Boston Dynamics Atlas Robot Doing Parkour

Amazing! It’s mind-blowing to reflect on how much progress Boston Dynamics has made over the past decade. I remember watching YouTube videos of their first-generation humanoid robot back in 2009 and thinking—this is the coolest thing ever. Now imagine what we’re likely to see in the next ten years. Click …

Tech-Life Balance – Taking Back Control!

Work-life balance is a familiar concept, but in today’s world it is no longer enough. What we need now is tech-life balance. It is the healthy equilibrium between our digital lives and the real world around us. Over the past decade, I have watched technology, and especially smartphones, reshape how …

2019 Retail Industry Outlook

What does 2019 hold for the retail industry? Deloitte’s latest report highlights six strategies that can help retailers strengthen their competitiveness and position themselves for long-term success. Over the past two decades, many retailers have fundamentally shifted how they invest. Instead of relying on growth through new store openings, companies …

Global Powers of Luxury Goods 2019

The global luxury goods market posted solid growth in 2019, even against the backdrop of a slowing global economy. Deloitte’s Global Powers of Luxury Goods report highlights several key trends shaping the future of the industry, driven largely by digitization and the growing influence of Millennials and Generation Z. The …

The CIO’s First Day – Strategic or Operational?

I recently came across an excellent article by George Spalding on SearchCIO that captures the reality many technology leaders face on day one. He paints a very accurate picture of the first encounter between a new CIO and their internal business partners. You might expect that first meeting to revolve …

Operational CIO vs Strategic CIO

This infographic provides a great comparison between the traditional operational CIO and the strategic CIO that many leading companies now need. In my experience, far too many organizations still rely heavily on operational CIOs, and the well-known 80/20 budgeting model remains the norm: 80 percent spent on maintenance and only …

Emotional Intelligence: A Must-Have Skill for the Global Workplace

Over the years, having held leadership roles in global organizations, I’ve learned a great deal about what it truly takes to manage remote teams effectively. Motivating employees halfway across the world requires a very different set of skills than managing those sitting a few desks away. It demands intentional communication, …

DigitalOcean: An Engaged Community and a Simple, Powerful Cloud Platform

I recently moved all my personal websites to DigitalOcean, and the experience has been a breath of fresh air. If I had known how seamless the process would be, I would have done it much sooner. For those unfamiliar, DigitalOcean is a cloud hosting provider built around simplicity and a …

Google Maps: A Growing Platform for Reviews and Local Discovery

Google Maps has quietly evolved into one of the most influential user review and business discovery platforms in the world. While services like Yelp and Tripadvisor still hold strong positions, Google’s continued investment in Maps should give them reason to pay attention. Nearly every business on the planet is already …

Discover Gapminder: A Powerful Way to Visualize Global Trends

If you have not explored Gapminder yet, it is worth taking a look. Gapminder is a fascinating online tool that helps users visualize global data in a clear and engaging way. In their own words, they are “a modern museum that helps to make the world understandable, using the Internet.” …