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Bob Berbeco is the Chief Information Officer at Mahaska Health, leading IT, data science, AI, cybersecurity, and informatics. He's been in healthcare technology for 27 years and holds a Six Sigma Black Belt. For most of that time, Bob operated the way many IT leaders do—shields up, knowledge expert, the guy who does all the talking. Then something shifted. When executives ask him something he does...

Ray Martin started his IT career in a basement cage, setting up Blackberries behind a locked door. Ten years later, he's the CTO at Dimeo Construction—and he's survived two ransomware attacks. The first one fractured trust between IT and operations. The second one? Conti demanded $1.2 million in Bitcoin. Ray counter-offered $10K "so I don't have to go through the trouble." They said no. He recover...

ON THIS EPISODE ➤ Why 75% of employees are using unapproved AI tools right now ➤ How to consolidate AI usage onto one secure, compliant platform ➤ Live demonstration of no-code agent building for HR, sales, and operations ➤ Real enterprise security: SOC2, ISO 27001, and GDPR compliance explained ➤ Managing AI chat logs and preventing data leaks ➤ Building custom agents that integrate with your exi...

ON THIS EPISODE ➤ The real difference between AI hype and actual enterprise AI adoption ➤ Why most change management initiatives fail (and what to do instead) ➤ How to identify and solve the right problems before executing strategy ➤ The brutal truth about AI’s impact on workforce transformation ➤ Change management frameworks that actually work for AI implementation What happens when you combine c...

ON THIS EPISODE ➤ What network aggregation actually means (and why most IT leaders have never heard of it)➤ How to consolidate 50+ circuits onto one invoice with co-terminus contracts➤ Real strategies for 20%+ cost savings while improving service➤ POTS replacement tactics saving thousands monthly➤ The leadership question that gets executive buy-in: “What do we lose by not doing this?” Managing int...

ON THIS EPISODE ➤ Why most Azure migrations fail before they start—and how to plan properly from day one ➤ The real difference between CSPs who just sell licenses and partners who drive value ➤ How to reduce Azure costs by 80% through proper architecture and licensing optimization ➤ Why IT leaders must learn to ask for help instead of fighting fires alone ➤ Moving from reactive firefighting to str...

ON THIS EPISODE ➤ Why IT presentations lose executives in 30 seconds—and the backward storytelling framework that changes everything ➤ How a CFO cut AWS costs 20% in three weeks through daily DevOps partnership sessions ➤ The Five Boss Model: Why your CFO wants to fund IT projects but can’t understand your proposals ➤ Innovation budget reality: Why 15-20% waste is expected and how to frame experim...

ON THIS EPISODE ➤ The “wedding cake” framework for IT stack management and system lifecycle planning ➤ Why being embedded in every department’s presentation beats having your own slide deck ➤ The change management cycle: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance ➤ Time-Resources-Money triangle: the iron law of ERP implementation ➤ How to select the right ERP tier and avoid the “cement arou...

ON THIS EPISODE ➤ Why IT teams become “the Department of No” and how to transform that culture ➤ The Walsh KPI Framework: 5 metrics that prove IT’s EBITDA impact ➤ Using golf as a leadership assessment tool for vendors and partners ➤ The ACAIC method for overcoming objections without saying no ➤ From “users” to “customers” – the language shift that changes everything What happens when golf course...

ON THIS EPISODE: ➤ Why overthinking kills IT progress and how to break the paralysis ➤ The unique advantages of managing both IT and HR responsibilities ➤ How coffee conversations solve more problems than formal meetings ➤ Real AI use cases: CAD plant identification and expense categorization ➤ Developing people when there’s no room for advancement ➤ Why looking stupid makes you learn faster What...

ON THIS EPISODE ➤ Why 95% of enterprise AI implementations fail (MIT study insights) ➤ The confusion matrix framework for evaluating AI vendors ➤ How to approach AI as an automation problem, not magic ➤ Red flags when AI salespeople make unrealistic promises ➤ Data quality as the foundation for successful AI adoption What happens when a data scientist turned CIO reveals the brutal truth about AI a...

ON THIS EPISODE ➤ How to transition IT from cost center to business enabler ➤ Building stakeholder relationships through lunch and learn programs ➤ AI implementation strategy that balances innovation with security ➤ Transforming reactive “car mechanic” mindset to proactive business partner ➤ Earning executive respect through consistent value demonstration What happens when a chemical engineer beco...

ON THIS EPISODE ➤ How to learn leadership from bad boss experiences➤ The servant leadership framework that actually delivers business results➤ Simple technique for eliminating cultural barriers in global team meetings➤ Individual management assessment strategies for different personality types➤ Building IT reputation through equal service excellence across all organizational levels What happens wh...

ON THIS EPISODE ➤ How to move from AI hype to practical business implementation ➤ The Vibe Workflow System for rapid prototyping without coding skills ➤ Why perfect AI content isn’t always better than authentic human voice ➤ Building AI guardrails that enable rather than block innovation ➤ Start Small Framework: From personal fun projects to enterprise deployment What happens when a healthcare IT...

ON THIS EPISODE ➤ How network aggregators eliminate ISP management chaos➤ Real strategies for migrating from expensive MPLS to resilient SD-WAN➤ Why POTS line costs are exploding and how to escape before bills double➤ Building proactive network monitoring instead of reactive firefighting➤ The zero-CapEx approach that gets executive buy-in for network upgrades What happens when IT leaders stop acce...

ON THIS EPISODE ➤ Crisis leadership: How to achieve 100% team placement during organizational failure ➤ The amplified impact of leadership presence and why every interaction matters 10x more ➤ Player-coach assessment framework for determining optimal IT focus areas ➤ Scaling IT through explosive growth: From $250M to $500M revenue management ➤ Business-first mindset transformation from technical e...

ON THIS EPISODE ➤ How a Master’s in Russian History translates to IT leadership success ➤ The EBITDA Impact Framework for connecting IT initiatives to business outcomes ➤ Real-world AI automation that saved $2M+ by eliminating 4,400 manual service calls ➤ Why IT leaders must learn business operations before optimizing them ➤ Moving from cost center “last slide” to presenting at every board meeting...

ON THIS EPISODE ➤ Why giving orders at work doesn’t work anymore ➤ How to work with difficult people who challenge you ➤ Why tech skills aren’t enough to be a good leader ➤ How to talk to your boss and coworkers better ➤ Why you need to understand what your company really does What happens when a military guy tries to run an IT team? Troy Penny used to be in the Air Force. He programmed computers...

ON THIS EPISODE ➤ Why IT leaders get constant pushback on their recommendations ➤ The communication framework that prevents 90% of leadership problems ➤ How to stop making unilateral decisions that kill trust ➤ Building the “Culture of IT” where technology drives business success ➤ Moving from cost center to strategic business partner Why do IT leaders face more pushback than any other department?...

ON THIS EPISODE ➤ Why technical skills aren’t the most important factor in IT hiring ➤ How to manage cybersecurity compliance across 6 different countries ➤ The partner selection strategy when you can’t master everything alone ➤ Why AI enhances jobs instead of replacing them (if you adapt correctly) ➤ How to align IT priorities with business goals through involvement, not just communication What h...

ON THIS EPISODE ➤ The critical difference between technical expertise and leadership effectiveness ➤ How to recognize when supportive environments become career traps ➤ Strategic lateral movement for long-term career growth ➤ The listening leadership framework that transforms team dynamics ➤ Managing up through business translation of technical concepts ➤ Professional development strategies for sm...

Listen now: subscribe and join 1,000s of IT Leaders changing the face of IT. Now… ON THIS EPISODE ➤ How IT leaders navigate career growth in geographically isolated markets ➤ The unexpected value of cross-functional experience in sales for IT professionals ➤ Building professional community and peer networks in small market environments ➤ Overcoming gender dynamics and communication challenges in t...

ON THIS EPISODE: ➤ How to position yourself as your team’s “firewall” – standing between them and organizational pressure to create space for great work. ➤ Why “exception-only management” builds stronger teams than micromanagement – trusting first and intervening only when needed. ➤ The Scout Leader approach to letting people fail safely so they actually learn and grow into confident decision-make...

ON THIS EPISODE: ➤ How to identify and overcome different forms of workplace toxicity, from the “loud screamer” to the “quiet killer”. ➤ Why vulnerability and emotional honesty are professional strengths, not weaknesses. ➤ Methods for “seeing” the true potential in people and helping them reframe their value. ➤ The career-limiting danger of “code-switching” and how to maintain your authentic voice...

Listen now: subscribe and join 1,000s of IT Leaders changing the face of IT. ON THIS EPISODE: ➤ The critical elements of incident response planning➤ Strategic approaches to cyber insurance and vendor alignment➤  Methods for maintaining business operations during cyber events➤  Techniques for communicating with executive leadership➤  Essential partnerships and resources during cyber incidents From...