AI has had its ups and downs—no different from any nascent technology. That's entirely consistent with the way we adopt new things. If you're at all interested in innovation, you should know how this works.

It's easy to complain when you're living a bad experience. But so much more constructive to ask one great question.

I've been working with AI for 30 years. Until recently, it always felt like we were using a sledge hammer on a carpet tack. But the time has finally arrived for all business leaders to take a look.

Big wins don't require big investments. Sometimes, the simplest things can improve your customer reviews. And the fact that many businesses overlook this gives you an opportunity to stand out.

I've been honoured to work with many colleagues who know their craft inside out. But these experts have a challenge—to keep seeking new ways.

My father was an accountant. For 70 years, he produced pristine double-entry ledgers in the most beautiful hand-writing. That was his art.

Double entry bookkeeping is 700 years old. Its invention enabled commerce as we know if today. But today it's just cumbersome.

We're all in the business of helping our customers achieve their goals. By providing both tools and skills, we create experts and make customers' lives easier.

Experts do things naturally. Developing expertise requires researching the topic, understanding techniques, practicing the process, and getting feedback to hone the art.

With technology, you can help motivated customers become experts by spoon feeding techniques and monitoring their progress. And with a high touch component, you can provide access to a coach to spur them on and help them overcome challenges.

A client recently told me that she'd "love to innovate but I have to stick to the process." I immediately jumped on my soapbox—"Innovation and process go hand in hand."

That may seem counterintuitive. If process prescribes the way things should be done, and innovation is all about finding a better way, how can the two co-exist, let alone be in lock-step?

I meet too many leaders who are struggling with technology in their business.

If you're to achieve impactful results, your first challenge is to understand your technology bias.

We cannot let the tech industry be defined solely by its leaders—99% of industry can make headlines with their customers without Silicon Valley budgets and PR home runs.

I used to pull up the tech headlines in major newspapers every day. I thought it was important to know what's going on. But now I've stopped.

Every day, billions of people use a tool that was invented to be slowest in its class. It's been bettered since, yet few people are aware of this innovation.

Want a clue? Look down.

We all make mistakes, and we all pray they don't get noticed like the false nuclear alarm in Hawaii. When it happens, the system is a false scapegoat.

I get a lot of calls from leaders whose businesses are in crisis. The first step is clear—halt the slide towards disaster.

It's the second step that separates the winners from the also-rans.

It's a shame how many projects approach a crisis point when the timing of critical outcomes is at risk. Too late to point out that this could always have been avoided—impending crisis has to be recognized and handled with stout hearts and brave decisions.

Many years ago, I took a position that really excited me. Great company, exciting challenges, and an opportunity to deliver on what I knew and to learn what I wanted to know next.

Early in your career, you probably had the luxury of focusing on the challenges of the day.

But as you broaden your scope and take on larger leadership challenges, it pays to add dimensions to your thinking.

If you've chosen a path that presents you with one new challenge after another, you've chosen to adapt your skills to meet each new challenge.

Now you have a choice between evolution and creation.

What do you do when your plans are being held up by a shortage of talent?  You've read a hundred resumes and no one fits the bill. Or you can't pay them what they're demanding.

Have you tried to create the talent you need?

Optimistic decisions have a habit of coming back to haunt you. A good dose of reality now will reduce disappointments later.

There are just three steps to the making of important decisions ...

Every investment you make has a goal. The question is whether that's to build the future or fix the past.

If you don't know what you will become, how will you know when you're there?