Wow, getting ready for this deep dive into this future is now.
CIO panel honestly has me feeling so energized.
Oh yeah.
These women are amazing and it's just what like the perfect way to kick off the week.
Right?
They sure.
So we're diving into your notes and the transcripts obviously focusing on Jay Evans
from Oracle Penelope Pret from Accenture and Ron Garrier.
Yeah.
Talk about a CIO dream team.
Right?
That's.
Absolutely.
And the timing couldn't be more perfect for a conversation like this, right?
We're at this like turning point where everything's changing so fast.
Yeah.
And these CIOs aren't just talking about the future.
They're building it.
Totally.
And they're not like sugarcoating anything either.
Yeah.
Take the cloud, for example.
Penelope basically said, if you're still asking about the ROI of the cloud, you're
already in the slow lane.
Yeah.
Penelope's comparison of the cloud to the internet I thought was just spot on.
Yeah.
It really highlighted how fundamental it is.
Right?
This isn't like a trend or a fad.
It is the foundation upon which like almost everything else will be built.
Yeah.
And it's not just theoretical either.
Jay Evans from Oracle shared this really interesting story about how even they
uncovered wasted resources after moving to the cloud.
Oh, wow.
Which just goes to show, I think, how complex all of this is.
Absolutely.
And you know what's so fascinating about that is how the cloud actually
provides more transparency.
Yeah.
So it's like, it allowed them to see those inefficiencies that maybe they
didn't even know were there before.
It's like shining a light in all the corners that you just never even think to look.
Exactly.
And that kind of brings us, I think, to another big takeaway from this panel,
which is data is power, obviously, but only if you have the skills to actually use it.
And Ron Garrier had this really interesting perspective on what those skills actually are.
His point about moving beyond just being a math person is so important.
And it really resonated with me.
Yeah.
Technical skills are obviously important, but it's about being a problem solver.
It's about being a storyteller.
It's about collaboration.
Those are the things that really make a difference.
It's about bringing people along on the journey, not just, like you said, crunching
numbers in your little corner.
Yeah, exactly.
And speaking of journeys, I mean, Ron's own career trajectory is like a
masterclass in adaptability.
Oh, tell me about it.
Going from repo agent to five times CIO.
I mean, that's incredible.
It really goes to show you that sometimes those unexpected paths can
lead to really amazing places.
For sure.
And he actually got his start in IT because of the Y2K rush.
Oh, wow.
Which is crazy to think about now.
I know.
It's like this blast from the past.
But it just shows you how these big moments can completely change entire industries.
Yeah.
Speaking of big moments, though, Penelope did not hold back when she said change or
die when it comes to digital transformation.
She really didn't.
Which is kind of her style.
It's true.
But you know what?
That bluntness is actually what makes it so powerful.
Oh, for sure.
It's a wake up call.
Yeah.
For anyone who's dragging their feet.
Totally.
And it's not just talk.
Either Accenture under Penelope's leadership, they are a case study in rapid digital
transformation.
Absolutely.
They practice what they preach.
Exactly.
And it makes sense, right?
Because it's like Darwin said, adapt or become irrelevant.
And that adaptation, that takes a certain mindset.
Absolutely.
Both Penelope and Jay actually talked about this idea that you have to be comfortable
with being uncomfortable.
Oh, yeah.
Like, it's OK to not have all the answers, but you have to at least have the drive to
look for them.
That intellectual curiosity.
It's more important than ever, I think.
Yeah.
And that's where things get really, really interesting, I think, because it's not just
about the tech.
Right.
It's about us.
It's about like the future of work, how we live, how we interact with the world.
And this is where I think those lines really start to blur.
Yeah.
Yes.
What struck me was that the skills that we need to navigate this new world, they aren't
just for tech people.
Exactly.
They're for everybody, every industry, every profession.
So for our listeners out there, it's like, OK, how can we take all of this and actually
apply it to what we're doing?
Right.
How do we take these big ideas and make them relevant to our own lives and our own careers?
Because it can feel overwhelming, right?
Well, absolutely.
Yeah, it's real, right, that fear of being left behind in the dust.
Totally.
But Ron Garrier's advice to like fall in love with solving a problem, that really stuck
with me.
Oh, yeah.
You know, it's not about mastering every single new gadget or coding language as soon as it
comes out.
Yeah.
It's about finding what excites you, what you're passionate about, and then figuring
out how to use technology as a tool to make a difference.
I love that because it really shifts the focus, doesn't it?
Yeah.
From am I keeping up with the things that I'm doing?
Keeping up to what problem am I passionate about solving?
I'm excited.
And honestly, I think that's just such a game changer for anybody who's feeling overwhelmed
by all of this.
Absolutely.
And it ties back into Penelope's emphasis on intellectual curiosity, too.
Yes.
Remember, she said you can't master any one specific technology because by the time you
do, it's going to be outdated.
So it's more about cultivating that thirst for knowledge, the ability to learn and adapt
and evolve.
It's like she's saying, become the kind of person who is excited by all of this change,
not threatened by it.
Right.
And honestly, who wouldn't want that superpower in this day and age?
And you know what I love about that is that it's not just about formal education or getting
another certification.
Right.
It's about being curious.
It's about connecting with people in your field.
It's about just having that mindset of continuous improvement.
Totally.
And it made me think about something else, too, that Ron said that I thought was both
endearing and kind of insightful.
What's that?
He was talking about his son, Jordan, who's about to graduate with a degree in math and
data science.
OK.
You'd think with Ron's background being such a tech heavy hitter, he would be all about
pure technical mastery.
Right.
Go out there and code the world.
Right.
Build the metaverse.
But instead, he's like, no focus on being a problem solver, be a storyteller, be a
collaborator.
I love that.
It just goes to show you those human skills, those soft skills, they're not just nice to
haves anymore.
They're the differentiators.
Yes.
In a world where AI is becoming more sophisticated every single day.
It is interesting, though, because we tend to think of technology as being very analytical,
very left brained.
Right.
But this panel really highlighted how crucial the human element still is, that emotional
intelligence.
And it makes sense, right?
Yeah.
Because think about it.
If AI is automating all those routine tasks, what's left are the things that are uniquely
human.
Exactly.
Like creativity and empathy and critical thinking and being able to build those relationships
and solve problems together.
You know, it's like that old saying, it's not what you know, it's who you know.
Right.
But maybe in the future, it'll be, it's not even what you know, but how you connect.
I love that.
And that connection piece is so key.
Yeah, the panel talked a lot about the importance of collaboration, right?
Not just within companies, but across industries.
And that brings us back to that whole blurring of lines thing that we were talking about
earlier, right?
Technology isn't just siloed in the IT department anymore.
Nope.
It's everywhere.
It really is.
Like every company is becoming a tech company in a way.
Think about it.
Healthcare finance manufacturing, even those industries that we traditionally think of
as being low tech.
Right.
They're all being transformed by this stuff.
By data, by automation, by AI.
It's exciting.
It is.
But also kind of daunting, right?
Especially if you don't necessarily consider yourself a tech person.
Exactly. And that I think is where that adaptability comes in that lifelong learning.
It all comes back to that, doesn't it?
It really does.
Because it's about being open to these new possibilities, being willing to learn new
things, realizing that the skills that you have right now, they might be transferable
to something that you've never even thought of.
It's like you're constantly having to level up your skills, your mindset, even just your
definition of what's possible.
And that brings us to like a really big question that I think is probably on the minds of a
lot of our listeners.
Yeah, the elephant in the room whenever we talk about AI and automation.
Exactly.
What does all of this mean for jobs?
Right. Are the robots coming for us?
It's the question, right?
Like what happens to us in all of this?
Yeah.
And you know what I really appreciated?
That they didn't shy away from it.
They acknowledge that the job market is changing.
Some jobs are going to be automated, but-
It's not about mass unemployment.
It's almost like this mass opportunity.
Right. Exactly.
And the thing is, those new jobs are going to require new skills.
So it's less about robots stealing our jobs and more about us needing to level up faster
than ever before.
Yes. And that's where education, I think, both formal and informal becomes so important.
Absolutely.
It's about equipping ourselves with the skills to thrive in this new landscape.
It's interesting though, because it's starting to sound less like humans versus machines
and more like humans and machines working together.
Right. And the panel really emphasized that synergy, I think, that the real magic happens
when we can leverage the strengths of both.
So AI can handle the routine data-heavy tasks freeing us up to focus on what we humans do best.
It's exactly like creativity and critical thinking and complex problem solving,
all that good stuff.
Which brings us back full circle to Ron's advice about falling in love with problem solving.
It does, doesn't it?
It's not about becoming a robot yourself.
It's about identifying those uniquely human skills that you bring to the table.
Because those are the skills that are going to set you apart.
Exactly. And honestly, I think this is the perfect segue to the final thought-provoking takeaway
from this whole deep dive.
Okay, shoot.
The future of tech. It's not separate from the future of us.
Well, that's good. Yeah. It's about all of us.
Like it's intertwined, it's personal, and it's happening whether we're ready or not.
It is. And that's why I love that you brought up Ron's point about falling in love with
problem solving.
Yeah.
Because it really is a call to action, isn't it?
It's like, what are you passionate about?
What unique value can you bring to the table?
Because those are the seeds of innovation in this crazy world that's changing every single day.
And that is a question worth thinking about no matter where you are in your career.
Even if you haven't started one yet.
Exactly. Because this isn't just about finding a job at this point.
It's about finding your place.
In this whole tech-driven future.
Yeah. How do you fit in?
Well said. So, listeners, we've reached the end of our deep dive into this incredible CIO panel.
Amazing conversation.
But like always, this is just the beginning of the conversation, right?
Oh, yeah. Absolutely.
What resonated with you? What are you going to do differently as you move through your world?
Think about it.
Because technology waits for no one.
And if you stumble across any other thought-provoking articles, research anything at all that has you
thinking about the future of tech.
Send it our way.
Please do. Because you know we love a good deep dive.
We do. Until next time, keep exploring, keep learning, and most importantly...
Keep shaping the future.
Yes. You heard us right here on this deep dive.