulting (now Accenture). He has a bachelor’s degree in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from the University of Illinois.If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to Innovation and the Digital Enterprise Insider in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the show.This podcast episode was produced by Dante32. 

It seems like every entrepreneur’s background story starts with the same idea: scratching their own itch. For today’s guest, Allison Robinson, the problem wasn’t how to use some new technology or improve an existing product. It was how to return to the workforce as a mother. Finding herself looking for the resources she needed and coming up empty, Allison founded the Mom Project to help one of the most underserved parts of the population: mothers. Pat and Shelli talk to Allison about her work expanding opportunities for mothers, the rise of the gig economy, and how the Mom Project matches experienced mothers with companies desperately looking to hire. [00:50] - Allison’s background and an intro the Mom Project[03:11] - Job opportunities offered by the Mom Project[04:58] - The gig economy in the workforce[05:56] - How the Mom Project is breaking into new job arenas[06:38] - How can companies stand out with the Mom Project[09:47] - Expanding to other cities[10:14] - Who does the Mom Project engage with[11:45] - The current recruitment space[13:21] - How companies employ the Mom Project workers[14:45] - The effects of the low unemployment rate[16:06] - Allison’s favorite books and recent reads[17:35] - Pat asks Allison what the biggest lesson she's learned[19:47] - The Mom Project's growth[20:28] - Dads within the Mom Project[21:20] - Advice to founders[22:05] - Suggestions for people scared to return to the workforceAfter having her son Asher in 2015, Allison identified how universally challenging it can be for American mothers to juggle the demands of motherhood with a full-time career and decided to tackle the issue on a national scale. Prior to founding The Mom Project, Allison spent 8 years at Procter and Gamble working on go to market strategies for leading household brands with a special focus on moms during her tenure on the Pampers brand. As CEO, Allison is responsible for delivering on the company's mission of building a better workplace for women while supporting our customers through innovative talent solutions that help them attract and retain a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives they need to propel their businesses forward.If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to Innovation and the Digital Enterprise Insider in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the showThis podcast episode was produced by Dante32.

What’s it like to sell your company and something you’ve poured your heart into for over 7 years? On the latest episode of the Innovation and the Digital Enterprise podcast, Shelli and Pat are joined by Zack Johnson, VP of Business Development at Visier. Prior to Visier, Zack started and ran Syndio, an analytics provider based in Chicago, for over 7 years. Zack takes us through his incredible background, from founder to lecturer to advisor to pop & hip-hop artists, and breaks down how analytics are being used in a wide variety of industries.[00:25] - Introduction to Zack Johnson[01:10] - The personality traits necessary for entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship - patience, persistence and motivation[02:58] - Zack’s experience founding Syndio[06:51] - The difficulties involved transitioning a services business into a product company[10:23] - How Shelli and Zack met through the HR tech community[11:25] - Lessons learned transitioning from entrepreneurship into working for Visier[17:13] - The value of mentorship and coaching for entrepreneurs[20:47] - Grappling with the gravity of the decisions you make as a leader[23:48] - What should employers consider when hiring former entrepreneurs[26:49] - Should the type of exit they had play into the hiring decision?[29:08] - The relative impact of product/market fit vs having a ‘smart team’[31:39] - Zack’s specific experience transitioning from Syndio to VisierZack Johnson is currently the Vice President of Business Development at Visier Inc. At Visier, he builds strategic partnerships with organizations who believe that data unlocks critical, untapped value for their customers. Prior to Visier, Zack was the co-founder and CEO of Syndio, a people analytics software provider based in Chicago. Outside of Visier, Zack enjoys guest lecturing about applied network analysis, people analytics and entrepreneurship at a number of institutions including the Kellogg School of Management, Yale, MIT, and the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, as well as for companies such as Exelon, Nielsen, and Mars. He also advises pop and hip-hop artists how to use analytics to rapidly grow their fan base.If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to Innovation and the Digital Enterprise Insider in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the showThis podcast episode was produced by Dante32.

In this episode of the Innovation and the Digital Enterprise podcast, Randy Rivera stops by to chat with Pat & Shelli. Randy is a long time financial executive, entrepreneur and innovator in the emerging Fintech ecosystem. Randy gives his insights into the Chicago ecosystem, first as an executive then as an entrepreneur with quointec, the company he founded in 2018. [00:33] - Who is Randy Rivera?[06:50] - The Chicago business ecosystem[13:05] - What makes a founder?[17:52] - The first five[20:05] - Developing and growing a company[27:48] - The growing fintech space[33:41] - Today’s Entrepreneurs[38:59] - What it takes to make it[43:43] - Tigers can’t change their stripes[45:25] - Give and take people[50:43] - Failure and tools to succeedRandy Rivera is a former financial services exec turned entrepreneur. He spent almost two decades in banking, building businesses in commercial lending and private banking. Inspired by the entrepreneurial spirit of the executives, founders, and owners that his businesses served, Randy founded Keen Advisors and co-founded quointec. Randy lives in Chicago with his wife and three children. A proud Georgetown and University of Chicago Booth alumni, he remains connected to his alma maters’ entrepreneurial communities. If you'd like to receive new episodes as they're published, please subscribe to Innovation and the Digital Enterprise Insider in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review in Apple Podcasts. It really helps others find the show This podcast episode produced by Dante32.