On this episode of The SmartMAI Consulting Edge Podcast, I sit down with Anthony Calleo, Founder of Calleo EX, to explore why organizations so often misdiagnose performance problems as people problems when the real cause is invisible friction in the system.Anthony brings more than 25 years of experience in employee experience, human capital, leadership, culture, and organizational effectiveness, including senior roles with Disney/ABC and Dime Community Bank, along with teaching human capital management. Calleo EX's philosophy is unusual: rather than adding more process, structure, or training, it begins by removing what no longer belongs.Anthony explains how leaders can identify and remove invisible organizational friction, improve employee experience, create greater clarity and alignment, and avoid using AI to accelerate systems that are already working poorly.We cover:Why leaders are so quick to blame performance problems on people rather than the systems around themWhat invisible organizational friction looks like before anyone has named itWhy employee experience should be treated as an operating system, not an HR initiativeHow culture is really defined by what work feels like, not by mission statementsWhy the "ground truth" gets harder for leaders to hear the higher they riseWhether we're wise enough to use the AI we've been smart enough to inventWhy subtraction, not addition, may be the most powerful tool in organizational changeLearn more about Anthony Calleo and Calleo EX at CalleoEX.com.#Leadership #EmployeeExperience #OrganizationalCulture #AI #podcast

On this episode of The SmartMAI Consulting Edge Podcast, I sit down with Dara Gibson, Founder and CEO of Cyber Ready, to explore why cybersecurity has to be treated as a business-wide resilience issue rather than a problem IT can solve on its own.Dara has developed and managed cybersecurity services for nearly a decade, with experience spanning cyber-insurance programs, cybersecurity awareness, privacy, managed security services, digital forensics and incident response, cyber law, and pre- and post-breach consulting. She is also president of the InfraGard Arizona Members Alliance, working in collaboration with the FBI, and a founding leader of the Women in CyberSecurity Arizona affiliate. Dara is the author of Cyber Insurance & Risk Management: Essential Cybersecurity Controls.A serious cyber incident can disrupt operations, damage customer trust, expose directors and executives to liability, create regulatory consequences, and reveal that a company's insurance doesn't cover the loss it expected. Dara explains how organizations can connect cybersecurity controls, employee behavior, cyber insurance, incident response, executive leadership, and artificial intelligence into a practical resilience strategy.We cover:What it actually means for an organization to be "cyber ready"Why cybersecurity decisions belong with the CEO, CFO, legal, and the board, not just ITThe difference between purchasing cyber insurance and being genuinely insurableWhat a usable incident-response plan has to contain before an incident happensHow AI is changing both the attacker's playbook and the insurer's underwritingWhy employee behavior remains central to both cyber risk and cyber defenseWhat organizational resilience really means, and how to build it before an incident occursLearn more about Dara Gibson and Cyber Ready at CyberReady.io.#CyberSecurity #CyberInsurance #Leadership #Resilience #Podcast

On this episode of The SmartMAI Consulting Edge Podcast, I sit down with Mark DiSiena, Managing Director at Everest Advisors and currently interim CFO of CarParts.com (NASDAQ: PRTS), to talk about what 25+ years and more than 90 ERP implementations across NetSuite, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics, and Sage Intacct have taught him about enterprise finance systems.

We dig into his path from NYU accounting to a securities and taxation law degree at Vanderbilt to an MBA at Stanford, how that shaped his approach as a fractional and interim CFO, where AI is genuinely changing financial reporting and ERP implementations versus where it's still more marketing than substance, and what actually happens when he parachutes into a company that needs financial stabilization or transaction readiness.

To learn more about Mark DiSiena and Everest Advisors go to everestdvisorsllc.com

To learn how AI, automation, and smarter systems can support measurable business growth, follow SmartMAI and subscribe to the SmartMAI Podcast.

#CFO #ERP #EnterpriseFinance #FinancialLeadership #ArtificialIntelligence #PrivateEquity #Podcast #SmartMAI

Lance Brandow, President of Brandow Consulting, has spent over 20 years helping small and mid-sized manufacturers get their inventory management, CRM, and accounting systems right — starting at Fishbowl Inventory in 2006 and now running his own practice focused on companies doing roughly $3M–$30M in revenue.In this episode, Lance and Dan talk about:- Why larger implementations need more than "plug and play" — and how Brandow Consulting helps companies make the right process and ownership decisions- Fishbowl Inventory, Method CRM, and QuickBooks integrations done right- What AI-friendly software customization could look like for manufacturers in the near futureConnect with Lance:Google "Brandow Consulting" or visit his site to see his YouTube library of software demo videos and Fishbowl Inventory tutorials.---The SmartMAI Consulting Edge Podcast features real conversations with consultants and operators about what's actually working — and what AI is changing — in their industries.Learn more: https://www.smartmai.ai

On this episode of The SmartMAI Consulting Edge Podcast, I sit down with Michael K. Burroughs, President of Burroughs International, LLC and author of Before Onboarding: How to Integrate New Leaders for Quick and Sustained Results, to explore why hiring the right executive is only the beginning of a successful leadership transition.Michael is a retired U.S. Army Colonel with a rare, three-sided view of executive transitions — as an organizational-development executive within three Fortune 500 companies, as a managing director at a global retained executive-search firm, and as a coach who has recruited, placed, and developed hundreds of executives across the United States, Europe, and Asia. He also serves as a senior partner and executive-integration practice leader with Sheer Velocity.Companies invest enormous time and money recruiting senior leaders, then hand them an org chart and a list of introductions and expect results. Michael explains why that approach leaves too much to chance, what organizations should do differently before a new leader's first day, and how AI can support a transition without replacing the candid human conversations every new leader needs.We cover:Why strong, experienced executives still fail in a new organizationThe real difference between onboarding a new leader and integrating oneWhat must happen before a new executive's first day, not afterHow organizations should prepare existing teams for a new leader's arrivalWhere to draw the line between adapting to a culture and accepting practices that need to changeHow AI can support — and where it can mislead — a new leader forming a first-90-day planWhat should be different at 30, 60, and 90 days when integration is workingLearn more about Michael Burroughs, Burroughs International, and Before Onboarding at BurroughsInternational.com.#Leadership #ExecutiveCoaching #Onboarding #ChangeManagement #Podcast

On this episode of The SmartMAI Consulting Edge Podcast, I sit down with David Potter, Partner at Sage Partners, to talk about what it actually takes to turn a promising idea into something the market will pay for.Dave draws on a career spanning brand management, health-tech, and university tech transfer — including his work at Brown University and restarting Previser Health Solutions — to unpack why most innovations fail, how customer-demand hierarchies shape what gets adopted, and how to translate hard science into a business story people can act on. We also get into category creation and where AI fits into commercializing new ideas today.To learn how AI, automation, and smarter systems can support measurable business growth, follow SmartMAI and subscribe to the SmartMAI Podcast.#Innovation #Commercialization #TechTransfer #HealthTech #BrandManagement #AI #BusinessGrowth #Podcast #SmartMAI

On this episode of The SmartMAI Consulting Edge Podcast, I sit down with JP Clement, Founder & CEO of The Marketing Distillery, a strategy and marketing firm built around one idea: Revenue First.JP brings more than 35 years of experience across marketing, product management, analytics, business development, and operations - including senior leadership roles at CitySearch/Ticketmaster and Clear Channel Interactive, work with brands like General Mills, Madison Square Garden, Johnson & Johnson, Amgen, and National Geographic, and several years operating and turning around PE-backed businesses.Marketing has changed dramatically over the past 35 years, but the underlying business problem hasn't. JP explains what decades of experience can teach us that technology cannot, where AI genuinely improves modern marketing, and why the future of marketing may need to become more human, not less.We cover:Why the fundamentals of marketing haven't changed in 35 yearsWhy The Marketing Distillery says "we engineer revenue" instead of "we do marketing"Why strategy is worthless without execution, especially in the age of AIHow to know when not to trust the dataWhy listening may be the most advanced marketing technologyWhat changed when JP moved from marketing exec to CEO and turnaround operatorWhere AI helps most, and where human judgment still winsLearn more about JP Clement and The Marketing Distillery at TheMarketingDistillery.com.#Marketing #AI #BusinessStrategy #Leadership #Podcast

On this episode of The SmartMAI Consulting Edge Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Evan Duke, Fractional COO and President of Evan Duke Enterprises, a fractional leadership firm helping business owners build companies that don't depend on them to run.Most small and mid-sized businesses are worth less than they should be, not because the business is bad, but because it can't run without the owner in the room. That gap between owner-dependent and exit-ready is where deals fall apart and valuations shrink.Dr. Duke brings an unconventional path into this work - over a decade in nonprofit administration and nearly two decades in for-profit business - to help owners build the operational fundamentals that make a company sellable, not just survivable.We cover:Why "exit-ready" is really about business fundamentals, not deal-makingThe warning signs that a business is too dependent on its ownerHow fractional leadership can build value before a business ever goes to marketWhy trust between leadership and the team is foundational to a strong exitWhat owners get wrong about "maximizing value" when they think about sellingLearn more about Dr. Duke and Evan Duke Enterprises at EvanDuke.com.

On this episode of The SmartMAI Consulting Edge Podcast, I sit down with Chuck Staszkiewicz, Co-Founder of The Opus & Golds Group. Chuck grew a one-person home-service startup - the original "Chuck in a Truck" - into a company generating more than $20 million annually before successfully exiting the business. Today he and his sister Dana help business owners improve profitability, leadership, accountability, and operational structure.We talk about the hardest transition from technician to CEO, what actually changed when Chuck realized revenue growth alone wasn't enough (including the company's real turnaround from roughly -$350K to a 14% profit margin), and the handful of numbers every home-service owner needs to know cold. We also get into where AI genuinely helps a field-service business today - call handling, scheduling, follow-up, training - and where a human has to stay firmly in the loop, plus what actually makes a company valuable (versus just big) to a serious buyer at exit.If you run a service business and want it to be both bigger and genuinely sellable, this one's for you.#SmartMAI #ConsultingEdge #HomeServices #ExitPlanning #SmallBusiness #AI

On this episode of The SmartMAI Consulting Edge Podcast, I sit down with Timothy Cormier, Founder & CEO of Cormier Executive Optimization (CEO) Coaching & Consulting, who helps executives and leadership teams turn strategy into execution through coaching, emotional intelligence, and change management.Timothy brings nearly 25 years of experience in leadership and talent development across industries including telecommunications, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, high technology, and heavy equipment. He has served as a Chief Learning Officer and is certified in emotional intelligence, Prosci ADKAR change management, Predictive Index, design thinking, and executive strategy advising.Organizations rarely suffer from a shortage of strategies, initiatives, or technology. The bigger challenge is developing leaders and teams capable of turning those ideas into measurable results. Timothy explains how executive coaching, emotional intelligence, change leadership, talent development, strategy execution, and responsible AI adoption work together to build organizations that are ready for what comes next.We cover:What "Be the Change" means in practical leadership termsWhy strategy so often breaks down between the executive meeting and day-to-day executionWhy AI transformation should start with strategy, not technologyWhy organizations should invest in emotional intelligence at the same time they invest in AIWhat employees are really afraid of during an AI-driven transformationWhy technically sound changes still fail because of the human side of implementationHow to turn increased self-awareness into real, changed leadership behaviorLearn more about Timothy Cormier and Cormier Executive Optimization Coaching & Consulting at CEO-Coaching-Consulting.com.#Leadership #AI #EmotionalIntelligence #ChangeManagement #Podcast