Success Beneath the Surface

Deborah unpacks last week's episode featuring Ed Valdez, a partner, and Chief Marketing Officer at Chief Outsiders, where they discussed the importance of leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) in business processes. He emphasized that companies not utilizing AI are falling behind. Real-time customer insights, such as their responses to website content and search behavior, are crucial for optimizing results and expenses. Traditional methods like focus groups are no longer efficient, as AI enables real-time learning, adjustments, and improvements.
Valdez explains that businesses not leveraging AI in marketing or customer service will eventually be left behind. The average lifespan of businesses has decreased due to advancing technologies, and adapting to AI is crucial for survival. 
Businesses that remain stagnant are moving backward, while those embracing AI can enhance their operations, serve clients better, and achieve improved business results.
Links from this episode:
Ed Valdez on LI Ed Valdez on Chief Outsiders
Deborah Fell on LinkedInChief Outsiders
The complete episode is here.

In this episode, Deborah raises the question of the widespread adoption of AI in businesses today. Is AI just a shiny toy, or does it have applications in various areas? Ed Valdez brings valuable insights to the table, highlighting the exponential growth and impact of AI and demystifying terminology many of us pretend to understand. He emphasizes the need for businesses, particularly marketing and customer service departments, to leverage AI to improve content development, customer experience, and overall efficiency.
Ed provides real-world examples of how he has helped clients integrate AI into their businesses, such as assisting a natural language processing company in positioning itself effectively amidst the competition. He shares his philosophy of using AI to disrupt businesses from within rather than being disrupted by external forces, a mindset embraced by Chief Outsiders.
Ed Valdez, partner and chief marketing officer at Chief Outsiders. Ed is known for his expertise in artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and his ability to drive growth for businesses at the intersection of business, technology, and AI. But what's intriguing is his unconventional path to becoming a marketing superstar, starting with an engineering degree from MIT. He explains how his engineering degree, combined with an MBA, equipped him to tackle challenges at the intersection of business, technology, and AI, specifically focusing on AI and machine learning.  Join us for this episode, “From Engineer to Marketing Pro: Navigating AI's Impact.”
Links from this episode:
Ed Valdez on LI Ed Valdez on Chief Outsiders
Deborah Fell on LinkedInChief Outsiders
A CEO's Guide to Growth (Part 1)
A CEO's Guide to Growth (Part 2)
How to use AI within the Customer Journey (LinkedIn Post)
All You Wanted to Know About Generative AI for Free (10 courses - LinkedIn post)
9 Ways CEOs Can Use ChatGPT as a Catalyst for Business Growth (LinkedIn Post)

In our previous episode, we had the privilege of hearing from Xena Urgrinsky, an expert in the field of transformation and data science. Xena shared invaluable insights on the crucial link between building a future-ready business and upskilling and transforming your team. Today, we'll focus on key takeaways from that conversation. Xena emphasized the need for human evolution within organizations, highlighting the challenge of transforming people and creating a culture of experimentation and learning. She stressed the importance of developing a strategic vision and tackling cultural hurdles to achieve transformative success. Additionally, Xena discussed the role of applied data science, cautioning against using every new technology for every problem and emphasizing the necessity of continuously monitoring and adapting machine learning models. As we navigate this ever-changing landscape, let's harness the power of these tools effectively and prioritize critical thinking skills to drive our workforce forward.
For CEOs who are in the process of building a future-ready business, let's take a few minutes here to emphasize a central point that transforming your company for the future must also involve upskilling and transforming your team. 
About Xena Ugrinsky
Xena Ugrinsky - CTO, Co-Founder and Senior Transformation Executive at Pilot Wave Holdings Management, LLC, and Principal, Founder and Data Science Evangelist at Genre-X, Inc. She is an AI expert, author, and previous Partner at KPMG as well as Booz Allen Hamilton.  She believes that data-driven competency will be the main source of competitive advantage over the next few years and that if leaders of mid-sized and large enterprise companies are not actively exploring how applied data science can be propagated through their organizations based on clear business objectives and measures of success, they risk being left behind.  
Links from this episode:
Pilotwave HoldingsXena Ugrinsky on LinkedInXena Ugrinsky on Twitter
Deborah Fell on LinkedInChief Outsiders

In this second episode with Xena Ugrinsky, she emphasizes the importance of integrating new technology with existing systems and aligning it with the overall business strategy. She shares insights on the human aspect of digital transformation, emphasizing the need for upskilling the workforce and creating a culture of experimentation and learning. Xena advises CEOs that the first priority is to develop a strategy that identifies the most pressing problems and determines whether traditional tools or applied data science should be used for solutions and then determine what the cultural hurdles are to achieving it.  She also highlights the evolving nature of machine learning models and the importance of critical thinking skill development in navigating both these technologies and internal hurdles. This conversation provides valuable insights for leaders looking to leverage technology and drive meaningful change within their organizations. Join Deborah and Xena for this episode, “Building a Future-Ready Business: Tech, Culture, and Strategy.” You can also listen to the first half in our previous episode, “EP17: Your Data Story is Your Business Story.”
 
About Xena Ugrinsky
Xena Ugrinsky - CTO, Co-Founder and Senior Transformation Executive at Pilot Wave Holdings Management, LLC, and Principal, Founder and Data Science Evangelist at Genre-X, Inc. She is an AI expert, author, and previous Partner at KPMG as well as Booz Allen Hamilton.  She believes that data-driven competency will be the main source of competitive advantage over the next few years and that if leaders of mid-sized and large enterprise companies are not actively exploring how applied data science can be propagated through their organizations based on clear business objectives and measures of success, they risk being left behind.  
Links from this episode:
Pilotwave HoldingsXena Ugrinsky on LinkedInXena Ugrinsky on Twitter
Deborah Fell on LinkedInChief Outsiders

Last week my guest was Xena Urgrinsky, CTO, and Founding Partner at Pilotwave Holdings Management and CEO and Founder at Genre X. She's an artificial intelligence expert and author, and data science evangelist, and she's been both partner and principal at KPMG, as well as a partner at Booz Allen Hamilton. Xena immigrated with her parents from Germany and became an American citizen at eight, which was transformational for her family and an example of living the American Dream. A truly amazing journey and I want to encourage you to listen to all of episode 17 today.  In this commentary, I want to dig into a key question. She shared that she asked her companies to help them unlock important change in growth, and the question is this, if you could get anything, what would you want that would make you wildly surpass your peers? Listen to EP18: The One Thing They Asked for Was Drone Inspection. 
 
About Xena Ugrinsky
Xena Ugrinsky - CTO, Co-Founder and Senior Transformation Executive at Pilot Wave Holdings Management, LLC, and Principal, Founder and Data Science Evangelist at Genre-X, Inc. She is an AI expert, author, and previous Partner at KPMG and Booz Allen Hamilton.  She believes that data-driven competency will be the main source of competitive advantage over the next few years and that if leaders of mid-sized and large enterprise companies are not actively exploring how applied data science can be propagated through their organizations based on clear business objectives and measures of success, they risk being left behind.  
Links from this episode:
Pilotwave HoldingsXena Ugrinsky on LinkedInXena Ugrinsky on Twitter
Deborah Fell on LinkedInChief Outsiders

What happens when Deborah’s guest, Xena Ugrinsky, asks her first acquisition company, “If you could get anything, what would you want that would make you wildly surpass your peers?”  
Xena shares her personal journey from immigrating from Germany to the US with her parents who completed their higher education in America and became a college professor (father) and geneticist (mother), and became a US citizen at the age of 8.  She also speaks to how she and two other partners boot-strapped and co-founded Pilot Wave. The technologies that had only been available to companies like Alcoa could now become available to smaller companies.  Join them for this half of their conversation, "Your Data Story is Your Business Story."
About Xena Ugrinsky
Xena Ugrinsky - CTO, Co-Founder and Senior Transformation Executive at Pilot Wave Holdings Management, LLC, and Principal, Founder and Data Science Evangelist at Genre-X, Inc. She is an AI expert, author, and previous Partner at KPMG as well as Booz Allen Hamilton.  She believes that data-driven competency will be the main source of competitive advantage over the next few years and that if leaders of mid-sized and large enterprise companies are not actively exploring how applied data science can be propagated through their organizations based on clear business objectives and measures of success, they risk being left behind.  
Links from this episode:
Pilotwave HoldingsXena Ugrinsky on LinkedInXena Ugrinsky on Twitter
Deborah Fell on LinkedInChief Outsiders

Welcome to another episode of Success Beneath the Surface, where we uncover the secrets of effective business leadership. In our last episode, we had the pleasure of hosting Peter Schwartz, a seasoned Vistage chair with over 30 years of experience in nurturing early-stage concepts and companies to fruition. Peter's remarkable achievements, having won numerous awards twice over, speak volumes about his expertise.
During our conversation, Peter highlighted a topic close to my heart: the profound impact of a leader's presence and the essentiality of mastering inner and outer game skills in today's complex work environment. He emphasized that as leaders, we have full control over how we show up and shape the weather for our teams. Peter's fascination with leadership development began in the mid-90s and has since evolved into a passion.
Peter introduced the concept of the inner game, a term coined by Timothy Gallwey, which focuses on expanding the complexity of the mind to effectively navigate the increasing intricacies of the world. He discussed the importance of evolving our relationships with others, shifting from a focus on likability to respect and performance.
Join us as we continue to explore leadership journeys and the transformative power of personal growth with Peter Schwartz. Let's unlock the secrets to successful business leadership together.

In this episode, we learn from Peter Schwartz, CEO Coaching & Development | Master Chair Vistage, about his journey and insights into leadership. Through his personal experiences, he emphasizes the importance of embracing leadership and influencing outcomes. Peter's involvement in an internet startup was a turning point that made him realize the significance of creating a positive environment as a leader. As a Vistage chair, he creates a supportive space for CEOs to explore diverse perspectives, uncover performance gaps, and engage in collective problem-solving. Peter highlights the power of well-run Vistage groups in fostering connections and supporting individual growth journeys, emphasizing the combination of outer game skills and inner game mindset shifts in effective leadership development.
Links from today's episode:
Peter D. Schwartz on LinkedIn Vistage
Deborah Fell on LinkedInChief Outsiders

In today's episode of Success Beneath the Surface, we welcome back Herby Duverné, founder and CEO of Rise Development and Construction and principal and CEO of Windwalker Group. In last week's episode, we heard about his journey, starting from the trenches and growing his businesses. But today, I want to focus on one key lesson from our conversation - the importance of finding opportunities in challenges.
When faced with obstacles, it can be easy to feel defeated and give up. But Herby believes that challenges are a natural part of life and business and that there is always an opportunity to be found. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many businesses were struggling to survive, Herby's companies grew and thrived by focusing on internal investments and being prepared for the opportunities that would arise.
The full episode from this commentary is here.
And the previous half of this session with Deborah and Herby can be heard here.
 
Links from this episode:
Herby Duverné on LinkedInWindwalker
Deborah Fell on LinkedInChief Outsiders

In this episode, Herby Duverné continues sharing his journey of building a business on solutions by understanding needs and pivoting towards growth opportunities. He emphasizes the importance of hiring the right team members and creating an environment where people can be themselves, leading to better performance and a special sense of belonging within the organization. Despite the ups and downs of the business world, Herby believes that challenges are a necessary part of the journey and advises other CEOs to embrace them and look for the opportunity to provide new, unique solutions.
Listen to the first half of the episode here.
Links from this episode:
Herby Duverné on LinkedInWindwalker
Deborah Fell on LinkedInChief Outsiders