Pivoting to Technology Adoption

In 2025, I said the AI adoption crisis would not be a technology problem. It would be a people problem. In 2026, BCG, McKinsey, MIT, and Gartner confirmed it with their own data.

In this solo episode of Pivoting to Technology Adoption, host Donna P. Mitchell walks through the three calls she made in 2025 — and the independent data that confirmed every one of them. Then she names the three patterns she is watching for the next 12 months.

TOPICS COVERED:

• Why the 70% transformation failure rate has held for two decades — and why GenAI is accelerating it

• MIT NANDA: 95% of GenAI pilots delivering zero measurable ROI

• Gartner: predicted 30% abandonment, actual came in at over 50%

• BCG AI Radar 2026: 72% of CEOs now own AI decisions, 50% believe their job depends on it

• Pattern 1: The governance gap will separate scalers from stallers

• Pattern 2: The measurement crisis will force a reckoning

• Pattern 3: Trust becomes the adoption currency

CHAPTERS:

(00:00) Welcome and Show Introduction

(00:18) The Adoption Gap Crisis Explained

(01:05) Why the Failure Is Human, Not Technological

(01:35) The Adoption Gap as the Real Crisis

(01:54) Training Is What You Pay For, Adoption Is What You Get

(02:31) MIT NANDA — 95% of GenAI Pilots Fail

(03:00) The Acceleration Thesis — 70% to 95%

(03:15) Three Patterns for the Next 12 Months

(03:18) Pattern 1 — The Governance Gap

(04:02) Pattern 2 — The Measurement Crisis

(04:50) Gartner — The 30% to 50% Abandonment Reality

(05:20) BCG AI Radar 2026 — CEO Accountability Shift

(06:50) Pattern 3 — Trust as the Adoption Currency

(07:43) The Pattern I’ve Watched for 48 Years

(08:34) Get the Book and Work With Me

(09:30) Closing — Mind the Gap

SUBSCRIBE: for new episodes every Tuesday.

ABOUT DONNA P. MITCHELL:

Founder of The Transformation Authority™ and CEO of Mitchell Universal Network LLC. Official Member of Forbes Business Council. 48 years of Fortune 500 experience across 5 industries, enabling 150,000+ professionals.

GET THE BOOK:

Pivoting to Technology Adoption: Mind the Gap

amazon.com/dp/B0GP3CWH2H

CONNECT WITH DONNA:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/donna-mitchell-a1700619

YouTube: @TheTransformationAuthority

Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@TheTransformationAuthority?sub_confirmation=1

Website: pivotingportal.com

NEWSLETTER:

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SPEAKING & ADVISORY:

pivotingportal.com/speaker

New episodes every Tuesday.

Official Member of Forbes Business Council

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Three financial services leaders. 77 combined years across fintech, insurance, and commercial banking. They have never met, never compared notes, and never coordinated a message. And they all arrived at the same conclusion: AI adoption in financial services fails when governance, people, and experience are treated as afterthoughts. 

In this compilation episode of Pivoting to Technology Adoption, host Donna P. Mitchell brings together the sharpest moments from three conversations that independently validated her 70%
thesis — and revealed what financial services leaders must understand before their next AI investment.

 

TOPICS COVERED:

•        Why AI is “a sociopath with no understanding of
right and wrong” — and what that means for governance

•        Why governance is THE key player in AI adoption for
regulated industries

•        Why AI will not replace commercial lenders — there is
too much humanity in credit decisions

•        How “agency equals bias” when amplified
through technology at scale

•        Why 30 years of industry expertise cannot be replaced —
but can be enhanced

•        How vibe coding reduced fintech development from 125
hours to 25 hours

•        Why executives who invest in AI now will see ROI by
2027 — and those who wait will not catch up

•        The audit, compliance, and interoperability gaps nobody
is addressing

 

CHAPTERS:

(00:00) Welcome and Introduction

(00:27) The 70% Failure Rate and Behavior Change — Jeff Mahony

(02:33) AI Is a Sociopath — Jeff Mahony

(04:01) Human Oversight and Anomaly Management — Jeff Mahony

(04:46) Audit, Compliance, and the Governance Gap

(06:21) Why Enterprises Fail at AI — Srinath Chandramohan

(08:27) Governance Is the Key Player — Srinath Chandramohan

(08:45) 30 Years of Expertise Cannot Be Replaced — Srinath Chandramohan

(11:18) Executives Must Invest in AI Now — Srinath Chandramohan

(12:47) Vibe Coding: 125 Hours to 25 Hours — Walt Postlewait

(17:03) Technology Adoption Failure: $200K+ Lost — Walt Postlewait

 

SUBSCRIBE: for new episodes every Tuesday.

 

FEATURING:

 

Jeff Mahony is Co-Founder of RYT and Save Daily Holdings with more than 30 years building scalable financial systems. He is the voice behind the “AI is a sociopath” framework for responsible AI governance. (EP101)

 

Srinath Chandramohan is a Senior Manager at EY with 17+ years driving enterprise transformation in regulated industries. He advises executive stakeholders on insurance modernization, AI adoption, and governance frameworks. (EP104)

 

Walt Postlewait is Co-Founder of Portfolio Watch and Chief Credit Officer at MStreetX. With 30+ years in commercial banking and CDFI leadership, he grew Craft3 lending from $14M to $55M and deployed $600M+ to underserved communities. (EP105)

 

ABOUT DONNA P. MITCHELL:

Founder of The Transformation Authority™ and CEO of Mitchell Universal Network LLC. Official Member of Forbes Business Council. 48 years of Fortune 500 experience across 5 industries, enabling 150,000+ professionals.

 

GET THE BOOK:

Pivoting to Technology Adoption: Mind the Gap

amazon.com/dp/B0GP3CWH2H

 

CONNECT WITH DONNA:

LinkedIn:
linkedin.com/in/donna-mitchell-a1700619

YouTube:
@TheTransformationAuthority

Subscribe:
https://www.youtube.com/@TheTransformationAuthority?sub_confirmation=1

Website: pivotingportal.com

 

NEWSLETTER:

The Transformation Brief™

transformationbrief.beehiiv.com/subscribe

 

SPEAKING & ADVISORY:

pivotingportal.com/speaker

 

New episodes every Tuesday.

 

Official Member of Forbes Business Council

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Adoption gaps are not technology problems. They are
leadership gaps and experience gaps in disguise. In this episode, Bryant
Richardson, ICMI Top 25 CX Thought Leader two years running, explains why organizations keep failing at transformation — and why the answer is not more training.

 

TOPICS COVERED:

•        Why adoption gaps are really leadership gaps and
experience gaps in disguise

•        The CRAFT Agilities Framework™ — the leadership system
behind CX transformation

•        What a real enterprise platform failure looks like from
the inside

•        Why chasing AI before fixing the experience is a costly
mistake

•        How SMBs can use AI as a business intelligence tool
right now

•        Contact center modernization: culture, metrics, and
AI-assisted quality

•        Healthcare AI: where it is advancing and where legacy
systems slow it down

•        
Why nonprofits and mission-driven organizations have
the same adoption challenge

 

CHAPTERS:

(00:00) Welcome and Introduction

(02:55) Customer Experience as a Business Discipline

(04:05) AI in the Contact Center: Automation vs.
Intelligence

(06:10) The CRAFT Agilities Framework™ Explained

(08:57) Who Should Be in the Room: Leadership and Adoption

(11:29) Real Client Story: The ERP Failure No One Saw Coming

(13:23) The Next CX Economy: Why Experience Is the
Differentiator

(16:41) SMB Advantage: Data, Agility, and AI as Business
Intelligence

(19:19) Contact Center Modernization: Getting Unstuck

(25:46) The Conversion Rate Question and Culture vs. Metrics

(32:17) Healthcare AI: Legacy Systems, Compliance, and Agent
Assist

(39:11) Who Bryant Serves and How to Connect

(40:45) Embrace Waiting Children: Mission-Driven Leadership

(42:32) Nonprofits, Technology Adoption, and the Tools
Available

(46:03) Closing

 

SUBSCRIBE: New episodes every Tuesday.

 

ABOUT THE GUEST:

Bryant Richardson is the founder and president of Real Blue
Sky, LLC, a consultancy dedicated to helping leaders turn customer experience into measurable growth strategy. With more than 30 years transforming CX for brands including Goldman Sachs, Dell, AT&T, Charter, Yum! Brands, and Citi Cards — where he led a multi-million-dollar transformation initiative — Bryant has held C-suite roles as COO and CIO across financial services, technology, telecom, healthcare, retail, and nonprofits. He is the creator of the CRAFT Agilities Framework™, a named ICMI Top 25 Customer Experience Thought Leader for both 2025 and 2026, and a Global Gurus Top 30 CX Thought Leader.

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bryantrichardson/

Website: bryantrichardson.com | thenextcxeconomy.com

 

ABOUT DONNA P. MITCHELL:

Founder of The Transformation Authority™ and CEO of Mitchell
Universal Network LLC. Official Member of Forbes Business Council. 48 years of Fortune 500 experience across 5 industries, enabling 150,000+ professionals.

 

GET THE BOOK:

Pivoting to Technology Adoption: Mind the Gap

amazon.com/dp/B0GP3CWH2H

 

CONNECT WITH BRYANT:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bryantrichardson/

 

CONNECT WITH DONNA:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/donna-mitchell-a1700619

YouTube: @TheTransformationAuthority

Website: pivotingportal.com

 

NEWSLETTER:

The Transformation Brief™ transformationbrief.beehiiv.com/subscribe

 

SPEAKING & ADVISORY:

pivotingportal.com/speaker

 

New episodes every Tuesday.

 

Official Member of Forbes Business Council

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70% of technology transformations fail. In this panel episode, two Oracle leaders explain why the AI adoption gap is widening — and what enterprises must fix before the next investment cycle.

TOPICS COVERED:

• The adoption gap: why the technology works but organizations still fail
• The gap between boardroom AI strategy and ground-level execution
• Why LLMs need business context — and how data integration provides it
• Healthcare AI challenges: state-level compliance and data silos
• Convergence architecture: aligning people, process, and technology
• Multi-cloud strategy: security, latency, and disaster recovery
• Oracle’s multi-cloud partnerships with Azure, AWS, and Google
• Agentic AI, MCP servers, and the next phase of enterprise integration
• Why AI governance and policymaker involvement cannot wait

(00:00) Welcome and Panel Introduction
(02:27) The Gap Between the Boardroom and the Ground Floor
(05:22) Who Owns AI Adoption Accountability?
(07:54) Why LLMs Fail Without Business Context
(11:07) Healthcare AI: Compliance, Governance, and Data Security
(13:36) Convergence Architecture: People, Process, and Technology
(16:18) Multi-Cloud Strategy: Security, Latency, and Disaster Recovery
(20:00) Why Cloud Vendors Are Partnering with Competitors
(22:00) Agentic AI, MCP Servers, and the Future of Integration
(29:42) What Keeps Oracle’s AI Leaders Up at Night
(33:54) Closing: The Adoption Gap Is a People Problem

ABOUT THE GUESTS:
Diganta “Digs” Sengupta is a Master Principal Enterprise Architect – Data & AI Platform at Oracle. He specializes in convergence architecture, enterprise AI readiness, and organizational transformation across financial services and utility/energy industries.

Pradyumna “Prady” Kodgi is a Multicloud Integration Specialist at Oracle Health & AI and technical reviewer for O’Reilly (Secure APIs). With nearly two decades of enterprise integration experience, he architects scalable, event-driven systems across multi-cloud environments.

ABOUT DONNA P. MITCHELL:
Founder of The Transformation Authority™ and CEO of Mitchell Universal Network LLC. 48 years of Fortune 500 experience across 5 industries, enabling 150,000+ professionals.

GET THE BOOK:
Pivoting to Technology Adoption: Mind the Gap
amazon.com/dp/B0GP3CWH2H

CONNECT WITH DIGS:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dsgupta

CONNECT WITH PRADYUMNA:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/pkodgi

CONNECT WITH DONNA:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/donna-mitchell-a1700619
YouTube: @TheTransformationAuthority
Website: pivotingportal.com

NEWSLETTER:
The Transformation Brief™
transformationbrief.beehiiv.com/subscribe

SPEAKING & ADVISORY:
pivotingportal.com/speaker

New episodes every Tuesday.
Official Member of Forbes Business Council

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Why do 70% of technology transformations fail? Six experts. Six gaps. Mind the Gap. In this special compilation episode, Donna P. Mitchell brings together six of the sharpest voices from Pivoting to Technology Adoption to answer the question every C-suite executive is asking — and most are getting wrong.

TOPICS COVERED:

• Shadow AI is already inside your company — and your best people are using it
• AI cannot be your strategy — AI is part of your strategy
• The banking CEO who asked the wrong question about AI adoption
• The 3 Variables Framework: mood, leadership practices, and systems
• AT&T case study: breakeven to $3 billion in profit over four years
• Why risk shouldn’t be a competitive differentiator
• ARISE framework: unifying AI governance, cybersecurity, and compliance
• Why enterprise data readiness determines AI success or failure

(00:00) Introduction — Why 70% of Technology Transformations Fail

(00:52) Allen Martinez — Shadow AI and the Shadow Ledger

(02:56) Rupali Kumbhani Who Should Be in the Room When AI Strategy Begins

(03:06) Rupali Kumbhani – AI Cannot Be Your Strategy

(05:50) Rupali Kumbhani – The Banking CEO Who Asked the Wrong Question

(07:04) Rupali Kumbhani – What Conversation Should C-Suite Be Having

(07:20) Chris Majer — The 3 Variables Framework and the AT&T Transformation

(10:25) Pradyumna Kodgi – Cloud Integration

(20:54) When AI Is Already Off the Rails — Who Do You Call

(21:30) Paul Crafer — AI Governance and the ARISE Framework

(21:59) Paul Crafer — BYOD to AI: The Bottom-Up Adoption Pattern

(23:14) Digs Sen Gupta — Why Data Readiness Determines AI Success

(26:27) Closing — Mind the Gap

FEATURING:
Allen Martinez, Founder of Noble Digital and Creator of BXAI-OS | Rupali Kumbhani, Global Strategic Transformation Executive | Chris Majer, Founder and CEO of the Human Potential Project | Pradyumna Kodgi, Multicloud Integration Specialist at Oracle Health & AI | Paul Crafer, VP Services EMEA at Assessed Intelligence and ForHumanity Fellow | Diganta Sen Gupta, Forbes Technology Council and Oracle Enterprise Architect

ABOUT DONNA P. MITCHELL:
Founder of The Transformation Authority™ and CEO of Mitchell Universal Network LLC. Official Member of Forbes Business Council. 48 years of Fortune 500 experience across 5 industries, enabling 150,000+ professionals.

GET THE BOOK:
Pivoting to Technology Adoption: Mind the Gap
amazon.com/dp/B0GP3CWH2H

CONNECT WITH DONNA:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/donna-mitchell-a1700619
YouTube: @TheTransformationAuthority
Website: pivotingportal.com

NEWSLETTER:
The Transformation Brief™
transformationbrief.beehiiv.com/subscribe

SPEAKING & ADVISORY:
pivotingportal.com/speaker

New episodes every Tuesday.

Official Member of Forbes Business Council

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Integration is not a back-end IT function — it is a business foundation. In this episode, Oracle’s Pradyumna Kodgi explains why enterprises that skip integration strategy before adopting AI are setting themselves up for failure.

WHAT’S COVERED:

• Why integration should be driven by business requirements, not technology

• How data silos are the biggest barrier to AI adoption

• Why healthcare has the most challenging integration landscape

• How agentic AI will transform healthcare operations

• Why you should design your systems for peak load, not daily volume

(00:00) Welcome and Introduction

(05:47) Why Every Enterprise Needs an Integration Strategy

(07:40) How AI Depends on Integration

(08:33) What Does the Right Data Look Like?

(13:08) Why Companies Adopting AI Without a Foundation Fail

(15:24) Use Case: 2 Million Transactions a Day

(18:24) Healthcare, AI, and the Most Siloed Data in Any Industry

(22:17) Retail Trends and AI-Driven Integration

(26:39) The Elements of Successful Integration

(30:14) Key Takeaways: Integration Is a Business Foundation

ABOUT THE GUEST:
Pradyumna Kodgi is a Multicloud Integration Specialist at Oracle Health & AI with nearly two decades of enterprise integration experience. He’s helped organizations move from on-premise to multi-cloud architectures, including building an event-driven integration layer processing 2 million daily transactions for a national retailer.

ABOUT DONNA P. MITCHELL:
Founder of The Transformation Authority™ and CEO of Mitchell Universal Network LLC. Official Member of Forbes Business Council. 48 years of Fortune 500 experience across 5 industries, enabling 150,000+ professionals.

GET THE BOOK:
Pivoting to Technology Adoption: Mind the Gap
amazon.com/dp/B0GP3CWH2H

CONNECT WITH PRADYUMNA:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/pkodgi

CONNECT WITH DONNA:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/donna-mitchell-a1700619
YouTube: @TheTransformationAuthority
Website: pivotingportal.com

NEWSLETTER:
The Transformation Brief™
transformationbrief.beehiiv.com/subscribe

SPEAKING & ADVISORY:
pivotingportal.com/speaker

New episodes every Tuesday.

Official Member of Forbes Business Council

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Why do 70% of enterprise AI transformations fail? Because organizations chase tools instead of strategy. In this episode, Donna P. Mitchell speaks with Rupali Kumbhani — Global Strategic Transformation Executive who has led enterprise-wide change at Revantage (Blackstone) and University of Chicago Medicine — about why the biggest barrier to AI adoption isn’t the technology. It’s leadership mindset, data readiness, and organizational trust.

TOPICS COVERED:

• AI cannot be your strategy — AI is part of your strategy
• The banking CEO who asked the wrong question
• Finding your change ambassadors and winning over resistant teams
• AI frustration, burnout, and loss of trust
• Two levels of AI fear — C-Suite vs. employees
• The adoption model: education and governance first
• Data security — what keeps transformation leaders up at night
• Why most organizations are not ready to scale AI
• Responsible AI — bias, algorithms, and human accountability
• Implementation rescue: global enterprise methodology

(00:00) AI Cannot Be Your Strategy — AI Is Part of Your Strategy

(00:16) Introduction

(02:41) AI Cannot Be Your Strategy — The Mindset Shift

(04:32) The Banking CEO Who Asked the Wrong Question

(05:38) It’s Not Who’s in the Room — It’s How They Think

(07:03) Active Listening Without Bias

(07:55) Finding Your Change Ambassadors

(09:00) Winning Over Resistant Teams

(12:36) AI Frustration, Burnout and Loss of Trust

(13:41) Leadership Confusion in the Age of AI

(15:08) Clarity in Chaos — Short-Term vs. Long-Term

(19:02) Two Levels of AI Fear — C-Suite vs. Employees

(19:49) The Adoption Model — Education and Governance

(21:54) Data Security — What Keeps Transformation Leaders Up at Night

(22:14) Why Most Organizations Are NOT Ready to Scale AI

(24:02) Nonprofits and Data Strategy

(26:35) Responsible AI — Bias, Algorithms and Human Accountability

(28:51) Implementation Rescue — Global Enterprise Methodology

(31:59) AI Chatbot Launch Through Teamwork

(32:59) How to Connect With Rupali Kumbhani

ABOUT THE GUEST:
Rupali Kumbhani is a Global Strategic Transformation Executive who has led enterprise-wide change at Revantage (Blackstone) and University of Chicago Medicine. She specializes in AI adoption strategy, governance frameworks, and people-centered transformation across healthcare and financial services.

ABOUT DONNA P. MITCHELL:
Founder of The Transformation Authority™ and CEO of Mitchell Universal Network LLC. Official Member of Forbes Business Council. 48 years of Fortune 500 experience across 5 industries, enabling 150,000+ professionals.

GET THE BOOK:
Pivoting to Technology Adoption: Mind the Gap
amazon.com/dp/B0GP3CWH2H

CONNECT WITH RUPALI:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rupalikumbhani

CONNECT WITH DONNA:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/donna-mitchell-a1700619
YouTube: @TheTransformationAuthority
Website: pivotingportal.com

NEWSLETTER:
The Transformation Brief™
transformationbrief.beehiiv.com/subscribe

SPEAKING & ADVISORY:
pivotingportal.com/speaker

New episodes every Tuesday.

Official Member of Forbes Business Council

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How does a news photojournalist covering crime scenes become a med tech storyteller funding nonprofit impact? In this episode, Donna P. Mitchell speaks with Jason Ellinger, Co-Founder of Beard & Bowler Productions, about how covering an 11-year-old’s funeral made him rethink his entire career — and how his company now uses the HERO Grant model to fund nonprofit storytelling through corporate revenue.

TOPICS COVERED:

• The StoryBrand 7-part formula: why you’re the guide, not the hero
• How the HERO Grant model funds nonprofit storytelling through med tech revenue
• The number one mistake businesses and nonprofits make with storytelling
• Why 70% of Beard & Bowler’s revenue comes from med tech filmmaking
• The Master Operating Prompt (MOP) and voice maps for AI-driven operations
• Custom GPTs that turned days of story editing into hours
• Second-degree recon: AI-powered LinkedIn outreach
• Why protecting your network matters more than automating it

(00:00) You’re Not the Hero, You’re the Guide

(00:09) Introduction

(01:58) Jason Ellinger — Who Is Beard & Bowler

(04:09) The 11-Year-Old’s Funeral That Changed Everything

(06:31) Deacon Willie Davis and the Community Garden

(08:11) Finding the Why — Storytelling for Impact

(08:52) How the HERO Grant Was Born

(10:31) The Number One Mistake Businesses and Nonprofits Make

(11:05) The 7-Part StoryBrand Formula

(12:23) Why 70% of Revenue Came From Med Tech

(14:40) The Impossible Goal — 50 HERO Grants in One Year

(15:48) The Flip — Team Buy-In and 100% Conviction

(17:15) Pivoting From Nonprofit to Enterprise

(21:45) AI Adoption — Automation for Nonprofits and Executives

(24:01) Master Operating Prompt and Voice Maps

(26:18) Custom GPT for Story Editing — Days to Hours

(28:13) Second-Degree Recon — AI-Powered LinkedIn Outreach

(30:19) Donna’s Gut Check — Protecting Your Network

(33:22) Med Tech Storytelling — Nerve Blocks to Ankle Replacements

(35:05) Who Jason Wants to Reach

(36:29) How to Connect With Jason

(36:57) Closing

ABOUT THE GUEST:
Jason Ellinger is the Co-Founder of Beard & Bowler Productions, a commercial filmmaking company focused on helping medical device companies tell the human stories behind life-changing innovation. His career spans hard news photojournalism to nonprofit storytelling to enterprise med tech filmmaking. His company built the HERO Grant model — using purposeful corporate work to fund nonprofit storytelling so world-class stories don’t come out of mission-critical budgets.

ABOUT DONNA P. MITCHELL:
Founder of The Transformation Authority™ and CEO of Mitchell Universal Network LLC. Official Member of Forbes Business Council. 48 years of Fortune 500 experience across 5 industries, enabling 150,000+ professionals.

GET THE BOOK:
Pivoting to Technology Adoption: Mind the Gap
amazon.com/dp/B0GP3CWH2H

CONNECT WITH JASON:
Website: beardandbowler.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mrbow1er

CONNECT WITH DONNA:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/donna-mitchell-a1700619
YouTube: @TheTransformationAuthority
Website: pivotingportal.com

NEWSLETTER:
The Transformation Brief™
transformationbrief.beehiiv.com/subscribe

SPEAKING & ADVISORY:
pivotingportal.com/speaker

New episodes every Tuesday.

Official Member of Forbes Business Council

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Most organizations in critical sectors have significant AI governance gaps. In this episode, Donna P. Mitchell speaks with Paul Crafer — VP Services EMEA at Assessed Intelligence, ForHumanity Fellow, and former Apple leader — about why most organizations are failing at AI governance and what the free, hand-mapped ARISE framework does to fix it.

TOPICS COVERED:

• The ARISE framework: 7 pillars unifying AI governance, cybersecurity, and compliance
• Why risk shouldn’t be a competitive differentiator
• Shadow AI: how to find what’s already running inside your organization
• Nigeria financial inclusion project with the Presidential Committee
• Why “regulation hampers innovation” is a line from technocrats
• DeepSeek as a Sputnik moment for AI governance
• AGI hype: do not panic — they’re probably just trying to make a buck

(00:00) Risk Shouldn’t Be a Competitive Differentiator

(00:17) Introduction

(03:15) Paul’s Journey From Apple to AI Governance

(04:45) How He Found ForHumanity

(05:58) DeepSeek as a Sputnik Moment

(09:01) What Is the ARISE Framework

(10:28) Why ARISE Is Free and Hand-Mapped

(15:05) Risk Shouldn’t Be Competitive

(21:59) What Is Temperature in an LLM

(24:06) Nigeria Financial Inclusion Project

(27:53) Nigerian Presidential Committee Partnership

(31:17) Where Assessed Intelligence Operates

(33:52) Will the EU Stand Firm on the AI Act

(36:16) AGI Hype — Do Not Panic

(36:50) How to Connect With Paul

ABOUT THE GUEST:
Paul Crafer is VP Services EMEA at Assessed Intelligence and a ForHumanity Fellow specializing in AI governance and policy. With over 10 years of leadership at Apple and 20+ years in global technology and business development, he made a strategic pivot to AI governance in 2023. He holds ForHumanity Certified Auditor credentials for the EU AI Act, GDPR, and AAA Cybersecurity, along with ISO 42001 and ISO 27001 Lead Auditor certifications. He presented at the First Pan-African AI Summit in Accra, Ghana and is leading the ARISE framework launch. He is featured in Chapter 10 of Pivoting to Technology Adoption: Mind the Gap.

ABOUT DONNA P. MITCHELL:
Founder of The Transformation Authority™ and CEO of Mitchell Universal Network LLC. Official Member of Forbes Business Council. 48 years of Fortune 500 experience across 5 industries, enabling 150,000+ professionals.

GET THE BOOK:
Pivoting to Technology Adoption: Mind the Gap
amazon.com/dp/B0GP3CWH2H

CONNECT WITH PAUL:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/paulcrafer
Website: assessedintelligence.com
ARISE Framework: ariseframework.com
ForHumanity: forhumanity.center

CONNECT WITH DONNA:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/donna-mitchell-a1700619
YouTube: @TheTransformationAuthority
Website: pivotingportal.com

NEWSLETTER:
The Transformation Brief™
transformationbrief.beehiiv.com/subscribe

SPEAKING & ADVISORY:
pivotingportal.com/speaker

New episodes every Tuesday.

Official Member of Forbes Business Council

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99% of transformations start with systems and processes — and that’s why they fail. In this episode, Donna P. Mitchell speaks with Chris Majer — founder of the Human Potential Project, Amazon best-selling author, and transformation architect behind $4 billion in documented client results — about why most organizational transformations fail and what actually works.

TOPICS COVERED:

• Why 99% of transformations fail when they start with systems
• The 3 Variables Framework: Mood, Leadership Practices, Systems
• Allianz Life case study: $10M investment, $685M return
• Why delegating transformation to HR kills it
• Understanding is the booby prize — why knowledge isn’t enough
• Why 9-month programs work and 3-day workshops don’t
• Two types of companies that will never transform
• Radio to TV to AI: historical perspective on disruption
• Embodied competence and why no learning occurs inside your comfort zone

(00:00) Introduction

(01:38) The 3 Variables Framework: Mood, Leadership, Systems

(02:55) Why Mood Is Everything in Transformation

(04:55) The Paint Scraping Analogy: Why New Systems Don’t Stick

(08:09) Allianz Life Case Study: $10M to $685M Return

(10:40) Why 9-Month Programs Work, Not 3-Day Workshops

(13:48) Action Cycles: For the Sake of What?

(17:02) Navigating Governance Without Waiting Forever

(18:25) Two Types of Companies That Won’t Transform

(19:03) The Training Camp Speech: Why Cutting Investment Fails

(21:42) How COVID Killed Innovation and What to Do Now

(24:45) Radio to TV to AI: Historical Perspective on Disruption

(28:06) Reskilling for the AI Era

(29:27) Embodied Competence: Understanding Is the Booby Prize

(31:38) No Learning Occurs Inside Your Comfort Zone

(33:06) Centering Practice and Final Wisdom

(34:27) How to Connect With Chris

ABOUT THE GUEST:
Chris Majer is the Founder and CEO of the Human Potential Project. Starting as a competitive rugby player and performance coach, he went on to train elite athletes, teach combat skills to Marines, and develop performance programs for U.S. Army Special Forces. He brought those principles to Fortune 500 companies including Microsoft, Intel, AT&T, Capital One, Amgen, and Allianz Life — generating over $4 billion in documented client results across three decades. He is the author of The Power to Transform and is referenced across multiple chapters of Pivoting to Technology Adoption: Mind the Gap.

ABOUT DONNA P. MITCHELL:
Founder of The Transformation Authority™ and CEO of Mitchell Universal Network LLC. Official Member of Forbes Business Council. 48 years of Fortune 500 experience across 5 industries, enabling 150,000+ professionals.

GET THE BOOK:
Pivoting to Technology Adoption: Mind the Gap
amazon.com/dp/B0GP3CWH2H

CONNECT WITH CHRIS:
Website: humanpotentialproject.com
Speaking: chrismajer.com
Book: The Power to Transform (Amazon)

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