Leadership Briefing: Building AI Fluency with Neil Goodrich

Guest: Neil Goodrich, Chief Innovation Officer & CIO, Envista Forensics
Host: Alex Jarett, Founder, Technology Executives Club®

Most leaders know they need to understand AI. Very few know where to start.

In this Leadership Briefing, Neil Goodrich breaks down a practical path to building AI fluency without getting overwhelmed. Instead of trying to learn everything at once, he explains how to approach AI in layers and build real capability over time. The gap is not access to tools. It is knowing how to use them effectively.

Neil walks through how to get started with the fundamentals, why hands-on experimentation matters, and how consistent use turns AI from something new into something useful. He also shares how to identify real use cases, find sources of inspiration, and continue building fluency as the technology evolves.

This is not about becoming an AI expert overnight. It is about building enough understanding to ask better questions, make better decisions, and lead more effectively.

If you are a Technology Leader or Business Executive trying to make sense of AI and where to begin, this conversation provides a clear starting point.

Topics Covered:
* Why AI fluency should be approached in layers
* How to get started with AI tools and core concepts
* The role of daily experimentation in building capability
* How to expand into more advanced use cases
* Why ongoing inspiration is important
* How to use AI tools to accelerate learning

➡️ Learn more about Neil Goodrich and see all of his briefings: https://www.technologyexecutivesclub.com/advisory-board-Neil-Goodrich
➡️ Watch all of our Leadership Briefings and get weekly AI & Technology Leadership Briefings plus exclusive invitations by joining the TEC Insiders Community: www.technologyexecutivesclub.com

Title: Podcast: How rSTAR Technologies Is Driving Business Outcomes with AI with Danny Asnani
Guest: Danny Asnani, VP Client Engagement, rSTAR Technologies
Host: Alex Jarett, Founder, Technology Executives Club®

In this episode, Danny Asnani of rSTAR Technologies discusses how his team is working with enterprise clients to apply AI to real business challenges and deliver measurable outcomes.

Danny shares how rSTAR is improving call center performance by equipping agents with AI-powered copilots that provide real-time access to knowledge, recommended responses, and faster follow-up during live customer interactions. These solutions are helping reduce call times while improving the consistency and quality of responses.

He also explains how rSTAR is streamlining core operational workflows, including processes like starting, stopping, and transferring services in utility environments. By introducing AI-driven agents, these traditionally manual processes are being completed significantly faster, improving both efficiency and the customer experience.

The conversation also covers how rSTAR is helping clients take a more proactive approach with customers by identifying patterns in behavior and payment activity, along with the role of data, integration, and human oversight in making these solutions work in real-world environments.

Topics Covered:

➡️Listen to the full podcast and watch the Spotlight Interview with Danny Asnani here:  https://www.technologyexecutivesclub.com/blog/danny-asnani-rstar-technologies-driving-business-outcomes-AI

 ➡️ Watch all of our Leadership Briefings and get weekly AI & Technology Leadership Briefings plus exclusive invitations by joining the TEC Insiders Community: www.technologyexecutivesclub.com

Technology Executives Review® March 2026 Edition

Host: Alex Jarett, Founder, Technology Executives Club®
Guest Analyst: Tory Bjorklund

In this episode of the Technology Executives Review®, Alex Jarett and Tory Bjorklund break down the most important developments shaping AI in the Enterprise and what Technology Leaders and Tech Business Leaders need to focus on right now.

The discussion covers key AI headlines from March 2026 and connects them to what is actually happening inside organizations, including governance challenges, workflow optimization, and the growing pressure to deliver measurable ROI from AI initiatives.

In this episode:

The episode also includes a special segment with Tory Bjorklund on AI project recovery and success assurance, including real-world examples of failed implementations and how organizations can realign and improve outcomes.

The program also features insights from recent Technology Executives Club® Leadership Briefings, including:

Technology Executives Review® is a monthly briefing designed to help Technology Leaders and Tech Business Leaders stay current on the most important trends shaping AI in the Enterprise.

➡️ Watch all of our Leadership Briefings and get weekly AI & Technology Leadership Briefings plus exclusive invitations by joining the TEC Insiders Community:
www.technologyexecutivesclub.com

Title: Leadership Briefing: Hiring for AI? Don’t Make These Expensive Mistakes with Richard Doran Guest: Richard Doran, Founder & CEO, Sierra ITS
Host: Alex Jarett, Founder, Technology Executives Club®

Many organizations are rushing to hire for AI, but they are starting in the wrong place. Instead of defining the business problem, they jump straight to building teams, leading to wasted spend, slow progress, and unclear results.

In this Leadership Briefing, Richard Doran explains why leaders should start with outcomes, not org charts. He shares how AI-capable leadership, focused teams, and a clear understanding of business challenges lead to faster execution and better results.

Topics Covered:
* Why starting with hiring instead of outcomes creates problems
* The role of AI-capable leaders in driving success
* How over hiring early increases cost and complexity
* Why internal talent is critical to execution
* When to use contract resources before full-time hires
* Why speed matters in today’s AI talent market

➡️Learn more about Richard and see all of his briefings here: https://www.technologyexecutivesclub.com/advisory-board-Richard-Doran

➡️ Watch all of our Leadership Briefings and get weekly AI & Technology Leadership Briefings plus exclusive invitations by joining the TEC Insiders Community: www.technologyexecutivesclub.com

Q Day, Quantum Computing, and the Future of Cybersecurity with Rameshwar Balanagu

Guest: Rameshwar Balanagu, Chief Enterprise Architect, Office of the CIO at UNFI, Board Member, American Board of Technology Professionals (ABTP Dallas)
Host: Alex Jarett, Founder, Technology Executives Club®

In this Spotlight Interview, Rameshwar Balanagu joins Alex Jarett to discuss Q Day and the impact of quantum computing on cybersecurity.

Rameshwar explains that organizations are not just facing future risk. Data is already being captured today using a strategy known as “harvest now, decrypt later,” where encrypted information is stored until quantum computing can break it.

The conversation focuses on why Q Day must be addressed now and how it connects directly to existing Zero Trust strategies. Rameshwar also outlines what Technology Leaders should be thinking about, including understanding where encryption is used across the enterprise and beginning the shift toward post-quantum cryptography.

A key takeaway is that Q Day is not a single moment in the future. It is a transition that is already underway.

Topics Covered:
* What Q Day is and why it matters
* “Harvest now, decrypt later” explained
* The impact of quantum computing on encryption
* Why Q Day and Zero Trust must work together
* How enterprises should begin preparing

Technology Executives Club® is a thought leadership community and media platform for Technology Leaders and Tech Business Leaders, covering AI and technology leadership.

Watch all of our Leadership Briefings and get weekly AI & Technology Leadership Briefings plus exclusive invitations by joining the TEC Insider Briefing: https://www.technologyexecutivesclub.com

Technology Executives Review® February 2026 Edition

Host: Alex Jarett, Founder, Technology Executives Club®
Guest Analyst: John Parkinson, Partner & Managing Director, ParkWood Advisors

In this episode of the Technology Executives Review®, Alex Jarett and industry analyst John Parkinson break down the most important developments shaping the AI in the Enterprise landscape.

The discussion covers the major AI headlines from February 2026 including

* The rise of Agentic AI
* The rapid expansion of AI infrastructure and compute
* Emerging governance and security concerns
* The growing pressure on organizations to deliver measurable ROI from AI initiatives.

The episode also includes a special industry segment on AI use in the movies and the Oscars, exploring how generative AI is already changing media production and what that may signal for other industries.

The program also features insights from recent Technology Executives Club® Leadership Briefings including:
* Tim Walter, CIO, Edward Don & Company – Lessons Learned from a Successful AI Project
* Richard Doran, Founder, Sierra ITS – Data is the New Liability Without Governance
* Joseph Rose, CEO, JBS Dev – Pragmatic Applications of AI and Agentic AI
* Justin Grieshop, CBTS – AI to ROI: Your Friction is Your Opportunity
* Neil Goodrich, Chief Innovation Officer, Envista Forensics – Curiosity, Culture and Creating Value

Technology Executives Review® is a monthly briefing designed to help Technology Leaders and Tech Business Leaders stay current on the most important trends shaping AI in the Enterprise.

Technology Executives Club® is a Thought Leadership Community & Media Platform Technology Leaders and Tech Business Leaders. Visit https://www.technologyexecutivesclub.com/discoverycall to learn how you can be featured.

Leadership Briefing: Project Rescue and Success Assurance in AI and Digital Transformation with Tory Bjorklund

Guest: Tory Bjorklund, Founder & CEO, Victoria Fide Consulting
Host: Alex Jarett, Founder, Technology Executives Club®

In this Leadership Briefing, Tory Bjorklund explains why major technology initiatives frequently fail and what organizations can do when projects begin to go off track.

Tory’s firm, Victoria Fide Consulting, was founded around the concept of “Success Assurance.” The name comes from Latin and reflects the company’s mission to help organizations successfully transform through the use of technology.

As organizations invest heavily in AI, ERP systems, CRM platforms, and other digital transformation initiatives, failure rates remain high. Studies suggest that many enterprise AI initiatives fail to deliver meaningful return on investment, while ERP and other large enterprise systems have struggled with similar outcomes for decades.

Tory explains that most failures are not caused by the technology itself. More often they occur when organizations underestimate the complexity of people, processes, and operational change required to support transformation.

The discussion includes several real-world examples of project rescue situations.

In one case, a manufacturing company implemented a new ERP system only to discover that operations had become less efficient after going live. By assessing how the system had been implemented and aligning it with the company’s actual production processes, Tory’s team was able to recover the initiative and significantly improve productivity.

The conversation also explores AI initiatives that stall when projects attempt to tackle too much too quickly. In one example, a company attempted to deploy an internal AI chatbot but struggled through multiple iterations before bringing in outside expertise. By narrowing the scope and launching a focused pilot project, the organization was able to demonstrate value quickly and regain momentum.

Tory also discusses CRM implementations that fail because key stakeholders are left out of the design process. Systems that are built around the needs of a single department often fail to support the broader organization, creating frustration for both employees and customers.

While project rescue is a major part of Victoria Fide’s work, Tory explains that the firm was built around helping organizations avoid failure in the first place. Drawing on decades of experience, he developed the Victoria Fide Process for Transformational Change, which focuses on preparation, disciplined execution, and ensuring employees actually adopt new systems and processes.

A key theme of the discussion is that successful digital transformation depends far more on people and processes than on technology itself. Organizations that align leadership, processes, and accountability before implementing new systems dramatically increase their chances of success.

Topics Covered:
* Why ERP, AI, and CRM initiatives frequently fail to deliver expected results
* The difference between project rescue and proactive success assurance
* Real-world examples of rescuing ERP and AI initiatives that were failing
* Why organizations often underestimate the complexity of transformation
* The role of people and processes in successful digital transformation
* How structured preparation improves the success rate of major initiatives

Learn more about Tory and see all of his briefings on his Board of Advisor channel here: https://www.technologyexecutivesclub.com/advisory-board-tory-bjorklund

This Leadership Briefing was hosted by Alex Jarett, Founder of Technology Executives Club®, the GTM Thought Leadership platform for Tech Business Leaders and Technology Leaders.

Visit https://www.technologyexecutivesclub.com/discoverycall to learn how you can be featured.

Leadership Briefing: Curiosity, Culture, and Creating Value with Neil Goodrich

Guest: Neil Goodrich, Chief Innovation Officer & CIO, Envista Forensics
Host: Alex Jarett, Founder, Technology Executives Club®

In this Leadership Briefing, Neil Goodrich explores how curiosity and culture form the foundation of innovation and long-term business value.

Neil explains that if innovation is fundamentally about problem solving, then it is fundamentally about creativity, and creativity cannot be mandated. It is voluntary. Leaders cannot force discretionary thinking, but they can design environments where people feel safe sharing partially formed ideas and challenging assumptions.

He outlines why culture is the vehicle that systematically brings creativity into an organization. Rather than relying on isolated brainstorming sessions or innovation committees, Neil describes how consistent reinforcement of specific behaviors shapes an environment where ideas emerge organically.

The conversation dives into the importance of defining cultural expectations explicitly. Writing down the behaviors and attributes you want — curiosity, engagement, collaboration, ownership — creates a North Star that leaders can reinforce through recognition, meetings, hiring practices, and everyday interactions.

Neil also emphasizes that innovation must belong to everyone, not just executives or business analysts. By encouraging team members to understand the broader business and build cross-department relationships, organizations increase exposure to real problems and practical solutions.

He shares a real-world example of an informal lunch conversation that evolved into a formal task management system, demonstrating how innovation often originates in everyday dialogue.

A critical theme in the discussion is closing the loop on ideas. Not every idea will be implemented, but every idea deserves validation. When leaders take the time to review suggestions and explain decisions, they reinforce trust and encourage continued participation.

Over time, this creates a virtuous cycle: the culture attracts curious people, those people protect the culture, and the culture produces stronger ideas and higher engagement. This conversation provides practical insight for Technology Leaders seeking to build environments where creativity is sustained, innovation becomes embedded, and value creation is a natural byproduct of culture.

Topics Covered:
* Why creativity is voluntary and cannot be mandated
* The connection between culture and innovation outcomes
* How to explicitly define and reinforce desired behaviors
* Why innovation must be everyone’s responsibility
* The importance of closing the loop on employee ideas
* How a culture of curiosity creates a self-sustaining innovation cycle

Learn more about Neil Goodrich and see all of his briefings on his Board of Advisor channel here:
https://www.technologyexecutivesclub.com/advisory-board-Neil-Goodrich

This Leadership Briefing was hosted by Alex Jarett, Founder of Technology Executives Club®, the Thought Leadership Community and platform for Tech Business Leaders and Technology Leaders. Visit

https://www.technologyexecutivesclub.com/discoverycall to learn how you can be featured.

Leadership Briefing: Lessons Learned from a Successful AI Project – Part TWO with Tim Walter
Making AI Work Through Change Management, Human Learning, and Imperfect Data

Guest: Tim Walter, CIO & VP, Edward Don & Company
Host: Alex Jarett, Founder, Technology Executives Club® Part Two:

Be sure to listen to Part One here:https://www.technologyexecutivesclub.com/podcasts/technology-executives-club/episodes/2149166910


Making AI Work Through Change Management, Human Learning, and Imperfect Data

In this Leadership Briefing – Part Two of Tim Walter’s AI case study – Tim shifts from the technical implementation to what truly determined success: change management, reinforcement learning from human interaction, and realistic expectations around data quality.

Following the business case outlined in Part One, Tim explains how his team addressed the emotional and operational challenges of AI adoption. Rather than positioning AI as replacement technology, Edward Don framed it as an enablement tool, shifting employees away from repetitive tasks and toward higher-value validation and customer engagement.

Tim discusses how the system launched at 86% accuracy, requiring human oversight and judgment. He explains why reinforcement learning from human feedback became central to improving accuracy over time, and how tribal knowledge that once lived in spreadsheets and individuals’ heads is now being shared systematically across the organization.

He also addresses a common misconception: AI projects do not require perfect data to begin.

Instead of delaying implementation for large-scale data cleanup, Edward Don built an adaptive system designed to learn, improve, and evolve with every interaction. This conversation provides practical guidance for Technology Leaders navigating AI adoption inside real organizations with real constraints.

Topics Covered:
* Why change management determines AI adoption success Reframing AI as enablement rather than replacement
* Reinforcement learning from human feedback Extracting and sharing tribal knowledge
* Why data does not need to be perfect to start Continuous improvement versus one-time implementation

This Leadership Briefing was hosted by Alex Jarett, Founder of Technology Executives Club®, the GTM Thought Leadership platform™ for Tech Business Leaders & Technology Leaders

Visit www.technologyexecutivesclub.com to watch Part One and Part Two of Tim Walter’s full AI case study.

Leadership Briefing: Data Is the New Liability Without Governance with Richard Doran

Guest: Richard Doran, Founder & CEO, Sierra ITS
Host: Alex Jarett, Founder, Technology Executives Club®

In this Leadership Briefing, Richard Doran explains why data without governance has shifted from being an asset to becoming a liability for modern organizations.

Richard reframes the long-standing phrase “data is the new oil,” arguing that today data is closer to uranium — extremely powerful when controlled, but explosive when ignored.

As AI adoption accelerates and organizations collect increasing volumes of information across ERPs, IoT systems, spreadsheets, and data lakes, unmanaged data introduces operational, reputational, and compliance risk.

He discusses how volume without control equals exposure, and why even a single unmanaged spreadsheet can create legal or regulatory consequences. Rather than viewing governance as red tape, Richard explains how structured data governance frameworks build trust with boards, regulators, partners, and executive leadership.

The conversation also explores how AI amplifies both value and risk. AI systems not only consume data but generate more of it, increasing the urgency for accountability, access controls, and unified data practices.

Richard shares a real-world example of an organization struggling with inconsistent data practices across departments, with no single source of truth. By introducing experienced data governance leadership, building a unified framework, and training teams on accountability, the company significantly reduced audit findings, improved reporting accuracy, and regained confidence with regulators and its board. He also emphasizes that technology alone is not the solution.

Tools can automate policy enforcement, but trained employees and clearly defined accountability are what prevent misuse and breaches. People, he notes, are the real firewall.

This conversation provides practical insight for Technology Leaders who recognize that AI and data initiatives must be built on a deliberate governance foundation in order to scale safely and successfully.

Topics Covered:
* Why “data is the new oil” no longer reflects today’s risk environment
* How AI accelerates both insight generation and exposure
* The connection between governance, trust, and executive confidence
* Why inconsistent data practices create audit and reporting challenges
* The role of trained talent and accountability in preventing data misuse
* How governance frameworks enable faster transformation after implementation

Learn more about Richard and see all of his briefings on his Board of Advisor channel here: https://www.technologyexecutivesclub.com/advisory-board-Richard-Doran

This Leadership Briefing was hosted by Alex Jarett, Founder of Technology Executives Club®, the GTM Thought Leadership platform for Tech Business Leaders and Technology Leaders.

Visit https://www.technologyexecutivesclub.com/discoverycall to learn how you can be featured.