The Optimistic Outlook

Digital innovation is no longer limited to Silicon Valley. Some of the most exciting, and potentially world-changing, developments are happening in manufacturing plants across America as industrial automation systems interact with software and AI. What is the vision for applying tools that first emerged in consumer sectors in American industry? And what could the benefits be beyond forging an even more competitive, stronger U.S. manufacturing sector? To learn more, Barbara sits down with Del Costy, who leads Siemens’ work providing industrial technologies to U.S. manufacturers and the federal government. Listen to hear Del’s perspective, drawn from decades of industry experience, as he reflects on the changes he has seen during his career, including how platforms are democratizing advanced and emerging technologies.  Siemens Xcelerator: https://www.siemens.com/us/en/company/digital-transformation/xcelerator.html Virtual PLC: https://press.siemens.com/global/en/pressrelease/first-virtual-simatic-controller-enables-more-flexible-software-based-automation Metaverse demo and FREYR partnership: https://press.siemens.com/global/en/pressrelease/freyr-scale-battery-cell-gigafactory-production-siemens-xcelerator

For decades, American manufacturing shifted to other countries. Now, it’s growing again in the United States. To launch a new “Optimistic Insights” series, Barbara outlines the trends such as emerging technologies and what she calls “glocalization” that are driving American manufacturing’s resurgence. This episode will help listeners to understand the convergence between the tech economy and American industry. Explore the bright future ahead for workers eager to help American manufacturing lead the way in innovation, sustainability and prosperity. Show notes: Investing in American manufacturing: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231103426573/en/Siemens-to-invest-more-than-US500-million-in-U.S.-manufacturing-for-critical-infrastructure-in-2023 Industrial technologies expanding what’s humanly possible: https://www.siemens.com/us/en/company/topic-areas/industrial-automation.html   

Older generations have often misunderstood younger generations. And yet, as the U.S. workforce ages, the value of multigenerational teams will continue to grow. In this episode, Barbara talks with university recruiter Sophie Nicholas and intern Adrian Vasquez. You will learn about the workplace culture that Gen Z is shaping and what they hope to learn as the youngest of the five generations now in the workforce.   Show notes: Jobs at Siemens: https://www.siemens.com/us/en/company/jobs.html

Successfully addressing the climate crisis requires significant progress by 2030. Will we get there? Christiana Figueres, a former UN climate leader who led the process securing the Paris Climate Agreement, offers expert perspective, defining the current state of the problem and how we can grow our ability to rapidly put solutions into action. Prepare to be uplifted about what’s possible and to learn about critical climate priorities slated for the UN climate conference COP28. Christiana is a Founding Partner of Global Optimism, co-presenter of climate podcast Outrage + Optimism, and co-author of "The Future We Choose: The Stubborn Optimist's Guide to the Climate Crisis." Show notes: Christiana's TED talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/christiana_figueres_the_inside_story_of_the_paris_climate_agreement?language=en Outrage + Optimism: https://www.outrageandoptimism.org/ Accelerating carbon reduction: https://www.siemens.com/us/en/company/sustainability.html      

Imagine self-healing concrete or traffic lights with “eyes” that save lives in crosswalks. Technology startup leaders join Barbara to discuss breakthrough innovations that could be accelerated by the launch of a new White House initiative: Advanced Research Projects Agency – Infrastructure (ARPA-I). Listen for inspiring, detailed insights from Ginger Krieg Dosier, Founder and Board Member, Biomason, and Angus Pacala, CEO, Ouster, as they discuss the power of applying emerging technologies and fresh R&D investment to transportation infrastructure. Show notes: White House fact sheet: https://www.whitehouse.gov/ostp/news-updates/2023/06/13/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-announces-new-actions-hosts-inaugural-arpa-i-summit-to-highlight-the-next-generation-of-transportation-infrastructure-innovation-for-americans/ Ouster: https://ouster.com/ Biomason: https://biomason.com/

With American healthcare representing 10% of U.S. carbon emissions, decarbonizing hospitals and healthcare systems promises to deliver meaningful climate action. In this episode, Barbara brings listeners inside an innovative project reducing energy usage in imaging at University of California San Francisco (UCSF). The solutions will not only help to support decarbonization but yield immediate operational savings for hospitals and healthcare systems recovering financially from the pandemic. Guests are Dr. Sean Woolen, USCF’s Assistant Professor for Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging and Director of the Green Radiology, and Jerry Folsom, Global Head of Digital Portfolio for Healthcare and Life Science, Siemens Smart Infrastructure. Show notes: Study results: https://www.siemens-healthineers.com/en-us/press-room/press-releases/greenradiology Smart healthcare: https://www.siemens.com/us/en/markets/healthcare.html Press release: https://www.siemens.com/us/en/company/press/siemens-stories/usa/siemens-helps-put-sustainability-forefront-medical-imaging-care.html

Effective partnerships between large companies and startups can accelerate net-zero strategies and even produce cost savings that strengthen the business case. Recording from the TED Countdown Summit, Barbara talks to Maisie Devine, Executive Director of Sustainable Innovation at AB InBev and Founder of the award-winning 100+ Accelerator program, which is building an ecosystem of partners delivering breakthrough advancements in supply chain decarbonization. They share takeaways from the conference and introduce listeners to a unique vertical farming project that could remake hops production. Siemens is a member of the TED Future Forum, a TED Countdown initiative focused on the role of business in accelerating solutions to the climate crisis.    Show notes:  100+ Accelerator: https://www.ab-inbev.com/sustainability/100-accelerator/  Vertical farming: https://www.siemens.com/global/en/company/stories/industry/2023/vertical-farming-controlled-environment-agriculture-cea-digital-transformation-sustainability-80-acres-farms.html 

Barbara shares her keynote speech from May’s Automate conference in Detroit. Show notes: Siemens and FREYR: https://press.siemens.com/global/en/pressrelease/freyr-scale-battery-cell-gigafactory-production-siemens-xcelerator  Advanced Manufacturing: https://www.siemens.com/us/en/company/topic-areas/advanced-manufacturing.html Optimizing Battery Production: https://www.siemens.com/us/en/company/topic-areas/advanced-manufacturing/large-battery-manufacturing.html

Barbara reflects on how her ideas about leadership changed during the pandemic by sharing an audio version of her recent leadership essay, The Greatest Gift We Can Give Our Organizations. Show Notes: Comment on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/greatest-gift-we-can-give-our-organizations-barbara-humpton/ Art of Leading Interview: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/key-role-leaders-help-people-understand-what-good-looks-adam-bryant/?trackingId=gXb6mof6ZeWLcKVC6p4P1w%3D%3D Barbara’s 2021 leadership essay: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/i-fell-ill-covid-19-shutdowns-began-heres-what-taught-barbara-humpton/

Siemens CEO Roland Busch joins Barbara to discuss “glocalization” and how to scale technologies shaping a better tomorrow as industry and infrastructure become more productive and sustainable.  Show notes:   Roland on glocalization: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/01/globalization-isn-t-working-but-glocalization-can-davos2023/  Siemens Xcelerator and Industrial Metaverse: https://new.siemens.com/global/en/company/insights.html  Roland’s annual shareholders meeting speech: https://assets.new.siemens.com/siemens/assets/api/uuid:44ea0485-0c69-4005-be07-ae7364cf41aa/Roland-Busch-HV-Rede-2023-EN.pdf  Rail Manufacturing Announcement: https://press.siemens.com/global/en/pressrelease/siemens-mobility-invest-220-million-north-carolina-rail-manufacturing-facility 

The U.S. power grid has been called both the “greatest machine ever built” and the “great enabler” of our greatest innovations. But can we successfully reinvent it? In this decade of action, with technology companies stepping up and new federal climate and infrastructure laws moving forward that each focus on power grid modernization, Barbara is joined by Karen Wayland, CEO, Gridwise Alliance. Karen is a recognized expert in national energy and environmental policy who has served in leadership positions at the highest levels of government and nonprofits. Show notes: Gridwise Alliance: https://gridwise.org/ Grid Modernization: https://www.siemens.com/us/en/company/bipartisan-infrastructure.html     

Clarence Anthony, CEO and Executive Director, National League of Cities, joins the podcast to provide a local perspective on the deployment of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. With many communities directly accessing federal infrastructure funds for the first time, Anthony outlines priorities for cities, towns, and villages nationwide.       Show Notes:    NLC Bipartisan Infrastructure Law resources: https://www.nlc.org/initiative/ready-to-rebuild/  Siemens Bipartisan Infrastructure Law resources: https://new.siemens.com/us/en/company/bipartisan-infrastructure.html  Youth Excel: https://www.nlc.org/initiative/youth-excel/#:~:text=To%20support%20cities'%20efforts%20to,Youth%20Economic%20Recovery%20and%20Empowerment. 

For the last episode of 2022, Barbara is joined by Dr. Connie Hadley, an organizational psychologist and founder of the Institute for Life at Work, to discuss how to build stronger, more innovative teams. Building on the show’s core theme of optimism and last year’s episode on growth mindset, this conversation unpacks how work cultures rooted in trust and psychological safety foster individual resilience and wellbeing. The outcome? Work environments more conducive to healthy risk taking that lead to growth and more impactful results. Show notes: Psychological Safety 101: https://www.institutelifework.org/topic-briefings/psychologicalsafety   

Barbara visits a groundbreaking microgrid project in the South Side Chicago neighborhood of Bronzeville. Features interviews with ComEd CEO Gil Quiniones and Paul Pabst, who leads ComEd’s Smart Grid department. SHOW NOTES:  Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecvUf5sdOJs&list=PLF415F6CFBF8D6A91&index=2 Microgrids opportunities in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: https://new.siemens.com/us/en/company/bipartisan-infrastructure.html  

Chad Frischmann is the co-author of the New York Times best-seller “Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming.” He also pioneered Project Drawdown and is now the founder of a new organization called Regenerative Intelligence. Barbara and Chad explore how to achieve a moment in time when the concentration of atmospheric greenhouse gases begins to decline annually and what a regenerative future looks like. Learn about the impact of tech solutions that can be immediately deployed, and the potential for further innovation.  Show Notes:  Regenerative Intelligence: https://regenintel.earth/  Project Drawdown: https://drawdown.org/  TED Talk (100 solutions to reverse global warming): https://www.ted.com/talks/chad_frischmann_100_solutions_to_reverse_global_warming?language=en  Siemens and Environmental Action: https://new.siemens.com/us/en/company/environmental-society-governance/environmental-action.html