Author, Speaker, AI Digital Transformation
Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, Military Veteran
Applying Proven Methods to Help Teams Solve Complex Problems, Adapt to AI Change & Resolve Conflict
Frank Shines is a music and film producer and an IBM & EY award-winning management consultant who focuses on the “Physics of Business” (process based problem-solving powered by AI) and the “Science of People” (org change leadership). He is currently working at the intersection of AI, Strategy, Lean Six Sigma and Change Leadership. You can access his Lean Six Sigma Problem Solving Custom GPT here.
Also known as “Rio,” Frank is a former IBM Principal, CCS Medical VP and Air Force Officer. He has trained and competed with Olympic athletes, flown military jets and traveled the world as a business and technology consultant and executive with Ernst & Young, IBM, Express Scripts and Pilgrim Software.
Frank is a former jazz vocalist and cellist who has lived abroad in Australia, Europe, the Azores Islands and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from where he gets his nickname, “Rio.” A descendant of the pioneering Stroud family, he is producer of Running to Harvard and RACE, the Opera‘s giand family spokesperson for the Colorado College Stroud Scholars. To interact with his book, Let in But Left Out or to learn more about the Stroud family history and their accomplishments, you can “fly” with the StroudFamilyCoPilot here.
AI or Die: The Caveman’s Visual Guide to AI for Everyone
I’m thrilled to announce my January 2025 new book “AI or Die: The Caveman’s Visual Guide to AI for Everyone.” Drawing from my journey as an Air Force Academy graduate, an Air Force student pilot, and award-winning IBM/EY consultant, I’ve created a groundbreaking visual guide that makes artificial intelligence accessible to everyone.
I weave together lessons from my great-grandfather (who escaped a post Civil War Texas slave plantation at 19 to become a polymath), insights from Olympic athletes, and decades of consulting experience to demonstrate how non-technical professionals can harness AI to solve real-world problems. Co-authored with Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Umer Qureshi, we demystify complex AI concepts through intuitive visuals and practical examples, showing you how to thrive in an AI-driven future while maintaining your humanity. From cave paintings to ChatGPT, from spaceships to sustainability, this book will transform how you think about and work with AI.
Claude SAT Vocabulary Prep App
My 15-year-old daughter who is now a high school sophomore will be taking the PSAT for college next month. To help her I created a Beta phase SAP Vocabulary Prep App using the new Claude Anthropic Artifact code assistant. Here’s the link
SAT Vocabulary Prep App
Test-Drive Beta of QualityCoPilot
I am currently immersed in Data Science (Python, R, PyTorch) and Generative AI, from chatbots like ChatGPT-4, Claude-2 and MidJourney to new approaches like Poe to create custom AI chatbots.
QualityCoPilot, in beta phase, is a chatbot I am working on that shows promise for a real breakthrough in Quality Management Systems. Lots of work to be done, but a great start — check it out at QualityCoPilot.
Frank Shines in collaboration of Midjourney GenAI created this image, 15 Aug 2023.
The Seduction of Gen AI
The year 2023 will be etched in history as a pivotal moment in the advancement of Artificial Intelligence — a milestone that will be remembered a century from now.
Since 2007, in my second book, The New Science of Success, I have been chronicling this momentous occasion at the dawn of Web 2.0 and mobile. The present era has brought us Generative AI, a technology that allows us to “prompt” AI chatbots to write, create images, and produce videos. Prominent examples include ChatGPT-4, Midjourney, and Pika Labs.
While the light of a promising breakthrough illuminates our path, it inevitably casts a shadow of peril. The emergence of this cutting-edge technology has given rise to new challenges, such as the inability to discern what is real and truthful. Furthermore, there are risks associated with bad actors using Generative AI to create hazardous tools like bombs, biological weapons, or to orchestrate breaches into computer systems. We now stand at the crossroads of promise and peril in AI, marking a key chapter in technological evolution.
Stroud Leadership Academy Coaches Underserved
“Imagine if everyone had an equal place at the starting line?” said my friend, Athena Azevedo, and co-founder of the International Brazilian Opera Company (IBOC).
The Stroud Leadership Academy (SLA) develops leaders of character with critical thinking, problem-solving and digital literacy skills, a passion for lifelong learning and an understanding of the psychology of change. Young adults and entrepreneurs from the Middle-East African regions to Brazil and the USA are involved, including former inmates that have shown the willingness to change and contribute to society.
SLA is a Stroud family community outreach give-back initiative in support of RACE the Opera. SLA will support and assist with fundraising for the opera, training underserved communities and producing and distributing a 2024 Stroud family documentary, “Running to Harvard,” to be distributed on TV actor and producer Tim Reid’s LG|CY TV, Legacy of a People.
TV Actor Tim Reid Delivers Keynote Address
Emmy-Award nominee and TV actor/producer/writer, Tim Reid provided the keynote address to USA-Africa audience on The Future of Media and Our Mental Health, Nov 21, 2022 via Zoom and YouTube Live.
The event , organized by Lucia Stanislas, was hosted by Osai and Frank Shines family’s Stroud Leadership Academy in partnership with IBOC’s RACE the Opera.
Angola’s Osai “One heart for Mental Health” campaign is an international concept that brings together celebrities, professionals, artists, socialites and philanthropists for the cause of mental health.
Tim Reid recently launched an online network LG|CY TV, Legacy of a People.
Source: Adrift: America in 100 Charts, Scott Galloway, Penguin Random House, Sep 2022
Reverse Robinhood
I am reading Scott Galloway’s new best-seller book, Adrift: America in 100 Charts which shows this graphic that I call “Reverse Robinhood.” Up until about the mid-1970’s worker compensation and US productivity (GDP) moved in lock-step. However since that time we have seen a growing gap between the two. This gap now now reflects a 120% difference.
Looked at another way, according to Galloway, the top 1% of Americans have seen their wages increase 140% between 1979 and 2013. The growth rate of the bottom 99% during that time was nearly 8 times slower than the top 1%, retarding upward mobility for most Americans. No wonder our nation is so polarized and resentful of elites and “the system?”
Can US Democracy Survive Ray Dalio’s Changing World Order?
Ray Dalio’s new book, Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order: Why Nations Succeed and Fail, is the most important business, military and government leadership book I have read this year. Indeed, it may be a survival guide for democracy itself. The video here provides a 43-minute summary of the book, which is based on over 500 years of research on the societal, business, military, education and economic trends that have consistently led to the growth and decline of great empires all around the world.
If the US does not find a way to rekindle open, safe and civil dialogue — not violence — the future of our nation itself is at risk. In Heidi and Alvin Toffler’s book Powershift: Knowledge, Wealth and Violence at the Edge of the 21st Century (published in Nov 1990), the authors warned us. Big technology changes have always resulted in the need to change how people are governed: most small tribes, serfdom and monarchy systems did not survive the industrial revolution. More recently, Hebrew historian, futurist and best-selling author of Sapiens and Homo Deus, Yuval Noah Harari, reminds us that the superpower of human beings is out ability to “cooperate flexibly in large numbers.” We are losing that superpower.
In Let in But Left Out, Frank Examines How America…
- Let in Tech Disruption but Left Out People Transition
- Let in Virtual but Left Out Reality
- Let in Inequality but Left Out Upward Mobility
- Let in Fake News but Left Out Critical Thinking
- Let in Diversity but Left Out Inclusion
- Let in Personal Gain but Left Out Collective Purpose
- Let in COVID Bioscience but Left Out People Social Science
Stroud Leadership Academy in Forbes
Forbes Magazine featured the Stroud Leadership Academy (SLA) in its September 2, 2022 issue of the Enterprise Tech section. The article focused on SLA’s partnership with GUETTO Institute to bring business and technology coaching and mentorship to underrepresented students and entrepreneurs in Brazil.
We were equally fortunate to have the 200-year-old newspaper Diario do Rio cover us on Aug 29, 2022, in its piece, “GUETTO Institute and Stroud Leadership Academy partner to train Blacks on business and technology.” (Portuguese: Instituto GUETTO e Stroud Leadership Academy firmam parceria internacional para formação de pessoas negras em negócios.)
Sandra Harry Pays it Forward with MindPro
Sandra Harry, Executive Master Black Belt, Chairman of SSMI, widow of Dr. Mikel J. Harry (the co-creator of Six Sigma), has partnered with the Stroud Leadership Academy (SLA), founded by Frank Shines, to provide access to Six Sigma Action Belt training certification to underrepresented communities in the USA, Brazil and Africa. Thirteen participants have been identified. The first cohort, which includes three leaders from the Guetto Institute in Brazil, have completed the program. Additionally, Lucia Stanislas (SLA co-founder) and Marcelo Fernandes (recent IE college graduate and SLA consultant) have completed the program, earning their certifications.
Frank Shines Speaks at Angola Summit
On Jul 26, 2022, Frank was invited to speak to an audience of over 2,000 participants on the topic of Biz and Technology at the 2022 Angola Innovation Summit. As founder of RACE the Opera’s Stroud Leadership Academy (a community outreach tech mentoring program), Frank shared the background of RACE and Stroud family accomplishments, recent success stories on Lean Startup, Lean Six Sigma and MindPro training with the Guetto Institute of Brazil.
Left to Right: Joao MacDowell, Christina Morgan, Ashley Cornelius,
Frank Shines, Idris Goodwin, Athena Azevedo (July 2022, CSPM)
Frank Shines & IBOC Writing Opera
On Independence Day weekend, July 2, 2022, Frank (as dramaturg) along with the International Brazilian Opera Company (IBOC) and librettists Idris Goodwin (award-winning playwright) and Ashley Cornelius (Pikes Peak Poet Laureate) showcased a Workshop Performance for RACE the Opera at the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum (CSPM). The crew is shown in the photo on the steps of CSPM in Colorado Springs.
Frank Accepts Family Commemorative
In December 2021, Frank Shines spoke at a Colorado College dedication honoring his family’s legacy. On behalf of the Stroud family, Frank thanked Colorado College President L. Song Richardson and staff as well as Saunders Norwood Construction for the commemorative column, photos and text enshrined in the Kelley Dolphus Stroud ’31 Club Level on the fourth floor of CC’s Ed Robson Arena.
Colorado College Honors Strouds
Colorado College honors the legacy of the Stroud family with a video tribute and VIP floor of the new Ed Robson Arena.
Proud Father & Former Gymnast:
Daughter Wins 2021 State and Regional Championships
Rachel Shines wins Florida State and 8-State Regional USA Gymnastics Championship (Level 8).
Frank Shines’ New Book Let in But Left Out: Leadership, Faith, Knowledge in Age of AI, Coronavirus & Fake News
Frank worked around the clock during the coronavirus lockdown to complete his latest book, Let in But Left Out, which is now available on Amazon. Fake news can fool people, but it can’t fool a pandemic. We seek a vaccine for the hairy virus. But what is the cure for an infodemic? Coronavirus has accelerated tech trends, amplified misinformation and exacerbated social injustices.
Here is an audio excerpt from the chapter “Transatlantic, Trail of Tears & the Rockies.” In this chapter, Frank (who is a family spokesperson for the Colorado College Stroud Scholars — his mother was Vanessa Stroud) writes on the importance of family and historical reflection, chronicling the pioneering achievements of the Stroud family, from slavery and the Trail of Tears to the Olympic Trials and the Apollo moon missions.
About Frank Shines
Frank Shines is a former USAF Avionics Communications-Computer Systems Specialist, VP of CCS Medical and Director of Continuous Improvement and Analytics with Accredo, an Express Scripts company. He is working at the intersection of AI-Powered Digital Transformation grounded in the proven principles of Agile, Lean Six Sigma and Process Improvement. The ideas and opinions here reflect those of Frank Shines and are in no way affiliated with his current or former employers.
With a background in Marketing Statistics, IT, Sales and Operations functions for Hi Tech, Healthcare, Energy and Aero Space & Defense industries, Frank has worked at all levels of organizations from shop floor operations to the executive suite.
Mr. Shines has over 25 years of entrepreneurial business leadership and consulting experience working with Fortune 500, Global 2000 corporations as well as tech start-ups, his family businesses and small and midsize enterprises (SME, SMB). He has advised military brass, government officials and business executives from Europe, Asia, USA, Canada and Latin America with a focus on disruptive technology strategies, organizational transformation, applied statistics (AI, Machine Learning, RPA, BI, Social Data, Big Data Analytics) and Lean Six Sigma business process improvement / automation.
Frank Shines has been published by John Wiley & Sons and is the author of two books. He has also reviewed and written introductions and recipient forewords for author and Crosby Medal recipient Forrest Breyfogle’s, Management 2.0, Leadership 2.0, Implementing Six Sigma, and Integrated Enterprise Excellence.
In his spare time, Frank mentors entrepreneurs in the USA, Africa and Brazil and works on RACE the Opera and spends time traveling to gymnastics meets and events with his wife and daughter, Rachel Shines.
Frank Shines’ Advisors and Mentors
- Dr. W. Edwards Deming. Frank spoke with Dr. Deming three months prior to his 1993 death. He was inspired by Deming and Dr. Yoshida to pursue a career in performance improvement and applied stats with a focus on people and humanity.
- John Thompson. Frank’s from IBM who went on to take the lessons we learned about organizational transformation at IBM to Symantec and later Microsoft. Frank learned so much from John during the IBM Golden Circle Award events in Hawaii.
- Forrest Breyfogle. Long time mentor, friend and fellow ex-IBMer. Forrest is one of the leading authorities on Lean Six Sigma and Advanced Statistics. He is the founder and owner of Smarter Solutions
- Dr. Mikel J. Harry. We lost a great American on 25 Apr 2017 RIP USMC cowboy. Co-Founder of Six Sigma and a Mentor. Frank spent time with Dr. Harry at his Arizona ranch where Harry was working from his home office with ASU on the video recording sessions for MindPro. Frank later beta-tested about 1,200 Lean Six Sigma videos prior to the launch of MindPro. Harry’s aim was to make Lean Six Sigma more accessible and affordable to the masses — not just the elites without diluting the material, he told Frank.
- Dr. Kevin Davis. USAFA grad and Harvard MBA and PhD is now a Professor at the US Air Force Academy. Dr. Davis was Frank’s Academic Advisor and commissioning officer while at USAFA
- Dr. Daniel Denison. Countless successes with Organizational Change Management using the Denison Culture Survey and Action Plans. The most practical approach to people change and culture — Denison ties cultural attributes to top and bottom line results.
- Umer Qureshi. Tech Advisor on Web, SEO, Mobile, RPA. Frank is mentoring Umer on Lean Six Sigma problem solving and machine learning.
COVID Accelerates $2T Digital Transformation Market
Zoom fatigue is just one manifestation of the accelerated digital transformation transition sweeping the globe.
Frank Shines is focused on the intersection of AI, hi-tech, biologics and healthcare. Digital Transformation through artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, robotics and big data analytics is one of the hottest topics in business today. Much of the $22 trillion dollar global retail industry is in freefall as Amazon unleashes wave after wave of digital disruption through e-commerce, AWS, Alexa speakers, mobile devices and media. The majority of all Web and Mobile advertising dollars are swept up by Google and Facebook. Global banking financial services and insurance executives are reeling from fintech startups from Silicon Valley to Boston. But these are only the initial placid ripples of a coming digital tsunami that will impact healthcare, manufacturing and other industries in the coming months and years.
PricewaterhouseCoopers estimates a $2 trillion economic impact from robotics process automation (RPA) digital transformation. The firm projects that 45% of work activities can be automated. Today, software / hi-tech, banking /financial services industries are leading this revolution, with healthcare and retail lagging, according to a joint KPMG, HFS Research study titled, the “State of Operations and Outsourcing 2017.”
John Thompson inspired me at IBM.
One of America’s Greatest Tech Thought Leaders
Coddling of the American Mind – Jonathan Haidt
Go to LetGrow.org for more practical help for parents and Gen Z. Also, take a look at Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People and John Stuart Mill’s On Liberty.