tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-103323872024-03-18T15:58:06.437-04:00Social, Agile, and TransformationFor current and aspiring digital transformation leaders, including CIO, CTO, CDO, innovation leaders, product managers, DevOps engineers, SREs, and data governance specialists. Topics: digital transformation, leadership, agile planning, scrum, DevOps, SRE, ITSM, AIOps, innovation, product management, data science, AI, ML, data governance, low-code, no-code, startups, digital marketing, social networking, SaaS, future of work, IoT, and culture change. Join our community of Digital Trailblazers!Isaac Sacolickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06216707653320505014noreply@blogger.comBlogger664125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10332387.post-33815476945256052252024-03-18T08:30:00.008-04:002024-03-18T08:30:00.125-04:005 Practical Technologies Every Ambitious SMB in Industrials Should POC
Manufacturing, construction, and other industrial businesses can leapfrog
from technology-lagging organizations to ones driving competitive
advantages. A chief challenge is escaping legacy mindsets, especially in
small and medium businesses where technology is a commodity component that’s
bought once and used well past its depreciation date.
Isaac Sacolickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06216707653320505014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10332387.post-86159024430333419772024-03-11T10:54:00.012-04:002024-03-11T10:59:22.300-04:00How Experts in Change Management Lead a Successful Digital Transformation
A couple of years ago, I led an agile transformation program for a major
hospital system. Their
vision statement
was to pilot process changes and new technologies to improve patient
experiences while simplifying work for doctors, nurses, and administrators.
They asked me to train their project managers on
agile methodologies
and apply agile/scrum to several Isaac Sacolickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06216707653320505014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10332387.post-53885950833912029602024-03-04T08:45:00.000-05:002024-03-04T08:45:20.435-05:00How Leading Digital Trailblazers are Pragmatic Vision Painters
Digital transformation leaders – people I call Digital Trailblazers – wear
many hats, and one that’s come up several times during our
Coffee with Digital Trailblazers
is the role of vision painter. As a vision painter, we must
understand business strategies, learn market needs, capture customer
feedback, and identify technology opportunities. Our objectives include
Isaac Sacolickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06216707653320505014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10332387.post-91558037086098985522024-02-23T09:19:00.003-05:002024-02-23T09:19:55.380-05:003 Ways Construction Businesses Can Modernize With No-Code Dynamic Work Management
Ten years ago, I wrote an article for Engineering News Record on how
construction businesses underspend in technology. I referenced Gartner’s survey of technology spending by industry, showing
construction dead last, which was the same ranking it held the previous
year.
Back then, the construction CIOs I collaborated with were moving from 2D CAD
Isaac Sacolickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06216707653320505014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10332387.post-65428719556362392052024-02-12T11:14:00.040-05:002024-03-11T11:01:31.807-04:00Change Management: 10+ Ways to Ease Adoption in Digital Transformation
I invited several experts to my weekly
Coffee with Digital Trailblazers
to discuss change management, easing adoptions, and minimizing the
productivity dip. Participants heard a change management playbook.
We used the
productivity dip
(illustrated below) as a reference model as it’s a useful tool to illustrate
desirable versus problematic change Isaac Sacolickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06216707653320505014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10332387.post-71985522193615527672024-02-05T08:30:00.006-05:002024-02-05T08:30:00.142-05:003 Important Takeaways for Pioneering CIOs on the State of Agile
CIOs, CTOs, and Digital Trailblazers – we have a problem.
While many organizations have adopted agile methodologies, there’s a gap
between what leaders expect from these practices and what they deliver. This
year’s State of Agile report (the
17th of their annual reports) shows the gap is widening and
points to some of the underlying issues for technology Isaac Sacolickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06216707653320505014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10332387.post-13246019616092552312024-01-29T10:22:00.015-05:002024-01-29T10:29:35.698-05:0024 Ways to Avoid Painful Failures and 3 Success Drivers in Digital Transformation
Every year, a new round of surveys shows that 40-60% of organizations are
struggling with digital transformation.
One recent survey
shows that 51% of respondents have not seen an increase in performance or
profitability from digital transformation investments. Other early surveys
quote that 70-90% of digital transformation initiatives have underperforming
results.
Isaac Sacolickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06216707653320505014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10332387.post-20342470391812047282024-01-22T08:30:00.007-05:002024-01-22T08:30:00.134-05:00How to Drive Digital Transformation and Survive as Your Company’s First CIO
I’ve spoken with several CIOs who were the first to hold the role and title
at their organizations. It’s a unique experience, so I thought I’d share
some thoughts.
When a new CIO comes on board, there’s often a mix of excitement and angst
among the leadership and staff. Leadership wants to believe that what drove
the need to hire a CIO materializes without Isaac Sacolickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06216707653320505014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10332387.post-27989862221336791582024-01-15T10:33:00.000-05:002024-01-15T10:33:05.532-05:00 7+ Must Reads for Digital Trailblazers on Leadership, Innovation, and AI
This is my fifth year of sharing my top book reads of the previous year, and
you can review my previous lists here:
2022,
2021,
2020, and
2019.
This year’s list includes my usual mix of leadership, emerging technology,
and books about growing small businesses. I was in a cerebral mood compared
to previous years and missed reading any fiction books, Isaac Sacolickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06216707653320505014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10332387.post-28196015760574723822024-01-08T08:30:00.002-05:002024-01-08T08:30:00.134-05:00How Innovative SaaS CTOs use Gen AI: What Digital Trailblazers Can Learn
I just read about how
CIOs are taking it slow
regarding generative AI in the enterprise. “The hard thing about this is you
don’t have data on people’s level of productivity,” said Sharon Mandell, CIO
at Juniper Networks, while Kathy Kay, executive VP and CIO at
Principal Financial Group, created a study group of “a combination of
engineers and business peopleIsaac Sacolickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06216707653320505014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10332387.post-10742614506456906702024-01-02T08:30:00.008-05:002024-01-02T08:30:00.132-05:00How to Energize Your IT Career as an Innovative Digital Trailblazer
You should evaluate your career progression and goals regularly, especially
in this super-charged world where generative AI impacts many job functions
and more businesses are accelerating digital transformation initiatives.
If you aspire to grow professionally, take on more challenging roles, and
help your organization build competitive advantages with technologyIsaac Sacolickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06216707653320505014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10332387.post-38612520014851111832023-12-18T08:30:00.029-05:002023-12-18T08:30:00.123-05:005 Digital Trailblazer Competencies: An Entrepreneur Architect’s Perspective on Leadership
2023 is coming to a close. I’ve had a difficult year and won’t be able to
share details for a while, but I’ve had several close friends and colleagues
to support me. Many of them join my weekly
Coffee with Digital Trailblazers
and contribute on stage to our discussion on digital transformation
leadership.
This week, I’d like to introduce you to my good Isaac Sacolickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06216707653320505014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10332387.post-77922069030303149052023-12-11T08:30:00.015-05:002023-12-11T08:33:31.713-05:00How Machine Learning Transforms Gray Work to Smarter Dynamic Work
Jamie knew she had plenty of work to do when she took the Director of IT
role at a midsize HVAC services company.
Over the last decade, the company grew organically and expanded regionally
by acquiring smaller service companies but had done very little to modernize
its business operations. The business was largely running on a highly
customized ERP, a basicIsaac Sacolickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06216707653320505014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10332387.post-12983480108915935492023-12-04T13:56:00.003-05:002023-12-04T13:56:26.461-05:00Best of 1,000 StarCIO Articles: The Informative Digital Transformation Must-Reads
A couple of weeks ago, I celebrated my
1,000th blog post, an achievement I am just as proud of as publishing my two books,
Driving Digital and
Digital Trailblazer.
In the post, I shared three time-tested lessons for digital trailblazers and
thanked many contributors to my weekly
Coffee with Digital Trailblazers.
Looking back at 18+ Isaac Sacolickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06216707653320505014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10332387.post-13562451621620294022023-11-27T08:30:00.043-05:002023-11-27T09:22:56.078-05:00IT Turnaround: Know these 15 Signs + 15 Tactics to Transform From Floundering to Winning Departments
“Look at your company as if it were your first day on the job. What would
your first impressions be of how your business is operating?”
That’s my opening statement to Chapter 1 of
Driving Digital, which is just as relevant to CIOs and IT leaders when considering a
technology department’s performance. I read this statement to kick off a
recent
Coffee with Isaac Sacolickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06216707653320505014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10332387.post-72230548279439562442023-11-20T08:30:00.005-05:002023-11-20T08:30:00.138-05:00Grateful Digital Trailblazers Reflect on Innovation and Lifelong Learning
I love this time of year in the United States when we have a brief pause
from our complex lives and get the chance to break bread with family and
friends. Thanksgiving means a lot more for me this year, but I will have to
leave the story on why for another time.
Long-time fans of my blog will remember some of my other Thanksgiving posts
– two of the 1,000 Isaac Sacolickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06216707653320505014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10332387.post-1330042456234240342023-11-13T08:30:00.011-05:002023-11-13T09:38:43.804-05:00Celebrating My 1,000th Article: 3 Time Tested Lessons for Digital Transformation Leaders
Today’s post, my 1,000th published article, marks an achievement
I am tremendously proud of and excited to share.
Here’s the funny story of how I started writing. My journey into blogging
and speaking began 18 years ago when someone told me, “Isaac, great social
networking site, but it needs to plug into the blogosphere.” All I heard was
“blog,” so I wrote myIsaac Sacolickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06216707653320505014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10332387.post-28774308163745216952023-11-06T08:30:00.004-05:002023-11-06T08:30:00.130-05:00Joe Puglisi on Digital Transformation Leaders: Calm Teachers and Helpful Simplifiers
When you meet Joe Puglisi, see him moderating a panel on stage, or
participate in his SIM members in transition calls, you instantly know he’s
someone you can learn a lot from.
Joe was one of several key contributors to a recent
Coffee with Digital Trailblazers, where we discussed who the right people are to lead digital
transformation initiatives. Isaac Sacolickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06216707653320505014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10332387.post-84424973366295773212023-10-23T08:30:00.005-04:002023-10-23T08:30:00.133-04:00Gen AI Innovation: How CIOs Deliver Short-Term Wins and Plan Visionary Impacts
How should CIOs and IT leaders prepare their organizations to pursue
generative AI opportunities while mitigating risks and navigating cultural
and workforce impacts?
It’s a top-of-mind question for every CIO, especially as Boards ask about
company AI strategy, while 51% of CEOs expect their CIOs to lead the company’s AI efforts.
Isaac Sacolickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06216707653320505014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10332387.post-76234803171705714162023-10-16T12:32:00.001-04:002023-10-16T18:17:44.285-04:00Emerging Digital Trailblazers: 15 Ways to Hire and Train for Entry Level High Potentials
When interviewing for an entry-level role, would you know if you had a
future
Digital Trailblazer
sitting before you? That was the topic at a recent
Coffee with Digital Trailblazers, where we discussed how to evaluate, hire, and train entry-level employees
in product management, DevOps, data science, marketing, information
security, and other roles with high Isaac Sacolickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06216707653320505014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10332387.post-11320900928981395292023-10-09T08:30:00.010-04:002023-10-09T08:30:00.139-04:00AI’s Power Paradox: Balance Innovation and Sustainability for a Promising Future
When I was CIO at a construction industry data, analytics, and media
company, I was deeply interested in how technology and sustainability would
drive the industry’s future. Could a new smart building technology or a
green innovation lead to funding new construction that improves people’s
experiences and enables a more sustainable future?
Isaac Sacolickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06216707653320505014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10332387.post-90260050620047725362023-10-02T08:30:00.000-04:002023-10-02T08:33:58.124-04:00Empower Agile Teams: Leadership Strategies That Inspire People, Not Micromanage
Many agile and scrum teams want to be left alone so that they can do their
work. The last thing they want is leaders looking over their shoulders and
overseeing their to-do lists, even when they struggle to complete their
sprint commitments. Whatever the blocks impeding their progress are, they’ll
work through them, though maybe not at the pace, schedule, or quality
Isaac Sacolickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06216707653320505014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10332387.post-29702350382784946982023-09-25T08:30:00.006-04:002023-09-25T08:30:00.140-04:00Digital Transformation Leadership: 5 Essential Competency Areas for Success
Digital transformation is hard work, from developing a strategy to leading a
culture change. CIOs, CMOs, and CDOs quickly realize that executing digital
transformations requires prioritizing strategic initiatives, assigning team
leaders, and establishing the right balance between
self-organization and developing standards.
Having the “right Isaac Sacolickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06216707653320505014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10332387.post-44594457061038788212023-09-18T08:30:00.011-04:002023-09-18T08:30:00.134-04:00The Architect has a Significant Role in Uplifting Digital Transformation
I can’t imagine guiding large-scale digital transformations without
knowledgeable and influential architects. Architects guide solutions, seek
standard practices, and target building extendable and reusable platforms
and services. Without architects, organizations add risk to their
implementations that can delay releasing capabilities, create integration
gaps, increaseIsaac Sacolickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06216707653320505014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10332387.post-90314487070587433442023-09-11T08:30:00.008-04:002023-09-11T08:30:00.129-04:00How DevOps and Agile Team Leaders Can Organize a Successful Workshop
I’m a strong proponent of hybrid working.
Requiring a strict in-office presence can be hard on many employees with
long commutes, family caretakers, or people with physical disabilities. The
collaboration needed by
Digital Trailblazers, especially ones leading DevOps and agile teams, is rarely achieved by
jumping from meeting room to meeting room or expecting people Isaac Sacolickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06216707653320505014noreply@blogger.com0