Human resources should be one of the most strategically important functions in any organization — but it's also one of the most frequently criticized. In this episode of The Consulting Edge, host Dan Mulberry sits down with Kyle Patrick Smith, Founder & CEO of HR Kyle Services, to unpack why HR so often loses its way, and what it takes to make it a true business partner instead of an afterthought.Kyle spent 25+ years in corporate HR — from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies — after starting his career in sales, marketing, and customer service. He's also the author of "Recruiting Is Easy."In this conversation, Kyle and Dan cover:- How Kyle's background in sales and business shaped his approach to HR- Why HR evolved from a purely administrative "personnel" function into a strategic one — and why so many companies haven't caught up- The "tightrope" HR walks between loyalty to the company and loyalty to employees, and what happens when that balance breaks- Why most recruiting is reactive instead of relationship-driven, and how companies build an employer brand people chase- The Peter Principle: why being great at a job doesn't mean you're ready to lead people who do it- Where AI is creating real value in HR — and where it's failing without the right guardrails- How to manage employee fear around AI displacement through honest communication- Kyle's advice for any business owner who suspects they have a hiring, retention, leadership, or culture problemChapters:0:00 Intro1:29 From business & sales into HR5:07 How HR lost its way10:25 Fixing recruiting and hiring14:28 The Peter Principle and leadership17:20 Where AI adds real value in HR — and the guardrails it needs22:19 Managing employee fear of AI25:32 What hosting his own podcast taught Kyle about being a guest26:54 Advice for business owners with hiring, retention, or culture problemsConnect with Kyle Patrick Smith:Email: [email protected]: 330-541-5533Web: hrkyle.comThe Consulting Edge is brought to you by SmartMAI.

Companies today can buy CRM systems, marketing-automation platforms, analytics tools, and AI — but purchasing the technology is the easy part. The harder questions are what process the technology should support, how marketing and sales should work together, and where the business still needs a human relationship.In this episode of The Consulting Edge, host Dan Mulberry talks with Candice DeRiso, Founder & Lead Strategist of Beckmann Collaborative, about why effective technology starts with strategy, not the other way around.Candice brings ~20 years of marketing and business-development experience, including marketing and promotions for more than 20 Broadway productions and hundreds of concerts at Carnegie Hall, before moving into SMS marketing, building a marketing agency, and eventually Revenue Operations. Beckmann Collaborative is a Zoho Authorized Partner specializing in CRM, marketing operations, RevOps, analytics, and custom business systems.In this conversation, Candice and Dan cover:- How a background in music business and performing-arts marketing led to a career built on repeatable systems- Why she built documented, trainable content-marketing processes years before "AI agents" became the industry buzzword- What Revenue Operations (RevOps) actually means, and the symptoms that show up when marketing, sales, and operations are working in silos- Why so many CRM implementations become expensive contact databases nobody wants to update- How to get experienced salespeople to adopt new CRM discipline without triggering "data entry fatigue"- Falling into the Zoho ecosystem, becoming a certified partner, and when a connected platform beats a pile of point solutions- Where AI is genuinely earning its keep in marketing and sales — and where it's just replacing thinking that shouldn't be outsourced- Her advice for any business owner who has a CRM, marketing tools, and automations but still can't connect marketing activity to revenueChapters:0:00 Intro1:45 Meet Candice DeRiso — Broadway, Carnegie Hall & the "tech bug"10:00 Building the first repeatable marketing system14:45 Falling into Zoho — and becoming a certified partner15:11 From marketing agency to Revenue Operations17:31 Practical AI vs. the AI hype19:27 What should (and shouldn't) be automated22:12 Getting salespeople to actually use the CRM26:06 Inside the Zoho ecosystem30:48 Advice for business owners who can't connect marketing to revenue32:54 Where to find Candice DeRisoConnect with Candice DeRiso:Web: beckmanncollaborative.comThe Consulting Edge is brought to you by SmartMAI.

Most leaders got where they are because of a handful of real strengths — decisiveness, drive, confidence, attention to detail. But those same strengths, overused or applied in the wrong moment, quietly become the reason teams stall: decisiveness turns into control, confidence into arrogance, drive into impatience.In this episode of The Consulting Edge, host Dan Mulberry talks with Spencer Horn, President of Altium Leadership, about why leadership effectiveness isn't about which strengths you have — it's about knowing when to use them, and when a completely different approach is required.Spencer has spent more than three decades in executive leadership, business development, and organizational performance, including serving as CEO of a leadership-development company and VP of a NASDAQ-listed company that developed IMAX theaters, partnering with IMAX Corporation, National Geographic Television, Radio City Productions, and Disney Films. Since 2008 he's worked with executives and teams around the world on communication, culture, engagement, and performance through Altium Leadership.In this conversation, Dan and Spencer cover:- Why "just lead with your strengths" is incomplete advice — and how overused strengths become blind spots- The six leadership styles identified by a landmark study of nearly 4,000 executives, and why the best leaders use all of them, not just the two or three that come naturally- Leadership in the age of AI: where it genuinely helps (research, analytics, sharpening your own thinking) and where it can't replace human judgment, empathy, and trust- Why "everybody rowing in perfect unison" is a myth — and how healthy disagreement, not forced consensus, makes teams stronger- The one leadership behavior an exhausted, overstretched business owner should stop immediately — and what to do insteadChapters:0:00 Intro1:49 Meet Spencer Horn — from the Foreign Service to IMAX theaters to leadership development5:13 Finding his calling: recruited into leadership development right before the recession hit13:58 The six leadership styles — and why "just play to your strengths" can hold you back20:06 Leadership in the age of AI26:00 The myth of perfect teamwork — why healthy conflict builds stronger teams31:14 The first thing an exhausted business owner should stop doing33:28 Where to find Spencer HornConnect with Spencer Horn:Web: altiumleadership.comEmail: [email protected] Consulting Edge is brought to you by SmartMAI.

Sarah Marshall built her operations career at Sun Microsystems, Logitech, and Google — where she led strategy and operations for Search — before founding Operations Architect. Today she helps growing companies (roughly $5M/20 people to $50M/150 people) build the operational backbone that lets them scale without breaking.In this episode, Sarah and Dan talk about:- How enterprise-scale operational discipline translates down to mid-market companies- What actually breaks as a company grows past the "founder does everything" stage- Where AI is genuinely useful in operations — and where it isn't (yet)- Why regulated, high-stakes domains (healthcare, financials) still need a human in the loop with AI toolsConnect with Sarah:https://operations-architect.com---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

Shannon Carver is the founder and president of Lean Leaders Plus, where he combines Lean Six Sigma continuous improvement with leadership development — a combination most consultants keep siloed. He's a Six Sigma Master Black Belt, holds an MBA in Marketing from the University of Minnesota's Carlson School, and is the author of a book built around his proprietary TCR framework: Trust, Credibility, Respect.In this episode of The SmartMAI Consulting Edge Podcast, Shannon shares a case where a client's team increased production output by 25% in just eight weeks — with zero changes to the process. The lever wasn't operations, it was leadership: visible metrics and real peer-to-peer accountability. He also walks through an 18-month engagement that doubled output at a plant in Mexico by rebuilding the leadership team alongside the process work — and what happened to that plant's performance after new ownership walked away from lean.We also get into how Shannon actually uses AI day to day: a custom "proposal bot" he built in ChatGPT, bouncing ChatGPT and Claude off each other for better results, and using AI to review recorded coaching conversations for feedback. Plus the story behind his highest-performing LinkedIn post ever.

Sharon Schanzer is the founder of What's Your Boulder?® — The Implementation Studio, working as a Fractional Chief Client Officer, COO, and Chief of Staff for founders and executives. Her positioning is blunt: implementation, not consulting — she executes rather than advises.In this episode, we dig into her "What's Your Boulder?" framework for identifying the one blocker actually holding founders back, her "MVP (Minimum Viable Progress)" mindset, and she walks through a live demo of turning an idea into a working product with AI-assisted tools in real time.Learn more: whatsyourboulder.com#TheSmartMAIConsultingEdgePodcast #what'syourboulder #BusinessOperations #Leadership

Dr. Kelley Eaves Boykin — a powerhouse in Learning & Development, Career & Leadership Coaching, and Keynote/Motivational Speaking — joins The SmartMAI Consulting Edge Podcast to talk about what actually moves the needle in leadership development.In this episode, we cover:🔹 What actually moves the needle in leadership development🔹 How coaching and speaking intersect with real organizational change🔹 Where AI fits (and doesn't) in developing people, not just processesIf you lead a team, coach others, or care about growing people as much as growing the business, this one's worth your time.👤 About Dr. Kelley Eaves BoykinCEO, Kwin Consulting🔗 ConnectDan Mulberry: linkedin.com/in/dan-mulberrySmartMAI: linkedin.com/company/smartmaiWebsite: smartmai.ai🎙️ About The SmartMAI Consulting Edge PodcastConversations with leading consultants and business leaders shaping the future — AI solutions, automation, customer retention, and business growth.Smart systems. Measurable growth.#TheSmartMAIConsultingEdge #Leadership #Coaching #LearningAndDevelopment #SmartMAI #BusinessGrowth #AI #Automation