CXOforce

AI in college admissions: are teams excited, afraid, or both? "All of the above," says Mark Farrell.

Deepish Adwani sits down with Mark Farrell, Business Enablement Manager at Enrollment Rx, who has spent almost eight years helping colleges and universities get more from their admissions process, from the first lead all the way to enrollment.

What we talk about:

Why every institution is at a different stage with AI, and how guardrails address the early fears

Why almost anything done with a mouse and keyboard can be automated, and why choosing the right tool is the hard part

Writing down what success looks like before a project starts, then checking the numbers after go-live

Why the human starts the loop, and when it's safe to step back

Why clean, connected data has to come before AI

A real use case: evaluating transfer transcripts with Agentforce

His advice for hesitant enrollment leaders: learn what's out there, then talk to someone who already uses AI

Thank you, Mark, for such a practical conversation.

Enrollment Rx: https://www.enrollmentrx.com/

Watch or listen:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cxoforce/id6830054153

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/42NDGKszDSiIfalRVbbsOq

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CXOforce

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How do you run a world-class arena with no future public funding to fall back on? Andrew, CTO of Trail Drive Management, the nonprofit that runs Ariat Arena (formerly Dickies Arena) in Fort Worth, joins the CXOforce Podcast to talk about how its unusual structure shapes every tech decision.

In this episode:

Run it like a business, use the nonprofit perks. Tax-exempt status and nonprofit tech pricing stretch every dollar.

Keep critical IT in-house. The team grew from 2 to 10, because Wi-Fi failing at 7pm on a concert night can't wait until Monday.

Test vendors small. Sometimes that means a single two-week event before any long-term deal.

Mergers are about people. With 70+ staff joining from the Will Rogers Center, the plan is to listen for a year before making big changes.

Rebranding is an IT project. They're using AI agents to find every place the old name still lives.

Train top-down. Leaders learn the tools first, then teach their teams.

Thanks, Andrew! Pleasure having you on. 🤝

https://ariatarena.com/

Watch or listen:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cxoforce/id6830054153

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/42NDGKszDSiIfalRVbbsOq

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CXOforce

Follow CXOforce:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cxoforce/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cxoforce/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cxoforce

Great products don't sell themselves. Stories do.

On this episode of the 91force Digital Transformation Podcast, we sit down with Connie Kwan, a product leader who has worked at Microsoft and Atlassian, served as chief product officer at several startups, and worked across health tech, crypto and semiconductors. She's now the author of the upcoming book Story Habits, about identity-focused habit change.

In this conversation:

🔹 Why product management is really storytelling: you have responsibility without authority.

🔹 How to tailor your pitch to the persona: CTO, CMO, HR, or an engineer who just wants the comparison table.

🔹 The four storyteller personality types, and why your messages may not be landing with your boss.

🔹 What to do when you're telling the wrong story: pause, then go back to the question.

🔹 Getting found by AI: build out your FAQ so ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini cite you first.

🔹 Targeted outreach versus buying cheap leads: finding buying signals in forums, Slack groups and communities.

🔹 Building an AI coach as an MVP in two weeks, plus why your chatbot needs guardrails.

🔹 Why habit change is a motivation problem, not a discipline problem.

🔹 The anchor-and-balloon method: tying new habits to the values you already have.

🔹 Her advice for startups: ask qualified customers what they love and hate about your product. Negative feedback is the gold.

Connie's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@connie-kwan

Connie's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/conniekwan

Watch or listen:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cxoforce/id6830054153

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/42NDGKszDSiIfalRVbbsOq

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CXOforce

Follow CXOforce:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cxoforce/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cxoforce/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cxoforce

What does it take to build a world where inclusion is the standard?

Nicki Purcell, CTO of Morgan's Inclusion Initiative, joins us to share how technology makes "Ultra-Accessible™" experiences possible, going beyond compliance so people of all abilities can enjoy the same experience, together.

In this episode:

• An AI-powered ride that anyone can control, even without the use of their arms

• Free sign-language and visual-navigation support for guests across Morgan's properties

• Building a first-of-its-kind smart, accessible hotel

• "Don't Make Me Think": tech that stays invisible

• How nonprofits can start with AI (hint: you don't need to build it yourself)

Support Morgan's: https://morgans.org

Watch or listen:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cxoforce/id6830054153

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/42NDGKszDSiIfalRVbbsOq

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CXOforce

Follow CXOforce:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cxoforce/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cxoforce/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cxoforce

The billable hour built consulting. AI is about to retire it.

Deepish Adwani sits down with Bryan Musto, Chief Revenue Officer of Northlight Solutions Group, for a candid conversation on where Salesforce consulting and the wider SI industry are headed.

What we get into:

1. Why time and materials and fixed fee are giving way to outcome-based and revenue-share models

2. How AI is rewriting the traditional SI delivery pyramid

3. Why focused, AI-enabled boutiques may out-execute the global giants

4. Trust as the real product: clear expectations, transparency, and getting on the same side of the table as the client

5. The value that starts after go-live, not before it

6. Real Agentforce ROI and the rise of agent-to-agent use cases

Whether you lead a consulting firm or buy from one, this one will change how you think about value, pricing, and trust.

New episodes regularly. Follow the show so you don't miss the next one.

Watch or listen:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cxoforce/id6830054153

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/42NDGKszDSiIfalRVbbsOq

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CXOforce

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cxoforce/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cxoforce/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cxoforce

Microsoft just patched over 400 bugs. One left company databases wide open, no password needed, and attackers were already inside before the fix shipped.

In this episode, Michael and Deepish break down what really went wrong, and why it isn't just a Microsoft problem. It's a wake-up call for every business running in the cloud, which is basically everyone.

What we get into:

Why letting AI write and ship code without human checks invites disaster

How quality gets harder to control as companies scale

The bigger debate: is AI making us sharper, or just more dependent?

The reality of modern hackers, and why it's nothing like the movies

AI is built for speed. Judgment still belongs to people.

Watch or listen:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cxoforce/id6830054153

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/42NDGKszDSiIfalRVbbsOq

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CXOforce

Follow CXOforce:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cxoforce/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cxoforce/

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Everyone's buying AI. Almost no one is ready for it.

Michael sits down with Pietro Piga, who leads the global Salesforce platform and AI at ABB, for an honest, hype-free look at why so many enterprise AI bets quietly fail, and what the companies getting it right actually do differently.

What we get into:

Why Agentforce burned out for most companies (hype over readiness)

The AI literacy gap nobody wants to talk about

Why clean data beats a big budget every time

Outcomes over hours: the vendor red flag hiding in every demo

What to automate, what to keep human, and why

The one thing every leader should know before any tech decision

Whether you run a global platform or a small team, this one will change how you think about buying, building, and adopting technology.

Watch or listen:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cxoforce/id6830054153

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/42NDGKszDSiIfalRVbbsOq

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CXOforce

Follow CXOforce:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cxoforce/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cxoforce/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cxoforce

Michael and Jim Rainbolt of Entryway get into how modern operations and AI are reshaping the way a nonprofit creates impact. They cover the tech behind training and job placement, the case for staying humble and ready to pivot, and why technology works best when people stay at the center.

Watch or listen:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cxoforce/id6830054153

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/42NDGKszDSiIfalRVbbsOq

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CXOforce

Follow CXOforce:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cxoforce/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cxoforce/

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With 25 years across six countries, Arindam has watched leaders reach for new technology before understanding the problem they're solving. His advice is refreshingly practical: start with the business, find the real wins, then let technology do its job. Worth a listen for anyone leading change.

Watch or listen:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cxoforce/id6830054153

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/42NDGKszDSiIfalRVbbsOq

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CXOforce

Follow CXOforce:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cxoforce/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cxoforce/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cxoforce

The US Army and Air Force now run their paperwork, fleet management, and recruiting on AI agents that complete tasks on their own.

If the most cautious institution on earth trusts AI with its logistics, what's your business waiting for?

Watch or listen:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cxoforce/id6830054153

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/42NDGKszDSiIfalRVbbsOq

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CXOforce

Follow CXOforce:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cxoforce/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cxoforce/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cxoforce