Peggy Smedley Show

Infrastructure projects have been plagued with waste and inefficiency. Peggy and Adam Klatzkin, vice president, business development for iTwin Services, Bentley Systems, discuss the impact of the digital twin on business. He says, on average, projects run one year behind schedule and predictive analytics can be leveraged on infrastructure projects. He also defines the digital twin and says it has to be synchronized with the physical asset and always reflects the reality.

The bad guys are out there! Peggy shares the latest on cyber intelligence, indicating that nearly 70% of incidents are due to human error. She asks: Can your employees spot a fake email? She digs into a couple of new reports, including one that highlights the three highest threat categories.

Peggy and James Arthur Ray, entrepreneur, author, life and business coach, talk about why leaders are unfit to lead in today's world, citing several reasons including the fact that leaders don't make decisions quickly enough. He says today's perfection is tomorrow's failure and that we need to invest time in emotional intelligence and self-awareness and look at return on impact and return on influence.

Peggy and Geoff Mulligan, CTO for IIoT, Jabil, and co-founder, Skylight Digital, discuss the inter-operability problem we face today and the need for open standards. He says we need to get out of our own way in how we interconnect things. He answers how to future proof and get started, pointing to the need for open APIs (application programming interfaces).

Peggy defines zero trust, saying at its core it is an approach to securing all access across an enterprise. She says zero trust systems never trust other systems, giving an analogy. She also walks through the history, saying zero trust was coined about a decade ago and Google is one of the reasons we are all talking about zero trust. She also walks through the five fundamental assertions of zero trust.

Peggy and Joshua Peschel, assistant professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering, Iowa State University, talk about cybersecurity in businesses, such as agriculture. He says security gets tricky and being able to secure devices is key. He says to be aware of bring your own IoT devices and that there is nothing wrong with being a little paranoid when it comes to technology.

Peggy and Ron Chebra, vice president of grid modernization, EnerNex, chat about how it is becoming so simple to set up an IoT device, and that we need to be acutely aware and manage all of the things that are part of the enterprise. He explains that data becomes a foundational basis for machine learning and AI, and the difference between being reactive and proactive can be huge. He shares specifically how sensors can begin to feed real-time information for situational awareness.

Peggy discusses AI (artificial intelligence) hurdles, such as cyber concerns, and why it is far better to know the hurdles up front. She also digs into the numbers, explaining that AI will soon be part of the enterprise in all industries, with 63% of enterprises having adopted machine learning.

Peggy and Ella Atkins, IEEE senior member and professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Michigan, talk about the ways people can be involved with technology—on earth or in space. Atkins explains that she was always fascinated by airplanes and aerospace made a lot of sense to her. She says robots can do a lot more mundane tasks that humans have been responsible for in past mission and that gender and race don't matter when it comes to exploring space.

Peggy and Tanya Silva, director of project & process management, Breadware, chat about women in the Internet of Things. She shares a little bit about her company and her journey into the technology space, explaining she was hired as the second woman in her company, but now it is about 40-to-60% female-to-male ratio. Silva offers advice to young girls today: If you have technical skills or ideas, have faith in yourself and go build it.

Peggy says 5G is going to impact the future of IoT-enabled medicine, with tele-medicine applications flourishing because of 5G. She adds that tele-health could save companies billions of dollars a year and shares an example of how 5G can help enable remote surgery. She continues that today we are talking about the Internet of Skills and we need to be thinking about how AR, VR, and 5G can digitize skills.

Peggy and Renee Tyler, director of transportation services, City of Dubuque, Iowa, tells her story that represents a core of women who want to pursue dreams and change careers. She also details how technology can help make things better and how to encourage women of different culture to step into roles. She also offers some key advice including: Prepare for what you want to do and who you want to be.

Peggy and Sharon Jones, eagle lab engineer, Barclays UK Ventures, discuss how to inspire young people, in the age of emerging technologies. She explains that what she is seeing in young people now is a drive and enthusiasm in what they can do and the real focus has to be on guiding our next generation to tailor their ideas. She also discusses how the progress of technology is happening very quickly.

Peggy says AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality) are going to change the workforce. She points to a few sectors that are going to change such as education and retail, with remote work being more possible than ever before. She says retailers are looking for new ways to engage customers in the buying experience. Further, she talks about how 5G will accelerate AR and VR.

Peggy and Terri Lewis, director of digital for power generation, Caterpillar, talk about connecting product with people. She shares that the transformation is in the process and changing business. Further, she says Caterpillar spends a lot of time watching how people operate and identify the transformation in the process. She also talks about her experience visiting a diamond mine.

Peggy and Eric Schaeffer, senior managing director, Accenture, talk about how digital technologies are changing the entire experience and that today consumers and businesses are more interested in the outcomes, rather than the features of the product. He says we are at the beginning of the journey and recommends the steps for manufacturers to take. He suggests that a key component is to partner.

Peggy and Susan Dalton, vice president of smart technologies and IoT, GCP Applied Technologies, talk about how to create a diverse workplace. She shares how it offers technology for the concrete industry and her career experience. They also discuss how discrimination in construction has changed throughout the years and the importance of mentors.

Peggy and David Van Dorselaer, industry solutions GM for manufacturing, transportation, and CPG, AT&T Business, talk about how 5G is bringing a revolution in manufacturing and transportation. He explains how digital transformation means so many different things to different companies and that customer requirements are changing. He gives examples of how manufacturing is going to change with the advent of new technologies. Also, he gives tips for how businesses can get started.

Peggy says 5G is going to support the growth of the IoT (Internet of Things) in sectors like retail and manufacturing. She explains how 5G is going to disrupt manufacturing and help the factories of tomorrow derive insights from operational intelligence, pointing to specific examples of how 5G can help.

Peggy and John Pletz, senior reporter technology and airlines, Crain's, talk about how cities are going to be become more connected and smarter with the help of 5G. More specifically, he focuses on what Chicago has been doing to be more of a leader, than a follower, when it comes to tech infrastructure with the help of local companies.

Peggy and Jonathan Adelstein, president and CEO, Wireless Infrastructure Assn., talk about what we need to build five times the amount of infrastructure we have, in the next 5 years, to get to 5G. He explains the cost of making the move, and how it will need to be implemented both in urban and rural areas. He says getting government involved and using public-private partnerships will help. 5G is going to open up a whole new world.

Peggy says the growing demand for low latency is not the only reason we need 5G. It will add jobs, add to the GDP, and lower latency by a factor of a 100 over the current 4G. However, there are going to be many hurdles that need to be overcome like hardware, infrastructure, and software. She says to make the move we have to start taking the steps now.

Peggy and Christian Terwiesch, book author and professor of operations and information management, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, talk about how connectivity is changing the customer experience. He distinguishes between the different types of connected relationships and how a connected strategy starts with understanding your customer. He suggests that companies understand how to touch customers early on in the journey and how small data can often give insights into customers.

Peggy and Chris Pearson, president, 5G Americas, talk about everything as it relates to 5G. He explains that we are using radio frequencies that we have never used before for cellular and that we can get great speeds with 5G. He also highlights the three big use cases for 5G and says that it is being designed to be more transformational for society. Additionally, 5G is a national priority in many countries across the globe.

Peggy says safety has to be a priority when creating AVs (automated vehicles) and partnerships are focused on shortening the time between now and the age of autonomy. She shares examples of partnerships and projects that are going to help put more AVs on the road. She adds that we need to talk about new ways to test the technology and work together as a community to bring it to fruition safely.

Peggy and James Arthur Ray, entrepreneur, author, and life and business coach, discuss what makes up success in business and personal life. He says that fear is a huge problem and the cause is that very few people think for themselves and most of us change very little after 13. Further, regardless of whether you are a Fortune 100 CEO or a startup entrepreneur, success is about 95% psychology and 5% strategy.

Peggy and Rasheq Zarik, managing director, strategy and analytics, Deloitte Future of Mobility Tech Center, joins the show to define mobility and how it is causing a paradigm shift in smart cities. He explains that the smartphone has given us greater choice and has changed our behavior and it is now extending to our cities. They discuss the importance of public-private partnerships and 5G in smart cities—as well as the need for investment in both physical and digital infrastructure.

Peggy gives some examples of how smart-city competitions can open the doors for greater ideas. She shares how the IoT (Internet of Things) can go a long way in helping cities address pain points and enable better decision making. She also identifies how partnerships are key in furthering the reach in smart cities.

Peggy and Joshua Peschel, assistant professor of agricultural and bio-systems engineering, Iowa State University, talk about technology that is making the biggest impact in smart cities and developing countries. He shares how everyday people have more access to information, but developing countries aren't going to be turning over phones every year. He also explains that cities are becoming more saturated with technology and the impact that will have.

Peggy and Michael Pegues, CIO, City of Aurora, Ill., talk about smart future-proofing the city, and that technology is the common denominator for local and global growth, but cities have to figure out how to leverage that. He explains that cities need a strong vision and to be able to execute smart-city initiatives and that he is a big advocate of best practices and not reinventing the wheel.

Peggy talks about urbanization and how technology is going to support population growth, pointing to examples such as monitoring water quality, air quality, and pollution level. She digs into a movement called Cittaslow, which is the idea that slowing down is better when it comes to quality of life in a city. She explains that we need to deploy purposeful solutions that keep the end goal in mind and that for smart cities, the end goal is creating livable places where people can thrive.

Peggy and Stephanie Slocum, founder, Engineers Rising LLC, engage in a conversation about the role of women in engineering careers. They talk about the labor shortage and how we can get more women involved in the trades and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).

Peggy and Michelle Anderson, director of operations, The National Road Safety Foundation, talk about the change that is happening today and leading to more distracted driving; not to mention how it is becoming an epidemic. They discuss the emerging FOMO (fear of missing out) syndrome and just how dangerous this is becoming when sitting behind the wheel of a car. Anderson discusses how it is raising awareness in the hope of getting more advocates to come together to address it.

Peggy shares that the percentage of people clustered around urban centers is globally going to grow from 55% to 68% by 2050—which is going to bring new and exacerbated transportation challenges. She explains how one DOT (Dept. of Transportation) is developing relief plans to address congestion issues with the IoT (Internet of Things). She says technology is opening the door for new types of traffic-management solutions.

Peggy and Praveen Edara, professor of civil and environmental engineering, University of Missouri, discuss a recent research project that looks at naturalistic driving. He explains that we need behavior-counter measures to reduce distracted driving—especially in work zones. He says that while it is one of the biggest, cellphones are just one of many distractions that drivers experience.

Peggy and Phil Renaud, executive director, The Risk Institute, talk about research related to the distracted-driving epidemic. He says we need to be more aware of our environment and that the approach to distracted driving can't be one dimensional. Rather, it has to be multi-dimensional. We need both legislation and behavioral changes to address it. He also indicates that urban planning—and roundabouts—can reduce the crash severities.

Is 5G connectivity necessary for an autonomous future? Peggy explains that 5G is going to be something to watch, as solutions are developed leveraging its power and speed. Still, she asks: Is 5G here? It depends on your definition of here. If you're saying 5G is here is that the hardware is here, then yes. She says we can potentially do a lot of things quickly, but we have to think about what we are doing and how we want to do it.

Digital farming and Advanced Seed Prescriptions Mark Young, CTO, The Climate Corporation and Bret Sitzman, Global Director of Product Marketing, The Climate Corporation

Scott Tibbitts, CEO and founder, Katasi, adds to the conversation about distracted driving, and offers a software solution. He talks about his software-as-a-service platform, which blocks off notifications while a driver has their vehicle in motion. He notes many users find the application helpful, and even say, they are able to relax without the pressure of having to answer their phone notifications.

With Distracted Driving Awareness Month underway, Lisa Robinson, senior program manager, National Safety Council, joins Peggy to talk about patterns in distracted driving. She explains there is an increase in accidents due to distracted driving. She says many drivers exhibit a not-me syndrome, where many drivers are not taking accountability for their bad habits behind the wheel. She adds 100% of distracted driving is preventable. All it takes is to just drive.

Peggy begins the show by highlighting the changing relationship between humans and machines. She talks about the increase in autonomous and intelligent systems in the workplace. She encourages a public discussion, which confronts ethical questions. She brings up the IEEE, which recommends a set of principles when implementing AI (artificial intelligence) and machine learning into a work site. Tech giants show support for ethical conversations, but Peggy asks: how much is their concern for show, and how much of their support sincere?

Mike Kellenyi, founder, PADD (People Against Distracted Driving), talks to Peggy about distracted driving, labeling driver's bad behaviors as a new epidemic. He shares his initiative in spreading the message against distracted driving. He states drivers need stricter penalties in order to put their phones down and pay attention to the road. In the end, he asks listeners how many days they can go without looking at their phones while driving, and challenges drivers to end their bad habits in order to save lives.

Håkan Agnevall, president, Volvo Bus Corp., joins Peggy to discuss the future of transportation. He says the future of autonomous vehicles requires a step-by-step approach that will take time to achieve. He agrees in a collaborative approach in order to have the autonomous future come to fruition. Further, he answers Peggy's questions in regard to the redesign of cities, government regulation, and the change in services businesses will need to offer. He concludes the segment by inviting listeners to imagine the autonomous future, a journey of open opportunities.

Peggy Smedley starts the show by presenting the preparations the U.S. DOT (U.S. Dept. of Transportation) is making to inform the nation on AV (autonomous vehicles). She points out the evolution of technology, marking the transformation of transportation. She acknowledges the significance in talking about the autonomous future, and the collaborative effort it will take to arrive at an autonomous future soon. She asks business owners to consider their company's position in an autonomous environment.

Peggy welcomes Rob Mathews, coauthor of Entrepreneurship the Disney Way, to the show to discuss the differences between entrepreneur and enterprise leaders. He explains that many innovators can't turn their ideas into business models, whereas established companies work under a set of systems. He talks about the key elements all leaders share and the importance behind supporting business disruption in order to follow innovative trends.

Beth Mosher, director of public affairs, AAA, joins Peggy in the studio to talk about distracted driving in depth. She describes multiple ways a driver can experience cognitive distractions. Further, she discusses the safety involved with autonomous vehicles, and the need for professional training for consumers who purchase cars with autonomous systems. She goes into detail about the process of adopting a set of safety patterns, and the time and difficulty it takes for everyone to be on board.

Peggy kicks off Distracted Driving Awareness Month by sharing daunting statistics in vehicle accidents due to distracted drivers. Despite the numbers, many people still give into distracted driving. Peggy describes two major problems in the area of distracted driving. She says the message is not reaching teenagers, and that many people are not taking responsibilities for replicating the problem. She explains how autonomous vehicles factor into the equation. In the end, she states that all drivers can commit to being responsible on the road.

James Arthur Ray, author and entrepreneur, joins Peggy once again, this time to talk about leadership roles and responsibilities. He encourages leaders to be self-aware to recognize the pertinence between leader and employee. "When something is wrong with my company I have to look at me first," he says, as he advises leaders to take a deeper look into their employees' interior values.

Peggy welcomes Robert Mercado, a partner in the Assurance Services division at Marcum LLP, to the show to discuss best practices to improve profitability. He agrees that to adopt technological innovation in any industry, it begins with leadership. He advises that in an industry facing fast changes, a leader's role is to offer mentorship opportunities in order to prepare future workers. Further, he explains the importance experienced workers training the incoming workforce. Mercado goes on to say that industry leaders need to think further out, and start sending speakers to schools, where they can offer middle schoolers and high schoolers alternatives to a four-year college education. He concludes by advising companies to find ways to bridge experiences of both older and younger generations in the workforce for better company results.

Technology is changing the way work is done. How can industries keep up with the demand of innovation? Peggy Smedley takes a stance, and holds leaders responsible for the task of skilling, reskilling, and upskilling employees for the future of work. She talks about the labor shortage—which is due to the retiring baby boomers—younger generations' lack of interest for trade jobs, and even the result of connected devices on the job site being pertinent to the increasing skills gap. In the end, she explains the significance of restructuring from the top, beginning with a leadership revolution of change in order to fix the problem with labor shortages, the skills gap, and workers' new roles in the face of automation.