BEST IDEAS 2020
TECHNOLOGY & CYBERSECURITY
One way or another, every leader today is in the tech trenches. Lessons from the front lines.
FOR CEOs, TECHNOLOGY IMPLEMENTATION CAN BRING an exhilarating rush—or it can be their bête noire. But every business leader today recognizes the importance of getting their arms around technology and using it to take a major step forward for their companies, whether it be in the arena of artificial intelligence, ERP, cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing or something else. To help you out, Chief Executive turned to eight fellow CEOs who have been dealing with or planning for significant technology implications for their own companies or who guide organizations that help others adopt the next new thing. Most of these folks didn’t start their careers having anything to do with—or maybe any interest in—the kind of big leaps in technology that they’re overseeing today. But as all forms of new technology have swept through business, they’ve stayed ahead of the surge. And that’s what every CEO must do. Several of our eight CEOs offer advice on dealing with the ubiquitous impact—and the infinite possibilities—of AI. Another chief explains how to win over employees and customers who may be skeptical about a company’s next big technological step. There’s also a head’s up that voice-recognition technology is the next big thing for all businesses, perhaps surprisingly starting with B2B companies. We hope these ideas, excerpted from interviews, give you some insights for your own technology implementations—and maybe some extra enthusiasm. And we thank these CEOs for sharing their lessons, hard-earned or otherwise.
56 / CHIEFEXECUTIVE.NET / MARCH/APRIL 2020
