Driving transformation on a large scale begins with small ideas derived from observations made in everyday life, said Radha Plumb, former chief digital and AI officer for the Department of Defense.

In remarks March 25 at a Generation Next Forum at the Association of the U.S. Army's Global Force Symposium and Exposition in Huntsville, Alabama, Plumb pointed out that in any organization, people who are starting out may not feel their ideas are big enough to mention, much less be implemented, by more experienced teammates.

“Most of us are keen observers in our own environment of what's working and what's not, and yet, at the end of the day, a lot of times those ideas never go beyond us having informal chats or complaints about how ineffective or inefficient something is,” Plumb said.

Still, she said, there is “transformative potential” in how those little ideas can be translated into action over time.

“I think a lot of times we stall out on applying those little ideas because we assume those ideas don't matter,” Plumb said. “You think to yourself, well who am I? I'm this junior person. I've got three or four layers above me. All of them need to approve it. I'm not important enough for these people to listen to.”

Acknowledging that she has felt that way too, overwhelmed by “what needs to be navigated, unmotivated because it basically feels impossible to make progress,” Plumb encouraged forum participants to put their small ideas into place consistently over long periods of time.

Plumb urged participants to focus on managing people, including the boss, to motivate and incentivize them to get results. She encouraged leaders to “lean into the process” of navigating a bureaucracy, to move slowly, deliberately and consistently. She also pointed out the importance of managing themselves, to use their “superpowers to get results.”

“Experiment, rinse and repeat, and do it over and over and over again until you start getting something that looks right and then figuring out how to buy that thing at scale and get the licenses you need,” Plumb said.

Hosted by AUSA’s Center for Leadership, the Generation Next Forum provides an interactive workshop for emerging leaders to network and learn from industry and military leaders. This year’s event featured about 75 participants and the theme, “Empowering Tomorrow’s Leaders: Navigating AI in Dynamic Environments.”