[00:01]

Hello, this is Chris Parker with the Business Simplicity Podcast, and I just had a conversation with Maca Vidal from Argentina. We talked about the adoption of GenAI not only from a market and industry perspective but also from a very human perspective. So hey Maca, why would people find this valuable?
Hi Chris, thanks for having me.

[00:25]

I think people are going to find this valuable to get a little more clarity on what’s going on with AI adoption globally—from both an individual and company perspective. I hope you enjoy it and learn a bit more about how to get started with AI.

[01:01]

This is Chris Parker, and I’m having a conversation with Maca Vidal, who is involved in the IT space. She’s Director of Operations at an IT company. Interestingly, she’s in Argentina, while the company is mostly based in the States—so, a remote worker. I bumped into Maca through the GenAI Circle, where she’s part of the adoption and implementation leadership group.

[01:24]

They’re driving awareness of GenAI adoption and implementation across a global group. I reached out and invited Maca to the conversation. We’re going to talk about innovation adoption and the human impact of GenAI. But first, Maca, can you share more about what you do in IT and operations, and also with GenAI?

[02:02]

Hi Chris, thank you for having me. I’m really happy to be here. I’m located in Argentina and have been exploring AI for the last two years. I’m working at a company called We Install IT as the Director of Operations.

[02:28]

The company does audiovisual installations for large companies in the US and globally. We also work across Latin America. We install conference rooms, presentation rooms, training rooms, and also do data center installations and fiber optic cabling.

[02:57]

Our main team is on the West Coast in the United States, and we also serve clients in Costa Rica, Argentina, Mexico, and Brazil. We have remote teams in Mexico, Argentina, and the US, along with on-site technicians. It’s a new job—I’ve been here for less than five months—and I’m grateful for the opportunity and the great team.

[03:23]

It’s interesting that my role combines the tangible, hands-on hardware side with the more intangible world of GenAI. I’ve been exploring AI for two years and joined the GenAI Circle. What motivated me to take this path and step into a coordination role within the adoption group?

[04:15]

I’m a curious person, always learning new things. I was fascinated by AI since I joined the waitlist for ChatGPT at the end of 2022. I found David on LinkedIn and started following his AI posts. One day, he invited me to join a private group to learn more. I immediately said yes.

[05:05]

I thought AI wasn’t accessible to someone non-technical like me, not working at Microsoft or Google. So this was a big opportunity. David founded an amazing community. I’d been an entrepreneur before—I started a plant-based food company around 2015 when it was still very new in Latin America.

[05:58]

That experience showed me I’m always drawn to emerging trends. I naturally explore new spaces, which led me to this.

[06:16]

In 2022, I joined the Institute for Aliveness. It was a turning point after letting go of my plant-based company. The Institute is a nonprofit focused on applied epigenetics, and that work really helped with my personal growth.

[07:18]

Epigenetics is about how your environment impacts your genes—what you eat, where you live, who you’re around. This affects your health and behavior. I already knew a bit about it from a holistic coaching course I did, but this gave me deeper insight.

[08:39]

The Institute for Aliveness taught me how to manage myself better. It was the most exponential phase of my personal growth. It came at the right time and helped me integrate those learnings into leadership.

[09:13]

You seem like a very self-aware and deliberate person, entering this fast-moving space of AI. That resonates with me. My book ‘Lead from Love’ is about leading yourself first—loving, forgiving, and embracing yourself is essential. With AI accelerating everything, being grounded in your self-awareness is vital.

[10:44]

Yes, I agree. Leading others begins with knowing and leading yourself. That emotional intelligence is crucial. I believe good leaders want to create more leaders, not just be the center of attention.

[11:49]

That’s why I also got certified with Daniel Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence program. It was focused on leadership. Self-awareness and emotional intelligence aren’t just useful in leading others—they’re critical during times of change. And AI is driving change fast.

[12:40]

We need a resilient world. People will need to adapt to AI in their personal and professional lives. Self-knowledge is essential for growth in any area.

[13:01]

Even in operations, where people think it’s all about processes—it’s really all about people. Processes are executed by people, and people must be engaged for the processes to work.

[13:54]

I never create a process without involving everyone who will use it. Their input ensures the process will be followed. We recently faced this in a client workshop where even sharing unfinished work was difficult due to internal silos. Collaboration is critical.