Peggy Smedley Show

Gregg Witt, partner and chief strategy officer, Engage Youth Co., and author of "The Gen Z Frequency: How Brands Tune In and Build Credibility", explains the similarities and differences between Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z. The major differences between Gen Z and prior generations is their unrelenting relationship with information, media consumption, and mobile connectivity. Witt notes the mistakes branding companies make when targeting the Gen Z market. He explains the disconnect between companies and Gen Z audiences, and offers insights.

Mike Walsh, global futurist and CEO of Tomorrow, and author of "The Algorithmic Leader", describes the different styles of organizations that are succeeding in digital transformation. He discusses the ease in experimenting with automation, and the difficulties in changing company culture. Further, he dissects the purpose of a company and the role of leaders. In establishing the main responsibilities of industry leaders, he dissects the role of decision makers, explaining the hierarchy in their decisions. He advises company leaders to reevaluate their value as the adoption of AI (artificial intelligence) and ML (machine learning) increases, as well as advising workers to rethink their position in order to ask: what do we want work to be?

Robots are changing the market, and these changes benefit companies. Peggy Smedley explains how cobots, collaborative robots, are enhancing human productivity. Company leaders continue to bring automation to the job-site. She explains that not every job can be 100% automated, so attention to retraining and re-skilling workers is required. Human skills that will remain valuable in the face of automation include analytical, creative, and complex thinking, and even emotional intelligence. Cobots compliment human capabilities by being available in physical work environments. In the end, Peggy advises companies to invest in re-skilling human workers for new opportunities in different roles.

Peggy and Juliana Stancampiano, author, Radical Outcomes and entrepreneur and CEO of Oxygen, discuss how training or re-skilling of employees is really broken. She says we have strayed so far from the market where we started with corporate education for employees. Further, they talk about perfection in today's fast-moving culture—and that now is the time to determine what is good enough.

Peggy and Paul Vragel, president, 4aBetterBusiness, talk about how everybody in an organization needs re-skilling and process thinking needs to be pervasive. He says these are common misconceptions: change cannot happen quickly and people are resistant to change. Employees can be part of the solution, not part of the problem. Even more, if you are going to automate something, you need to understand that a whole lot better.

Peggy Smedley says automation is turning industries upside down, narrowing in on customer service. She points to examples in hospitality and fast food and poises the question: How do we prepare workers for a new world in an age of automation? She says we need to talk about how to re-skill employees so they can continue to add value to their employers and still find fulfillment in their career.

Peggy and Arka Dhar, cofounder, Zinier, talk about how field service is at an inflection point, where manual processes need to become more predictive. He says AI (artificial intelligence) and the IoT (Internet of Things) have been reduced to buzzwords, but they are incredible technologies. The two also dive into the topic of how the workforce is changing, becoming more liquid and blended—and how technology will play an even more important role with this new, emerging workforce.

Peggy and Jason Cohen, founder and CEO, Analytical Flavor Systems, talk about the impact of AI (artificial intelligence) on the food industry. He says 3D printing is making it easier to do small-scale manufacturing and that while AI won't necessarily come in and solve all of our problems, there are very specific problems that AI will make a big impact on. Finally, he is a self-proclaimed blockchain skeptic, but does say that if blockchain has done anything well, it has made boring backoffice work exciting.

Peggy Smedley explains that the industry is calling for a slowdown and that automation will allow workers to focus on more interesting and rewarding aspects of their jobs. She says some big names have come out in favor of a robot tax to fund human services and balance out income inequality—which could essentially slow innovation down. She adds that automation is going to force us to change the way we tax in the years to come, which could be part of an overarching plan to manage the ripple effects of an automation age.

Peggy welcomes Brian Marcel, founder and chairman, Intl. Bar Code System Group and author, to the show to discuss his book and how it is a manual for entrepreneurs who want to change the world. He explains that in this day of fast moving technology, you have to keep changing your business model on a fairly regular basis—and if you want to get to the next level, you have to find the next big trend.

Sam George, director of Azure IoT, Microsoft, joins Peggy once again, this time to talk open source. He shares that one of the fundamental truths of the IoT (Internet of Things) is that it will transform virtually every market and business segment on the planet. Further, he says that open source is foundational for the IoT. He also talks security, standards, edge computing, digital twins, and more.

Open source. Inner source. How do the two compare? Peggy Smedley discusses the two. She says some smaller open-source projects do not do thorough security vetting and she asks: what if shared responsibility is keeping us from really being diligent about security? She continues that inner source has benefits such as adding transparency and making code better. In the end, she explains we need to create an open culture in which employees are invited to take part in processes and decisions.

Peggy and Claudette Rowley, CEO, Cultural Brilliance, and author of Cultural Brilliance, The DNA of Organizational Excellence, discuss brilliant cultures—and the biggest cultural challenges in companies today. They identify how to determine if a culture is in trouble and the best way to integrate cultural change. They also discuss why leaders have a hard time assessing and addressing their cultures.

Peggy and Tom Wheeler, visiting fellow, Brookings Institute, and book author, "From Gutenberg to Google, The History of Our Future", talk about how technology is evolutionary. It isn't always two guys in a garage having a Eureka moment. He explains that each new technology has had a serious economic and societal challenge—and why should we expect anything to be different today. He points to examples on the railroad and in coal mines. His recommendation? We have to have new expectations about what employment means to all of us.

Peggy Smedley talks about the American AI Initiative and what the U.S. is doing to preserve its role in innovation. She explains that it is a multi-pronged approach to maintaining and accelerating America's leadership in AI and it makes a point of saying it intends to prepare the U.S. workforce to adapt and thrive in this new age of AI. Further, she compares President Trump's American AI Initiative to former President Obama's big data initiatives. Calling for action, she says we must come together on important issues to continue to keep innovation moving forward.

Peggy and Bill Eckstrom and Sarah Wirth, co-authors of The Coaching Effect, talk about high-growth coaching activities. They explain that the most effective coaches are not running the team meeting all themselves and they are only holding meetings once a month. Further, training and education should rotate in team meetings and the only way to measure the effectiveness of coaching is through the eyes of people on your team.

Peggy and Greg Bentley, CEO, Bentley Systems, sit down for a candid conversation about open source and how it helps the construction industry go digital. He explains that it is possible to have an open information environment with a digital twin, which can be used for analytics and machine learning. He adds that what has been the inhabitation in infrastructure going digital is the work of engineers is cloaked in obscure file formats.

Peggy Smedley shares examples of how open source is bringing people together to address real-world problems and attracting the next generation of knowledge workers. She explains that trust is an essential component and standards and best practices will help open source grow. She also says the nature of open source is that users can view, change, and distribute source code as necessary or desired.

Peggy Smedley celebrates episode 600 of the show by looking back at how the IoT (Internet of Things) community has evolved since the podcast first began. She explains that we are changing the world of autonomous vehicles, smart cities, sustainability, infrastructure, construction, manufacturing, agriculture, and more. She also looks forward, suggesting that maybe in 10 more years we'll be calling the IoT something else entirely. Going forward, don't expect anything less than steady, continued innovation and evolution.

Peggy and Joshua Peschel, assistant professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering, Iowa State University, kick off the month by talking about open source—and a big initiative for 2019 with open livestock. He shares that stakeholders include academic institutions, government agencies, and private industry. Also, this evolving technology will change careers and majors going forward.

Peggy and Sara Brown, vice president of marketing, MultiTech Systems, discuss the big things that have changed in the past 10 years. She also says adding a communication pipe and transmitting data has value, but at the same time, there is potentially even more value to build processing power into edge devices. Taking it even further, there is an opportunity to automate decisionmaking, which improves worker safety. They also dive into the topics of data security, cellular connectivity, and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) programs.

Wrapping up the month of January, Peggy and John Pletz, senior reporter, Crain's Chicago Business, have a conversation about all the emerging technologies that were center stage at CES—and how that will translate into innovation in the year ahead. They also discuss what new technologies to keep an eye on in the year ahead, especially as it relates to smart cities, autonomous cars, and drones.

Peggy and Maria Lensing, vice president, Healthcare Solutions, AT&T Business, sit down for a candid conversation about digital health and how the industry is moving toward a digital transformation. They discuss challenges, benefits, and what's coming next in this vertical market. They also dive into the topic of how 5G will impact the healthcare industry in the coming years.

Peggy Smedley covers the topics of AR (augmented reality), VR (virtual reality), and reality-as-a-service. She points to examples in government and customer service, where businesses have benefited from a digital-reality pilot program. She also explains tele-presence technology can link experts with technicians who were onsite performing equipment maintenance and how AR can provide key data about a product's lifecycle.

Peggy and James Arthur Ray, entrepreneur, author, and life and business coach, address what is authentic leadership and how to develop it. He explains that the No. 1 imperative for leaders today is authentic leadership and it has to start inside. He suggests reorganizing our big ideas in the world and our big values.

Peggy and Matt Mason, chief scientist, Berkshire Grey, and professor, Carnegie Mellon University, dive into the topic of robotic manipulation. He says there are a lot of problems and great applications for robotic manipulation and details how robotic manipulation works in conjunction with the sensory input. He recommends that if you are going to tackle something, you need to focus on the problem first because too much robotics research is driven by future applications.

Peggy Smedley talks about how the law is going to play an important role in shaping the cybersecurity landscape going forward. She explains that the lack of awareness about cybersecurity is a real problem in our industry—pointing to one statistic that shows 86% of IT and security decision makers say their organizations need to improve their awareness of IoT threats. She recommends IT leaders focus on becoming more aware of cybersecurity.

Peggy and Joshua Peschel, assistant professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering, Iowa State University, talk about new technology that is needed in 2019: systems related to automation and technology related to agricultural intelligence. He says the focus needs to be on assistive technology—not replacement technologies.

Peggy and Sotiris Bantas, president and CEO, Centaur, discuss food waste and food safety liability in the supply chain. He also says we are on an exponential curve, with population increasing and more complexity in the food industry that needs to be addressed with innovation and technology. Further, he adds the biggest driver in the last mile that the retail industry is pushing for digitization of the supply chain.

Peggy Smedley dives into the topic of cognitive technologies and how they impact the IoT (Internet of Things). She discusses recent research from Deloitte, which shows roughly 76% of respondents say they expect cognitive technologies to transform their companies in just three years or less, and she explains the business value of cognitive technologies goes beyond cutting costs. Finally, she wraps up with her tip of the week and how to rethink cognitive opportunities for the next 12 months.

Peggy and Dr. Cathy Kapica, founder and CEO, The Awegrin Institute, discuss why food science is important—and how technology factors in. She says 2020 is the next update of the U.S. Dietary Guidelines, and they are the foundation of health nutrition and health messaging. She adds that food is the original medicine, and food does not become nutrition until it is eaten, and that artificial intelligence has helped to bring a more affordable and safe food supply.

Peggy and Ken Harris, managing partner, Cadent Consulting, talk about the advances in AI (artificial intelligence), blockchain, and digital twins for the food industry. He explains that retailers are beginning to use AI to understand the purchase cycles of consumers. Also, blockchain is one example of a supply-chain initiative that is happening right now, as big-box retailers are using it for tracking. He says that fear is not a strategy and neither is hope—and between those two is reality.

Peggy Smedley shares about emerging tech trends that will help shape the IoT (Internet of Things). She says a big-picture trend that is shaping the IoT is how technology is being used to solve key societal issues such as clean drinking water. In particular, blockchain can serve humanitarian efforts. She points to the example of thousands of refugees in Jordan paying for food using blockchain. She says companies need to start by looking for ways technology can help solve pain points for customers.

Peggy Smedley sits down with show regular Josh Peschel, assistant professor of agriculture and Biosystems engineering, Iowa State University, who also talks about the state of infrastructure—and the role of the IoT (Internet of Things) and robotics in helping rebuild. They also dive into the topic of how to fund and pay for infrastructure development and some of the challenges associated with that.

Peggy is joined by Kristina Swallow, president, American Society of Civil Engineers, who dives into the topic of our nation's infrastructure and why it is receiving a low grade. They discuss three key solutions that can help solve the infrastructure crisis in America today including more investment, leadership, and planning for the future. One big factor that will help is public-private partnerships, among others.

Peggy Smedley kicks off 2019 by looking back at the best podcast from 2018. She says our infrastructure is not as modern as it could be and that sensor systems and predictive analytics need to be applied to manage and maintain our infrastructure—and that this still holds true today and will be another big trend to watch in 2019.

Peggy and 2019 Pioneer Manoj Karkee, associate professor, Washington State University, talk about the explosion of people in the coming years—and how it will lead to a greater demand for food. He explains that we need to develop technologies to apply the right amount of input at the right time. Further, advances in AI (artificial intelligence) and deep learning can automate farming.

Peggy and 2019 Pioneer Matthew Lange, food and health informatician, UC Davis, joins the show to talk about his path in the food industry and technology. He explains that today the industry needs a standard language for food—and that IC-Foods is building a standardized infrastructure. He points to the example of healthcare, where there is a language to encode information inside of medical records—and that is needed in the food industry. He says we need to devote the energy to develop a software infrastructure for food like we have in other industries.

Peggy Smedley shares six startups that are making a mark in key industries. She highlights: a device that can help enterprises protect their computer-held data; a cybersecurity platform for industrial; a startup offering real-time edge intelligence for the IoT; a platform that monitors factory floor production efficiency; a smart road system; and a company that's commercializing technology that harvests energy from radio-frequency signals with the goal of powering low-consumption IoT devices.

Peggy congratulates Josh Peschel, assistant professor, agricultural and biosystems engineering, Iowa State University, on being named a 2019 Pioneer and they discuss two big projects that he is excited about today. He also shares his story and why he loves being a professor, and that one of the benefits of being a professor is seeing ideas being born. His one piece of advice is that students need to recognize that learning in a career is a marathon, not a sprint.

Peggy and Craig Lee, the director of the AT&T Foundry located in Plano, Texas, talk about the AT&T Foundry and what it provides around the world. He explains that customers often understand problems that need to be solved, and are able to come up with creative solutions such as connected porta-potties. He says it will spend a day with the customer to help articulate the business challenge and develop proof of concept.

Peggy Smedley says the IoT (Internet of Things) is contributing to the greater good, helping create smarter cities, reducing traffic fatalities, and moving toward more patient-centered healthcare. She shares new examples of how AI (artificial intelligence) is helping with mental health coaching, how drones are helping with wildfires, and how a sensing platform can add to society's environmental intelligence, among others.

Peggy chats with author, lecturer, and investor Timothy Chou, about his book Precision Construction: Principles, Practices and Solutions for the Internet of Things in Construction. He says he wrote the book so that he can understand it. Also, he suggests most of the technology that has been built up until now has been for the Internet of People, but that there are five key reasons why things are not people. He also points to examples of IoT projects.

Peggy and Joshua Gans, professor of strategic management, University of Toronto, discuss how AI (artificial intelligence) is becoming better about predicting things and how it can augment or improve humans. He says a big benefit of AI is being able to crack the translation of languages. He suggests looking for places to slide in AI to reduce uncertainty. In order to get young minds to become innovators, he is heavily involved with startups in its AI and machine learning program—and they are innovating in health, smart cities, chemical processes, and more.

Peggy Smedley says revenue for AR (augmented reality) devices and content will be $36.4 billion by 2023. But is it all hype? She dives into different use cases of AR in healthcare, transportation, and more. For example, during operation, a surgeon can see what is in front of him or her—and the key data about the patient. She asks listeners to consider AR in their business, and if not, why?

Peggy chats with entrepreneur, author, and life and business coach James Arthur Ray, who says there are three things that we all need to do to lead our life and business more effectively. He suggests that while technology has made things more convenient, it hasn't made our lives easier. He adds that we have to learn how to redefine ourselves, which is hard.

Peggy and Buck Bard, chief harbinger, Canary Works, talk about putting people and process first—and how design thinking factors into digital transformation. He says that design thinking forces us to back up and look at what we are doing, and it can be applied to internal processes or the supply chain. He discusses the big changes happening in manufacturing today and the myth and fog that currently surrounds digital transformation.

Peggy Smedley says BI (business intelligence) is a set of methodologies, processes, architectures, and technologies that transform raw data into meaningful information—and it helps executives make more informed decisions with the help of real-time data. She shares new examples of how experiential learning can help in the classroom and how platforms can leverage AI (artificial intelligence) to turn structured and unstructured data into real-time insights.

Peggy chats with Tom Aageson, consultant, and Alice Loy, CEO and co-founder, Creative Startups. They explain that the creative economy is growing so fast and it rises out of the digital economy. At the same time, it has given birth to new sectors like 3D printing and AI (artificial intelligence). The first step is to understand that the creative economy is a new field—and it is more than just art. There is a new class of creative entrepreneurs who want to build companies today.

Peggy and Ken Johnson, senior director, product management, Red Hat, talk about the evolution of the term IoT (Internet of Things). He explains that it is all about solving business problems and that the diversity of problems to be solved requires an open ecosystem. When it comes to true plug-and-play applications, he says it may not be practical in the near term, but it will be a progression over time. They also discuss the potential combining of company cultures with IBM and if open source is going to be inherently more secure.