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Forbes
6 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Why Inner Work Is The Secret To Outer Innovation
Albert Kim is the founder and CEO of Sota Cloud, pioneering through compassionate innovation. I once had to set up a 90-day review for a mid-level executive we'd just brought on. I was looking forward to the meeting with the person we'll call Janelle because she had jumped into action immediately and was already popular with employees at all levels. Even more encouraging? She was demonstrating empathy in her leadership, something we really value at SOTA Cloud, my web-based dental imaging software company. As CEO of our organization, I had been looking forward to reviewing Janelle's early successes and even helping create a plan to take her career to the next level. But as so often occurs in life and leadership, something happened before the meeting—something that took us in a whole new direction. When I reached out to schedule Janelle's review, I offered several different options for a meeting time. Apologetically, she replied that none of them worked for her. Seeking to come at things from another angle, I asked her to offer better options. (Trying to put myself in her shoes, I knew it might cause anxiety for a new employee if she was expected to shift meetings around just to suit her boss.) 'Albert,' she wrote back. 'I'm booked solid for the next week. But this review is really important to me. Any suggestions?' 'Let's look at your calendar together and see what jumps out,' I replied. This exercise revealed Janelle wasn't exaggerating. Her schedule was packed—from morning coffee one-on-ones to end-of-day catchups. 'Janelle,' I replied, genuinely concerned. 'With a schedule like this, when do you get space to reflect or even breathe?' When we finally met in person, she responded to me this way: 'Self-reflection? Albert, with all due respect, I don't think I can afford to take time away to just sit and think.' This gave me pause. 'Actually, you can't afford not to,' I said. 'It's one of the most important things you can do if you want to innovate.' Let me explain. Leaders tend to chase breakthroughs in technology, strategy or scale to drive innovation and success, often overlooking themselves in the process. Just as we embrace empathy in our product design at SOTA Cloud, we also view introspection and self-reflection as vital tools to do our best work. In short, inner clarity developed by taking the time to reflect, heal and align with our values and faith in turn fosters outer creativity—ideas and leaps forward that wow our customers. Self-reflection also makes us better leaders. Research clearly shows the power of such introspection. As detailed in the Harvard Business Review, one study of more than 440 executives revealed that when they do reflect on surprises, failures and frustrations, they create "opportunities for improvement, change, innovation." But put the other qualities of leadership in business aside for a moment. Many professionals like Janelle wrongly think that taking time for self-reflection will slow down progress. This isn't the case. If anything, innovation is supercharged by integrity and vision when you take the time to really think about what you're doing and where you want to go. After all, transformative ideas and product innovations that are truly revolutionary almost never come from the noise of a crowded schedule. They're born in the stillness. To see why, let's consider two examples out of too many to count: Post-it® Notes: There isn't an office or school in America where you won't find Post-it® Notes, despite the digital nature of our economy. You probably know part of this product's story—3M chemist Spencer Silver developed the glue and considered it a failure because it wasn't very strong. It did have one unusual quality: Its low-tack stickiness allowed it to be moved without leaving a residue. But that same glue wasn't transformed into a product until an innovation occurred, driven by self-reflection far from the workplace. As it so happened, another 3M researcher, Art Fry, was pondering a different problem: How to mark his place in church hymnals. In the past, he used slips of paper that would inevitably fall out. As he considered the challenge in quiet moments away from the office, he remembered Silver's glue. And just like that, a multibillion-dollar idea was born. Velcro: Swiss engineer George de Mestral enjoyed his own form of self-reflection: taking long hikes through the Swiss Alps accompanied by Milka, his faithful dog. Milka is sometimes credited as the 'co-inventor' of Velcro because, while enjoying the solitude of these treks, de Mestral became fascinated by the way burrs became tangled in his companion's fur and his own clothing. By studying the burrs under the microscope, de Mestral discovered tiny hooks, which he later engineered into the hook-and-loop system of modern Velcro. Without his self-reflection habit during hikes, we might never have had a product used by everyone from NASA to kids who can't tie their shoes yet. What This Means For You Taking time to do the inner work of self-reflection shouldn't be seen as some burden or needless activity that will slow you down. Instead, if used correctly, it can make you a better leader and help you innovate for the future. Returning to Janelle, she's since reached the next level in her career. She attributes a portion of her success to a less cluttered calendar that now includes time for self-reflection. By aligning inner clarity with bold vision, she now plays a key role in driving innovations that elevate patient care, streamline operations and shape the future of dental technology. Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
Forbes
08-07-2025
- Health
- Forbes
AI's Secret Weapon? Empathy That Builds Real Human Connection
Albert Kim is the founder and CEO of Sota Cloud, pioneering through compassionate innovation. Jade is six weeks pregnant and scared. Beyond the usual worries a young woman might face when she learns she is unexpectedly expecting, she is also battling opioid addiction. She knows that to give both her baby and herself the best chance at a brighter future, she must overcome opioid use disorder—but she's afraid to bring it up with her OB/GYN or primary care doctor. Instead, Jade turns to an online service. She explains her circumstances to a counselor via chat and is immediately met with empathy: "Jade, I appreciate you sharing your story with me. It takes great strength to recognize a problem and authentically ask for help. I have some suggestions from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists on how you can begin your journey to recovery.' The counselor then provides Jade with accurate, evidence-based information about buprenorphine, a powerful medication used to help reduce opioid cravings and withdrawal symptoms as part of medication-assisted treatment (MAT), a widely accepted approach to treating opioid addiction. When AI Delivers Empathy And Accuracy At first glance, this story seems like a triumph of both technology and human empathy. The internet's power to connect people across distance supported this young mother at her most vulnerable. But there's a twist: The counselor who so deftly responded wasn't a person at all—it was an AI chatbot powered by OpenAI's GPT-4. It had been trained to provide accurate, compassionate treatment guidance to pregnant women suffering from opioid addiction. In fact, this interaction came from a recent study conducted by a University of Missouri researcher who wanted to determine whether AI could deliver both useful care advice and the kind of emotional intelligence patients often don't receive from human providers. One more clarification: Jade wasn't a real woman, but one of many simulated patients portrayed by researchers during the experiment. Still, the results speak volumes. The chatbot's responses were later reviewed by clinicians, who found them to be 96% accurate—a remarkably strong showing. What AI Empathy Means For Business Let's make this real. How does an experiment involving pregnant women relate to your business? The answer is simple: The ability to embed the kind of empathy demonstrated in this study into your own organization's digital interactions can fundamentally change how customers experience your brand. In 2025, AI virtual agents and digital assistants mediate more and more of our online conversations. A chatbot may be the first point of contact for a prospective customer. How your company—and your AI—responds in that moment may determine whether you create a loyal customer or lose a lead. But it goes even deeper than that. A positive interaction can turn a customer into an advocate. A bad one can drive them—and possibly others—away. Design For Emotional Intelligence The problem often lies in how AI has traditionally been designed. For years, the focus was on fulfilling demands, not understanding emotions. Developers may have assumed that empathy was too complex to build into a model—setting a low bar from the start. That assumption is crumbling. The addiction chatbot study is just one example of many in which AI demonstrated the capacity to deliver both accurate and empathetic responses. The implications are enormous. In your business, the way customers interact with AI is crucial to a positive outcome. Their tone, urgency and distress levels are all factors a human can follow and act upon. If your AI can detect emotional cues and act accordingly, it's no longer a command parser—it becomes a listener. When empathy is baked into your AI from the start, you're building a system that can make people feel heard, respected and supported—before a human even enters the conversation. Empathy At Every Level Of course, emotional intelligence shouldn't end with your chatbot. As CEO of a web-based dental imaging software company, I ensure that compassionate innovation is built into our operations in several ways: • Actively listening to frontline dentists and customers to improve our tools and services • Collaborating closely with vendors and suppliers to co-create solutions, not just transactions • Building long-term partnerships based on mutual respect and shared goals These relationships—internal and external—are where breakthroughs happen. Suppliers become collaborators. Customers become co-designers. Empathy becomes a competitive edge. A Clear Path Forward Looking ahead, AI brings both uncertainty and opportunity. From where I sit, one thing is becoming clearer by the day: Future success won't hinge on which company has the most advanced AI model. It will come down to which companies use AI to build stronger, more human connections. Empathy isn't soft—it's strategic. And increasingly, it's the differentiator that will separate tomorrow's leaders from the rest. Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
Forbes
01-04-2025
- Forbes
Don't Chase, Lead: Skating To The Future Of Entrepreneurship In 2025
Albert Kim is the founder and CEO of Sota Cloud, pioneering through compassionate innovation. Dylan had always been a visionary. He saw patterns in chaos and opportunity others overlooked. In fact, in 2015, while most entrepreneurs chased the glittering promises of social media influence and app development, he set his sights on a quieter revolution: virtual reality. Of course, VR had been around for years. As far back as the 1980s, Jaron Lanier, the tech entrepreneur credited for popularizing the term 'virtual reality,' created the EyePhone, not the iPhone, enabling users to 'see and move objects around in a computer-created environment,' according to Flashbak. However, much like AI underwent two separate periods of stagnation with little development or commercial interest (dubbed the AI Winter), VR suffered a similar fate. By 2015, the once-promising technology had withered in the zeitgeist, all but dismissed as a passing fad. Still, the visionary that Dylan is, he saw something others didn't. He was skating 'to where the puck is going to be—not where it has been,' to borrow a phrase attributed to hockey dynamo Wayne Gretzky. Working as a registered nurse informed Dylan's emerging entrepreneurial vision. Beyond performing his daily job, he began imagining a future that had not yet come to pass—a future in which medical care could be bolstered by VR tech. What was Dylan's vision? He pictured a day when VR would go mainstream for medical care. Specifically, he saw doctors training for surgeries in simulated operating rooms. Naturally, no one wants to be the first person a newbie surgeon practices on. To solve this problem, Dylan imagined a VR training simulator. It would allow budding surgeons to practice their craft in safe, virtual conditions without the risk of any medical harm. That's not all. Dylan pictured other novel VR uses. In his mind's eye, he saw future architects manipulating three-dimensional blueprints in cyberspace, solving vexing construction challenges before a single brick was laid. Likewise, he anticipated virtual field trips. Tomorrow's teachers could transport their students to ancient Greece to learn about classical antiquity. VR wasn't a novelty for Dylan. It was his ticket out of a W2 job and into his own commercial empire. With every penny he saved, Dylan built a VR platform focused on professional development. Soon, he began pitching his idea to universities, hospitals and construction firms. Unfortunately, no one was interested. Rejections came fast—'The market isn't ready,' prospects said. 'No one's asking for this.' But Dylan wasn't interested in where the puck was. He was skating to where it was going. By 2020, the world changed. The Covid-19 pandemic forced society online even more, retooling how people learned and worked. Suddenly, VR training wasn't a luxury—it was essential. Dylan's platform benefitted handsomely, becoming an industry leader, and its technology was adopted worldwide. This fictional tale presents a real lesson for entrepreneurs everywhere. As we embrace 2025, it's clear visionaries are required, ones who adopt a mindset that challenges conventional thinking. The website EurekaMindSet can aid with developing this critical trait. It offers suggestions for cultivating one's vision, seeing emerging trends and patterns others do not. One key element it stresses is curiosity and open-mindedness: 'Visionaries are curious individuals who constantly question the status quo. They are open to new ideas and unafraid to explore unfamiliar territories, which allows them to see beyond what others may consider possible.' Beyond nurturing curiosity and open-mindedness, it's essential to be bold and take risks, especially when the path forward isn't clear or proven. Writing for Psychology Today, philosopher Susanna Newsonen, MAPP, suggests the way to cultivate such courage is to start small. 'What's the tiniest, easiest step you could take toward your goal?' she asks. 'Then take that step. Then take another. And another. Each small action builds momentum, making each next step easier and your confidence stronger.' It's also important to opt for the path not taken to succeed as a visionary. While others may focus on what's currently popular, forward-thinking entrepreneurs see opportunities in uncharted territory—they take calculated steps toward long-term growth. Here are recent examples demonstrating this idea: • Airbnb: Though hotels owned the hospitality industry for years, Airbnb's founders saw an opportunity in underutilized homes. They created a digital hub for short-term rentals, disrupting the travel industry. • Shopify: Right as e-commerce was taking off like a rocket, Shopify gave entrepreneurs tools to easily build online stores, leveraging the growing demand for direct-to-consumer sales platforms. • Square: Recognizing the many challenges faced by small businesses in accepting payments, Square introduced a simple card reader and payment ecosystem. This innovation empowered small vendors to compete against larger companies. • Spotify: During the rise of digital music piracy, Spotify launched a subscription-based music streaming service, reshaping how people consumed music legally and creating a sustainable model for artists and labels. The common denominator to all these success stories is vision—seeing patterns emerging where others do not—then acting with confidence. It's been said the only certainty is uncertainty. As we step into a new year in a business landscape already teeming with ambiguity, it's necessary for dreamers to bet big. By 'skating to where the puck will be—not where it is this year' in 2025, it's not just visionaries who stand to gain. We all benefit from such risk-takers. Case in point: Scholar Joseph Campbell famously described the final stage of the Hero's Journey as the Return with the Elixir: 'The hero returns to their community as a force of change, bringing healing and wholeness to society at large. That healing (the 'elixir') can be physical, spiritual, or both,' as explains. Also known as the Monomyth, the Hero's Journey is the most popular form of storytelling. It's, therefore, the way in which humans are hardwired to understand life—through powerful, memorable narratives. At the start of this new year, ask yourself: How can you become the hero of your story, returning with the elixir to benefit humankind? Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
