Frontline Innovators

In this episode, host Justin Lake sits down with Heather Brizzi, IT Director of Generative AI Initiatives at a Wholesale Building Materials company.

Heather shares her insights on the transformative power of AI and its impact on both frontline and knowledge worker roles. With a career dedicated to integrating technology with process enablement, Heather's expertise provides valuable perspectives on the evolving landscape of work.

"So whether it's software technology, whether it's automation technology, this is where, you know, for me, we have the opportunity to be able to meet people right where they are and identify 'How do we get better at the way that we work?'"

Key Points to Listen For:

AI and Job Transformation: Heather discusses the impact of technology on job roles, emphasizing that the way we work today will not be the way we work tomorrow due to advancements in AI and robotics.

Collaboration and Innovation: Heather highlights the importance of collaboration in solving problems and driving innovation, even across different industries and job roles.

Human and AI Coexistence: The conversation delves into how humans and AI can coexist, with technology serving people rather than replacing them. Heather introduces the concept of "cobots," which work alongside humans to enhance productivity.

Overcoming Resistance to Change: Heather addresses the resistance and fear that workers often feel towards technological advancements, and how understanding and upskilling can mitigate these concerns.

Future Skills and Workforce: Heather talks about the skills that will remain crucial in the future workforce and the importance of continuous learning and adaptation to stay relevant in a rapidly changing technological landscape.

Tune in to this enlightening episode to gain a deeper understanding of how AI is shaping the future of work and what it means for both frontline and knowledge workers.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-brizzi/

Youtube - https://youtu.be/GACHs9CeZjM

Find more episodes of Frontline Innovators at https://www.frontlineinnovators.com

This week we have Justin Eubanks, Learning & Development Manager at Great Day Improvements on the Frontline Innovators podcast with host Justin Lake.

Justin is a developmental strategist with extensive experience using LEAN methodologies to engage, attract, and retain the frontline workforce in a variety of ways at Great Day Improvements. 

That's not how that works. What we have noticed is that the engagement has gone up and the more people that know about it, then the more people want to talk about it, engage, and ask questions."

Key Takeaways:

➖ Let the frontline know that change is not a threat - it is a motivational factor for you to excel

➖ Creating change agents on the frontline is beneficial to increase engagement and adoption

➖ You need to have a people-first mentality and culture

➖ You have to have continuous learning for manufacturing environments to succeed

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justineubanks/

Company Website: https://greatdayimprovements.com/

Apple Podcast -  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/frontline-innovators/id1572329402

Spotify -  https://open.spotify.com/show/29m3wnK8pbFjdSvJ9wjmyS

Stitcher -  https://www.stitcher.com/show/frontline-innovators

Google Play -  https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZnJvbnRsaW5laW5ub3ZhdG9ycy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw

Youtube - https://youtu.be/yXGQO7jJVuk

This week on the Frontline Innovators host Justin Lake speaks with Jerry Ryan, Senior Solution Principal at Dell Technologies.

Jerry has over thirty-five years of information technology, management, and overall business experience including IT Management, IT Project/Program/End User experience primarily around Microsoft Technologies. He is currently responsible for services pre-sales activities to DoD entities including the U.S. Air Force and Navy.

Here's what it's going to look like when we're done, and here's how you're going to save money by transforming everything from the way you're doing it here to the way you're doing it.

And when you can show that to a customer, that usually gets them pretty well motivated."

Key Takeaways:

➖ Training your frontline has to be at the forefront in choosing the right device

➖ The more times you touch an asset as you're deploying it, there's more room for error 

➖ It's vital to understand how long it takes to procure devices for your frontline and how quickly they can get their essential apps 

➖ There are user experience implications when software is not up-to-date for the frontline

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerry-ryan-8587042/

Company Website: http://www.delltechnologies.com/

Apple Podcast -  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/frontline-innovators/id1572329402

Spotify -  https://open.spotify.com/show/29m3wnK8pbFjdSvJ9wjmyS

titcher -  https://www.stitcher.com/show/frontline-innovators

Google Play -  https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZnJvbnRsaW5laW5ub3ZhdG9ycy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw

Youtube - https://youtu.be/Bsir8NKBqtI

This week on the Frontline Innovators we're speaking with Don Jacobson, IT Business Partner for Innovation @ City of Las Vegas

Don brings 23 years of experience in municipal government with enterprise-wide initiatives, and he supports the city's many initiatives to become a model Smart City as well as the visioning for its Innovation District and associated programs and projects.

Key Takeaways:

➖ Anytime an organization grows, there's going to be potential for breakdown in communication

➖ Your frontline needs to know that their actions are contributing to a better community/public

➖ Technology ambassadors will help shift your organization's culture for the better 

➖ You need to give your frontline ample practice to adopt their new technology

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/don-jacobson-6050ab9/

Company Website: https://www.lasvegasnevada.gov/

Apple Podcast -  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/frontline-innovators/id1572329402

Spotify -  https://open.spotify.com/show/29m3wnK8pbFjdSvJ9wjmyS

Stitcher -  https://www.stitcher.com/show/frontline-innovators

Google Play -  https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZnJvbnRsaW5laW5ub3ZhdG9ycy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw

Youtube - https://youtu.be/JmG8rnpCsxk

This week on the Frontline Innovators we welcome Julie Whitten, Sr. Director Change Management Strategy @ Sodexo. Julie has more than 25 years of experience in change leadership, marketing, and communications.

Julie is an empathetic leader who serves as an advisor to senior leaders and is a resourceful and creative problem-solver who drives business results with her strategic planning, organizational change management, and communications expertise.

Quote: "Maybe it's something that's coming down globally, maybe it's a structural reorganization type of change, You know that we kind of have to catch, receive and move forward with and we try to do that, you know, in the best way that we can with the people in mind. But most times, you know, whether it's a process change or a technology change, we have the opportunity to co-create that change together."

Key Takeaways:

➖ Everyone on the frontline has a different perspective

➖ At the end of the day - the frontline just wants to be included

➖ We often underestimate the amount of socialization needed for a change to go well

➖ You need to love your resistors, listen, understand, and validate

➖ We all go through an emotional journey around change

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliewhitten/

Company Website: https://www.sodexo.com/en

Here's other ways you can listen:

Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/2f4ecd92-6468-4769-b0bf-254e236510b7/FRONTLINE-INNOVATORS

Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/frontline-innovators/id1572329402

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/29m3wnK8pbFjdSvJ9wjmyS

Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/frontline-innovators

Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZnJvbnRsaW5laW5ub3ZhdG9ycy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw

Youtube - https://youtu.be/vuF5cF9By_I

Find more episodes of Frontline Innovators at https://www.frontlineinnovators.com

This week on the Frontline Innovators we have Nea Christensen, Director IT @ ProAmpac | PMP, Process Improvement.

Nea has over 10 years of experience in providing executive-level information systems and technology leadership, leading innovative strategies and solutions-driven teams that drive business performance and efficiencies.

Nea oversees a portfolio of projects valued at $1.5 million and manages the PMO, Policy, and Documentation functions for the IT department.

Quote: "So one of the things that we do in continuous improvement is called 5 whys. And with it you go through and you say what problem that you have and then you say, well, why is that a problem? And then you answer it and you say, well, why is that a problem? And you want to keep kind of pushing to the point of actually finding what the problem is that everybody like, yes, that that's the problem. And then once you have that problem, you want to decide what to do with it."

Key Takeaways:

➖ You can have all the plans in the world, but you still need the humans to do them

➖ Let's solve the problem that we have at hand that we all agree is a problem

➖ Ranking problems helps to give objectivity and see the bigger picture

➖ Gaining trust from other departments will help the rollout be successful

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/nea-christensen-56130028/

Company Website: https://www.proampac.com/en-us/

Here's other ways you can listen:

Amazon Music -  https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/2f4ecd92-6468-4769-b0bf-254e236510b7/FRONTLINE-INNOVATORS

Apple Podcast -  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/frontline-innovators/id1572329402

Spotify -  https://open.spotify.com/show/29m3wnK8pbFjdSvJ9wjmyS

Stitcher -  https://www.stitcher.com/show/frontline-innovators

Google Play -  https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZnJvbnRsaW5laW5ub3ZhdG9ycy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw

Youtube - https://youtu.be/XRyHrHPoin4

Find more episodes of Frontline Innovators at https://www.frontlineinnovators.com

This week on the Frontline Innovators we have Bill Padula, Executive VP of Strategic Consulting @ Evora IT Solutions. 

Bill brings over two decades of experience and a wealth of knowledge varying from enterprise mobility, to consulting large-scale IT deployment initiatives. We're excited to dig into his knowledge!

Quote: "To me the biggest challenge facing the workforce is that the providers and the the implementers don't always fully appreciate or understand the environment that the frontline works in or the mentality of the worker. The frontline's focus is on installing equipment, repairing the broken machine, putting a pipe in the grounds, whatever it is they're wrench turning work.

The mobile application that they use is just a tool that they have to have to do their job. But they don't really understand the technology behind it. They don't want to understand the technology. It's not that they can't, it's just their focus is on doing the job that they're going out to do and the app, device, and technology is really secondary."

Key Takeaways:

➖ A lot of the providers — big players just seem to not understand the frontline

➖ Don't just design a pretty app for an award - you have to make sure it's practical and functional

➖ The most distributed worker often represents the majority of your user population

➖ No user in the world wants to have to figure out five different ways to do something in a workflow

➖ It's always best when users can train on their device

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billpadula/

Company Website:  https://www.evorait.com/

Here's other ways you can listen:

Amazon Music -  https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/2f4ecd92-6468-4769-b0bf-254e236510b7/FRONTLINE-INNOVATORS

Apple Podcast -  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/frontline-innovators/id1572329402

Spotify -  https://open.spotify.com/show/29m3wnK8pbFjdSvJ9wjmyS

Stitcher -  https://www.stitcher.com/show/frontline-innovators

Google Play -  https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZnJvbnRsaW5laW5ub3ZhdG9ycy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw

Youtube - https://youtu.be/wzgovyDeXnU

Find more episodes of Frontline Innovators at https://www.frontlineinnovators.com

This week on the Frontline Innovators we have a special guest from Alaska.🥶  Ally Dykes, PMP, is the Senior Manager, IT Programs at the largest telecommunications provider in Alaska, GCI.

Ally's expertise lies in monitoring and executing business operations programs while enacting transformational change to support emerging requirements and sustainable technology development.

Quote: "Every time a new piece of technology or device gets rolled out - that's learning. It's not just the corporate impact of what goes into the infrastructure to make it happen, but then the frontline people all of a sudden have to learn something new."

Key Takeaways:

➖ Analog process shouldn't be applied to a digital tool

➖ Don't get stuck in waterfall methodologies with your frontline

➖ Simulations help the frontline adopt technology sooner

➖ Most organizations went through two years of digital transformation in six months

➖ Remember that somewhere on the other end, there's a customer that's being affected by the outage of the service

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/ally-dykes/

Company Website:  https://www.gci.com/

Here's other ways you can listen:

Amazon Music -  https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/2f4ecd92-6468-4769-b0bf-254e236510b7/FRONTLINE-INNOVATORS

Apple Podcast -  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/frontline-innovators/id1572329402

Spotify -  https://open.spotify.com/show/29m3wnK8pbFjdSvJ9wjmyS

Stitcher -  https://www.stitcher.com/show/frontline-innovators

Google Play -  https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZnJvbnRsaW5laW5ub3ZhdG9ycy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw

Youtube - https://youtu.be/7koQFIqF1E8

Find more episodes of Frontline Innovators at https://www.frontlineinnovators.com

This week on the Frontline Innovators we have two guests! ✌

Jennifer Martindale is the Director of Organizational Change Management at J.R. Simplot Company. She helps people move forward through transformation management strategies that create buy-in, transition mindsets, change cultures, challenge assumptions, improve processes, and implement solutions that stick.

Stacy Gibbons is a clinical licensed mental health counselor who brings a great perspective on the people side of change and how to stay curious with their response.

Quote: "It's about preparing for change. If folks are not prepared for change, then you get to deal with the negative consequences. You don't get to opt out of that. You don't get to say, you know what, we are too busy."

Key Takeaways:

➖ One size fits all approach does not work for OCM

➖ Your leaders need to have the right tools to support the frontline

➖ Understand the change trigger the frontline is facing

➖ OCM is all about preparing folks for sustainable change

➖ Communicate to the frontline that the tech will improve their job not take it away

Jennifer's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-martindale-45b7b88b/

Jennifer's Company Website: https://www.simplot.com/

Stacy's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacy-gibbons-44a422183/

Here's other ways you can listen:

Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/2f4ecd92-6468-4769-b0bf-254e236510b7/FRONTLINE-INNOVATORS

Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/frontline-innovators/id1572329402

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/29m3wnK8pbFjdSvJ9wjmyS

Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/show/frontline-innovators

Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZnJvbnRsaW5laW5ub3ZhdG9ycy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw

Youtube - https://youtu.be/ZIkTnrC9jsw

Find more episodes of Frontline Innovators at https://www.frontlineinnovators.com/