ON THIS EPISODE ➤ Why IT teams become “the Department of No” and how to transform that culture ➤ The Walsh KPI Framework: 5 metrics that prove IT’s EBITDA impact ➤ Using golf as a leadership assessment tool for vendors and partners ➤ The ACAIC method for overcoming objections without saying no ➤ From “users” to “customers” – the language shift that changes everything What happens when golf course wisdom meets IT leadership? Grant Walsh, Director of IT in Charlotte, North Carolina, brings 20+ years of IT leadership experience and a unique perspective: he evaluates vendors, partners, and leadership potential...

ON THIS EPISODE: ➤ Why overthinking kills IT progress and how to break the paralysis ➤ The unique advantages of managing both IT and HR responsibilities ➤ How coffee conversations solve more problems than formal meetings ➤ Real AI use cases: CAD plant identification and expense categorization ➤ Developing people when there’s no room for advancement ➤ Why looking stupid makes you learn faster What happens when you combine IT leadership with HR responsibilities? Michael McKirchy, Director of Information Technology and HR at Lurvey Landscape Supply, reveals how this unique dual role creates unexpected advantages in technology adoption and team...

ON THIS EPISODE ➤ Why 95% of enterprise AI implementations fail (MIT study insights) ➤ The confusion matrix framework for evaluating AI vendors ➤ How to approach AI as an automation problem, not magic ➤ Red flags when AI salespeople make unrealistic promises ➤ Data quality as the foundation for successful AI adoption What happens when a data scientist turned CIO reveals the brutal truth about AI adoption? Jaron Jones, data scientist turned CIO and university instructor, breaks down why most companies are failing spectacularly with AI implementation. With a recent MIT study showing 95% of Agentic AI projects either...

ON THIS EPISODE ➤ How to transition IT from cost center to business enabler ➤ Building stakeholder relationships through lunch and learn programs ➤ AI implementation strategy that balances innovation with security ➤ Transforming reactive “car mechanic” mindset to proactive business partner ➤ Earning executive respect through consistent value demonstration What happens when a chemical engineer becomes an AI-driven IT leader who saves companies millions? At a major energy company, Benny Zhang serves as VP of Information Technology, transforming how IT departments prove their strategic value. Starting his career as a chemical engineer in China—where his father brought him a...

ON THIS EPISODE ➤ How to learn leadership from bad boss experiences➤ The servant leadership framework that actually delivers business results➤ Simple technique for eliminating cultural barriers in global team meetings➤ Individual management assessment strategies for different personality types➤ Building IT reputation through equal service excellence across all organizational levels What happens when an English major accidentally becomes an IT VP through reverse mentorship?At a Boston-area property management company, Larry Monuteaux leads IT initiatives spanning everything from end-user support to building management systems and tenant amenities. With 30 years of accidental IT experience starting from data entry and backup tape...

ON THIS EPISODE ➤ How to move from AI hype to practical business implementation ➤ The Vibe Workflow System for rapid prototyping without coding skills ➤ Why perfect AI content isn’t always better than authentic human voice ➤ Building AI guardrails that enable rather than block innovation ➤ Start Small Framework: From personal fun projects to enterprise deployment What happens when a healthcare IT leader builds AI applications in shower conversations at 2 AM? At a healthcare organization bound by HIPAA compliance and patient safety requirements, Yossi Akselrud implements AI faster than most tech companies. With years of experience navigating...

ON THIS EPISODE ➤ How network aggregators eliminate ISP management chaos➤ Real strategies for migrating from expensive MPLS to resilient SD-WAN➤ Why POTS line costs are exploding and how to escape before bills double➤ Building proactive network monitoring instead of reactive firefighting➤ The zero-CapEx approach that gets executive buy-in for network upgrades What happens when IT leaders stop accepting “we’re better because we suck less” from internet providers? At Airespring, Jeffrey Armstrong (Director of Solutions) and Clinton Devereaux (Solutions Engineering) have spent 22 years perfecting network aggregation—turning the nightmare of managing multiple carriers into strategic competitive advantage. From consolidating 50+...

ON THIS EPISODE ➤ Crisis leadership: How to achieve 100% team placement during organizational failure ➤ The amplified impact of leadership presence and why every interaction matters 10x more ➤ Player-coach assessment framework for determining optimal IT focus areas ➤ Scaling IT through explosive growth: From $250M to $500M revenue management ➤ Business-first mindset transformation from technical expert to strategic leader What happens when an IT leader faces both complete organizational failure and explosive business growth? At Shepherd Electric Supply, Tom Shock serves as Director of Information Technology, leading IT initiatives for a company that has doubled from $250 million...

ON THIS EPISODE ➤ How a Master’s in Russian History translates to IT leadership success ➤ The EBITDA Impact Framework for connecting IT initiatives to business outcomes ➤ Real-world AI automation that saved $2M+ by eliminating 4,400 manual service calls ➤ Why IT leaders must learn business operations before optimizing them ➤ Moving from cost center “last slide” to presenting at every board meeting What happens when academic analysis meets ice distribution efficiency? At Arctic Glacier, one of North America’s largest ice manufacturers, Doug Saunders leads IT initiatives that power a complex global supply chain. With a Master’s degree in...

ON THIS EPISODE ➤ Why giving orders at work doesn’t work anymore ➤ How to work with difficult people who challenge you ➤ Why tech skills aren’t enough to be a good leader ➤ How to talk to your boss and coworkers better ➤ Why you need to understand what your company really does What happens when a military guy tries to run an IT team? Troy Penny used to be in the Air Force. He programmed computers for the military. When he gave orders, people had to listen. Then he got a job at a regular company. Big problem....