In times of crisis, you'll see the rise of amazing companies, and Xenex, a company that is the world leader in UV technology-based infection prevention strategies and solutions, is one of them. You may not have heard of Xenex, but the next time you visit a hospital, there's a good chance a Xenex robot will have cleaned your room before you checked-in. Xenex's Robots are making the world a better place by destroying the microorganisms that cause hospital acquired infections, and have seen a huge increase in demand since COVID-19 became an everyday word in the United States. In this episode of Innovation Calling, we talked with Xenex's Co-Founder, Mark Stibich to talk about this amazing technology, and what makes it so unique and effective, in addition to learning more about what's changed for this business since this pandemic struck, and where we can see their robots outside of hospitals, plus so much more. Here's the official episode breakdown: 5:36 - Understanding Xenex’s background, and where the idea was first born. 8:14 - Digging deeper into the technology, and why this product is so amazing. Who was able to determine that this type of light could actually kill bacteria at a deeper level? 11:35 - When it comes to understanding a higher frequency, is that the wavelength is lower, which allows it to penetrate smaller organisms, or what is it exactly that makes it so much more successful? 13:09 - With the emergence of COVID, how has demand changed, and what’s been one of the biggest obstacles that Xenex has had to overcome to keep up? 17:49 - When it came to supply chain issues and part issues suddenly not becoming available, how were they able to overcome with the new issues? 19:10 - Does this then change the trajectory of the business, and when you’re in the midst of a pandemic with a product that can make such a huge difference, how do future products change? 21:19 - With the main product using light at such a high frequency does it cause harm to humans? 23:47 - Are Xenex’s robots meant to replace the cleaning staff, or is this something that simply enhances the cleaning experience? 28:47 - What makes Xenex’s disinfection techniques so unique, and what kind of rate can they clean rooms in addition to the quality of the cleanliness? 31:42 - Is it possible technology like this will go past the hospital especially as we see companies taking sanitizing more seriously? 34:25 - What kind of lifespans do the robots have? 36:03 - As the light bursts out, is there a limit on the efface over distance or is it like a lightwave where it can go miles and miles? 36:47 - Can something like this be used in sports stadiums? 40:17 - Xenex was actually invited to participate in an incubation program at the Houston Technology Center. What was that experience like for starting and growth? 42:30 - How important was it for someone to find the partners who understood the technology and could grow with it? 43:08 - When first growing, what kind of objections were hospitals providing as they were trying to implement the product? 47:08 - The great story about how all of the robots get named, and how some people get creative with the names. Want to learn more about Xenex? Visit xenex.com or contact Mark directly at mark@xenex {dot} com.

Innovation Calling

Tackling Viruses With Germ-Zapping™ Robots

The good and bad news is that no perfect leader exists. So as much as every leader wants to strive for greatness, the reality is that they’re going to hit some obstacles and make messes along the way. Failure isn’t the end, though, and it’s crucial to understand the qualities that the great leaders possess that help them endure through the difficult times. How do they stand after a failure? How can they learn to not just lead through crises like pandemics and recessions, but how can elevate a team and a company through them? This is just some of what we discussed in this episode of Innovation Calling with Franklin Covey’s Executive Vice President of Thought Leadership, Scott J. Miller. Scott is a 20+ year veteran in the Leadership Space, Wall Street Journal Best-Selling Author, and Podcast Host. We dug deep into understanding what makes great leaders great (and it’s not a 100% success rate), how to have the hard conversations in times like this, yet still confidently lead your team. Plus stay til the end where Scott provides two important pieces of advice. Learn what ‘friending-up’ means, in addition to one simple thing co-founders/partners can do to create a lasting business. Interested in learning more about Scott’s Book, Management Mess to Leadership Success: 30 Challenges to Become the Leader You Would Follow, click here to grab your copy. Here’s The Full Episode Breakdown: 5:26 - Learning more about Scott, and the start of his career at Disney, and how that shaped him into who he is today 7:21 - What’s the difference between being fearless and being reckless, and how can leaders embrace that things might be messy, yet harness fearlessness without being reckless? How does vulnerability play a role in leadership? 10:29 - Why leaders shouldn’t focus on being a genius, but should instead focus on being a genius maker, and why this is crucial to leading great teams. Plus what it means to be an active listener. 16:11 - Why great leaders must possess empathy and a high EQ 19:02 - Can leaders actually learn to be empathetic? 22:04 - In times like we’re living in today, how can leaders learn to approach hard conversations with grace. Plus why it’s important to show as leaders that we don’t have all the answers, and why we can ask permission to have real conversations, which we may get wrong. 27:57 - Why every leader should learn to declare their intent before any conversation begins, and how it can help to diffuse any situation. 31:10 - How does having a strong personality hinder or help people in leadership roles? 33:34 - How to find the balance of family of business, and do we live in a world where there is no longer a separation of personal and professional lives? 37:29 - When it comes to creating a vision, what can leaders do to not just bring a vision to life, but can actually build a legacy where the vision can continue long after the creator is gone. 41:16 - Why leaders must be able to disrupt themselves, detach their egos, and empathic listen, and ask one of the most important questions ‘Am I in the right role.’ 44:33 - Why friending up is such an important concept, and why Scott believes this is one of the best pieces of advice he can give. 49:38 - What one of the most important things partners can do to help their business thrive? 

The Qualities Every Great Leader Should Possess

Many people can come up with a business idea and start something, but to build and maintain large companies, leadership is the true key to success. We had the opportunity to sit down with former Chairman of JetBlue Airways, Joel Person. Joel also is a Consulting Professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, Chairman and Founder of Peterson Partners, and the former CEO of Trammell Crow Company. Joel talks about his experience as a leader in various roles from being a CEO of a large company to Chairman of a publicly-traded company, and as an investor of 200+ companies. We discussed his five key types of leadership, what it takes for companies to teach their workforce to embrace failure, some of the biggest lessons he has learned during his amazing career, and so much more! Make sure to grab your copy of Entrepreneurial Leadership here: Entrepreneurial Leadership: The Art of Launching New Ventures, Inspiring Others, and Running Stuff Official Episode Breakdown: 5:05 - The age-old question of entrepreneurship, are they made or born. Plus we discuss Joel’s perspective of being a professor at Stanford, and what his students discover 6:10 - At what point in Joel’s career did he move from being an entrepreneur to a business leader? 8:40 - Why Joel believes it's so important for aspiring leaders to take on service jobs at a young age, and how they can teach perseverance. 10:10 - When it comes to perseverance, Joel shares a moment where he was knocked down, and the lessons he learned by a mentor who taught him how to move forward 13:20 - The importance of optimism as a leader, and why that is crucial now more than ever 14:20 - The five different types of leaders (5-Tool Leader) that Joel defined in his book, and the specific traits are more important now, in times of a pandemic and a looming recession 18:10 - There are people who are lucky and have those five naturally but is it possible for someone to have a few, but the others are impossible to get to? 20:50 - Is it typical for the MBA students at Stanford to have experience under their belt, or are they usually coming fresh out of undergrad? 23:30 - Talking more about his experience at Harvard Business School with business powerhouses like Ray Dalio. 25:00 - Joel’s strategy has been to invest in people over the business concepts and has had a lot of success by investing this way. He discusses what he looks for when deciding what kind of company he wants to invest in. 29:10 - When it comes to investing, is there a typical strategy to knowing when to invest vs bootstrapping your way to the top? 31:50 - When it comes to failing forward, what’s important for leaders to understand that as they transition away from a start-up that they keep that mentality? 34:00 - How can you find the happy medium of being able to ask for feedback from your team without losing your ‘power’ as a leader? 36:30 - How important are mentors when building a career, and when did Joel recognize that he needed to make sure he should always have a mentor? 37:50 - When it comes to being a great leader, quick decision making is a must. Joel discusses his decision-making process. 40:20 - Once a decision is made, how do you know when to change strategy vs letting more time gather results? 41:30 - Understanding the difference between instincts and emotions 44:12 - As a leader, are you hindered if you’re not an introvert by nature? 44:35 - Has the curriculum of the MBA changed drastically in the past 30 years, or are the core values still the same? 46:25 - Where is the future of leadership going?  

Developing Great Entrepreneurial Leaders

When it comes to technology, it honestly doesn't matter what industry you're in, technology is a life thread to the company. In order to build something great, you have to be able to embrace and be agile in technology. We had the honor of sitting down with Gerry Mecca, CIO of DATASCAN, and former VP of IT at Keurig Dr. Pepper to discuss how important it is for organizations to learn how to take chances and be comfortable failing forward in the world of technology. We also discussed how our work methods will change in the wake of COVID-19, and how working remotely will be adapted by a huge part of the workforce. Plus are we seeing the death of email as we know it? If you would like to learn more and connect with Gerry, make sure you check out his podcast, The Mecca Minute at https://marketscale.com/industries/podcast-network/the-mecca-minute/ and connect with Gerry on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerrymecca/ 6:24 - Getting inside the mind of Gerry Mecca and understanding his straight shooter leadership style 9:24 - When Gerry started to break out from a technical role to taking on a role that put him on the path to the C-Suite 10:56 - When it comes to passion and getting excited about a job, is that something that we can learn or is just an innate quality? Plus what's one small thing you can do that can accelerate your career path. 13:04 - When it comes to technology, leaders many times don’t cultivate a culture of being okay with failure. How as a technology leader can you encourage that and build a team that’s focused on innovating vs. not failing? 20:14 - The story of RFID and when Gerry watched peers jump into technology that wasn’t quite necessary (or were still testing out) 22:46 - The importance of technology in any company, even if they’re technically not a technology company (and how Dr. Pepper took risks) 24:55 - How will COVID impact technology teams within companies and the way we work and communicate with each other? 28:40 - How much should we be advocating for remote work, and how will roles be impacted by this new shift? 32:45 - Does working remotely impact the ability to be promoted? 35:00 - Is email as a communication method dying, and what should we be looking at instead? 39:45 - Where does the business environment go in the next five years?

Driving a Dynamic Career in Technology & Leadership

When it comes to companies researching emerging technology and innovation, it can be tempting to innovate for the sake of innovating rather than for the sake of what your users may actually want and need. We are also living in a world where the leadership of companies is dominated by left-brain thinkers, who will sacrifice creativity for the sake of numbers, and not failing for the sake of continuing to do what's worked in the past. Between these two issues, many companies are missing the mark on how to thrive. Now more than ever, it's important for companies to understand that what has worked in the past isn't going to get them very far. They must put innovation and user-centered designs first if they want to wow their customers and create a long-lasting company. Robert Niemiec joined us on this episode of Innovation Calling, and we talked in-depth about how his company Twisthink helps companies to create a different narrative when it comes to implementing technology and how to create a team of creative thinkers, who are also focused on wowing your customers. You can find out more and connect with Robert at Twisthink.com Here is the official episode breakdown: 5:25 - When it comes to Twisthink, what does it mean by implementing a human element within their design process? 7:26 - The three lenses that should be used for every project, and how those lend themselves into true innovation 8:34 - What are some of the projects that Twisthink has worked on to implement the three lenses, and how exactly it all comes together 15:34 - Knowing that people can sometimes be set in their ways, how hard is it to persuade teams when they are sold on something, yet the data is pointing to create a pivot? 18:30 - Are we doomed as humans to be stuck in our ways, and is left-brain dominated leaders hurting our ability to innovate? 21:30 - When it comes to technology and implementing new things, how can a company like Twisthink help to convince their clients of the impact and importance of usability and designing for the user and not just to add new technology? 25:35 - Are there specific industries that are embracing human design over others? (And why the response might surprise you.) 28:35 - How do companies start to think differently and foster creativity and risk within your workforce? 30:45 - If the bridge of innovation can’t be gapped quickly, is there a way to begin to get leaders seeing the opportunities they might be missing, even at a small scale? 33:58 - How much does psychology apply when having these human design centered discussions? 37:10 - The shock of how companies can be successful in spite of themselves, but how truly great leaders must learn how to fear easy 39:42 - The metaphor of a shed, and how having a separate space can help inspire a team to continue to innovate through their core, yet look at others areas of growth 

How Design Thinking Leads to Innovation Excellence

In tales about the future, we hear of the world where robots take over the workforce, but the truth is a world with ‘robots’ isn’t just for science fiction readers. In fact, it’s here now. We sat down with some folks at Blue Prism, a company focused on creating Robotic Process Automation, and we had the opportunity to break down use cases for RPA and some of the amazing ways this technology is making a huge difference within companies. Gone are the days where work forces are solely made of humans, but we are now adding digital labor to take over mundane tasks. There’s so much more to this technology than a straight-forward ROI, as it’s about not just creating a faster work force, but a happier one. If you’d like to learn more about Blue Prism, Visit: https://www.blueprism.com/ Also, in this episode, we talked about the upcoming event Blue Prism World 2020, which has been moved to a virtual event. Visit https://home.blueprismworld.com/ for up-to-date information. The Official Episode Breakdown: 4:56 - Learning more about what Blue Prism is and exploring the area of digital labor 6:39 - When it comes to working with companies, how is the ROI case made, and is there a general ‘sweet spot’ that companies can see where RPA could really pay off? This also isn’t necessarily a black and white answer, where numbers are the sole decision maker, and we discuss the other factors where RPA can have a huge impact on a company. 9:38 - Are digital workers and human workers mutually exclusive, or should companies consider looking at them from a different perspective? 12:04 - If you’re replicating a top talent, and you’re not replacing the top talent, then where does that talent go, and how exactly can a company consider utilizing them 17:18 - Does Robotic Process Automation take away from some of the human experience if information is getting handed to us as we need it, versus us having to work for it. 19:04 - What makes Blue Prism true A.I., and how does Machine Learning play into making applications smarter and faster? 21:46 - Is there a line that Blue Prism draws in what kind of companies they help, and how they can actually help them? 24:40 - We explore the new career paths and opportunities RPA can actually create for others versus solely taking away jobs. 28:04 - How large does a company have to be before they can truly utilize RPA technology, and what are some cool use cases for this technology? 31:05 - Can RPA technology actually be more accurate than a human, and what are the use cases that prove that? 33:20 - How useful is RPA if the data you’re working with is delayed? 35:10 - Is RPA’s main job to ‘tell people what to do’ or is it about providing the data to make the right decision? 36:22 - How does RPA change liability for things like the medical field? Should a digital worker be in charge of making decisions?

Compelling Applications and the Future of Robotic Process Automation

We’ve heard the stories that we should fear A.I, and that it’s going to take away all of our jobs, but what does a future with A.I. truly look like? In this episode we were joined by Neil Sahota, IBM Master Inventor, UnitedNations A.I. Subject Matter Expert, and Author of Own the A.I. Revolution. We dove deep into the future of A.I., and what we really need to be concerned about as this data starts to make important decisions. We also talked about the limitations of those decisions, and what we need to consider as this technology advances, and we talked about Emerging Technology and education through a standard university model. Is that really the right path to take for those who want to take on a career in these fields? Here is the official episode breakdown: 5:10 - We jump into Neil’s experience speaking in front of the UN along with hanging with Mike Tyson on his podcast to discuss which one was a scarier experience, and the misconceptions that the UN had about A.I. and what our future looked like. 6:24 - When it comes to working with these worldwide leaders, what level of education are they requiring to understand what the future looks like? 9:04 - People are fearful of A.I., and is that fear justified? 10:36 - We dive deeper into the applications of A.I. How exactly can we allow A.I. to make more in-depth decisions that would require a massive effort in coding? 13:58 - What’s the demand for data science as A.I. becomes better at making its own decision? Will data scientists eventually go away? Or will their roles become more important as A.I. advances? 16:28 - As we implement larger scale efforts to analyze data, are there other initiatives to actually baseline the data? 18:08 - As a society that tends to be on the lazier side, how do we take initiative as a human race to work smarter than the robots? 23:40 - Teaching A.I. to grad students and applying it in the legal field and on the business side, including the future of work, how will that impact business moving forward? 24:02 - What is the definition of the future of work? What are jobs of the future going to be, and what are the skills that will be required to fulfill those jobs? 26:38 - How will the role of standard jobs change if A.I. is taking away some of the time that it takes the newbies to catch up to speed, almost like the grunt work (i.e. researchers in a law firm)? 28:30 - Is the curriculum for these Emerging Technology Courses advancing fast enough to align with the speed of change of the actual technology. 31:06 - Do we even need the training for these Emerging Technologies to happen in the standard university level? 36:15 - Is A.I. so advanced that they actually were able to get it to write Shakespeare? 38:23 - When it comes to A.I. and Social Media, is A.I. advanced enough to predict when posts may even go viral? How can companies use this data for the future? 40:25 - How do we protect ourselves from things like deep-fake when it comes to helping to make important decisions, for example voting? 46:03 - We go back to the UN to discuss the new initiative that they have to help use A.I. for good. Want to learn more about Neil Twitter - https://twitter.com/neil_sahota LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/neilsahota/ Visit https://www.neilsahota.com/

Positioning A.I. For Social Good

What does it truly take for a company to thrive in the digital age? It’s much more than just buying and implementing the latest technology. This is one of our favorite subjects to discuss and Wall Street Journal Best-Selling Author of The Digital Helix, Michael Gale, did not disappoint as we dove deep into this topic. We explored how companies need to think about innovation (and the first step has nothing to do with technology). We also talked about how innovation doesn’t just help a company do better, it can sometimes even cause a company to entirely pivot. We also discussed generational differences, and what companies need to think about from an innovation perspective as they build their workforce. If you would love to hear more about Michael, you can visit https://www.inc.digital/learn to download his audiobook or head over to Forbes to listen to his podcast, Futures in Focus. The Official Episode Breakdown 4:00 - Michael Gale discusses bras? Yes, this is relevant, and we talk about why he decided to do a podcast about it 8:35 - Diving deeper into Michael’s podcast Futures In Focus 12:10 - How can companies learn to focus on the right technology and innovate without innovating strictly for the sake of innovating. Want to buy Michael’s book? Click Here 15:10 - Can technology really transform a company, or what has to happen first for technology to really make a difference? 18:02 - How much are companies losing by buying the wrong technology, and why it’s so important to set the company up to thrive with the new technology. 19:00 - How many companies actually have their processes down that allow them to take advantage of technology 22:20 - Discussing some organizations that took huge pivots because of innovating 23:40 - How should companies treat data, and how high should they prioritize it 25:20 - Stories of how companies can actually transform based on the data they’re collecting 26:40 - The important role of generations and why Gen Xers will soon take over the world (we may have made that last part up) 29:10 - If companies aren’t willing to invest in their workforce how much is it hurting their ability to hire? 31:10 - Did Gen X fail as a generation 33:00 - Are Millennials actually right in their work ethic and how they’re approaching how they accomplish work? 36:20 - When it comes to technology and political races, is technology one of the biggest factors when determining who will win 39:15 - As a society what can we be aware of, and how can we combat the manipulation of data, news, etc 42:20 - Will we become lazy as a society if we’re not seeking out our own data vs sitting back and letting it be fed to us

Helping Corporations Thrive in the Digital Age

We know that data has changed organizations, and the way we do business. However, how has emerging technology and data had an effect on the marketing world? How has focusing on data allowed companies to be more precise in customer targeting, make better correlations between marketing and sales, and impacted the way companies attract customers?...

The Role of Emerging Tech in Marketing

We know Artificial Intelligence can help with decision making, but can it help in a crisis that we’ve never seen before like what we’re experiencing with COVID-19? In this episode, we talked to Gary Saarenvirta of Daisy Intelligence, which uses machine intelligence to help retailers and insurance companies use data to make better and smarter... The post Artificial Intelligence In Times of Crisis appeared first on PodcastDetroit.com. PodcastDetroit.com - The Podcast Detroit Network

Artificial Intelligence In Times of Crisis

As Esports approaches a billion dollars in annual revenue, we know we’re only seeing the beginning of this industry. As you see more and more players striving to become professional, and more money being injected into these teams, how do we first ensure the right path for these players. Plus, how do we create the... The post Accelerating Performance For the Next Esports Stars appeared first on PodcastDetroit.com. PodcastDetroit.com - The Podcast Detroit Network

Accelerating Performance For the Next Esports Stars

In a world completely run by data, we may feel like we have no more choice in the matter, and that we just have to except it is what it is. However, Dean Shapero thought there had to be a better way. It wasn’t about blocking our data, but realizing that if someone was going... The post The Upside For Consumers In Data Collection appeared first on PodcastDetroit.com. PodcastDetroit.com - The Podcast Detroit Network

The Upside For Consumers In Data Collection

About This Discussion: When it comes to application development, the industry can be a bit saturated. Between a plethora of overseas developers and a large community of developers in the US, it can be hard to determine where to go and who to trust with your company’s ideas and needs. We had the opportunity to... The post Blending Strategy Consulting and Technical Expertise to Application Development appeared first on PodcastDetroit.com. PodcastDetroit.com - The Podcast Detroit Network

Blending Strategy Consulting and Technical Expertise to Application Development

About this Episode: In this episode, we had the honor of speaking with Brett Velicovich, the Strategic Advisor for WhiteFox Defense Technologies at CES 2020. Brett gives us the rundown on the need for drone safety and security measures. WhiteFox invented the counter-drone solution and develops products to securely manage drones in airspaces worldwide. Listen... The post Securing The Skies From Next Generation Drones appeared first on PodcastDetroit.com. PodcastDetroit.com - The Podcast Detroit Network

Securing The Skies From Next Generation Drones

Welcome to the Innovation Calling Podcast!This is the podcast where we’ll feature today’s top innovators who are revolutionizing their industries by utilizing technology.Our mission is to connect those looking to be part of the next big thing with those companies who are already making it happen.

hubhopper

Innovation Calling

hubhopper