Podcasts about operations

In Multidomain Operations: The Pursuit of Battlefield Dominance in the 21st Century (Howgate Publishing Limited, 2026), Amos Fox and Franz-Stefan Gady challenge one of modern war's most influential doctrines: MDO. Is it the right framework for 21st-century conflict—or a concept rushed into service without sufficient grounding? Through the lenses of origin, field application, academic critique, and international perspectives, the authors examine MDO's theoretical and practical shortcomings. They argue that MDO is a solution in search of a problem—strategically narrow, tactically vague, and ill-suited for America's allies. This book calls for a doctrinal reset: one that addresses precision strike overreach, rising attrition warfare, and the enduring need for land forces. With rigorous policy and PME recommendations, Fox and Gady offer a vital roadmap for rethinking military doctrine. Essential reading for defense leaders, scholars, and warfighters alike, this book reshapes how we must think about future battlefields.Dr. Amos C. Fox is a Professor of Practice at Arizona State University's Future Security Initiative. Amos also works as a lecturer in the School of Politics and International Relations at the University of Houston where he teaches strategy and international relations, and hosts the Revolution in Military Affairs podcast, which focuses on war, strategy, international affairs, and the impact of technology on warfare. His latest book is Conflict Realism. Amos is a retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel. He is also Managing Editor of Small Wars Journal.Franz-Stefan Gady has advised US and European militaries on structural reform and the future of high-intensity warfare. An adjunct senior fellow with the Center for a New American Security, Washington, DC, he has conducted field research in Afghanistan, Iraq and Ukraine. His latest books are The Return of War and How the US Would Fight China: The Risks of Pursuing a Rapid Victory. Stephen Satkiewicz is an independent scholar with research areas spanning Civilizational Sciences, Social Complexity, Big History, Historical Sociology, Military History, War Studies, International Relations, Geopolitics, and Russian and East European history. He served as the editor of the International Society for the Comparative Study of Civilizations (ISCSC) newsletter from 2016 to 2018 and is currently the Book Review Editor for Comparative Civilizations Review. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

In Multidomain Operations: The Pursuit of Battlefield Dominance in the 21st Century (Howgate Publishing Limited, 2026), Amos Fox and Franz-Stefan Gady challenge one of modern war's most influential doctrines: MDO. Is it the right framework for 21st-century conflict—or a concept rushed into service without sufficient grounding? Through the lenses of origin, field application, academic critique, and international perspectives, the authors examine MDO's theoretical and practical shortcomings. They argue that MDO is a solution in search of a problem—strategically narrow, tactically vague, and ill-suited for America's allies. This book calls for a doctrinal reset: one that addresses precision strike overreach, rising attrition warfare, and the enduring need for land forces. With rigorous policy and PME recommendations, Fox and Gady offer a vital roadmap for rethinking military doctrine. Essential reading for defense leaders, scholars, and warfighters alike, this book reshapes how we must think about future battlefields.Dr. Amos C. Fox is a Professor of Practice at Arizona State University's Future Security Initiative. Amos also works as a lecturer in the School of Politics and International Relations at the University of Houston where he teaches strategy and international relations, and hosts the Revolution in Military Affairs podcast, which focuses on war, strategy, international affairs, and the impact of technology on warfare. His latest book is Conflict Realism. Amos is a retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel. He is also Managing Editor of Small Wars Journal.Franz-Stefan Gady has advised US and European militaries on structural reform and the future of high-intensity warfare. An adjunct senior fellow with the Center for a New American Security, Washington, DC, he has conducted field research in Afghanistan, Iraq and Ukraine. His latest books are The Return of War and How the US Would Fight China: The Risks of Pursuing a Rapid Victory. Stephen Satkiewicz is an independent scholar with research areas spanning Civilizational Sciences, Social Complexity, Big History, Historical Sociology, Military History, War Studies, International Relations, Geopolitics, and Russian and East European history. He served as the editor of the International Society for the Comparative Study of Civilizations (ISCSC) newsletter from 2016 to 2018 and is currently the Book Review Editor for Comparative Civilizations Review. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/military-history

In Multidomain Operations: The Pursuit of Battlefield Dominance in the 21st Century (Howgate Publishing Limited, 2026), Amos Fox and Franz-Stefan Gady challenge one of modern war's most influential doctrines: MDO. Is it the right framework for 21st-century conflict—or a concept rushed into service without sufficient grounding? Through the lenses of origin, field application, academic critique, and international perspectives, the authors examine MDO's theoretical and practical shortcomings. They argue that MDO is a solution in search of a problem—strategically narrow, tactically vague, and ill-suited for America's allies. This book calls for a doctrinal reset: one that addresses precision strike overreach, rising attrition warfare, and the enduring need for land forces. With rigorous policy and PME recommendations, Fox and Gady offer a vital roadmap for rethinking military doctrine. Essential reading for defense leaders, scholars, and warfighters alike, this book reshapes how we must think about future battlefields.Dr. Amos C. Fox is a Professor of Practice at Arizona State University's Future Security Initiative. Amos also works as a lecturer in the School of Politics and International Relations at the University of Houston where he teaches strategy and international relations, and hosts the Revolution in Military Affairs podcast, which focuses on war, strategy, international affairs, and the impact of technology on warfare. His latest book is Conflict Realism. Amos is a retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel. He is also Managing Editor of Small Wars Journal.Franz-Stefan Gady has advised US and European militaries on structural reform and the future of high-intensity warfare. An adjunct senior fellow with the Center for a New American Security, Washington, DC, he has conducted field research in Afghanistan, Iraq and Ukraine. His latest books are The Return of War and How the US Would Fight China: The Risks of Pursuing a Rapid Victory. Stephen Satkiewicz is an independent scholar with research areas spanning Civilizational Sciences, Social Complexity, Big History, Historical Sociology, Military History, War Studies, International Relations, Geopolitics, and Russian and East European history. He served as the editor of the International Society for the Comparative Study of Civilizations (ISCSC) newsletter from 2016 to 2018 and is currently the Book Review Editor for Comparative Civilizations Review. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/national-security

February 13, 2026 ~ Chris Renwick and Lloyd Jackson talk with Andy Arena, Executive Director of the Detroit Crime Commission. They discuss FBI actions in Minneapolis and the Nancy Guthrie case. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Here's your Daily dose of Human Events with @JackPosobiecFill out a quick intake form, a doctor reviews it and your medical grade parasite cleanse arrives in a week. It's time for “new year, new you”. Reset and own your health. Head to https://www.TWC.HEALTH/POSO and use promo code POSO to SAVE $60 off plus Free Shipping. USA Residents only.Support the show

In this episode from Grow 2026, Troy Woodham and I talk about a core truth of scaling: as your business evolves, your systems must evolve too. We break down how replicable, duplicatable processes — powered by tools like LMN — help contractors grow with consistency, clarity, and control. Lawntrapreneur Academy (The #1 Resource for Starting, Growing and Scaling a Successful Lawn & Landscaping Company). - https://www.lawntrepreneuracademy.com/  Granum Academy Bootcamp Tour (use BRIAN25 to save!): https://www.Granum.com/Brian GROW 2026 - February 10-12 Dallas, TX: https://hubs.li/Q03Ybxs10 LMN & Coffee - https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89495679453?pwd=m0wKa6prJWrARKClJKolBaJjl00OYn.1 Coast Pay Fuel Card: www.CoastPay.com/Brian

AI is no longer just a tool — it's becoming a business operator. In this episode of Right About Now, Ryan Alford talks with Ethan Ouyang, Head of U.S. Operations at DeepWisdom, about the rise of agentic AI and how their platform Atoms enables anyone to build revenue-ready products without writing code or managing teams. Ethan explains how Atoms differs from traditional AI tools by running a full autonomous decision loop — from market research and planning to execution, launch, and SEO-driven monetization. The discussion covers real-world use cases including DTC brands, SaaS products, internal tools, and small-business systems. Topics Covered: What agentic AI actually means Why most AI tools stop at tasks — and Atoms doesn't How AI coordinates multiple agents autonomously Building MVPs without engineering teams Human judgment vs AI execution Cost efficiency through open-source models Who this technology is really for This episode breaks down why the barrier to building businesses has fundamentally changed — and what that means for founders willing to adapt. Sponsors Are you interested in effortlessly growing your bitcoin portfolio?  ↳Gemini Crypto – https://www.gemini.com/card?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=audio&utm_campaign=right_about_now&utm_content=host_read&_bhlid=160d7f4fc923d552d3acfd8e1b631d57799c5196

Mary T. Daly, Director of Operations with Fingal County Council, discusses localised flooding in areas of North Dublin.

Group Executive of Operations at Transurban, Dave Clements, joined Ross and Russ.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guest: Bob Zimmerman. Musk announces SpaceX will prioritize the Moon before Mars; regulatory approvals for Starship launches are pending, while Voyager Space secures a management contract for ISS operations.1906. WELLS. MARTIAN

Guest: Charles Burton. Canada lowers tariffs on Chinese EVs to court Beijing; Burton warns this "strategic partnership" ignores security risks regarding data collection and Chinese influence operations.GREENLAND.

How long would it take to revamp your entire business? For Elliott Zelinskas: three weeks. Using Claude Code, he rebuilt his 4-year website, generated 100+ SEO pages, automated YouTube creation and publishing, and replaced parts of his tech stack. All without a dev team. Is agentic AI the next evolution of entrepreneurship? LINKS Follow Elliott on X Follow Elliott on Instagram Meet Elliott and other lifestyle founders inside Dynamite Circle Hang out exclusively with 7+ figure founders in DC BLACK Bento will beat your current email bill — up to 70% off or $300 in credits Million Dollar Weekend by Noah Kagan Live Well on Less Than You Think by Fred Brock CHAPTERS (00:00:00) Intro (00:02:39) Meet Elliott & His Business (00:07:05) How Elliott Started Using Claude Code (00:11:16) Upsides and Downsides of Agentic AI (00:15:13) Simple But Powerful Use Cases for Agentic AI (00:22:07) Six Tips for Non-Tech Founders (00:33:18) Security, Risk, and How to Decide What to Build (00:46:42) Digital Nomading and Personal Finance CONNECT: Dan@tropicalmba.com Ian@tropicalmba.com Past guests on TMBA include Cal Newport, David Heinemeier Hannson, Seth Godin, Ricardo Semler, Noah Kagan, Rob Walling, Jay Clouse, Einar Vollset, Sam Dogan, Gino Wickam, James Clear, Jodie Cook, Mark Webster, Steph Smith, Taylor Pearson, Justin Tan, Matt Gartland, Ayman Al-Abdullah, Lucy Bella. PLAYLIST: Bad Hiring Advice That Can Actually Work: 9 Tactics for Lifestyle Founders 4 Ways to Start a Business From Scratch in 2026 “Scaling on Steroids” with AI Automation ft. Juan Montero

In "Inside the DAT - Convoy Platform Deal: What This Acquisiton Means for the Freight Market", Joe Lynch and Bill Driegert, EVP of Convoy Platform - DAT Freight & Analytics, discuss how the integration of the Convoy Platform's automation and AI technology with DAT's massive freight marketplace will help brokers combat fraud, increase efficiency, and focus on high-value work. About Bill Driegert Bill Driegert is the EVP of Convoy Platform at DAT Freight & Analytics. He was previously the EVP of Trucking at Flexport and the co-founder and Head of Operations at Uber Freight, Uber's logistics business. Bill began his career in freight as the fourth employee at Coyote Logistics (acquired by UPS), where he grew the role to Chief Innovation Officer. Prior to joining Uber, he served as COO at Pillow Homes. He also spent time at Amazon as Director of Planning and Innovation. Bill holds an M.A. in Supply Chain from MIT, an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago, and a B.A. from Southern Methodist University. About DAT Freight & Analytics DAT Freight & Analytics operates the DAT One truckload freight marketplace; Convoy Platform, an automated freight-matching technology; DAT iQ analytics service; Trucker Tools load-visibility platform; and Outgo factoring and financial services for truckers. Shippers, transportation brokers, carriers, news organizations, and industry analysts rely on DAT for market trends and data insights, informed by nearly 700,000 daily load posts and a database exceeding $1 trillion in freight market transactions. Founded in 1978, DAT is a business unit of Roper Technologies (Nasdaq: ROP), a constituent of the Nasdaq 100, S&P 500, and Fortune 1000. Headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon, DAT continues to set the standard for innovation in the trucking and logistics industry. Visit dat.com for more information. Key Takeaways: Inside the DAT - Convoy Platform Deal: What This Acquisiton Means for the Freight Market In "Inside the DAT - Convoy Platform Deal: What This Acquisiton Means for the Freight Market", Joe Lynch and Bill Driegert, EVP of Convoy Platform - DAT Freight & Analytics, discuss how the integration of the Convoy Platform's automation and AI technology with DAT's massive freight marketplace will help brokers combat fraud, increase efficiency, and focus on high-value work. Solving Major Brokerage Challenges: The acquisition of the Convoy Platform is a strategic move by DAT to help freight brokers tackle significant industry challenges like fraud, the need for increased automation, and the integration of AI. Automation for Efficiency: By integrating the Convoy Platform, DAT aims to automate routine tasks, which will allow brokers to dedicate more time to complex, high-value work, such as building relationships with clients and carriers. Enhanced Fraud Prevention: The deal combines the Convoy Platform's advanced, machine-learning-powered fraud prevention technology with DAT's extensive network and data. This fusion is intended to create a safer and more secure environment for freight transactions. Augmenting the DAT One Platform: The Convoy technology will be incorporated into DAT's flagship product, DAT One. This integration will offer brokers and carriers new automated capabilities while ensuring that the core, familiar functions of the load board remain unchanged. Leveraging Bill Driegert's Expertise: Bill Driegert's background, including his leadership roles at Uber Freight and Coyote Logistics, is a crucial asset for DAT. His experience as a technologist and innovator in the freight industry is key to the successful integration and future development of the Convoy Platform. The Practical Role of AI: The interview clarifies that AI is not just a buzzword but a practical tool for improving freight operations. The technology will be used to enhance decision-making, optimize processes, and increase overall efficiency for the brokers DAT serves. Building a Comprehensive Ecosystem: The Convoy acquisition is part of a larger plan to unify DAT's recent acquisitions, including Trucker Tools and Outgo. The goal is to create a complete, integrated ecosystem that provides solutions for everything from freight matching and payment processing to carrier tracking and automation. Learn More About Inside the DAT - Convoy Platform Deal: What This Acquisiton Means for the Freight Market Bill Driegert | Linkedin DAT Freight & Analytics | Linkedin DAT DAT - Convoy Platform Convoy Platform - DAT DAT + The Convoy Platform: A new chapter in our marketplace evolution Infographic: Modernize your brokerage MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics with Chris Caplice Navigating Market Uncertainty with Sarah Bertram A Trillion Dollars in Freight Transactions with Ken Adamo DAT iQ: The Metrics that Matter with Samuel Parker Taking the Uncertainty and Risk Out of Freight with Erika Voss The Logistics of Logistics Podcast If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a positive review, subscribe, and share it with your friends and colleagues. The Logistics of Logistics Podcast: Google, Apple, Castbox, Spotify, Stitcher, PlayerFM, Tunein, Podbean, Owltail, Libsyn, Overcast Check out The Logistics of Logistics on Youtube

In today's episode, I welcomed Russ Robertson, Brewery Operations Director at Highland Brewing Company in Asheville, North Carolina. We explored Russ's journey from his early influences growing up with a father in the beer industry, through his diverse roles at Miller Brewing, a stint bottling juice for J.M. Smucker, and finally his return to the craft beer world at Highland. Russ shared stories of career pivots, the evolution of brewing operations, and how innovation and family have remained at the center of his professional life. Russ Robertson brings deep expertise, having started his career at Miller and working his way up through production and packaging in several states. With stops in Milwaukee and Maryland, Russ amassed years of large-scale brewing and operations experience. His path crossed with notable companies, from Anheuser-Busch to the Santa Cruz Organic juice line, but his heart brought him back to North Carolina and the vibrant craft scene at Highland Brewing. Today, he's at the forefront of process innovation, quality control, and team building at one of Asheville's most established brewhouses. “In business, the cream of the crop rises to the top always, always, and it feels good to be with the original craft brewer in Asheville.” ~ Russ Robertson This Week on Consuming the Craft:·     Russ's early exposure to the beverage industry shaped his career ambitions and deep appreciation for brewing.·     An entrepreneurship and business background gave Russ a foundation to navigate both large corporations and craft breweries.·     Experience at the versatile Miller Eden facility meant exposure to large-scale innovation, running everything from PBR to Blue Moon.·     Career transitions, such as moving from beer to juice bottling, offered Russ a broad perspective on beverage production and operations.·     Relationships and networking, especially with other industry professionals like Andrew Klozenski, opened doors back into craft brewing.·     Returning to North Carolina fulfilled Russ's long-standing goal to build a life and career in his home state, surrounded by family.·     Continuous process improvement and experimentation, such as research on zinc loss by Highland staff, drive innovation at Highland Brewing.·     Highland Brewing is expanding its offerings with new projects, including a pizza kitchen, climbing gym, and honoring past traditions with the return of the Scotsman ale and the renaming of Oscar's Oatmeal Porter. Contact Russ Robertson & Highland Brewing: Highland Brewing Company– Asheville, North Carolina  This episode is brought to you by… McConnell Farms - Taste the Way You Remember. Enjoy homemade ciders and ice cream made from only the best produce on the market. Visit the McConnell Farms Facebook page to learn more about our seasonal inventory and the delicious creations you can make with our homegrown produce. Consuming the Craft Thanks for tuning into this week's Consuming the Craft Podcast episode, brought to you by AB Tech's Craft Beverage Institute of the Southeast. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts. Apple Podcasts | Spotify | iHeart | Amazon Podcasts | TuneIn | Pandora | Deezer  Be sure to share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more craft beverage enthusiasts. To learn more about AB Tech and the Craft Beer Institute of the Southeast, visit our website.  

In this episode of Tank Talks, Matt Cohen sits down with Amar Varma, CEO and Co-Founder of Mantle, a revolutionary platform designed to transform the private investing landscape. As a serial entrepreneur with experience as both a General Partner (GP) and Limited Partner (LP), Amar offers a rare, dual perspective on the world of investment. His background spans multiple industries, including mobile, connected vehicles, and now private market infrastructure, where he is tackling one of the most persistent pain points: the fragmented, manual world of LP operations.Amar dives deep into how Mantle is positioned at the intersection of chaos and clarity, automating the heavy lifting to help investors make better decisions without drowning in documents. From global scaling and customer obsession to the parallels between today's AI transformation and past tech waves like mobile, this conversation covers a lot of ground. Whether you're an investor, allocator, or founder, there's something for everyone in this episode.Amar Varma's Early Influences and Entrepreneurial Spirit (00:02:15)Amar shares his journey from growing up in Ottawa to becoming a serial entrepreneur. He talks about his first exposure to tech industries and how a global perspective shaped his career. The experience of being raised in a government and tech hub like Ottawa gave him early access to innovation and a deep curiosity about the world.The Power of Perseverance and Growth Mindset (00:06:16)Growing up with an immigrant background, Amar reflects on the importance of perseverance and a growth mindset in overcoming struggles. His belief in the value of individual and team struggles is evident in his journey as a founder, investor, and parent.The Shift from Founder to Investor (00:13:50)Amar explains the transition from being a founder to taking a break and exploring the world of investing. His time working as an LP and angel investor gave him insights into the challenges faced by investors, especially when trying to scale operations without sufficient data or structure. This led to his founding of Mantle, which solves many of these problems.The Birth of Mantle: Revolutionizing LP Operations (00:25:40)Mantle is designed to automate and streamline the process of managing private market investments. Amar breaks down how Mantle's software works to track investments, capital calls, K-1s, and investor reports. He discusses the challenges of managing unstructured data and how AI-powered features have allowed Mantle to offer LPs and family offices a more seamless experience.The Power Law of Venture Capital (00:15:49)In the world of venture capital, Amar talks about the concept of the power law, how a few investments end up driving the majority of returns. He also discusses the importance of knowing when something is truly working in early-stage investments and how understanding this can lead to better investment decisions.Family Offices and LP Tech Stacks (00:29:00)Amar explains how Mantle is helping family offices and LPs with managing their investments, especially when dealing with the unstructured documents that are common in private markets. He shares how Mantle is creating a single source of truth for private assets, helping LPs track their investments across multiple funds, and how AI is helping improve efficiency in this space.AI-Driven Insights and Workflows (00:32:01)AI plays a major role in Mantle's value proposition, helping automate workflows, track financial data, and ensure accuracy across private market investments. Amar dives into the layers of AI that are stitched into Mantle's platform to help LPs and family offices gain more insight into their portfolios.The Future of Private Market Investments (00:40:00)Amar discusses the ongoing evolution of private market investments and the role technology, particularly AI, will play in shaping the future of LP operations. He also reflects on how private market infrastructure is moving towards a more standardized and efficient process, making data more accessible and reliable.About Amar VarmaAmar Varma is the CEO and Co-Founder of Mantle, a private market infrastructure platform designed to streamline the operations of LPs and family offices. With a background spanning semiconductor design, mobile technology, connected vehicles, and AI, Amar has built multiple successful startups. As an investor and founder, he has gained invaluable insights into the challenges of scaling and managing private market investments.Connect with Amar Varma on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amar-varma-8041b9/?originalSubdomain=caVisit the Mantle website: https://withmantle.com/Connect with Matt Cohen on LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/matt-cohen1Visit the Ripple Ventures website: https://www.rippleventures.com/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tanktalks.substack.com

Griff Jenkins provides an update on the winding down of Minnesota's ICE surge operation, highlighting efforts to remove public safety threats and enforce federal immigration laws while maintaining local law enforcement cooperation. He explains the role of the 287(g) program, federal-state partnerships, and challenges from sanctuary policies, emphasizing the importance of lawful coordination to prevent violent offenders from being released into communities. Jenkins also touches on the political and operational context shaping enforcement efforts and the media's portrayal of the situation. Hashtags: #ICEOperations #Minnesota #GriffJenkins #287gProgram #LawEnforcementCoordination

Jay Silvers is a broadcast veteran with over 30 years of experience across on-air, production, music direction, programming, and operations management. Throughout his career, Jay has worn many hats, building a deep understanding of audio storytelling from both the creative and technical sides of the industry. His voice and production work have been heard on major radio and television networks including FOX, NBC, and American Urban Radio Networks. In addition to his broadcast work, Jay has covered some of the most iconic entertainment events in the world, including the Grammy Awards, American Music Awards, Image Awards, SAG Awards, and the Oscars. Recording from red carpets and press rooms, his audio has been featured in specialty shows and news programming nationwide. With specialties spanning audio engineering, producing, voice-over performance, acting, and photography, Jay brings a rare versatility to the craft. In this episode of Trailblazers, Jay shares his journey through decades of industry evolution, what it takes to stay relevant in a changing media landscape, and how passion, adaptability, and technical mastery have shaped his career. This conversation offers valuable insight into what it truly means to be a Trailblazer in sound and broadcast media. Listen in and find out how you can become a trailblazer too!

In a podcast recorded at ITEXPO / MSP EXPO, Doug Green, Publisher of Technology Reseller News, spoke with Krishna Balusu of Meta Platforms about how large-scale digital platforms are using AI agents to improve reliability, performance, and operational resilience behind the scenes. Balusu explained that Meta is actively deploying internal AI agents—designed not for end users, but for developers and operations teams—to identify and troubleshoot platform issues automatically. These agents, part of an internal system known as Opsmate, monitor performance signals such as slow load times or degraded user experiences and work to identify root causes without requiring immediate human intervention. “It's almost like hiring an employee whose job is to retrace the steps a human engineer would take to find the root cause of a problem,” Balusu said, describing how the system reduces operational load on engineering teams. Rather than being self-healing in a purely heuristic sense, Balusu noted that modern platforms face constant change—from weekly application updates and operating system revisions to sudden spikes in traffic driven by global events. AI agents provide a flexible way to reason across many possible variables in real time, proactively isolating issues and accelerating resolution. These agents are already in use on Facebook and Messenger, with broader expansion planned over time. Looking ahead, Balusu suggested that this operational use of AI represents an early stage of a broader shift in software development. As AI systems take on more coding, diagnostics, and analysis tasks, engineers increasingly act as orchestrators and decision-makers rather than line-by-line developers. “We're moving toward a world where engineers manage AI agents instead of writing and reviewing code themselves,” he said, highlighting how agentic AI is reshaping the future of large-scale platform engineering. Visit https://www.meta.com/technologies/

In this episode of the Sargent On Track Podcast's Sargent 100 interview series, Sebastian sits down with Richard “Dick” Martin, who started with H.E. Sargent in 1953 and later served as Vice President of Operations. Dick reflects on getting hired by Herb Sargent, the pace and expectations of early highway and turnpike work, and the values that shaped how the company operated in those years.A quick note for listeners: Dick had suffered a stroke not long before this interview, and at times, he may be difficult to understand, especially in a loud setting. It's worth a second listen if you have trouble understanding him the first time.If you liked this week's episode and are interested in becoming an Employee-Owner at Sargent, please visit our careers page on the Sargent website. https://sargent.us/apply/If you have an episode suggestion, please send your idea to:sbennage@sargent.us

In hour 1 of The Mark Reardon Show, Mark is joined by Alex del Carmen, a Criminologist with 28 years of experience, a Former Instructor at the FBI National Academy in Quantico. He shares the latest Nancy Guthrie news, the reasoning for the white tent being set up outside of Nancy's front entryway and more. Mark is then joined by Bethany Mandel, a Contributing Writer for The New York Post, a homeschooling mother of five, the Author of "Stolen Youth: How Radicals Are Erasing Innocence and Indoctrinating a Generation". They discuss her latest opinion piece in The New York Post which is headlined, "The Media Need to Stop Gaslighting Us About the Reality of Trans Mass Shooters." In hour 2, Sue hosts, "Sue's News" where she discusses the latest trending entertainment news, this day in history, the random fact of the day and more. Mark is then joined by Peter Kinder, a Former Missouri Lt. Governor and the Current Chair of the Missouri Republican Party. Kinder gives a big preview for the upcoming state Lincoln Days gathering that is coming up in Springfield on February 20-22. In hour 3, Mark is joined by David Strom, an Associate Editor with Hot Air. He discusses Tom Homan announcing the conclusion of ICE operations in Minneapolis, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison getting grilled at a Senate hearing and more. Mark is then joined by Phil Holloway, the Host of the Megyn Kelly True Crime Show and a Former Assistant District Attorney and Former Police Officer. Holloway joins from Tucson and shares the latest updates on the missing Nancy Guthrie. He's later joined by Nancy Rommelmann, a Journalist with Real Clear Investigations. She discusses her latest article which is titled, "Caring for Mom is an Education in Scams and Fraud." They wrap up the show with the Audio Cut of the Day.

In this segment, Mark is joined by David Strom, an Associate Editor with Hot Air. He discusses Tom Homan announcing the conclusion of ICE operations in Minneapolis, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison getting grilled at a Senate hearing and more.

Great creative does not fail because of ideas. It fails because of operations.In this episode of the OnBase podcast, Chris Moody sits down with Michael Miller, founder and head of creative at Consigliere, to explore why modern CMOs must think like architects of complex marketing systems. They unpack the hidden operational bottlenecks that sabotage performance, why agencies often get blamed unfairly, and how outdated marketing models are slowing teams down.Michael also shares a pragmatic view on AI: use it to buy back time, streamline process, and visualize ideas, not to replace creativity. If you are leading marketing in a performance-driven environment and trying to protect brand and creative quality, this episode offers a blueprint for doing both.About Michael MillerMichael Miller has built an impressive track record over his 20+ year career, developing award winning creative and digital experiences for some of the world's top companies including Delta Airlines, Jeep, Citi, Adobe, Southwest Airlines, Apple, Lucasfilm, AT&T, Nike and Etihad Airways.Prior to founding Consiglieri, Miller was the Vice President of Marketing at T-Mobile where he founded their internal agency & TMO studios, and led the modernization of the brand's marketing, creative and digital operation. Miller also architected T-Mobile's industry leading social organization.Miller was the SVP Executive Creative Director at Publicis | Razorfish for 12 years prior, leading global, digital transformation for some of the largest brands in the world.Connect with Michael.

Multiple reports say a pair of black gloves was recovered by the FBI near the home of "Today" host Savannah Guthrie's missing mother. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to a brand-new three-part series on The Ops Authority Podcast, where we go behind the scenes with operators from industries that look completely different on the surface but share the same heartbeat: strong operations. In this first episode, I'm sitting down with Thais Saenz, Founder of Saenz Global, to explore the world of roofing contractors. From managing chaotic job sites to leveraging AI for world-class delivery, Thais is proving that operations isn't just about keeping things running. It's about building businesses that scale, teams that thrive, and clients who trust you. Whether you're supporting trades, running your own business, or simply curious about what makes companies work, this conversation will show you how strong operations create stability and success in any industry. For full show notes, check out  www.TheOpsAuthority.com/podcast/297 Stay Connected: Join the Ops Insiders FREE Facebook community! Other Ways to Connect with Me: Facebook Page Instagram

The Transformation Ground Control podcast covers a number of topics important to digital and business transformation. This episode covers the following topics and interviews:   Why Oracle is Cutting Up to 30,000 Jobs, Q&A (Darian Chwialkowski, Third Stage Consulting) The Anatomy of an ERP Project Failure (Fred Hessler, Third Stage Consulting) Why Your Business & IT Operations Are in Conflict We also cover a number of other relevant topics related to digital and business transformation throughout the show.  

What if the path to transforming higher ed isn't about radical reinvention—but about finally using the tools we already have? In this episode, Dustin chats with Kelly Rogan, COO of Ellucian, about how AI and data can revolutionize student experiences, institutional operations, and leadership decisions—if we're brave enough to modernize. Drawing from her background at Microsoft and her deep dive into higher ed, Kelly unpacks how institutions can move from resistance to action, without losing the human touch.Guest Name: Kelly Rogan - Chief Operating Officer at EllucianGuest Social: LinkedInGuest Bio: As Chief Operating Officer, Kelly Rogan drives acceleration and enhancement of Ellucian's SaaS delivery strategies and customer experience, leading the Global Professional Services, Managed Services, Services Strategy and Innovation, and Customer Success and Support organizations. Kelly has more than 20 years of impressive experience in driving cloud transformation in the technology industry, a deep understanding of transformational change, and a proven ability to scale organizations effectively. - - - -Connect With Our Host:Dustin Ramsdellhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/dustinramsdell/About The Enrollify Podcast Network:The Higher Ed Geek is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you'll like other Enrollify shows too!Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — The AI Workforce Platform for Higher Ed. Learn more at element451.com. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Running a dental practice can feel like an endless cycle of putting out fires, reacting to problems, and repeating the same frustrations day after day. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt sits down with Christina Burn, Director of Operations at ACT Dental, to explain why most of these daily issues stem from a lack of clear systems, not people. Together, they break down how systems create predictability, reduce stress, improve team accountability, and support long-term growth. You'll learn where to start with systems, how to build them with your team, and how to keep them relevant as your practice evolves. To learn how to stop firefighting and start creating predictability, listen to Episode 1007 of The Best Practices Show!Main Takeaways:Most recurring daily problems in a dental practice are caused by missing or unclear systems rather than individual team performance.Systems create predictability, which leads to less stress, better patient experiences, and more consistent outcomes for doctors and teams.Practices should aim to be systems-driven instead of people-dependent to avoid burnout and constant staff additions.Effective systems start with a clearly defined “why” that connects directly to patient experience and team success.The best systems are created collaboratively during dedicated team meeting time, not by the doctor alone or outside of work hours.Systems should be specific, step-by-step, and written clearly so anyone in the practice can follow them when needed.Systems must be treated as living tools that are reviewed, updated, and improved as the practice grows and changes.Snippets:00:00 Introduction and Welcome00:08 The Importance of Systems in Dentistry01:28 Meet Christina Burn: Director of Operations02:30 Common Issues in Dental Practices03:23 Creating Effective Systems05:52 The Why Behind Systems09:58 Implementing and Refining Systems13:22 The 80% Approach to System Development16:02 Specificity in Systems20:32 Living Systems: Continuous Improvement25:11 Conclusion and Final ThoughtsGuest Bio/Guest Resources:Christina Byrne is the Director of Operations at ACT Dental, where she oversees coaching alignment, system development, and operational consistency across practices nationwide. She works closely with dental teams to help them build scalable systems that improve predictability, accountability, and long-term practice performance. In this episode, Christina references ACT Dental resources including the Analyzing...

We get the latest from Dr Colm Henry, Chief Clinical Officer Health Service Executive and reaction from Deputy David Cullinane, Sinn Féin spokesperson on Health

In this exciting episode of The Tiberius Show, we're joined by Maxine Dennis, the CEO of Champion Valley Adventure Park in Lakeville, Minnesota. Maxine shares her journey from running escape rooms to overseeing one of the coolest adventure parks around, packed with paintball, axe throwing, archery tag, camping, and more. Discussion Points•    Champion Valley Adventure Park: Running an adventure park with paintball, axe throwing, and more.•    Maxine's Journey: From escape rooms to CEO of a 150-acre park.•    Business Advice: How close connection with customers is key to success.•    Entrepreneurship: The highs and lows of being your own boss.•    Staffing & Leadership: The challenges of managing young employees in an outdoor, adventure-based business.•    Adventure Park Fun: Weirdest moments at the park, team-building with employees, and upcoming events like zombie paintball.•    Telos: Helping teens find their passion and build careers through structured gap years.•    Life Lessons: What Maxine learned from her parents' small business and how it shaped her career.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-tiberius-show--3352195/support.

This week at NSTA: The Bus Stop- Executive Director Curt Macysyn welcomes first-time guest Adam Silbernagel, Senior Vice President of Information Technology at Summit School Services and a 2026 NSTA Midwinter Meeting MST Technology Panelist. Adam shares his professional background and how he found his way into the student transportation industry, along with his first impressions after attending his first live NSTA meeting in Fort Lauderdale. Adam gives listeners a unique perspective on the MST panel, Averting Disaster: Tech Goes Down—Be Prepared, and discusses how contractors can maintain operations when critical technology systems fail. The duo explore the increasing reliance on software and telematics in school transportation, the challenges that it creates for contractors, and how leaders balance operational needs with IT priorities. Shifting to a more personal note, Adam reflects on being named a finalist for the 2026 ChicagoCIO ORBIE Awards and shares some marathon training stories. Curt and Adam dive into some Big Ten basketball talk before wrapping up with where listeners can learn more about Summit School Services. Become a podcast subscriber and don't miss an episode of NSTA: The Bus Stop- NSTA Vendor Partners can take advantage of our comprehensive advertising package that will help you reach your target audience - private school bus operators!Support the show

Before Walt Disney bought a single acre of swampland in Florida, he spent years on a secret "scavenger hunt" across America. We often hear that Disney World was a "Plan B" after Disneyland, but the truth is much more calculated. From a luxury bowling alley in Denver to a 5-story indoor theme park in St. Louis and a controversial ski resort in the Sierras, Walt was secretly testing the pieces he needed for his "Florida Project." In today's episode of Synergy Loves Company, we're connecting the dots between Walt's biggest "failures" and the ultimate success of Walt Disney World. We explore: - How a Denver bowling alley became the training ground for Disney's world-class service. - The real reason the St. Louis "Riverfront Square" project was cancelled (it wasn't just about the beer!). - Why a mountain ski resort in the Sierras taught Walt the most expensive lesson of his life. - How the 1964 New York World's Fair acted as a multi-million dollar R&D lab funded by corporate sponsors. Every stop on this scavenger hunt provided a piece of the puzzle: Operations, Control, Land, Technology, and Market Proof. By the time Walt looked at Florida, he didn't just have a dream—he had a proven blueprint for perfection. Join the Conversation: Which of these "failed" projects do you think had the most fascinating ripple effect on the Disney parks we know today? Let me know in the comments !Subscribe for more Disney connections: https://www.youtube.com/@synergylovescompany?sub_confirmation=1 Podcast: Listen to Synergy Loves Company → https://synergylovescompany.com Support the Show: Shop official Synergy Loves Company merch → https://shop.synergylovescompany.com Affiliate Disclosure: Some links above may be affiliate links. If you click and purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting the channel! Connect with Me: Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/synergylovescompany Bluesky → https://bsky.app/profile/erichsynergy.bsky.social Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/synergylovescompany This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

To keep pace with change, adapting to new technologies is essential. Good Boy Records has not only adapted, but created their own tech — an AI-powered legal platform called Clearnote. This platform was developed by Good Boy's founders & their VP of Operations, Cameron Siasi, to meet the demand for a more streamlined legal process for industry attorneys, especially in an age where tens of thousands of songs generate legal paperwork on a weekly basis. In this interview, Cameron breaks down Clearnote's contract creation & storing capabilities, and how the platform serves as an example of ways AI can improve efficiency in our industry.

GFA 482. Sören Dittrich reveals how a lean German Amazon seller uses Python, data analytics, and AI to spot profit leaks and thrive in the 2025 margin squeeze.

In this episode of Gov Tech Today, hosts Russell Lowery and Jennifer Saha dive into a new trend in government contracting: transforming maintenance and operations (M&O) into modernization opportunities. They examine how traditional M&O contracts are increasingly including system improvement requirements, effectively shifting from simple maintenance to significant technological upgrades. This approach allows government agencies to modernize within existing budgets, avoiding the complexities and scrutiny of new IT projects. The discussion also explores the balance between maintaining existing systems and leveraging M&O contracts for continuous modernization. 00:00 Introduction to Gov Tech Today00:24 Exploring Maintenance and Operations (M&O) Opportunities01:06 Shifting from Maintenance to Modernization01:50 Evaluating Contracting Processes and Budget Impacts04:41 Maximizing Value from M&O Contracts07:42 Vendor and Government Collaboration12:57 Final Thoughts and Future Directions

Get ready to rethink your company's legal strategy in this episode of Predictable B2B Success. Host Vinay Koshy speaks with Jeff Holman, founder of Intellectual Strategies and creator of the first fractional legal team model. Whether you're a first-time founder facing hidden legal pitfalls or a seasoned executive scaling fast, Jeff Holman explains why traditional law firms might hold you back and how fractional legal guidance can unlock growth and agility. You'll hear candid stories about real-world risks, how proactive legal input can save millions, and ways to align intellectual property strategy with investor expectations and business goals. Discover tips on managing legal debt, building IP moats in the era of AI, and why simple documentation can be your strongest defense. Learn how embedded legal partners can streamline product development and turn compliance headaches into competitive advantages. Curious about the untapped legal potential that can drive revenue growth? Ready to hear how startups and scaleups can turn legal from a roadblock into a driver for success? Tune in and let this conversation challenge what you thought you knew about legal support for growing businesses. Some topics we explore in this episode include: Fractional Legal Team Model: How Jeff Holman developed a scalable alternative to traditional legal services for startups and growing businesses.Access to Legal Support for Small Businesses: Addressing the barriers small businesses face in getting affordable, practical legal advice.Key Moments Shaping Intellectual Strategies: The pivotal decisions and experiences that led Jeff Holman to build his unique legal offering.Translating Legal Complexity for Business Leaders: The importance of making legal and technical concepts business-friendly.First-Time vs. Experienced Founders' Needs: How legal priorities differ and the crucial role of documenting agreements.Quantifying the Impact of Legal Teams: Communicating ROI to CFOs, with examples of cost and risk avoidance.Strategic IP Management: Aligning patents and trademarks with business goals and investor expectations.Adapting IP for Rapid Tech Change (AI Focus): Layering protections and adjusting strategies amidst fast-moving technology.Managing Legal Risk and Debt: Using playbooks and frameworks for identifying and prioritizing legal issues.Embedding Legal into Operations and Product Development: The value of being closely involved in client teams to deliver timely legal guidance.And much, much more...

God is Good…We Promise- Carrissa's story  Summary: In part two of our series, “God Is Good… We Promise,” we continue sharing real stories of God's goodness—even when life doesn't make sense. This week, we're joined by Carrissa Mackie, Director of Operations for Rising Above who bravely opens up about an incredibly challenging season in her life. Carrissa shares how a serious leg injury became an unexpected place where God revealed His goodness in a deeply personal way. Through vulnerability and honesty, she reflects on how her faith was tested, how it grew, and how she learned to truly trust God's will—especially when the future felt uncertain. Her story is a powerful reminder that God is still good, even in pain, waiting, and unanswered questions. Related Links: Practical Ways to Come Alongside Families Moment of Reflection:  For this week's Moment of Reflection, Carrissa shared how, after her injury, she experienced a deeper desire to draw close to God. She explained that she now strives to make no decision and take no step forward without first seeking assurance that it aligns with God's will for her life. As parents of children with disabilities, there are countless decisions to navigate—many of them heavy and life-altering. Are there areas of life right now that feel unsettled or uncertain, leaving questions about which direction to take? This week, consider bringing those questions to God. Spend intentional time with Him, asking for clarity, guidance, and wisdom for the next step, and for a greater ability to recognize and hear His voice.  

Dave Miller, who served as a Worship and Creative Arts Pastor at churches in Las Vegas, Central KY, and Western MI has also spent the last fifteen years on the go helping churches on a variety of topics from strategy to technology and facility redesign.He's most passionate, however, about helping young leaders take their healthiest first steps into ministry. He's an avid cyclist, Cincinnati Reds fan, and “Poppi” to Jamie & Benny.Kristin previously served on staff at churches in Denver overseeing Operations, First Impressions, and Global/Local Outreach. She's also recruited students to ministry as an Admissions Director. She's passionate about equipping young leaders to pave the way for others to meet Jesus, not unlike her own testimony of encountering Christ on a rare visit to a church with her family when she was 9.As the co-founder of LP, she keeps the big picture in mind. She's a foodie, loves to cook and entertain with friends and family, and is a fan of words but can't seem to find many who will play Scrabble with her!Dave & Kristin join Dale to discuss the long-lasting impact of developing residency programs within your ministry to raise up the next generation of leaders.Show Notes: https://95network.org/95podcast-324-summary-how-church-residency-programs-develop-next-gen-leaders-w-dave-kristin-miller-episode-324/Support the show

For the first time in history, workplaces now span five generations, forcing leaders to rethink long-standing assumptions about motivation, communication, and career growth. As Gen Z enters the workforce, they bring expectations shaped by a desire for meaningful work, clear development paths, and work-life balance—rather than traditional, one-size-fits-all career ladders. In an era marked by labor shortages and widening skills gaps, particularly in the trades, leaders who fail to clearly articulate direction, purpose, and opportunity risk losing talent before it ever fully engages.So, how do leaders motivate, align, and retain people who want more than “because I said so”? And what does effective leadership actually look like when titles matter less than trust?These questions are at the heart of the latest episode of Straight Outta Crumpton, hosted by Greg Crumpton, featuring keynote speaker, author, and leadership strategist Stan Phelps. Together, they explore how communication, self-advocacy, and purpose-driven leadership can bridge generational divides and unlock potential—especially in environments where traditional management models fall short.Top insights from the talk…Why clear communication isn't complete until others can repeat—and act on—the message in their own words.How Gen Z's emphasis on purpose over pay is reshaping leadership expectations.Why “warmth” (intent) matters even more than competence when building trust and influence.Stan Phelps is a globally recognized keynote speaker, workshop facilitator, and author who helps organizations drive loyalty, growth, and word-of-mouth through customer and employee experience, differentiation, and purpose-driven strategy. A Certified Speaking Professional, former IBM Futurist, and Forbes contributor, he has delivered keynotes and workshops in 24 countries for Fortune 100 brands including IBM, Disney, UPS, Microsoft, and Target. Drawing on 5,000+ case studies and his Goldfish methodology, Stan equips leaders across Sales, Marketing, HR, and Operations with practical, action-oriented ideas that deliver measurable business results.

Seemingly out of nowhere Data Centers have been proposing new facilities in many Michigan communities. Most are being met with strong opposition, but it's hard to keep up with what the concerns are, what the rebuttals have been - and ultimately what the truth is. Joining Chris to discuss the topic on a broader scale, as well as some details on the proposed Lansing-based project, is the Vice President of Strategy and Operations for Deep Green, Luke Gavin!

Last time we spoke about The Battle of Suixian–Zaoyang-Shatow. Following the brutal 1938 capture of Wuhan, Japanese forces aimed to solidify their hold by launching an offensive against Chinese troops in the 5th War Zone, a rugged natural fortress in northern Hubei and southern Henan. Under General Yasuji Okamura, the 11th Army deployed three divisions and cavalry in a pincer assault starting May 1, 1939, targeting Suixian and Zaoyang to crush Nationalist resistance and secure flanks. Chinese commander Li Zongren, leveraging terrain like the Dabie and Tongbai Mountains, orchestrated defenses with over 200,000 troops, including Tang Enbo's 31st Army Group. By May 23, they recaptured Suixian and Zaoyang, forcing a Japanese withdrawal with heavy losses, over 13,000 Japanese casualties versus 25,000 Chinese, restoring pre-battle lines. Shifting south, Japan targeted Shantou in Guangdong to sever supply lines from Hong Kong. In a massive June 21 amphibious assault, the 21st Army overwhelmed thin Chinese defenses, capturing the port and Chao'an despite guerrilla resistance led by Zhang Fakui. Though losses mounted, Japan tightened its blockade, straining China's war effort amid ongoing attrition.   #188 From Changkufeng to Nomonhan Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. Well hello again, and yes you all have probably guessed we are taking another detour. Do not worry I hope to shorten this one a bit more so than what became a sort of mini series on the battle of Changkufeng or Battle of Lake Khasan. What we are about to jump into is known in the west as the battle of khalkin Gol, by the Japanese the Nomohan incident. But first I need to sort of set the table up so to say. So back on August 10th, 1938 the Litvinov-Shigemitsu agreement established a joint border commission tasked with redemarcating the disputed boundary between the Soviet Union and Japanese-controlled Manchukuo. However, this commission never achieved a mutually agreeable definition of the border in the contested area. In reality, the outcome was decided well before the group's inaugural meeting. Mere hours after the cease-fire took effect on the afternoon of August 11, General Grigory Shtern convened with a regimental commander from Japan's 19th Division to coordinate the disengagement of forces. With the conflict deemed "honorably" concluded, Japan's Imperial General Headquarters mandated the swift withdrawal of all Japanese troops to the west bank of the Tumen River. By the night of August 13, as the final Japanese soldier crossed the river, it effectively became the de facto border. Soviet forces promptly reoccupied Changkufeng Hill and the adjacent heights—a move that would carry unexpected and profound repercussions. Authoritative Japanese military analyses suggest that if negotiations in Moscow had dragged on for just one more day, the 19th Division would likely have been dislodged from Changkufeng and its surrounding elevations. Undoubtedly, General Shtern's infantry breathed a sigh of relief as the bloodshed ceased. Yet, one can't help but question why Moscow opted for a cease-fire at a juncture when Soviet troops were on the cusp of total battlefield triumph. Perhaps Kremlin leaders deemed it wiser to settle for a substantial gain, roughly three-quarters of their objectives, rather than risk everything. After all, Japan had mobilized threatening forces in eastern Manchuria, and the Imperial Army had a history of impulsive, unpredictable aggression. Moreover, amid the escalating crisis over Czechoslovakia, Moscow may have been wary of provoking a broader Asian conflict. Another theory posits that Soviet high command was misinformed about the ground situation. Reports of capturing a small segment of Changkufeng's crest might have been misinterpreted as control over the entire ridge, or an imminent full takeover before midnight on August 10. The unexpected phone call from Foreign Minister Maxim Litvinov to the Japanese embassy that night—proposing a one-kilometer Japanese retreat in exchange for a cease-fire along existing lines—hints at communication breakdowns between Shtern's headquarters and the Kremlin. Ironically, such lapses may have preserved Japanese military honor, allowing the 19th Division's evacuation through diplomacy rather than defeat. Both sides endured severe losses. Initial Japanese press reports claimed 158 killed and 740 wounded. However, the 19th Division's medical logs reveal a grimmer toll: 526 dead and 914 injured, totaling 1,440 casualties. The true figure may have climbed higher, possibly to 1,500–2,000. Following the armistice, the Soviet news agency TASS reported 236 Red Army fatalities and 611 wounded. Given Shtern's uphill assaults across open terrain against entrenched positions, these numbers seem understated. Attackers in such scenarios typically suffered two to three times the defenders' losses, suggesting Soviet casualties ranged from 3,000 to 5,000. This aligns with a Soviet Military Council investigation on August 31, 1938, which documented 408 killed and 2,807 wounded. Japanese estimates placed Soviet losses even higher, at 4,500–7,000. Not all victims perished in combat. Marshal Vasily Blyukher, a decorated Soviet commander, former warlord of the Far East, and Central Committee candidate, was summoned to Moscow in August 1938. Relieved of duty in September and arrested with his family in October, he faced charges of inadequate preparation against Japanese aggression and harboring "enemies of the people" within his ranks. On November 9, 1938, Blyukher died during interrogation a euphemism for torture-induced death.Other innocents suffered as well. In the wake of the fighting, Soviet authorities deported hundreds of thousands of Korean rice farmers from the Ussuri region to Kazakhstan, aiming to eradicate Korean settlements that Japanese spies had allegedly exploited. The Changkufeng clash indirectly hampered Japan's Wuhan offensive, a massive push to subdue China. The influx of troops and supplies for this campaign was briefly disrupted by the border flare-up. Notably, Kwantung Army's 2nd Air Group, slated for Wuhan, was retained due to the Soviet threat. Chiang Kai-shek's drastic measure, breaching the Yellow River dikes to flood Japanese advance routes—further delayed the assault. By October 25, 1938, when Japanese forces captured Hankow, Chiang had relocated his capital to distant Chungking. Paradoxically, Wuhan's fall cut rail links from Canton inland, heightening Chiang's reliance on Soviet aid routed overland and by air from Central Asia. Japan secured a tactical win but missed the decisive blow; Chinese resistance persisted, pinning down a million Japanese troops in occupation duties. What was the true significance of Changkufeng? For General Koiso Suetaka and the 19th Division, it evoked a mix of bitterness and pride. Those eager for combat got their share, though not on their terms. To veterans mourning fallen comrades on those desolate slopes, it might have felt like senseless tragedy. Yet, they fought valiantly under dire conditions, holding firm until a retreat that blended humiliation with imperial praise, a bittersweet inheritance. For the Red Army, it marked a crucial trial of resolve amid Stalin's purges. While Shtern's forces didn't shine brilliantly, they acquitted themselves well in adversity. The U.S. military attaché in Moscow observed that any purge-related inefficiencies had been surmounted, praising the Red Army's valor, reliability, and equipment. His counterpart in China, Colonel Joseph Stilwell, put it bluntly: the Soviets "appeared to advantage," urging skeptics to rethink notions of a weakened Red Army. Yet, by World War II's eve, many British, French, German, and Japanese leaders still dismissed it as a "paper tiger." Soviet leaders appeared content, promoting Shtern to command the Transbaikal Military District and colonel general by 1940, while honoring "Heroes of Lake Khasan" with medals. In a fiery November 7, 1938, speech, Marshal Kliment Voroshilov warned that future incursions would prompt strikes deep into enemy territory. Tokyo's views diverged sharply. Many in the military and government saw it as a stain on Imperial Army prestige, especially Kwantung Army, humiliated on Manchukuo soil it swore to protect. Colonel Masanobu Tsuji Inada, however, framed it as a successful reconnaissance, confirming Soviet border defense without broader aggression, allowing the Wuhan push to proceed safely. Critics, including Major General Gun Hashimoto and historians, questioned this. They argued IGHQ lacked contingency plans for a massive Soviet response, especially with Wuhan preparations underway since June. One expert warned Japan had "played with fire," risking Manchuria and Korea if escalation occurred. Yet, Japanese commanders gleaned few lessons, downplaying Soviet materiel superiority and maintaining disdain for Red Army prowess. The 19th Division's stand against outnumbered odds reinforced this hubris, as did tolerance for local insubordination—attitudes that would prove costly. The Kremlin, conversely, learned Japan remained unpredictable despite its China quagmire. But for Emperor Hirohito's intervention, the conflict might have ballooned. Amid purges and the Czech crisis, Stalin likely viewed it as a reminder of eastern vulnerabilities, especially with Munich advancing German threats westward. Both sides toyed with peril. Moderation won in Tokyo, but Kwantung Army seethed. On August 11, Premier Fumimaro Konoye noted the need for caution. Kwantung, however, pushed for and secured control of the disputed salient from Chosen Army by October 8, 1938. Even winter's chill couldn't quench their vengeful fire, setting the stage for future confrontations. A quick look at the regional map reveals how Manchukuo and the Mongolian People's Republic each jut into the other's territory like protruding salients. These bulges could be seen as aggressive thrusts into enemy land, yet they also risked encirclement and absorption by the opposing empire. A northward push from western Manchuria through Mongolia could sever the MPR and Soviet Far East from the USSR's heartland. Conversely, a pincer movement from Mongolia and the Soviet Maritime Province might envelop and isolate Manchukuo. This dynamic highlights the frontier's strategic volatility in the 1930s. One particularly tense sector was the broad Mongolian salient extending about 150 miles eastward into west-central Manchukuo. There, in mid-1939, Soviet-Japanese tensions erupted into major combat. Known to the Japanese as the Nomonhan Incident and to the Soviets and Mongolians as the Battle of Khalkhin Gol, this clash dwarfed the earlier Changkufeng affair in scale, duration, and impact. Spanning four months and claiming 30,000 to 50,000 casualties, it amounted to a small undeclared war, the modern era's first limited conflict between great powers. The Mongolian salient features vast, semiarid plains of sandy grassland, gently rolling terrain dotted with sparse scrub pines and low shrubs. The climate is unforgivingly continental: May brings hot days and freezing nights, while July and August see daytime highs exceeding 38°C (100°F in American units), with cool evenings. Swarms of mosquitoes and massive horseflies necessitate netting in summer. Rainfall is scarce, but dense morning fogs are common in August. Come September, temperatures plummet, with heavy snows by October and midwinter lows dipping to –34°C. This blend of North African aridity and North Dakotan winters supports only sparse populations, mainly two related but distinct Mongol tribes. The Buriat (or Barga) Mongols migrated into the Nomonhan area from the northwest in the late 17th to early 18th centuries, likely fleeing Russian expansion after the 1689 Treaty of Nerchinsk. Organized by Manchu emperors between 1732 and 1735, they settled east of the river they called Khalkhin Gol (Mongolian for "river"), in lands that would later become Manchukuo. The Khalkha Mongols, named for the word meaning "barrier" or "shield," traditionally guarded the Mongol Empire's northern frontiers. Their territories lay west of the Buriats, in what would become the MPR. For centuries, these tribes herded livestock across sands, river crossings, and desert paths, largely oblivious to any formal borders. For hundreds of years, the line dividing the Mongolian salient from western Manchuria was a hazy administrative divide within the Qing Empire. In the 20th century, Russia's detachment of Outer Mongolia and Japan's seizure of Manchuria transformed this vague boundary into a frontline between rival powers. The Nomonhan Incident ignited over this contested border. Near the salient's northeastern edge, the river, called Khalkhin Gol by Mongols and Soviets, and Halha by Manchurians and Japanese, flows northwest into Lake Buir Nor. The core dispute: Was the river, as Japan asserted, the historic boundary between Manchukuo and the MPR? Soviet and MPR officials insisted the line ran parallel to and 10–12 miles east of the river, claiming the intervening strip. Japan cited no fewer than 18 maps, from Chinese and Japanese sources, to support the river as the border, a logical choice in such barren terrain, where it served as the sole natural divider. Yet, Soviets and Mongolians countered with evidence like a 1919 Chinese postal atlas and maps from Japanese and Manchukuoan agencies (1919–1934). Unbeknownst to combatants, in July 1939, China's military attaché in Moscow shared a 1934 General Staff map with his American counterpart, showing the border east of the river. Postwar Japanese studies of 18th-century Chinese records confirm that in 1734, the Qing emperor set a boundary between Buriat and Khalkha Mongols east of the river, passing through the hamlet of Nomonhan—as the Soviets claimed. However, Kwantung Army Headquarters dismissed this as non-binding, viewing it as an internal Qing affair without Russian involvement. Two former Kwantung Army officers offer a pragmatic explanation: From 1931 to 1935, when Soviet forces in the Far East were weak, Japanese and Manchukuoan authorities imposed the river as the de facto border, with MPR acquiescence. By the mid- to late 1930s, as Soviet strength grew, Japan refused to yield, while Mongolians and Soviets rejected the river line, sparking clashes. In 1935, Kwantung Army revised its maps to align with the river claim. From late that year, the Lake Buir Nor–Halha sector saw frequent skirmishes between Manchukuoan and MPR patrols. Until mid-1938, frontier defense in northwestern Manchukuo fell to the 8th Border Garrison Unit , based near Hailar. This 7,000-man force, spread thin, lacked mobility, training, and, in Kwantung Army's eyes, combat readiness. That summer, the newly formed 23rd Division, under Kwantung Army, took station at Hailar, absorbing the 8th BGU under its command, led by Lieutenant General Michitaro Komatsubara. At 52, Komatsubara was a premier Russian specialist in the Imperial Army, with stints as military attaché in the USSR and head of Kwantung's Special Services Agency in Harbin. Standing 5'7" with a sturdy build, glasses, and a small mustache, he was detail-oriented, keeping meticulous diaries, writing lengthy letters, and composing poetry, though he lacked combat experience. Before departing Tokyo in July 1938, Komatsubara received briefings from Colonel Masazumi Inada, AGS Operations Section chief. Amid planning for Changkufeng, Inada urged calm on the Manchukuo-MPR border given China's ongoing campaigns. Guidelines: Ignore minor incidents, prioritize intelligence on Soviet forces east of Lake Baikal, and study operations against the Soviet Far East's western sector. Familiar with the region from his Harbin days, Komatsubara adopted a low-key approach. Neither impulsive nor aggressive, he kept the green 23rd Division near Hailar, delegating patrols to the 8th BGU. An autumn incident underscores his restraint. On November 1, 1938, an 8th BGU patrol was ambushed by MPR forces. Per Japanese accounts, the three-man team, led by a lieutenant, strayed too close to the border and was attacked 50 meters inside Manchukuo. The lieutenant escaped, but his men died. Komatsubara sent an infantry company to secure the site but forbade retaliation. He pursued body recovery diplomatically, protested to MPR and Soviet officials, and disciplined his officers: garrison leaders got five days' confinement for poor troop training, the lieutenant thirty days. Despite this caution, pressures at AGS and KwAHQ were mounting, poised to thrust the 23rd Division into fierce battle. Modern militaries routinely develop contingency plans against potential adversaries, and the mere existence of such strategies doesn't inherently signal aggressive intentions. That said, shifts in Japan's operational planning vis-à-vis the Soviet Union may have inadvertently fueled the Nomonhan Incident. From 1934 to 1938, Japanese war scenarios emphasized a massive surprise assault in the Ussuri River region, paired with defensive holding actions in northwestern Manchuria. However, between mid-1938 and early 1939, a clandestine joint task force from the Army General Staff  and Kwantung Army's Operations Departments crafted a bold new blueprint. This revised strategy proposed containing Soviet forces in the east and north while unleashing a full-scale offensive from Hailar, advancing west-northwest toward Chita and ultimately Lake Baikal. The goal: sever the Transbaikal Soviet Far East from the USSR's core. Dubbed Plan Eight-B, it gained Kwantung Army's endorsement in March 1939. Key architects—Colonels Takushiro Hattori and Masao Terada, along with Major Takeharu Shimanuki—were reassigned from AGS to Kwantung Army Headquarters to oversee implementation. The plan anticipated a five-year buildup before execution, with Hattori assuming the role of chief operations staff officer.  A map review exposes a glaring vulnerability in Plan Eight-B: the Japanese advance would leave its southern flank exposed to Soviet counterstrikes from the Mongolian salient. By spring 1939, KwAHQ likely began perceiving this protrusion as a strategic liability. Notably, at the outbreak of Nomonhan hostilities, no detailed operational contingencies for the area had been formalized. Concurrently, Japan initiated plans for a vital railroad linking Harlun Arshan to Hailar. While its direct tie to Plan Eight-B remains unclear, the route skirted perilously close to the Halha River, potentially heightening KwAHQ's focus on the disputed Mongolian salient. In early 1939, the 23rd Division intensified reconnaissance patrols near the river. Around this time, General Grigory Shtern, freshly appointed commander of Soviet Far Eastern forces, issued a public warning that Japan was gearing up for an assault on the Mongolian People's Republic. As Plan Eight-B took shape and railroad proposals advanced, KwAHQ issued a strikingly confrontational set of guidelines for frontier troops. These directives are often cited as a catalyst for the Nomonhan clash, forging a chain linking the 1937 Amur River incident, the 1938 Changkufeng debacle, and the 1939 conflict.Resentment had festered at KwAHQ over perceived AGS meddling during the Amur affair, which curtailed their command autonomy. This frustration intensified at Changkufeng, where General Kamezo Suetaka's 19th Division endured heavy losses, only for the contested Manchukuoan territory to be effectively ceded. Kwantung Army lobbied successfully to wrest oversight of the Changkufeng salient from Chosen Army. In November 1938, Major Masanobu Tsuji of KwAHQ's Operations Section was sent to survey the site. The audacious officer was dismayed: Soviet forces dominated the land from the disputed ridge to the Tumen River. Tsuji undertook several winter reconnaissance missions. His final outing in March 1939 involved leading 40 men to Changkufeng's base. With rifles slung non-threateningly, they ascended to within 200 yards of Soviet lines, formed a line, and urinated in unison, eliciting amused reactions from the enemy. They then picnicked with obentos and sake, sang army tunes, and left gifts of canned meat, chocolates, and whiskey. This theatrical stunt concealed Tsuji's real aim: covert photography proving Soviet fortifications encroached on Manchukuoan soil. Tsuji was a singular figure. Born of modest means, he embodied a modern samurai ethos, channeling a sharp intellect into a frail, often ailing body through feats of extraordinary daring. A creative tactician, he thrived in intelligence ops, political scheming, aerial scouting, planning, and frontline command—excelling across a tumultuous career. Yet, flaws marred his brilliance: narrow bigotry, virulent racism, and capacity for cruelty. Ever the ambitious outsider, Tsuji wielded outsized influence via gekokujo—Japan's tradition of subordinates steering policy from below. In 1939, he was a major, but his pivotal role at Nomonhan stemmed from this dynamic. Back in Hsinking after his Changkufeng escapade, Tsuji drafted a response plan: negotiate border "rectification" with the Soviets; if talks failed, launch an attack to expel intruders. Kwantung Army adopted it. Deputy Chief of Staff Major General Otozaburo Yano flew to Tokyo with Tsuji's photos, seeking AGS approval. There, he was rebuffed—Changkufeng was deemed settled, and minor violations should be overlooked amid Tokyo's aversion to Soviet conflict. Yano's plea that leniency would invite aggression was countered by notes on Europe's tensions restraining Moscow. Yano's return sparked outrage at KwAHQ, seen as AGS thwarting their imperial duty to safeguard Manchukuo. Fury peaked in the Operations Section, setting the stage for Tsuji's drafting of stringent new frontier guidelines: "Principles for the Settlement of Soviet-Manchukuoan Border Disputes." The core tenet: "If Soviet troops transgress the Manchukuoan frontiers, Kwantung Army will nip their ambitions in the bud by completely destroying them." Specific directives for local commanders included: "If the enemy crosses the frontiers … annihilate him without delay, employing strength carefully built up beforehand. To accomplish our mission, it is permissible to enter Soviet territory, or to trap or lure Soviet troops into Manchukuoan territory and allow them to remain there for some time… . Where boundary lines are not clearly defined, area defense commanders will, upon their own initiative, establish boundaries and indicate them to the forward elements… . In the event of an armed clash, fight until victory is won, regardless of relative strengths or of the location of the boundaries. If the enemy violates the borders, friendly units must challenge him courageously and endeavor to triumph in their zone of action without concerning themselves about the consequences, which will be the responsibility of higher headquarters." Major Tsuji Masanobu later justified the new guidelines by pointing to the "contradictory orders" that had hamstrung frontier commanders under the old rules. They were tasked with upholding Manchukuo's territorial integrity yet forbidden from actions that might spark conflict. This, Tsuji argued, bred hesitation, as officers feared repercussions for decisive responses to incursions. The updated directives aimed to alleviate this "anxiety," empowering local leaders to act boldly without personal liability. In truth, Tsuji's "Principles for the Settlement of Soviet-Manchukuoan Border Disputes" were more incendiary than conciliatory. They introduced provocative measures: authorizing commanders to unilaterally define unclear boundaries, enforce them with immediate force "shoot first, ask questions later", permit pursuits into enemy territory, and even encourage luring adversaries across the line. Such tactics flouted both government policy and official army doctrine, prioritizing escalation over restraint. The proposals sparked intense debate within Kwantung Army's Operations Section. Section chief Colonel Takushiro Hattori and Colonel Masao Terada outranked Tsuji, as did Major Takeharu Shimanuki, all recent transfers from the Army General Staff. Tsuji, however, boasted longer tenure at Kwantung Army Headquarters since April 1936 and in Operations since November 1937, making him the de facto veteran. Hattori and Terada hesitated to challenge the assertive major, whose reputation for intellect, persuasion, and deep knowledge of Manchuria commanded respect. In a 1960 interview, Shimanuki recalled Tsuji's dominance in discussions, where his proactive ideas often swayed the group. Unified, the section forwarded Tsuji's plan to Kwantung Army Command. Commander Lieutenant General Kenkichi Ueda consulted Chief of Staff General Rensuke Isogai and Vice Chief General Otozaburo Yano, seasoned leaders who should have spotted the guidelines' volatility. Yet, lingering grudges from AGS "interference" in past incidents like the Amur River and Changkufeng clouded their judgment. Ueda, Isogai, and Tsuji shared history from the 1932 Shanghai Incident: Tsuji, then a captain, led a company in the 7th Regiment under Colonel Isogai, with Yano as staff officer and Ueda commanding the 9th Division. Tsuji was wounded there, forging bonds of camaraderie. This "clique," which grew to include Hattori, Terada, and Shimanuki, amplified Tsuji's influence. Despite Isogai's initial reservations as the group's moderate voice, the guidelines won approval. Ueda issued them as Kwantung Army Operations Order 1488 on April 25, 1939, during a division commanders' conference at KwAHQ. A routine copy reached AGS in Tokyo, but no formal reply came. Preoccupied with the China War and alliance talks with Germany, AGS may have overlooked border matters. Colonel Masazumi Inada, AGS Operations head, later noted basic acceptance of Order 1488, with an informal expectation—relayed to Hattori and Terada—of prior consultation on violations. KwAHQ dismissed this as another Tokyo intrusion on their autonomy. Some Japanese analysts contend a stern AGS rejection might have prevented Nomonhan's catastrophe, though quelling Kwantung's defiance could have required mass staff reassignments, a disruptive step AGS avoided. Tsuji countered that permitting forceful action at Changkufeng would have deterred Nomonhan altogether, underscoring the interconnectedness of these clashes while implicitly critiquing the 1939 battle's location. Undeniably, Order 1488's issuance on April 25 paved the way for conflict three weeks later. Japanese records confirm that Khalkha Mongols and MPR patrols routinely crossed the Halha River—viewed by them as internal territory, 10 miles from the true border. Such crossings passed uneventfully in March and April 1939. Post-Order 1488, however, 23rd Division commander General Michitaro Komatsubara responded aggressively, setting the stage for escalation. The Nomonhan Incident ignited with a border clash on May 11–12, 1939, that rapidly spiraled into a major conflict. Over a dozen "authoritative" accounts exist, varying in viewpoint, focus, and specifics. After cross-referencing these sources, a coherent timeline emerges. On the night of May 10–11, a 20-man Mongolian People's Republic border patrol crossed eastward over the Halha River (known as Khalkhin Gol to Mongols and Soviets). About 10 miles east, atop a 150-foot sandy hill, lay the tiny hamlet of Nomonhan, a cluster of crude huts housing a few Mongol families. Just south flowed the Holsten River, merging westward into the broader Halha. By morning on May 11, Manchukuoan forces spotted the MPR patrol north of the Holsten and west of Nomonhan. In the MPR/Soviet perspective, Nomonhan Hill marked the Mongolia-Manchuria border. To Manchukuoans and Japanese, it sat 10 miles inside Manchukuo, well east of the Halha. A 40-man Manchukuoan cavalry unit repelled the Mongolians back across the river, inflicting initial casualties on both sides—the Manchukuoans drawing first blood. The MPR patrol leader exaggerated the attackers as 200 strong. The next day, May 12, a 60-man MPR force under Major P. Chogdan evicted the Manchukuoans from the disputed zone, reestablishing positions between the Halha and Nomonhan. The Manchukuoans, in turn, reported facing 700 enemies. Sporadic skirmishes and maneuvering persisted through the week. On May 13, two days post-clash, the local Manchukuoan commander alerted General Michitaro Komatsubara's 23rd Division headquarters in Hailar. Simultaneously, Major Chogdan reported to Soviet military command in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia's capital. What began as a Mongolian-Manchukuoan spat was poised to draw in Soviet and Japanese patrons. Attributing the May 10–11 violation hinges on border interpretations: both sides claimed the Halha-Nomonhan strip. Yet, most accounts concur that Manchukuoan forces initiated the fighting. Post-May 13 notifications to Moscow and Tokyo clarify the record thereafter. Midday on May 13, Komatsubara was leading a staff conference on the newly issued Kwantung Army Operations Order 1488—Major Tsuji Masanobu's aggressive border guidelines. Ironically, the first Nomonhan combat report arrived mid-discussion. Officers present recall Komatsubara deciding instantly to "destroy the invading Outer Mongolian forces" per Order 1488. That afternoon, he informed Kwantung Army Headquarters of the incident and his intent to eradicate the intruders, requesting air support and trucks. General Kenkichi Ueda, Kwantung commander, approved Komatsubara's "positive attitude," dispatching six scout planes, 40 fighters, 10 light bombers, two anti-aircraft batteries, and two motorized transport companies. Ueda added a caveat: exercise "extreme caution" to prevent escalation—a paradoxical blend of destruction and restraint, reflective of KwAHQ's fervent mood. Ueda relayed the details to Tokyo's Army General Staff, which responded that Kwantung should handle it "appropriately." Despite Kwantung's impulsive reputation, Tokyo deferred, perhaps trusting the northern strategic imbalance, eight Japanese divisions versus 30 Soviet ones from Lake Baikal to Vladivostok, would enforce prudence. This faith proved misguided. On May 14, Major Tsuji flew from KwAHQ for aerial reconnaissance over Nomonhan, spotting 20 horses but no troops. Upon landing, a fresh bullet hole in his plane confirmed lingering MPR presence east of the Halha. Tsuji briefed 23rd Division staff and reported to Ueda that the incident seemed minor. Aligning with Order 1488's spirit, Komatsubara deployed a force under Lieutenant Colonel Yaozo Azuma: an armored car company, two infantry companies, and a cavalry troop. Arriving at Nomonhan on May 15, Azuma learned most MPR forces had retreated westward across the Halha the prior night, with only token elements remaining, and those withdrawing. Undeterred, he pursued. The advance met scant resistance, as foes had crossed the river. However, Japanese light bombers struck a small MPR concentration on the west bank, Outpost Number 7, killing two and wounding 15 per MPR reports; Japanese claimed 30–40 kills. All agree: the raid targeted undisputed MPR territory. Hearing of May 15's events, Komatsubara deemed the Mongolians sufficiently rebuked and recalled Azuma to Hailar on May 16. KwAHQ concurred, closing the matter. Soviet leaders, however, saw it differently. Mid-May prompted Soviet support for the MPR under their 1936 Mutual Defense Pact. The Red Army's 57th Corps, stationed in Mongolia, faced initial disarray: Commander Nikolai Feklenko was hunting, Chief of Staff A. M. Kushchev in Ulan Ude with his ill wife. Moscow learned of clashes via international press from Japanese sources, sparking Chief of Staff Boris Shaposhnikov's furious inquiry. Feklenko and Kushchev rushed back to Ulaanbaatar, dispatching a mixed force—a battalion from the 149th Infantry Regiment (36th Division), plus light armor and artillery from the 11th Tank Brigade—to Tamsag Bulak, 80 miles west of the Halha. Led by Major A. E. Bykov, it bolstered the MPR's 6th Cavalry Division. Bykov and Cavalry Commander Colonel Shoaaiibuu inspected the site on May 15, post-Azum's departure. The cavalry arrived two days later, backed by Bykov (ordered to remain west of the river and avoid combat if possible). Some MPR troops recrossed, occupying the disputed zone. Clashes with Manchukuoan cavalry resumed and intensified. Notified of renewed hostilities, Komatsubara viewed it as defiance, a personal affront. Emboldened by Order 1488, he aimed not just to repel but to encircle and annihilate. The incident was on the verge of major expansion. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. The ghosts of the Changufeng incident have come back to haunt both the USSR and Japan. Those like Tsuji Masanobu instigated yet another border clash that would erupt into a full blown battle that would set a precedent for both nations until the very end of WW2. 

Can you scale customer support without burning out agents or frustrating customers?Ping Wu shares how Cresta combines AI and human intelligence into a single system that scales sustainably for companies like United Airlines and Porsche.In this episode, Ping also breaks down the three constraints that shape automation in the real world: conversation complexity, infrastructure debt, and customer demographics.Guest: Ping Wu, CEO of CrestaConnect with Ping WuX: https://x.com/ping_wuLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pingwu/Connect with JoubinX: https://x.com/JoubinmirLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joubin-mirzadegan-66186854/Email: grit@kleinerperkins.comFollow on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/kpgritFollow on X:https://x.com/KPGrit​Learn more about Kleiner Perkins: https://www.kleinerperkins.com/ 

As someone who spends a lot of time covering AI announcements, product launches, and conference stages, it is easy to forget that most AI today is still built for desks, screens, and digital workflows. Yet the reality is that the vast majority of the global workforce operates in the physical world, on roads, construction sites, depots, and job sites where mistakes are measured in injuries, collisions, and lives lost. That gap between where AI innovation happens and where real risk exists is exactly why I wanted to sit down with Amish Babu, CTO at Motive. In this episode, I speak with Amish about what it truly means to build AI for the physical economy. We unpack why designing AI for vehicles, fleets, and safety-critical environments is fundamentally different from building AI for emails, documents, or dashboards. Amish explains why latency, trust, and reliability are non-negotiable when AI is embedded directly into vehicles, and why edge AI, multimodal sensing, and on-device compute are essential when milliseconds matter. This is a conversation about AI that has to work perfectly in messy, unpredictable, real-world conditions. We also explore how Motive approaches AI as a full system, combining hardware, software, and models into a single platform built specifically for life on the road. Amish shares how AI can help prevent collisions, support drivers in the moment, and create measurable safety and operational outcomes for fleets operating across transportation, construction, energy, and public sector environments. Along the way, we challenge common misconceptions around AI in vehicles, including the idea that it is about surveillance rather than protection, or that all AI systems are created equal when lives are on the line. If you are interested in how AI moves beyond productivity tools and into high-stakes environments where safety, accountability, and trust matter most, this episode offers a grounded and practical perspective from someone building these systems every day. I would love to hear your thoughts on this one. How do you see the role of AI evolving as it moves deeper into the physical world? Useful Links Connect with Amish Babu Learn More About Motive How Motive's AI works: Real-time edge intelligence, humans-in-the-loop, and continuous improvement.

Tim Martinez, Value Creation, Strategic, and Exit & Succession Planning Advisor—also known as “The Inside Man”—is on a mission to empower entrepreneurs and make the world a better place with his philosophy of “No entrepreneur left behind.”  In this episode, Tim shares how he evolved from starting small businesses as a teenager to advising founders on high-stakes growth and exit decisions. We explore Tim's 3 Exits Framework, which breaks exit planning into three critical phases: Mental Exit (separating identity from the business), Role Exit (building leadership and succession so the business can run without the owner), and Technical Exit (valuation, deal structure, and the formal sale process). Tim also explains why AI is accelerating business disruption, why minimalism is a competitive advantage, and what keeps so many businesses stuck at the $3M revenue ceiling. — 3 Ways to Exit Your Business with Tim Martinez Good day, dear listeners. Steve Preda here, the Founder of the Summit OS Group. And I have as my guest today Tim Martinez, who is a Value Creation, Strategic, and Exit & Succession Planning Advisor, also known as “The Inside Man.” Tim also has a successful Substack with lots of followers, which has a similar title, Inside Man. He's also built his own ChatGPT API, so he's running with the times. Tim, welcome to the show.  Thanks, Steve. Great to be here.  Finally, we have someone who is ahead of the curve on AI and the technological evolution that's part of this new industry revolution. So let’s start with my favorite question. What is your personal ‘Why’ and how are you manifesting it in your practice and in your business?  Yeah. My personal ‘Why’ is to make the world a better place and to empower entrepreneurs. “No entrepreneur left behind” has kind of been my motto. Since I was a kid—I started businesses very young, like 15 or 16—people would ask me, “How are you doing this?” And I would help however I could. And it was just always felt really good to help my fellow entrepreneurs, whether I was helping them in a small way or a big way. And there's nothing better than seeing some of the advice you're able to give someone actually get implemented.Share on X Then you see them go, “Wow, oh my gosh, this is great.” And again, sometimes it’s small, sometimes it’s big. But I believe entrepreneurs rule the world, and I do my part every day—whether it's writing my Substack, jumping on podcasts, or writing books. I'm always here just to share what I've learned, because I think that’s what makes the world go round.  Well, you have a boundless energy, because you are writing books, you are writing your blog, you are doing these podcasts. Then you also have to gather the information, right? You have to work with clients—otherwise there's no raw material. That is very impressive. So what took you to this point? How did you evolve? I mean, you started at 15, but surely you were not coaching or consulting people at 15.  Yeah, so I probably spent about 10 years just starting small businesses. I had the lemonade stand, then a coffee business and a silk-screen business. I had a DJ business, a retail store, a marketing and advertising agency, a small one, but I was able to sell it. And I got lucky and sold a couple of these small businesses. I built websites, built apps—I mean, anything you can do to make a buck. I was just kind of hustling and figuring it out on my own. And at a certain point in time, maybe like 10 years later, someone asked me to help them write their business plan. It was the first time I thought, “Huh, someone wants to pay me to help them write a business plan. That sounds interesting.” Okay. And I had written all of my own business plans for 10 years. I used to go to SCORE—the Senior Corps of Retired Executives, a division of the SBA—and they would consult for free. They still do, by the way. And I always said my long-term goal was to be an old advisor at SCORE, because they helped me so much when I was a kid.Share on X So I charged money for my first business plan. That person was able to raise money from their uncle. Then they said, “Well, hey, we got this money. What do we do now?” So I said, “Well, I think I can charge you. I think this is called consulting. Maybe I'll just charge you to help execute your business plan.” It was a small business, and I went to Barnes & Noble and bought a book that was like this big—How to Start a Consulting Business. I just sat there and highlighted the whole thing. It had CD-ROM forms in the back. I knew nothing about consulting. And probably for the next handful of years, I just focused on writing business plans and helping people. That's kind of what got me into consulting and working with bigger businesses. It really started with business plans and small businesses.Share on X  Yeah. I mean, business plans are great because you are envisioning the future of the business, crunching the numbers—what's going to happen with your top line, bottom line, costs, overhead, margins—and essentially it helps you visualize the skeleton of the business. Then you can put the meat on the bone, kind of thing.  Yeah. And I had worked on hundreds of business plans, and  pitch decks, financial models, and market research. That documentation aspect of a business, I had spent a good, let's say, 10 years working very heavily with clients as an analyst in consulting firms. And that’s really what got me into the game and got me into bigger and bigger businesses, because I got very good at doing that with no formal training—and we didn't really have what the internet is today. I remember going to the downtown library in Los Angeles, finding articles, and taking scanned copies of them. That’s how we did our market research. And business plans used to be like a dictionary. The SBA would require business plans to meet all these requirements, so we ended up with huge business plans. Now people want a one-pager, maybe a 10-slide deck, and call it a day. Where I got my chops was from understanding every imaginable nuance of every business in all verticals. I worked around the world with businesses, and I guess I was in the right place at the right time for it.Share on X  Yeah, that’s very humble. So one of the things that you do is you help people prepare for exit, and you came up with this framework called The 3 Exits Framework. I thought it was fascinating to think about exits from different perspectives and to have different mental models for them. How did you come up with this, and can you explain to the audience what it looks like, how it works, and how it helps entrepreneurs? Yeah. And it’s important to note that I started my career starting businesses, helping people get the start. And as I got older, the businesses I worked with were also getting older. And as I got a little more gray hair and a few more wrinkles, people would take me more seriously at the later stages of the business, when they maybe wouldn’t take me so seriously when I was in my early twenties. So my business had evolved from starting to growing and then eventually to exiting, and that’s where most of my clients are now. What I’ve discovered is most people enter the exit planning conversation at the very end, asking, “What is my business worth? Who wants to buy it?” Needing a business valuation is the most common first question: “Whoa, what's it worth?” But after working with a handful of companies through this whole exit process, you start to realize that there’s far more than just the numbers. The 3 Exits Framework says there are three exits that need to occur before you're out and on your yacht, sailing into the sunset.Share on X The first exit is the mental exit, which we can talk about at length. It's your role—your identity in the business. Who am I if I'm not the CEO? What am I going to do with my time if I'm not running this business? Who am I if people can't come to me with their every burning question? It’s this piece, it’s so important. And a lot of people don’t want to give up control. They don’t even know they’re control freaks, which I'll call them for lack of a better term. But they don’t even know that they are that. You have to help them through that.  The second exit is really your role exit, because eventually someone needs to run this business in your absence. The whole tenant of selling a business is that you're not going to be in it. You might have earnouts or some transitional involvement, but eventually, you will not run this business. So you have to replicate yourself. Most people say, “I've tried, but it hasn't worked.” Well, you know what? Now’s the time for this to work. It's time to build SOPs, standards of excellence, and get someone who could be better than you ever were in that seat. So that role exit is a big part, and that would be true succession. The other part of that is it’s not just the CEO or the owner. A lot of times it’s them and they’re number one, or they’re number two, or number three, because in many cases those people also have equity and ownership in the companies in some cases. So we need to get succession in line for multiple roles.  And then the third exit is your technical exit. It’s the one piece everyone feels like they start with that is your valuation, getting your documentation together, running a formal auction process, making sure that you’re looking at multiple buyers, whether strategic or financial. And just running a very thorough, formal process that’s going to get you the highest valuation possible. And structuring a deal that there’s going to be a little bit of give and take. Most deals die because of misaligned expectations. And they’re usually misaligned expectations on that final exit. So when you put those three things together and someone says, I want to sell my business, or we're thinking about exiting in the next couple years, I just start first with the identity part.Share on X Yeah. And people underestimate the significance of that. It can sound touchy-feely and like an afterthought in most cases. And people think that just by earning a sack of money, their life will be solved and all problems will disappear. But actually, problems exist at all levels. Elon Musk probably has more problems than most listeners here.  Sure.  So, it's not going to solve your problems, and identity is huge. I talk to people—I was also an M&A advisor for over 10 years, sold many businesses, visited former clients, and went out on their boats on the lake. Often, that was the one time they actually used the boat, because they didn't really need it. They thought they did, but they didn't. Next time, the engine wouldn't start, or the boat was full of water. Or they'd go out on the golf course, meet new people, and ask, “Who are they?” It turned out they were just retired rich people—not interesting entrepreneurs or CEO. That's a huge change. And with the Great Wealth Transfer and the aging Baby Boomer population, there's a statistic that says 50% of business owners are forced into an exit—meaning there’s some life event that occurs that says you now need to sell your business and get out. And you and I both know that if you’re forced to an exit, you’re going to be taking a major discount. But those forces can happen when you have a heart attack, or someone in your family has a health issue, or your grandkids and everybody moves multiple states and you want to go with them. All these things happen. So our recommendation is just start having the conversation now.  Yeah. And so I think it's a little bit like saving for retirement. A lot of people keep putting it off, and eventually there's no time left to do it, and then they’re in trouble. So how do you even raise awareness with people about this? How do you work with them to prepare this? Can you actually raise awareness and make them feel this is a real issue? How do you raise awareness?  Well, I have my blog, and that’s probably where I do most of my conversations. I wrote about the 3 Exits Framework. Any chance I get to speak, I always use it to raise awareness around the subject. In my consulting practice, I work with a handful of consulting firms and investment banks. Anytime I get pulled into a conversation about exit planning, I usually just pause for a second and just talk about their life goals.Share on X Like, what do you really want this exit to do for you? Because there are so many things you can do and a million ways to do it. So, what do you really want this exit to mean for you? Also, remember, Uncle Sam is going to take his cut—so not everyone gets the biggest check possible. Usually, what we hear is people say, “I'm just so exhausted. I don't have anything left in me for this thing, and anything I can get for it, I'd be happy to take, as long as it means I don't have to put out every single fire.” And this usually happens because they didn't build good systems to remove themselves from the business.  Otherwise, they would've been the chairman, and just meeting with their CEO, who's running the business. That’s usually not the case with these owner-operator businesses. And that doesn't mean they're small, by the way. I mean, they could be running a $50 million business and still the choke point where everything has to run through them and they’re just exhausted and burnt out.  Do you think that this AI revolution is going to change things? Is it going to make more people exit-ready because it's easier to create systems?  Perhaps. Yeah, I think it's helping the service provider world be more efficient. In my world as a management consultant, I'm 10 times more efficient. I’m sure you’re 10 times more efficient with tools like the one we’re using here, and it just helps us speed things up. I've noticed people use it as a thought partner, as a psychiatrist, even as a best friend. I've seen people go into deep dialogue like, “Should I sell my business? Give me five factors.” The ones who are aware of this are using it fully. The people who aren't are a little behind the times. And then from an operational standpoint, yeah, I mean with the bots and all the many things you could put in your business to make you more efficient, but that doesn’t apply to everybody. I would say there’s going to be a 10 to 20% group of people that are already on it, making it work for them, and then there are the laggards who will probably never touch it.  Or is it that—okay, maybe we can be more efficient with AI, but we'll have the appetite to do more, and there will be more complexity? Some things we'll simplify, but we'll create other complexities that replace the previous ones. What do you think about it?  Yes. So businesses typically have cycles. There's usually a five- to seven-year cycle where a business hits its peak, and then it starts to trend down. And they usually have some level of innovation that has to reoccur for it to hit another up cycle, and then there will be a down cycle and so on and so forth. So it's always like an up slope after an up slope. When you've been in business for 30 or 40 years, you've gone through multiple rounds of these cycles—three or four rounds of those cycles. What I’m hearing right now is business owners that are, let’s say, at retirement age, they’re saying, “I don't know if I have what it takes to go through this AI cycle. Maybe I had what it took to make it through the eighties, nineties, and two thousands, but now we're in 2026. I’m not sure I’m equipped, or my team who’s also very senior, they don’t feel like they have what it takes to get through that next cycle without hiring young talent. But even then, they don’t really understand what they’re talking about. So there’s this gap. And again, I’m hearing it more and more of people saying, I think now’s the time to get out and let some other company that has gas in the tank, vision, and capacity to come in and do that thing.  Yeah, that's interesting. Do you think a multiple-AI–enabled company versus a post-AI company is going to be markedly different?  Maybe. Because it all comes down to revenue—it comes down to the revenue story. I'll give you a perfect example. You have a very profitable company, but they're using an old CRM. A new company comes in and says, “Hey, you're already profitable. If we buy you and put in a new CRM, maybe we could be even more profitable.” That’s cool. So we don’t really need you to put in all the tech. We’ll come in and do all that, and then we’ll get the upside on that. Just as long as you’re profitable, as long as you’re profitable, yet you don’t have major client concentration, your business has all the components. A new company with new vision could come in. That would largely be a strategic buyer. The PE buyer, the financial buyer, most likely is going to want to inject capital into your business so you can go and reinvest, and build new tech, or become a platform, whatever you’re going to be. But that would be a different arrangement. So it's basically a numbers issue. It doesn't matter your technological evolution. And maybe it’s even worse if you've already implemented AI and that only allows you to make five million dollars—there's less upside for the buyer.  Yeah. The bigger concern is: Is your industry at risk because of AI? Is your particular business at risk? And that's why I think people need to adopt it—so they can say, “No, we're not at risk. We've adopted it, we're applying it in whatever fashion we're doing it, and we're going to see the results.” We've already seen a major downswing in a handful of industries because of AI. I mean, advertising agencies are getting hit really hard. People used to be able to charge for writing press releases, to write blogs, to write social, to do video editing on social media. A lot of that's gone, so the bottom tier of those agencies is just gone—there's no need for them anymore.  Do you see people proactively working on making themselves AI-resilient? Everyone knows that they need to do it. Nobody is unaware that today, it’s like websites. There was a time when everyone knew they needed a website. They just didn’t really know how they were going to build it or who was going to build it. They knew it was going to be expensive. It’s kind of where we’re at right now. Everybody knows they need AI. They’re just not exactly sure how they need AI, what it can actually, literally do for them.I think for some people, that big dream that it was going to do everything quickly got taken off the tableShare on X and they say, okay, we could do this much, but even this much is make me very effective.  But it’s just not going to do everything. Like, I still need an accountant. I still need an account manager. I still need someone to do these things, but maybe I don’t need as many people as I once did. So we’re seeing kind of some leveling off there. But I would say largely most people don’t know what AI can do for them, and they’re not really prepared to make those investments. We have a client right now that just made a half million dollar investment into an RFP tool that’s going to help them move faster than their competitors, submit more on RFPs, build everything out in a very complicated way, but they’re making a half million dollar investment. How many companies out there are saying, let’s go, give me the invoice. I’m ready to roll. There’s still a lot of pause there.  What you're describing feels more like a defensive play—okay, we know AI is coming, so we have to implement some AI tools. But I’m thinking more about the big picture. Is my industry going to be disrupted by AI? And how do I pivot my business before I lose momentum, so I become like Netflix—going from a video rental company to a streaming company? Yep.  Do you see companies rethinking their business model?  I think from what I’ve seen, people are rethinking everything—top to bottom. Because you have to start with labor. That’s usually where people start. “AI can do all these things—do I need less talent on the deck?” And if I do, then what can AI do so I don’t have such heavy overhead? Because overhead is also liability, and it has this employment risk behind it. So if you can go from a thousand staff to 800 or 750, great, let’s do it—why wouldn't you do it? Most people are saying, “Let's figure that part out first.” The next thing is the industry disruption, which is what’s our competitors doing to service clients better, manufacture faster, or do things cheaper, so then we’re not left in the dust. So from a production standpoint, we need to figure this out quickly. What I'd say—what I do—is, as an analyst, as a consultant and advisor coming in, that's why I built my AI. I built my AI to fire myself. I basically said, “What I used to do as a management consultant is now irrelevant, because AI is better than me.” So let me just build the digital me and not worry about that side of my business anymore. So I just don’t worry about that anymore. I don’t even really take on assignments that I used to, because AI can do it better and faster. Now, if you want to hire me and allow me to use my AI tool to handle the technical work, I'm more than happy to do that. But I'll tell you firsthand—save your money.  So you're giving it away, or are you selling it?  Yeah, it's free. It's free. It's on ChatGPT. What people can’t do is sit down and have an honest, sincere conversation and ask them the hard questions and challenge them. That's where AI still lacks the human component. I can take a client and say, “Hey, let's hang out. Let's get lunch. Let's go play golf. Let's bring in your kids. Let's talk to your kids. Let's talk about the family dynamic.” Let’s just have a sincere conversation. Let me hold space and create a forum where I can hear people. And that human component is the only thing that I’m worried, like I’m working on now. I'm out of the technical side, because that part of my job is gone.  So fascinating. So does it mean you have to be more of a social animal?  I think so. If you're not going to be a social animal and you're just going to sit at your desk, you should probably be building software using tools like Replit, n8n, or any of these different software tools and just go all in.Share on X But the way we used to do it—you probably see this on LinkedIn, with all the bots on LinkedIn, it’s not what it used to be. It used to be a place where you had a handful of connections and actually met people. Now it’s just so overrun with the bots. It’s like I don’t even want to accept connections anymore. I'd much rather have a conversation like this. To me, this is the future.  Yeah. But maybe we connected originally through LinkedIn. I don’t know where, how we connected, but we may have have connected through a bot—actually.  It’s possible.  Yeah.  It’s possible. But I'll tell you, I connect with maybe one or two percent of people now. Previously, because I didn't get so many inbound inquiries, I would connect with more, because I felt like there was a sincere person on the other end. Now, I really don't know. I've become very skeptical.  Yeah, I'm with you. Let's switch gears, because our time is running out. And there are a couple of things that in our pre-interview you talked about, and one was minimalism. Yeah.  What is minimalism? How do you do it? And what’s a low-hanging way to start to become a minimalist?  It's kind of like that first-principles idea of what really matters. It’s essentialism. It’s kind of getting down to the one thing, that was my recent blog, if there was only one thing you could do this year, but it would make all the difference, what would it be? And anything that gets in the way of that one thing is just noise. For me, minimalism is really about reduction, and kind of getting rid, and being aware and cognizant of things that really shouldn't be on your desk, on your to-do list.Share on X And using AI tools and assistance to get rid of everything that’s low-level activity. If you think of a pyramid, at the very top is where the most value that you can add would be. But yet we spend all of our time, if this is a time pyramid, most of our time is spent at the bottom, the wide part that pretty much anyone can do. So we kind of got to invert the pyramid. To get there, you have to reduce and extract. To protect your time, you have to treat it as very precious and focus only on the most important thing at all times. It is a very hard thing for all professionals to do, and it’s always been a hard thing, but I just take it upon myself and say, okay, well, as a minimalist, I mean, if you were to come to my house and see how sparse my furniture is on purpose. How sparse my closet is on purpose. I’m trying to get rid of options. It's like Steve Jobs and the black turtleneck—if I have one less thing, because I can only make so many choices and decisions in a given day, let me spend my time on the things that are the most important and most impactful.Share on X And that’s not always, because it’s going to put millions of dollars in my bank account. Sometimes it’s just helps me sleep better at night. So I don’t need 50 clients. If I’m going to have 50 headaches. What if I just have five clients? And every one of those was one that I felt very good about, and that would allowed me to charge more. It allowed me to go deeper with them. It's that concept—then you're free to see where your scalable opportunities are. It's the story I told you about a monk who was carving away at this beautiful elephant. Someone walks up and asks, “How did you learn to do this, carving away this elephant in the stone? And he says, Oh, I just chip away everything that's not the elephant. So for me, I have to have a very clear picture of what the elephant is. I have to see the picture in my brain first—like what my life is, what I’m trying to build, how good of a dad I’m trying to be, how good of a husband I’m trying to be, how good of a business partner or a service provider, an advisor. This is my life’s work as a masterpiece, so let me just get rid of anything that doesn’t belong as part of that picture. So that, to me, is kind of how I would explain it. And my approach toward it is I just get rid of everything. It’s not about accumulation. I don't really need more information, because AI already has all the information. Anything I'm going to absorb, I have to be very intentional about—why am I reading it? I see all the books on your shelf. I could show you my bookshelf—tons of books, right? I feel like I've read them all. Am I going to learn anything new? I could also just go back to the books I've already read. I try to highlight them and stuff, but it's like, what more do I need at this point?  Yeah. So I’m wondering about this idea of a lifestyle business versus a growth business. Because what I see is that people who are building a lifestyle business, it’s easier for them to be a minimalist. Because you just do this most valuable thing. You don’t have to build the business. You don’t have to worry about necessarily all the other people, systems, and processes, or making sure of quality control. You just do your high-value work, and at the end of the day, you can put things down and relax. Whereas a growth business, it's different.  I would say with the clients that I have—some have thousands of employees, some have hundreds—I still encourage them to reduce and subtract. Even though they're in high-growth, highly scalable businesses, sometimes the conversation is: How many direct reports do you have, and why do you have that many direct reports? How are you delegating? How are you giving authority? How are you limiting all the inputs? Because a lot of it is noise in your given day. So how do I make your day a little more silent so you can have a little more peace to make better decisions while you run this highly scalable business? Just because you're scaling doesn't mean it needs to be pure chaos. That's what people think—they think, “Oh, if I scale, that means chaos.” I'm anti-chaos.  Okay. But let me ask you this: Two of the most successful entrepreneurs of our time are Elon Musk and Jensen Huang. Elon Musk runs six companies, so he's got a lot of direct reports and goes deep in each of them. And then Jensen Huang has, I don't know, 20, 30, or 40 direct reports—he basically has a million direct reports as well. And that actually allows them to be closer to decisions and make sure things don't go off the rails and their vision gets manifested. So that's what I'm kind of wondering—whether minimalism means you're going to, maybe the flip side is you have to accept less growth, or maybe not.  So I’ve met with a lot of entrepreneurs in my life. Not one of them has been Elon Musk. So I would say we’re looking at the median of entrepreneurs, the average entrepreneur. Those are the people I deal with. I’m not dealing with Elon Musk. I would love to, but I don’t have those types. I have the family-owned business who took it over from their dad and they’ve been running it for 50 years, and he has 250 employees, and he’s got pure chaos, and I’m getting the call to go in and try to sort him out. These are not always the highly sophisticated Steve Jobs types of the world. If you really take a look under the hood with Elon—I read his book and listened to the audiobook with my kids, so I'm very familiar with his story, because I've heard it twice now—what they don't really mention is all the heroes underneath Elon. He wouldn't be who he is without all the many heroes, all the systems, and the Six Sigma and other processes and procedures. That's not to say he doesn't take a deep analytical look at everything, but who are those heroes and what are the processes? I'm far more interested in hearing about his VP of Operations than about Elon. Because what has his VP of Operations worked out? What systems have they implemented that allow him to scale and build a Tesla? Or his COO, like, what do they have going on? Elon's a face. Elon's a madman. He creates all this momentum and chaos, and then he has teams of people behind him who make sense and order out of that chaos. That's why you have what you have with Tesla. If he were just Elon Chaos, without that, I don't believe he would be where he is. But he had people that wanted to get in line. He had a lot of people that wanted to get in line. They believed in his vision. He had huge visions, and it's very inspiring to get behind those visions. Then they say, “Okay, give me the ball. We'll create the infrastructure that allows this thing to take off.” So I'm far more interested in the infrastructure that allows for that scale.  I agree. I'm just thinking whether there is this kind of dichotomy. Because I see that many entrepreneurs—when I was an investment banker—until they sold their business, they were not able to have that simple lifestyle they perhaps desired, because they were building, they were reinvesting. And it wasn't just reinvesting their cash—they were reinvesting their time. So every time they simplified, that was the opportunity cost of not using that time to improve their business. So they plowed it back in, plowed it back in.  Well, it's kind of like the E-Myth is a bit skewed. It's almost like the E-Myth is a myth. E-Myth is a dream—a dream that you can work on your business, step out completely, and everything about it runs itself. It doesn't really work that way. If you're going to be a successful entrepreneur, you're going to have late nights, long weekends, and you're going to feel like every major problem is your own because you're taking all the legal risks. I'm not telling people not to scale. I'm not telling them not to have chaos. What I'm trying to help them do is get clear on what they consider to be important.  And not get killed in the process, and not get divorced.  Statistically, that can happen—the more successful someone gets.  Yeah, it does. Because our time becomes much more valuable, and at some point, it's really hard to say no to the million-dollar hour—to spend that hour watching Netflix with your spouse, right? Exactly. Just feels harder to do.  Exactly.  Yeah.  That was good.  Alright, well, I enjoyed this tremendously. So one more question, one more question that I have to ask you. You talk about this $3 million rule—what do you mean by that? That’s a really interesting concept.  Yeah. So most small businesses get stuck around $3 million, statistically. The question is, why? Why do they get stuck there? A large majority gets stuck and it’s because they create a lifestyle for themself around $3 million. They’re taking enough off the table that they would never be able to find a job that would be able to replace that type of income. So they've made their small business their sole business, their job, and they say, “This is good enough for me,” because let's say half a million dollars, more or less, is going into their bank. They're filling up their 401(k), sending their kids to private school, giving themselves big bonuses. If they're profitable, they don't really see the need to take more risks or double down to go past that wall. I've seen many businesses kind of stay there. They’ll go fluctuate up and down through the years, but more or less they’ll hit that wall. They could stay there for 20 years and never make any progress. It’s not until they put on new thinking and say, we’re going to grow through acquisitions, we’re going to target a different market, new products, we’re going to innovate in some way. But that takes extra gas in the tank. Sometimes, a lot of entrepreneurs, once they hit that first level of success, say, “This is good enough for me,” because it usually takes them about five to seven years to get to that first major breathing point.  They're not hungry enough anymore.  Exactly.  Does someone has to be a little crazy to still want to eat more, even though they're already full?  Yeah. Some people are just wired that way. Some people just more and more, and that's no slight against them. They're never satisfied. They always want more—another dollar, another nickel. If they saw a nickel on the floor, they would stop and pick it up. They want every piece of everything. And those people usually are the ones that go and go and go and go. They’re usually the ones that just keep going because it’s an insatiable appetite. I'm not talking about people who get—well, I don't want to call it lucky—but sometimes things do fall out of the sky. Sometimes a big client falls out of the sky, or an opportunity opens up, and people are smart enough to buy their competitor when the competitor approaches them. Or sometimes they make these little moves, and that gives them a leap. I’m not talking about those people. Those are outliers to me. I’m talking about your average entrepreneur that built a $3 million business on his own with no major clients falling, just hard work, blood, sweat in tears. The average Joe typically gets stuck around that $3 million.  Yeah, that’s interesting. Fascinating. Alright, well, if you don't want to be stuck around $3 million, or if you want to get to the next level, then reach out to Tim and check out what he’s doing. So where can our listeners find you? Where can our listeners find you if they want to learn with you, learn about you, read your Substack, read your books? Where should they go?  Just go to Google or AI and type in Tim “The Inside Man” Martinez. The Inside Man is an acronym for Tim. You'll find my LinkedIn—happy to connect with you, just tell me you heard me on Steve's podcast. You can also check out my blog: it's Tim “The Inside Man” on Substack, or go to www.theinsideman.biz, my website. I'd love to connect with anyone. Well, do check out Tim's Substack—it's awesome. You're going to get more of what you heard on this podcast. And if you enjoy listening, make sure you follow us. Subscribe on YouTube, LinkedIn, Apple Podcasts, or wherever else you get your podcasts, because every week I'm inviting—and luckily more and more people want to come on the show—to have a conversation. So thank you, Tim, for coming, and thank you for listening. Important Links: Tim's LinkedIn Tim's website

In 2016 Tara Roberts was living in Washington DC feeling, in a new way, the deep fractures in America, including the way we understand our history.  She felt called to be part of trying to heal these divisions.   It was a chance encounter with a photograph at the National Museum of African American History and Culture that changed the trajectory of her life.  It was of a group of Black women on a boat in diving gear who she quickly discovered  were from an organization called Diving with a Purpose, an underwater archeology group with a mission to discover and document the wreckage of slave ships scattered on the ocean floor around the world, and by doing so recover a crucial part of history. Roberts soon quit her job and joined the group to document their work, learning to scuba dive in order to do so. She turned that journey into an award-winning National Geographic-produced podcast called “Into the Depths” and became the first Black female explorer ever to be featured on the cover of National Geographic Magazine.  This work also resulted in a memoir Written in the Waters which both invites us into the fascinating and groundbreaking work below the surface of the Ocean around the globe, and her own personal transformation. Roberts has travelled the world as a diver, backpacker, and adventurer,  bringing to this conversation a global view of history and culture, and a devotion to tell the stories that can bring us together.  She is currently Explorer-in-Residence at the National Geographic Society. Here's Tara Roberts in conversation with Shayna Schlosberg from the 2025 Portland Book Festival, on Literary Arts, the Archive Project. Tara Roberts spent the last six years following, diving with, and telling stories about Black scuba divers as they searched for and helped document slave shipwrecks around the world. Her journey was turned into an award-winning National Geographic-produced podcast called “Into the Depths” and featured in the March issue of National Geographic magazine. Tara became the first Black female explorer ever to be featured on the cover of Nat Geo. In 2022, Tara was named the Rolex National Geographic Explorer of the Year. Currently, she is an Explorer-in-Residence at the National Geographic Society. And her book Written in the Waters: A Memoir of History, Home and Belonging hits stands in January 2025. Tara also worked as an editor for magazines like CosmoGirl, Essence, EBONY and Heart & Soul and edited several books for girls. She was a Fellow at the MIT Open Documentary Lab. She founded her own magazine for women who are ‘too bold for boundaries..’ And Tara spent an amazing year backpacking around the world to find and tell stories about young women change agents. The journey led to the creation of a nonprofit that supported and funded their big ideas. Shayna Schlosberg is the Vice President of Community Connections at OPB and KMHD, where she leads initiatives to ensure that both organizations authentically reflect and serve the diverse communities of the Pacific Northwest. In this role, she shapes and drives the strategy, vision, and implementation of community representation and inclusion across all aspects of OPB and KMHD's work. Shayna joined OPB and KMHD in 2022. Prior to that, she was the Director of Operations and Strategy at Women of Color in the Arts, a national service organization committed to advancing racial and cultural equity in the performing arts. From 2017 to 2021, she served as Managing Director of The Catastrophic Theatre, an acclaimed experimental theater company in Houston, Texas. Before that, she was Associate General Manager at the Alley Theatre, where she played a key role in expanding the theater's international programming, particularly through partnerships with Latin American artists and companies. Shayna's expertise has been recognized nationally—she has served on grant panels for the National Endowment for the Arts. She is a graduate of several leadership programs, including the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture's Advocacy Leadership Institute, Women of Color in the Arts' Leadership Through Mentorship program, and the 2020 New Leaders Council Fellowship. She was also a founding advisory committee member of the Houston BIPOC Arts Network Fund, a groundbreaking effort born out of the Ford Foundation's America's Cultural Treasures initiative. Shayna served in the Peace Corps in Armenia from 2010 to 2012.

Send a textOver the past few weeks, we've talked a lot about leadership, culture, and what really holds a salon together when things get difficult. But in this episode, we want to step back and explain something we realized while rebuilding our salon.Culture is not your branding.It's not your vibe.And it's not what you write on the wall.Culture is how your business behaves.In this episode, we introduce a simple five-mode leadership framework that explains how culture is created in real life, through operations, systems, leadership, strategy, and crisis. We walk through what each mode actually looks like inside a salon, how your team experiences your culture in each one, and why most salon owners only recognize two modes: daily operations and emergencies.We also share what it looked like to relocate our entire team from our building to another salon, and why that experience revealed more about our culture than any mission statement ever could.If you've ever struggled to clearly define your salon's culture, this framework will help you understand what's really shaping it and how to lead it intentionally.Your business should serve you, so that you can serve others.KEY TAKEAWAYCulture is how your business behaves, not how you describe it.Clients experience culture primarily through daily operations.Strong systems reduce guessing and build confidence for your team.Leadership creates psychological safety and accountability.Strategy creates stability, credibility, and alignment.Crisis reveals culture faster than any other situation.Most owners only operate in operations and crisis mode.Leaders must learn to shift between different modes intentionally.Written systems prevent frustration and miscommunication.Knowing what “mode” you are in changes how you lead.TIME STAMPS00:00 – Quick rebuild update + why this episode exists 01:30 – Jen's opening take: reacting with clients and protecting experience 04:00 – Todd's opening take: perspective and responsibility 06:30 – Culture is not branding or “vibe” 08:30 – Removing your team from your space reveals real culture 10:30 – What other salons and clients noticed about your team 12:30 – What clients actually say defines your culture 15:00 – Why culture shows most clearly when things go wrong 17:30 – Introducing the Five-Mode framework 18:30 – Mode 1: Operations 21:30 – Mode 2: Systems 24:45 – Mode 3: Leadership 27:45 – Mode 4: Strategy 31:30 – Mode 5: Crisis 35:00 – How the flood activated every mode 38:00 – Identifying what mode you're actually in 41:00 – Using the framework to stop reacting and start leading 43:30 – Closing thoughts + next stepsLinks and Stuff:Our Newsletter Mentoring InquiriesFind more of our things:InstagramHello Hair Pro Website

If you're working harder than ever but your business isn't growing proportionally, you haven't hit your capacity as a leader. You've hit the ceiling of founder-led operations. And there's a difference.In this episode, I'm walking through the 5 signs that tell me a founder is ready to transition from doing everything to building systems and leaders who can run without them.For each sign, I explain why it happens, what it's really costing you, and exactly what to do about it.If you recognize yourself in 3 or more of these signs, you're not failing — you're succeeding past your current operating model. That's actually good news, because the fix isn't working harder. It's building different infrastructure.THE 5 SIGNS:1. You're the bottleneck in every decision2. Revenue grew but your hours didn't shrink3. Your team executes but doesn't think4. You can't unplug without everything falling apart5. You're exhausted but the business isn't growing fasterEPISODE TIMESTAMPS:[00:00] The 11 PM email trap — why you're not a control freak[01:20] Sign #1: You're the bottleneck + the decision authority matrix[05:00] Sign #2: Revenue grew but hours didn't + the founder-dependent business model[08:10] Sign #3: Team executes but doesn't think + the 'no naked problems' rule[11:50] Sign #4: Can't unplug without chaos + the 'practice vacation' challenge[15:45] Sign #5: Exhausted but not growing faster + CEO-level time blocking[19:40] Wrap-up: Why recognizing these signs is actually good newsKEY TAKEAWAYS:• 70% of decisions your team asks about can likely be delegated immediately• Ask yourself: If I got sick for 2 weeks, what would break? That's your vulnerability list• Institute a 'no naked problems' rule: every problem must come with a proposed solution• Block CEO time weekly to answer: What should we stop? What accelerates growth? Who needs development?RESOURCES:• Take the free Leadership Assessment (3 min)• Book a Strategic Discovery Audit ($997 engagement)• Learn more at thedevaincollective.comCONNECT WITH THE DEVAIN COLLECTIVE:• LinkedIn• Instagram• Website: thedevaincollective.comCONNECT WITH SHEENA:• LinkedIn• InstagramNEXT EPISODE:From $500K to $2M: What Actually Has to Change — the treatment plan for everything we diagnosed today.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/beautifullycomplicated-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

*Hosted by Radu Palamariu*Steffen Lang runs operations for one of the world's most impactful pharma giants, Novartis, leading over 20,000 associates globally. He started in R&D and now oversees the delivery of life-saving medicines at near-perfect service levels. In this episode, we explored how he built a product-centered, resilient supply network, embraced AI in manufacturing, and tackled the real-time complexity of personalized therapies. We dive deep into leadership, dual supply chain strategies, and how a "never settle" mindset transforms global healthcare.Discover more details here.Follow us on:Instagram: http://bit.ly/2Wba8v7X: https://bit.ly/3J4Wt35LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/4hbidqoFacebook: http://bit.ly/2HtryLd

In this hour of Money Moves, Stormy Buonantony and Jonathan Von Tobel breakdown some of the storylines for Super Bowl 60. Also on the show, VSiN By The Books co-host Jensen Lewis joins the show with some of his best SB plays, and Circa Sports Director of Operations, Jeff Benson, drops by to update how things are going at the sportsbook. And, Stormy and JVT recap their best bets for the big game.Get instant access to expert picks, public betting splits data, and pro betting tools when you join VSiN pro. Grab your first month for only $9.99 or take over $60 off an annual subscription when you use promo code: SUPER. Click Here to get started. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

President Donald Trump says a “softer touch” may be needed to carry out his immigration enforcement agenda.   “I learned that maybe we can use a little bit of a softer touch, but you still have to be tough. These are criminals – we're dealing with really hard criminals,” Trump told NBC News following the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis in January.   Two separate polls confirm the president's conclusion is in line with the American public's view of U.S. immigration policy.   A recent NPR/PBS News/Marist poll found that 65% of Americans feel that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have gone too far in enforcing immigration laws. But recent polling from the group Cygnal shows that 54% of Americans support ICE enforcing U.S. immigration laws to remove illegal aliens from the country. The same poll found that 61% of U.S. voters support deporting illegal aliens.   “I think what those two polls are actually doing is talking about policy, and they're talking about the execution of policy,” Meaghan Mobbs, director of the Center for American Safety and Security at the Independent Women's Forum, says.   “Americans support the policy, which is deportation, but like President Trump said, perhaps there's a way to go about it that's not exactly how it unfolded in Minneapolis,” Mobbs explains on this week's edition of “Problematic Women.”   “I think that's the threading of the needle where [Trump] said, we're going to keep doing it, but maybe with a ‘softer touch,' which I do think means increasing communication with local and state authorities, [and] I think means messaging it more effectively.”   Mobbs joins “Problematic Women” to discuss Trump's decision to deploy border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota and Homan's actions since he arrived in the Twin Cities. Plus, we discuss the extent to which U.S. support for ICE comes down to a PR and messaging battle.   Enjoy the show! Follow us on Instagram for EXCLUSIVE bonus content and the chance to be featured in our episodes: https://www.instagram.com/problematicwomen/   Connect with our hosts on socials!   Elise McCue X: https://x.com/intent/user?screen_name=EliseMcCue Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elisemccueofficial/   Virginia Allen: X: https://x.com/intent/user?screen_name=Virginia_Allen5 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/virginiaallenofficial/   Check out Top News in 10, hosted by The Daily Signal's Tony Kinnett: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjMHBev3NsoUpc2Pzfk0n89cXWBqQltHY Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dive into Part 2 of Episode 277 of the Mike Drop Podcast, hosted by former Navy SEAL Mike Ritland. This gripping conversation features guest Mike Vining, a pioneering Delta Force operator, Vietnam veteran, and EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) expert with over 30 years of military service. Listeners will uncover firsthand accounts of high-stakes operations, from Vietnam War missions and the Khobar Towers bombing investigation to the origins of Delta Force, its rigorous selection process, and the dramatic details of Operation Eagle Claw—the failed 1980 Iran hostage rescue. Packed with historical insights, personal anecdotes, and corrections to common myths, this episode offers an unfiltered look at special operations, counterterrorism, and the evolution of elite U.S. military units. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices