UNSCRIPTED

Sarah Nicastro attended Field Service Next Europe 2026 in Amsterdam and is sharing the six moments that stood out. From Patricia Sabera of Unisys on shifting from SLAs to XLAs, to Carolyn Hagstrom Markland of Vattenfall on what people-first transformation actually looks like in practice, to the question dividing the industry right now: should technicians sell? A technician arrives with an S on their chest, but is it Superman or a dollar sign?

Mitch White didn’t follow the expected route. He left college, discovered field service through a cable and internet company, spent six years in the U.S. Coast Guard, and eventually landed at Schneider Electric - where he’s now a Territory Manager leading a team in Tennessee. Along the way he picked up a bachelor’s in electrical technology and a master’s in business. Not in that order.In this episode of Frontline UNSCRIPTED, Mitch talks with Sarah Nicastro about what it really means to be “wired differently” for field service, how organizations can better recognize and retain frontline talent, why removing roadblocks is his core job as a manager, and what senior leaders need to do to stay connected to the people doing the work.If you’re thinking about field service as a career, leading a frontline team, or trying to figure out how to hold on to your best people - this one’s worth your time.New episodes every Wednesday. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

Berend goes solo to recap IFS Unleashed 2026, working from notes on a phone that nearly didn't survive the week.He structures his takeaways around five T's and five I's — Trust, Time, Tempo, Talent, Teamwork, Intelligence, Investment, Integrity, Insincerity and Innovation — drawing on moments with Mark Moffat, Tom Brady, Chamath Palihapitiya, Badi Narasimhan from William Grant & Sons, and Sarah Nicastro.Why does trust decide whether frontline teams adopt AI at all? What does a whiskey distillery teach us about time as a business strategy? Can AI actually close a 1.9 million-worker skills gap in manufacturing? And when a machine takes an action, who owns the outcome?This episode covers the launch of IFS Intelligence, the tension between "speed is life" and Dario Amodei's AI warnings, the robot that might need its own airline seat, and what Tom Brady's take on teamwork has to do with getting an industrial operation to perform at its best.Future of Assets is a platform for asset management leaders. Find more at futureofassets.com.

Sarah Nicastro spent the week at IFS Unleashed in Orlando and is sharing the second half of her top 10 personal highlights from the event.This episode picks up where Monday’s article left off — if you want the first five highlights, head to the Future of Field Service website: https://www.futureoffieldservice.com/my-top-10-highlights-ifs-unleashed-2026-part-1/Highlights #6–10 cover some of the conversations and moments that stood out most — including how industrial AI is accelerating the servitization journey, why trust becomes more valuable as AI takes on more, and genuinely inspiring perspectives on leadership, community, and what it means to be a role model. Tom Brady, Chamath Palihapitiya, Alexis Ohanian, and Chelsea FC Women’s CEO Aki Mandar all made an impression.Topics covered:How is industrial AI reshaping the path to outcomes-based services?Why does trust become a competitive advantage in an AI-heavy business environment?What Chamath Palihapitiya said about encoding tribal knowledge and de-levering from powerTom Brady on shielding yourself from failure and what leadership responsibility actually looks likeAlexis Ohanian on community as a “Trojan horse” in a world full of AI-generated contentWhat a “mini legacy” looks like and why it mattersAki Mandar on role models, doing the right thing, and holding power to accountHost: Sarah Nicastro, Creator and Editor in Chief, Future of Field Service

Nick Richards spent more than 13 years as a field service engineer at Cubic Transportation Systems before stepping into management. That experience sits close to the surface in everything he talks about in this episode.He joins Sarah Nicastro to discuss what leaders get wrong about the frontline, why recognition so often misses the mark, and what a genuine commitment to knowing your team actually looks like in practice. He also talks about how Cubic is approaching diversity in hiring — including neurodiversity and women in engineering — and why he believes field service managers, not HR departments, should own the recruitment process.This is a conversation for anyone leading a frontline team, or anyone trying to understand what today's field service workforce actually needs to stay and grow.Topics covered:- What top-level leadership consistently misses about the frontline role- Why a simple "thanks" isn't always enough — and what actually lands- Why Nick refuses to be called "boss"- How Cubic is building more diverse field service teams- Neurodiversity in field service hiring — seeing strengths, not risks- Getting more women into field engineering roles- What a better recruitment process looks like in practice- Why managers should own hiring, not just HR- What younger and more experienced engineers want from their leaders- The changing nature of pride in the field service roleGuest: Nick Richards, Interim Head of Field Services, Cubic Transportation SystemsHost: Sarah Nicastro, Creator & Editor in Chief, Future of Field Service