Your personal brand isn’t what you say about yourself, it’s what others say about you when
you’re not in the room. So how can you grow your personal brand into the most powerful tool of your
career development? On this career-centered episode of The Digital Enterprise Society podcast, Thom
Singer is joined by Irishman Conor Cunneen for a conversation about tactics for devising and
strengthening your personal brand in ways that will benefit your career.
On today’s podcast, you will learn:
What is your personal brand?
● Your personal brand is what people say about you after you’ve left the room.
● What you think your brand is might differ wildly from what other people say your brand is.
● Consider whether you are actually projecting the brand you want to project.
How to take ownership of your mistakes
● If you mess up, don’t be afraid to apologize. It’s a powerful tool in protecting your brand.
● Everyone messes up at some point in some way. Just own it.
● If you want to maintain a positive relationship with someone, it is up to you to make it happen.
Steps to develop your personal brand
● Collaboration is critical in PLM.
● Practice relating to others — the better you relate to others, the better your personal brand
will be.
● Ask yourself — am I reliable, dependable, and easy to work with?
● What 3 words would you like your teammates to say about you when you’re not in the room?
● Take action today that proves you are those characteristics.
How to find a career mentor
● Reach out to management for mentor recommendations.
● Identify a mentor who can encourage and coach you and offer truthful feedback.
● Join a mastermind or accountability group that is relevant to your career.
Why does your attitude matter?
● The attitude of one team member can make or break a group, meeting, or gathering.
● Words and body language matter in the productivity and creativity of your team.
● Ask yourself — what do I want my attitude to be?
● Show up with the attitude you want to have, regardless of how you might actually be feeling.
Develop a positive attitude with CHAPS
● Compliment others regularly.
● Hear the words ‘thank you’ by helping your colleagues.
● Address people by their names.
● Positive words and phrases create a positive atmosphere.
● Smile — put a smile on someone else’s face.
Continue the conversation with us within the Digital Enterprise Society Community at
www.DigitalEnterpriseSociety.org.
Digital Download: Virtual Round-Table Series

Disruptive technologies continue to drive VC strategies. We hear plenty about venture capital and inventions, and there is plenty yet to be invented for PLM (product lifecycle management). On this episode of The Digital Enterprise Society podcast, Craig Brown and Thom Singer welcome SineWave Ventures managing general partner Yanev Suissa for a conversation about venture capital, the technologies that are impacting real change, and the things that we are focusing too much on (and what should be center-stage instead).

On today’s podcast, you will learn:

Finding new technologies in PLM

• Thesis-driven actions and data-driven decisions help shape the work at SineWave.

• With the end goal in mind, they can identify the technologies that are not yet invented.

• Collaborations with industry experts help identify needs and trends.

Technologies to look out for

• Capital-intensive endeavors tend to turn off venture capitalists.

• Craig shares examples from the car industry that need to be addressed.

• Different technology phases require different levels of investment.

• Yanev offers investment options at the seed stage, venture stage, and late stages. 

• Sourcing information is often driven by the commercial world. 

• AI technologies and use cases offer some of the most interesting places for VC to invest.

Disruptive technologies that are driving the VC strategy

• Higher performance and lower cost continue to be the key drivers in investments. 

• Supply chain technologies are currently center stage.

• Securities technologies have moved toward identity-centric securities.

• AI may be overhyped, but it’s far from going away.

• VCs want to find entrepreneurs who know how to adjust within different timeframes.

Finding a VC to invest in your idea

• Get connected on LinkedIn in whatever ways you can.

• The most interesting solution sets often come from big company people who are ready to solve a problem they have dealt with firsthand.

• Entrepreneur geographical location does matter, whether or not it should.

What are we too focused on (that we shouldn’t be)?

• The sovereignty of technology is getting over-hyped.

• We need to refocus on the ground-level answers — what matters and what are technologies trying to accomplish?

• A combination of what is possible in the future and what is useful today is essential to real progress.

Continue the conversation with us within the Digital Enterprise Society Community at www.DigitalEnterpriseSociety.org.

Digital Download: Virtual Round-Table Series

Who should be responsible for the development of tools? Citizen developers or professional developers only? Or maybe a combination of the two is the right answer. Back to help hash out the pros and cons of this hot topic, Mark Pendergast joins Craig and Thom on this episode of The Digital Enterprise Society podcast. Without their usual polar opposite views, Craig and Mark highlight the strengths of both citizen and professional developers and share their recommendations for working toward coexistence to promote better innovation.

On today’s podcast, you will learn:

Citizen developer vs. professionals only

• Mark has been a citizen developer most of his career.

• Anyone who has a day job but also writes code is a citizen developer.

• These developers may be trained, or they may be hackers.

• Professional developers may also be trained or may also be hackers.

• Professionals aim to fill the demands of the IT department while citizen developers meet the needs that are left unaddressed by IT.

• IT faces constraints while citizen developers are free to address whatever they’d like.

• Citizen developers don’t always possess the level of skill that the professionals do.

Advantages and disadvantages of the citizen developer

• Citizen developers are generally quite close to the business need.

• They understand what’s missing and how to address it.

• The best citizen developers are free from the constraints of the IT department.

• Citizen developers rarely have a long-term focus and tend to build non-scaleable products.

• A lack of understanding of the professional craft reflects poorly in their work.

Advantages and disadvantages of the professional developer

• Professionals are better trained to handle the scaling problems.

• Professionals tend to know what is coming before it hits the company.

• However, very few professionals really understand the full scope of the business.

• A clearly defined division of responsibility would benefit both the professional and the citizen developer, as well as the end product.

• Management doesn't always support the cooperation of professional and citizen developers because it limits innovation.

Craig’s rules surrounding the development of software

• Don't’ share (if you're the citizen developer).

• If the product is attached to the IT network of the company, it’s the company’s responsibility to keep it safe and scaled.

• Phototypes can come from anybody and should be in the hands of the people that use them.

Mark’s rules surrounding the development of software

• When the rules become oppressive, tyranny ensues.

• IT is too powerful and readily available to overcome.

• The more IT tries to shut apps down, the more they will be shared.

• Rules need to be reasonable all around so they don’t force citizen developers underground.

Final words and takeaways

• Mark argues that there can be peaceful coexistence but recognizes that it won’t be easy to achieve.

• Improving the craft is key to success.

• IT needs to work together with citizen developers to provide tools and offer support.

• Craig agrees with Mark — the more knowledge any developer brings to the problem the better they can solve the process.

• If IT can solve the problem, find a citizen developer who can.

• Coexistence is the answer to better innovation.

Continue the conversation with us within the Digital Enterprise Society Community at www.DigitalEnterpriseSociety.org.

Digital Download: Virtual Round-Table Series

Regardless of the stage in your career, staying relevant is key to staying employed. To highlight some of the essential steps to making sure you are engaged and relevant in your work, on today’s career development episode of The Digital Enterprise Society podcast, Thom Singer welcomes Carolyn Strauss. Carolyn is a speaker and former designer on the Home Shopping Network and has joined Thom to discuss tactics and tips for designing yourself as an essential member of your team and player in your industry at every stage of your career.

On today’s podcast, you will learn:

Designing needful products or services

• Designing is a basic skill for people that enhances the life of the people who are using it.

• Whether digital products or the Home Shopping Network, designing keeps you relevant.

• Focus on the ways you can make things better than you found them.

• Find out where the work is, then go there and meet the people you want to do business with.

• Have more than one iron in your fire in case one path doesn’t pan out.

• Consider how the product or service you are designing is perceived by your company or industry.

Tips for staying relevant

• Connect with the smartest people in your industry.

• Take time to learn something that you don’t already know.

• Subscribe to industry publications to stay informed on the latest updates.

Connecting with people

• Connect in more meaningful ways than likes and follows on social media.

• Consider the motivation behind your engagement with others.

• Learn the 5 love languages and use them to connect with others.

• Identify associations and find time to volunteer there. Make it a part of your career goals.

• Show up — meeting in person is always more effective than on-screen interactions.

Enhancing your professional development

• Spend money to invest in your professional development.

• Listen to podcasts that highlight industry experts.

• Keep track of your deliverables — know how to answer the question “What do you do?”.

• Show up, smile, listen, and show appreciation.

• Find a local association that you can join, learn from and contribute to.

• Volunteer to be part of projects that are interesting to you, even if it is outside of your specific position.

Continue the conversation with us within the Digital Enterprise Society Community at www.DigitalEnterpriseSociety.org.

Digital Download: Virtual Round-Table Series

We have come a long way from thousands of pages in filing cabinets and snail mail communications, but the digitalization of data comes with its own set of challenges. Digitalization allows for the automation of transactions, but because it deals with people, there are still limitations. How are companies evolving with these changes? On today’s episode of The Digital Enterprise Society podcast, Craig Brown and Thom Singer are joined by PROSTEP, Inc. US Federal Sales Executive and Industry Manger Jim Markwalder for a conversation about the history, progress, and challenges of digitalization.

On today’s podcast, you will learn:

What is digitalization in 2023?

• Traditionally, business has been all about people and documents.

• Digitalization made it possible to save, store, and manipulate documents.

• The challenge then came with emailing copies and maintaining version control.

• Digitalization happens when moving from documents to data.

Limitations to digitalization

• Can a contract become just data? Smart contracts and blockchain are designed to manage and control contracts.

• The legal system is slow to catch up with digital documents.

• Digitalization is not limited to data sharing, it also includes collaboration.

Applying digitalization to the digital thread

• While digitalization applies across the globe, the digital thread applies specifically to the product lifecycle.

• The digital thread addresses the beginning to the end and back to the beginning again.

• The digital twin holds the possibility of a manifestation in the real world.

• The expression of a part from a digital format is a physical manifestation of the digital twin.

• Open CLM and PROSTEP allows increased visibility and federate data.

Getting the digital thread right

• Leading industries, including manufacturing, are setting the standard.

• Healthcare, retail, utilities, and construction are all adapting well.

• PROSTEP is a vendor-neutral leader who supports end-to-end digitalization.

Continue the conversation with us within the Digital Enterprise Society Community at www.DigitalEnterpriseSociety.org.

Digital Download: Virtual Round-Table Series

With all of the rapid technology changes that are emerging all around us, how can you better look to and prepare for the future?  Will AI render your work useless in the near future?  It takes the insights of a futurist to understand all of the potential and problems that the future really holds.  On today’s episode of The Digital Enterprise Society podcast, Craig Brown and Thom Singer welcome Futurist and Applied Foresight Consultant Simon Anderson. Simon works to help companies be more future-ready, and he shares eye-opening insights into what exactly the future holds and his top five tips for becoming more future-ready. 

On today’s podcast, you will learn:

What is a futurist?

• The title means different things to different people. 

• Generally speaking, a futurist studies the future and makes predictions based on current and emerging trends. 

• Futurists aim to navigate challenges and capitalize on opportunities created by rapid change. 

• Famous futurist Alvin Toffler made an impressive number of accurate predictions about the future. 

Three A thinking

• Attention, anticipation, and action are the three key points to an improved mindset and practice. 

• With the three A’s, you can change how you think as well as how you do things. 

• By paying attention to the peripheral forces at work in your life, you can locate a preview of what might be important in the future. 

• Consider ‘what if, what then?’ not to predict the future but to anticipate potential futures. 

• Finally, identify the actions you would take if the potential future were to happen.

• Take 15 minutes a week to consider these trends and their potential impact. 

Augmented reality trends 

• Some aspects of virtual reality have been in the workplace for a long time. 

• Virtual reality is still in the early stages, and is currently the worst it’s ever going to be. 

• Current setbacks are still pointing these innovations toward the future. 

• Automation tools are not going to fully replace humans one for one. 

• AI does have the potential to replace humans on a micro level, but not on a macro level. 

5 steps to becoming future ready

• 1- take a future-15 moment as described above. 

• 2- create a counterpoint file that challenges your existing beliefs. 

• 3- conduct a pre mortem with your board or company to understand why your company may not exist one day. 

• 4- find an informed outsider to offer insights into your industry. 

• 5- find a reverse mentor- someone with a generational perspective than you that can guide you through current and future technologies

Post-pandemic advice from a futurist 

• Massive shifts over short periods of time are certainly possible. 

• Consider what might happen next and how to take advantage of the opportunities presented. 

• Look at what processes can be automated now and in the near future. 

• Utilize the certifications, classes and tools that could give you an advantage within your industry. 

• Engage the people in your organization who are interested in and responsible for looking ahead to the possibilities of the future. 

Continue the conversation with us within the Digital Enterprise Society Community at www.DigitalEnterpriseSociety.org.

Digital Download: Virtual Round-Table Series

 Is engineering like a factory? Is there really waste that needs to be eliminated?  If so, what is holding us back from really cutting the waste and improving processes? In the latest Digital Battle, Craig Brown and the new Digital Enterprise Board of Trustees Vice President Mark Pendergast take on the topic of lean engineering techniques. Craig and Mark start out on the same side of this argument, but don’t worry, that doesn’t last long as they further examine the successes, roadblocks, and possibilities of lean engineering techniques.

On today’s podcast, you will learn:

Why is engineering resistant to lean techniques?

• From Craig's perspective, lean techniques require the user to examine how wasteful they are.
• Engineers, managers, decision makers (and all humans) tend to think everything they do is useful, so is there really any waste to be cut?
• Mark’s experience taught him about lean before engineering, so he has no problem with cutting where necessary.
• The elite attitude of engineering limits the ability for lean techniques to succeed.

How is engineering like a factory?

• Consider the flow of information and decisions as they relate to both engineering and a factory.
• If you can apply lean to decision making rather than to people, it can be easier to talk about.
• Mark argues that there is incredible amounts of waste in the bureaucracy of engineering.
• The bulk of engineering work is the same process day after day.
• The 5 Whys are the questions that engineers need to ask themselves to reduce waste.

Lean techniques that are incompatible with engineering

• Mark says no - the application of these techniques can only have a positive result.
• Craig agrees - there is no downside to applying lean techniques to engineering.
• Lean techniques more easily identify where the problems are on the factory floor and then do something about it.
• Engineering struggles most when they don’t know their process.
• “Draining the swamp” prioritized lean techniques to help control both the loss and the improvements.

Engaging engineering in lean transformations 

• Craig recommends engineering spend more time on the floor for an eye-opening view of the waste that can be eliminated.
• Mark calls out middle management as the battleground - upper management needs to reward the people who are willing to implement these techniques, even if they fail.
• To get to the digital future, we’re going to have to eliminate not only the physical waste of today but the digital waste going forward.

Continue the conversation with us within the Digital Enterprise Society Community at www.DigitalEnterpriseSociety.org.

Digital Download: Virtual Round-Table Series

Everywhere you turn you hear that we all need to be better systems engineers, even though systems engineering is not without its shortcomings. Today Thom Singer and Craig Brown welcome returning podcast guest Patrick Hillberg for a discussion about the shortcomings and solutions of system engineering. Because if systems engineering causes dysfunction, what is the solution? 

On today’s podcast, you will learn:

Why is systems engineering a potential pitfall?

• Patrick argues that decomposition creates systems dysfunction.
• Decomposition is the breaking down of the entire product to focus on individual groups.
• Mechanical, electrical, and software all have to work together as well as individually.
• Craig proposes that systems engineering may be a skill rather than a discipline.

What can the individual do to solve team dysfunction?

• If dysfunction is the problem, there must be a solution.
• Individuals can move to remove performance management programs.
• Diversity in teams with a variety of skills have an advantage over others.
• The history of the decomposition approach reveals some of its shortcomings.

Teams and decomposition compatibility 

• Digital exhaust addresses who is talking to who.
• Limited communication results in limited innovation.
• A team that frequently talks to each other but rarely talks outside of the team is going to be a very efficient team, but not a very innovative team.

Is our history useful for the future?

• Patrick argues that the past century has not prepared us well for the next decade.
• External costs have never been a key consideration, resulting in limited future accessibility.
• A lack of accountability and ignoring repercussions has created major problems for the future.
• It’s possible that the Industrial Revolution was never truly sustainable.
• External costs are absolutely coming due, possibly even this decade.

Continue the conversation with us within the Digital Enterprise Society Community at www.DigitalEnterpriseSociety.org.

Digital Download: Virtual Round-Table Series