In this episode of the Throttle Up Leadership Podcast, Dr. John Dentico sits down with Chris Carter, a visionary tech entrepreneur, four-time bestselling author, and CEO of Approyo. With over 25 years in the IT industry, Chris shares the fascinating "behind-the-scenes" story of launching the first SAP Cloud in 2005—a breakthrough moment that involved late-night brainstorming sessions with global teams and a surprise encounter with SAP's executive leadership. Chris discusses how his early passion for creative coding on a Commodore Vic 20 evolved into leading a global organization recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine and Forbes for its impact on digital transformation.

The conversation takes a deep dive into the practical reality of Artificial Intelligence, moving past the "bombastic claims" to focus on how leaders can use AI to find greater meaning and efficiency in their work. Chris emphasizes the importance of human oversight, noting that while AI tools like Claude or Gamma are powerful, they still require "human eyes" to prevent hallucinations and ensure quality. Exploring themes of leadership evolution and the emerging entrepreneurial age, Chris and John discuss why lifting others up and truly listening to customers remains the ultimate secret to a high-performing company culture.

00:00 – Introduction to Chris Carter: SAP Expert and Visionary Entrepreneur

02:36 – Early Influences: From Lake Michigan to Georgia Tech

04:13 – The Breakthrough: Building the First SAP Cloud in 2005

07:01 – Meeting Bill McDermott: When Innovation Outpaces Contracts

09:40 – Meaning as Currency: Why Work Must Matter

11:02 – The AI Truck: Navigating Hype vs. Reality

12:21 – Strategic Tooling: Moving Beyond "Boiling the Ocean"

14:35 – Software vs. Hardware: The Evolving Tech Horse Race

16:45 – The Prompting Evolution: Why AI Still Needs Human Eyes

19:07 – Coding Wars and the End-User Experience

22:01 – The "Human Hack": Getting Past Automated Screening

23:58 – The Cultural Secret: Listening and Lifting People Up

26:12 – AI Augmentation: Addition vs. Multiplication in Teams

31:04 – Leadership Evolution: From George Washington to Steve Jobs

33:22 – Hope for the Future: Growing the Next Generation of Talent

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