Let’s Take a Walk

Make Complexity Simple: Storytelling as a Leadership Skill

In this mini episode of Let’s Take a Walk, we revisit a clip from a conversation Charlie had with Rob Carter where they explore one of the most underrated leadership capabilities: storytelling.
 
Drawing from decades of experience at FedEx and beyond, Rob shares how great leaders use analogies and shared reference points to make complex technology understandable. Not to “sell” an idea, but to invite the business into it. From dominant design to digital twins, this conversation illustrates why clarity, not complexity, is what ultimately drives alignment and momentum.
 
A short, practical listen for leaders navigating transformation who want their ideas to land. And stick.
 
Learn more about Rob here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robcarter1/
 

Find Your Stan: The People Who Make Transformation Possible

In this episode of Let’s Take a Walk, Charlie Feld shares a defining story from early in his career. Facing unexpected complexity and early failure during a major railroad transformation, Charlie realized that vision and strategy alone were not enough. What changed everything was finding the right people, particularly one architect who helped him see systems, organizations, and leadership in a fundamentally new way. That moment became the foundation for the models and patterns that later shaped decades of successful transformations.
 
This conversation is a reflection on recognizing blind spots, building teams with complementary strengths, and understanding why leadership and culture matter more than any framework. For anyone navigating change and wondering how to move forward, this episode is an invitation to pause, reflect, and find your Stan.
 
Learn more about the original Gamechanger, Stan Alexander, here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stan-alexander-a83a745/

The AI Enterprise: People, Productivity, and Scale with Ken Spangler

Charlie sits down with longtime friend and former FedEx executive, Ken Spangler, to explore what the AI era truly means for enterprises and leaders. Drawing on decades of experience running technology and operations at a massive global scale, Ken reframes AI not as a technology challenge, but as a productivity and adaptability imperative. Together, they discuss the shift from IT enablement to integration and transformation, the rise of innovation at the edge, and why human systems remain the long pole in meaningful change.
 
Learn more about Ken here.

Big Bet Leadership with John Rossman

In this episode of Let’s Take a Walk, Charlie Feld is joined by John Rossman, former Amazon executive and author of Big Bet Leadership, for a wide-ranging conversation on what it really takes to lead transformation in the AI era. Together, they explore why most large transformations fail, how leadership for operational excellence differs from leadership for high-risk innovation, and why architecture, storytelling, and long-term stewardship matter more than ever. Drawing on lessons from decades of CIO experience, this conversation challenges leaders to stop waiting, start experimenting, and build organizations designed for change.
 
https://johnrossman.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-rossman/

Architecting for Adaptability with J.R. Jesson and Hermson Paes

J.R. Jesson hosts a conversation with Roche’s Hemerson Paes about what it really takes to make work visible inside a modern organization. Hemerson shares lessons from Roche and the broader Feld Group community about the realities of teams in motion, the limits of traditional org charts, and why clarity and connectedness matter more than ever. Together, they explore how leaders can create the conditions for alignment, flow, and meaningful progress.
 
Learn more about J.R. here.
Learn more about Hemerson here.

What Good Looks Like, Thanksgiving Edition

In this Thanksgiving week episode, we take a quick walk through how gratitude actually shows up in real leadership and team culture. We reflect on gratitude, teamwork, and the long arc of real transformation. A short listen for a busy season.

Reflections from the Archive: High-Performance IT as a Team Sport

In this recording from 1998, Charlie Feld reflects on why high-performance IT is really a team sport. He talks about building shared values, rewarding the right behaviors, and focusing on quality instead of “just shipping it.” Charlie also shares how pattern recognition, not perfectionism, is what truly defines strong leadership. It’s a timeless reminder of what great teams are built on.

Reflections from the Archive: Augmenting the Human Spirit

In this reflection from The Feld Group Institute archives, Charlie Feld shares his timeless perspective on technology as a digital fabric woven through every part of business and life. Recorded in 2021, his words about AI and the “augmentation of the human spirit” feel even more relevant today.
We revisit Charlie’s message and reflect on how, four years later, his vision of technology amplifying human potential has become a reality.

Breaking Free from Legacy: AI’s Role in Enterprise Modernization with Nitin Rakesh and Mike Childress

Legacy systems are expensive, slow, and inflexible, but AI is rewriting the modernization playbook. In this episode, Charlie talks with Nitin Rakesh (CEO of Mphasis) and Mike Childress (TFGI Affiliate and seasoned CTO), who explore how enterprises can transform core systems in months, not years, by combining AI-powered tools with serious engineering discipline. A must-listen for leaders tackling legacy debt.
 
Learn more about Nitin here.
Learn more about Mike here.

Still Relevant Today: J.R. Jesson on Organizational Motion

In this clip from 2021, J.R. Jesson explores the distinction between an “organization at rest” and an “organization in motion.” His insights on structure, alignment, and empowered execution remain as relevant today as we continue to navigate the creation of cross-functional teams, the adoption of DevOps, and driving organizational flow.
Learn more about J.R. here.