What is Innovation?

Alex Goryachev is the former managing director of Cisco’s global Co-Innovation Center, where he spearheaded programs and initiatives to accelerate innovation. He is a Silicon Valley veteran who is a sought-after speaker on innovation and is often referred to as the ‘innovation therapist’. This episode dives into innovation's role as the natural enemy of bureaucracy and how constrained environments stifle innovation. 

More about our guest:

Over the past 20 years, Alex made it his business to turn disruptive concepts into successful ecosystem-centric business models. He has an extensive track record of building and leading global cross-industry business & technology teams focused on revenue and market share growth, increasing customer acquisition and profitability through new digital products and offerings.
Alex is passionate about leveraging innovation purposefully and pragmatically to create opportunities for all. Today, he is serving as Innovator-in-Residence at the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Tulane University. He is an active venture partner with Interlock Capital, a community-driven venture fund primarily investing in underrepresented founders and geographies. Alex is also a US delegate and Technical Advisory Group member in the International Standards Association (ISO), defining global common standards for Innovation Management.

------------------------------------------------
Episode Guide:

1:01 - What is Innovation?

2:21 - Innovation: playful pragmatism

4:50 - Bureaucracy vs Innovation

7:06 - Ability in adapting to change

8:50 - What isn't innovation?

10:25 - Conflations and implications: Idea and Innovation ; Invention and Innovation

12:20 - Quantifying Innovation and Metrics

16:10 - Innovation Indicator: 'Spent'

17:29 - Employee Sentiment Metrics

19:43 - Innovation: Shaping Careers

21:24 - Life outside Work

22:38 - Advice to Innovators

-------------------------
Resources Mentioned: 

• Company: Best Places to Work Rankings: 'World’s Best Workplaces™ 2022'
• Company: Napster

-------------------------

OUTLAST Consulting offers professional development and strategic advisory services in the areas of innovation and diversity management.

Dr. Charles C. Davis, Jr. is the Chief Comprehensive Services and Data Officer for Evolve502. In this episode, they discuss how non-profit organizations can use innovation principles to collaborate effectively with other sectors. This episode also dives into how personal motivation and availability of resources are essential to innovation and implementation

More about our guest:

In this role, Dr. Davis is responsible for developing community-wide supports to impact students and families along the cradle-to-career pipeline. This work is accomplished by regularly convening partners from the public, private and philanthropic sectors. A Dayton, Ohio native, Dr. Davis earned his Bachelor’s degree in History from Eastern Michigan University, his Master of Education degree from Antioch University McGregor and his Doctorate in Educational Leadership, Evaluation and Organizational Development from the University of Louisville. Charles also holds graduate certificates from the University of Pennsylvania, the Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy the Northwestern University Kellogg Center of Executive Education, and is a nationally certified Diversity Professional. Dr. Davis is married to Dr. Latrica Best and is the father of Charles III and Cullen.

------------------------------------------------
Episode Guide:

1:37 - What is innovation?

2:25 - Innovation and Implementation: a convergence?

4:02 - Innovation perspective: personal

7:27 - Working with non-profits

9:28 - Innovation and Support for the education system

11:21 - COVID Pandemic Response: Food nutrition services

12:35 - Scaling COVID response  

16:22 - Non profit organizations resource loop

19:51 - Personal motivation for communities

23:04 - Working post-pandemic

27:29 - Advice for Innovators

31:01 - 3 Levels of Problem

-------------------------

OUTLAST Consulting offers professional development and strategic advisory services in the areas of innovation and diversity management.

Lorraine Marchand is the  Executive Managing Director of Merative (formerly IBM Watson Health). In this episode, they talk about how innovation thrives in environments that embraces uncertainty, being 'unsuccessful', and the ability to pivot.

More about our guest:

Lorraine Marchand  has three decades of experience in new product development. She has held leadership positions at Bristol Myers Squibb, Covance, Cognizant, and IQVIA, and she cofounded four companies. Marchand is an adjunct professor of management and serves on the Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Management Program Advisory Board at Columbia Business School and an adjunct professor of innovation and entrepreneurship at Yeshiva University’s Katz School of Science and Health. She is also an investor-member of venture firm Plum Alley.

------------------------------------------------
Episode Guide:

1:23 - What is Innovation?  

2:41 - Unveiling adulthood curiosity

6:09 - The practice of noticing

8:25 - Jeff Bezos' Amazon and incentivized failure

11:22 - Problem Solving Methods and Innovation: First Principles

12:52 - Method 2: reframing

14:01 - Method 3: Analogy / Metapor technique

16:09 - Innovation: the cultural aspect

17:05 - What isn't innovation?  

17:42 - Serendipity Innovation: Upjohn company's Rogaine

19:05 - Disruptive Innovation / Big hunt innovations

19:35 - Field of Dreams Innovation

22:45 - Unlearning ways of thinking

23:28 - Innovation: Shaping Careers

27:31 - Advice to Innovators

-------------------------

OUTLAST Consulting offers professional development and strategic advisory services in the areas of innovation and diversity management.

Amelia Schaffner MS, co-founder of the Emory University Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation where she built novel entrepreneurial culture, thinking, and initiatives, partnering with students, faculty, alumni, and the ecosystem. In this episode, they talk about empowering innovation through doubt, vulnerability, and disruption. 

More about our guest:

Amelia Schaffner MS, is an Italian-born Innovation leader, culture-change driver, creative problem solver, and ecosystem connector. Currently, she is on a sabbatical, taking time to be creative and ask deeper life questions. Amelia sits on a few boards and advisories of organizations leading meaningful change, and is a frequent mentor - at accelerators like Techstars - to founders, especially the under-represented. Previously, Amelia was a senior Strategy principal at Accenture, a global consulting and IT firm, where she led a global Innovation initiative and was instrumental in visioning their Innovation architecture. She has been a contributor to the World Economic Forum, and is a frequent panelist on E&I conversations. In her personal life she enjoys deeper inquiry via philosophy, photography, poetry, language, and the wilderness: you can find her on Instagram at Z.Tasty.Life.

------------------------------------------------
Episode Guide:

2:02 - What is innovation?  

5:05 - Finding innovators in corporate ladders

7:00 - ROI: an anti-innovation

8:40 - Innovators and a 'messy desk'

10:06 - Dogmatic biases

11:42 - What isn't innovation?

15:32 - Innovation: Learning, Culture, People, and Improvement

17:05 - Innovation: a colonization

18:30 - Value in Cyclical Conversations

20:43 - Longevitiy thinking for companies

22:40 - Innovation: Shaping Careers

24:49 - Jobs, job descriptions: a springboard

27:32 - Advice for innovators

-------------------------
Resources Mentioned: 

Books / Articles:

• Book: Why Materialism Is Baloney: How True Skeptics Know There Is No Death and Fathom Answers to life, the Universe, and Everything By: Bernardo Kastrup
• Book: The Power of Vulnerability: Teachings of Authenticity, Connection, and Courage  By: Brené Brown

--------------------------

OUTLAST Consulting offers professional development and strategic advisory services in the areas of innovation and diversity management.

Ashish Kothari is an executive coach, author, consultant and founder of Happiness Squad, a company focused on helping individuals and organizations unleash the power of happiness and well-being to achieve their full potential. In this episode, they talk about the nine practices to unlock innovation. This episode also delves into the interconnectivity of productivity, creativity, and innovation. 

More about our guest:

Ashish’s transformational approach, which he covers in his book “Hardwired for Happiness”, is interdisciplinary and integrates learnings across spiritual wisdom traditions, philosophy, positive psychology, neuroscience and organizational development. Prior to starting Happiness Squad, Ashish Kothari was a partner at the global management consulting company, McKinsey & Company and spend over two decades helping thousands of leaders succeed by building new mindsets and capabilities.

------------------------------------------------
Episode Guide:

1:32 - What is Innovation?

2:37 - Critical pieces of innovation

6:23 - Happiness Squad

8:02 - Hardwired for Fear

9:27 - Losing innovation to survival

11:06 - Hardwiring for Happiness

15:02 - Work and Mind-wandering

17:00 - Creative 'time'

18:57 - New book: Hardwired for Happiness

19:39 - 9 Practices: Self Awareness

21:19 - Practice: Purpose

23:09 - Practice: Community Building

24:00 - Practice: Wellbeing

27:42 - Upgrading our operating system: becoming agile

31:34 - Advice for innovators

-------------------------
Resources Mentioned: 

Books / Articles:

• Book: Hardwired for Happiness: 9 Proven Practices to Overcome Stress and Live Your Best Life 

--------------------------

OUTLAST Consulting offers professional development and strategic advisory services in the areas of innovation and diversity management.

Dr. Akhtar Badshah is Chief Catalyst at Catalytic Innovators Group, where he advises organizations and individuals to catalyze their strategy focused on social and philanthropic investments. In this episode, they discuss his purpose mindset view of innovation: self, community, and work. This episode also unpacks his five principles of a purpose mindset. 

More about our guest:

Dr. Akhtar Badshah  also conducts Purpose Mindset Leadership Workshops with organizations to help individuals articulate their strengths and values, and craft their purpose statement. A seasoned executive with over 30 years of experience in international development, managing a corporate philanthropic program and co-founding a global nonprofit for social enterprise, Dr. Badshah led Microsoft’s philanthropic efforts for ten years, where he administered the company's community investment and employee contributions. He was instrumental in launching both Unlimited Potential and Youth Spark, the company’s focus to bring digital technology to underserved communities and youth all over the world. Dr. Badshah serves on the boards of Microsoft Alumni Network, Global Washington, Restart Partners and The Indus Entrepreneurs, Seattle Chapter. A Distinguished Practitioner at the University of Washington at the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance, the Business School, at the Bothell campus, and a faculty advisor at the START Center in the Department of Global Health, he is the founder and curator of the University’s Accelerating Social Transformation program, a mid-career professional development certificate course on social impact. In May 2020, Dr. Badshah and his colleagues launched Restart Partners, funded by the Department of Commerce, WA State, and supported by Facebook to increase confidence in mask adoption and vaccines with the goal of helping to restart the economy. He is an accomplished artist, a doctoral graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and author of the 2020 release, Purpose Mindset: How Microsoft Inspires Employees and Alumni to Change the World (HarperCollins Leadership). Dr. Badshah and his family are very active philanthropists in the Seattle area.

------------------------------------------------
Episode Guide:

2:09 - What is Innovation?  

4:07 - Trinity: Sales, Community, and Work

6:04 - Capitalist Societal Environment

6:54 - Unfolding from Capitalism: Questioning and Recognizing 'Meaning'  

10:25 - The Purpose Gap: reducing tension and friction

12:25 - Deriving value and purpose in life journey  

14:16 - Purpose alignment

16:05 - What Catalytic Innovators Group works on

17:00 client stories: corneal transplant  

20:02 - Five principles of purpose mindset: work from your strengths  

20:58 - 2nd principle: Lens of Abundance

22:33: 3rd: focus on the effectiveness vs efficiency

24:03 - Working with formerly incarcerated people

26:09 - Scalability and feasibility of working with formerly incarcerated people

28:46 - Advice for innovators / movement starters

--------------------------

OUTLAST Consulting offers professional development and strategic advisory services in the areas of innovation and diversity management.

Doug Shapiro, vice president of research and  insights at OFS. This episode talks about problem-solving, improving life with creativity, and the idea of  'openness'. 

More about our guest:

As vice president of research and insights at OFS, Doug brings more than 15 years of experience collaborating with product and interior designers from around the globe. After graduating from Millikin University with a bachelor’s in business, he began his career at OFS in international sourcing before transitioning to director of product development. Since that time, he has held a number of roles, including brand manager, director of A+D sales, VP of marketing and regional  vice president for the central U.S.   A well-respected and expressive thought leader in the design industry, Doug is also the host of the highly-rated Imagine a Place podcast that inspires connection and collaboration, while exploring the role place plays in people’s lives. He has hosted guests from Fortune 500 companies and aspiring entrepreneurs alike, facilitating authentic conversations about everything from the latest workplace trends to neuroscience and architecture.   Doug served on the International Interior Design Association’s (IIDA) board from 2015-2020 and still plays a key role in programming for IIDA student members. He supports meaningful IIDA programming efforts, such as Design Your World, a program for high school students that provides educational design opportunities and addresses diversity in design at the source. He also serves on the advisory board for Kansas State University’s Interior Architecture and Industrial Design department. In 2021, Doug received a HiP Award for his leadership in the design industry.   In addition to these accomplishments, Doug is a passionate storyteller and published children’s book author. He loves talking about his career and his four keys to personal growth (Humility, Creative Courage, Optimism, “Go Giver” Mentality), which he often shares with the younger professionals he mentors. 

------------------------------------------------
Episode Guide:

1:55 - What is innovation?  

2:21 - Problem searching and improving solutions

3:47 - iPad: Problem solving vs life improvement?  

5:39 - Improving life through creativity  

7:36 - Getting good at creative work as is with knowledge work  

9:32 - The idea open of openness

11:14 - creating a creative physical workspace culture

13:15 Judgment: Killer of creativity and the Eisenhower Matrix

15:57 - Getting into the creative mindset  

18:00 - What is not innovation  

20:07 - Creativity: Shaping careers

23:32 - Advice for innovators

--------------------------

OUTLAST Consulting offers professional development and strategic advisory services in the areas of innovation and diversity management.

Monique Childress, Founder and Principal at Horizon Advisory Group in Atlanta, GA, which provides organizational strategy services for purpose-driven organizations committed to supporting and improving the lives of underrepresented communities. This episode talks about one of the critical tools to move from curiosity to impact--the strategic planning process and how ego and the scarcity-abundance mindset can affect innovation work in nonprofit organizations. 

More about our guest:

Monique possesses ten years’ experience in organizational strategy planning and consulting for nonprofits, small businesses, and Fortune 500 corporations. Her company, Horizon Advisory Group states it's mission is to help these organization leaders to define the path to their next horizon through strategic planning, organizational development, and facilitated stakeholder collaboration. Prior to Horizon, she held leadership roles in Management Leadership for Tomorrow’s Advisory practice and Accenture’s Talent & Organization Strategy practice where she worked with client executive and senior leadership teams on large-scale human capital strategy and transformation efforts. A Chicago native, Monique holds a BSBA from Washington University in St. Louis and an MBA from the University of Michigan. She has also completed additional professional training in Human-Centered Design with the LUMA Institute; Design Sprints with AJ & Smart; an advanced facilitation training on “presencing Race, Gender, & Collective Healing”; and Diversity in the Workplace (certificate) through the University of South Florida. In her spare time, Monique teaches yoga, volunteers as Treasurer for the Atlanta Unbound Academy’s Board of Directors, and she is a mentor with Emory University’s Start: ME business training program.

------------------------------------------------
Episode Guide:

2:04 - What is Innovation?

2:20 - Breaking down 'curiosity'

4:56 - Bringing curiosity to life: NGOs

7:04 - Getting started: hearing and listening

9:12 - Turning feedbacks into insights

11:10 - Importance of front end listening

14:05 - Passion-led leadership  

15:05 - NGOs: A for-profit view and operations

17:06 - Breaking down 'ego'

19:32 - Ego in NGOs 

20:14 - Non-profits: Strategic planning

25:46 - Charting diversity in strategic planning

29:40 - Executive and big picture visionaries

30:38 - Making space for innovation  

32:10 - Scarcity vs Abundance Mindset

34:04 - what external consulting can provide

36:00 - Strategic Planning Process timeline

40:36 - Advice for Innovators

--------------------------

OUTLAST Consulting offers professional development and strategic advisory services in the areas of innovation and diversity management.

Urvashi Bhatnagar, DPT, MBA, vice president of Business Development, Healthcare at Genpact, discusses how one can differentiate innovation from finding your 'north star'. This episode also unpacks the intersection of analytics and healthcare and how sustainability is reshaping the world. 

More about our guest:

Urvashi  Bhatnagar is a mission-driven population-health and sustainability expert. She has over a decade of healthcare leadership experience working with clients to advance health outcomes in underserved communities—addressing barriers to care, advancing health equity, and leveraging data-driven approaches to reduce the cost of life-altering high-quality care. She also holds an MBA from Yale University and a Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Boston University. She believes global wellness can be achieved through sustained and intentional investment in environmental justice and healthcare sustainability initiatives for all populations.

------------------------------------------------
Episode Guide:

1:20 - What is Innovation?

3:08 - Is it improvement or finding your north star?

5:06 - Leaders: meeting innovation

6:25 - Leapfrog innovations and embedded systems

8:45 - What isn't innovation?

11:07 - The next 'it' thing

12:56 - Healthcare: innovation from demand

15:00 - Innovation: Shaping Careers

18:53 - Advice to innovators

-------------------------
Resources Mentioned: 

Books / Articles:

• Book: The Sustainability Scorecard: How to Implement and Profit from Unexpected Solutions

--------------------------

OUTLAST Consulting offers professional development and strategic advisory services in the areas of innovation and diversity management.

Roger L. Firestien, PhD, president of the Innovation Resources, Inc., and author of several popular book on business, innovation, and creativity, discusses the symbiotic relationship between creativity and innovation in solving real problems. This episode also unpacks the reality and practicality of asking creative questions.

More about our guest:

Roger L. Firestien, PhD has trained more people to lead the creative process than anyone else in the world. He is Senior Faculty and Associate Professor at the Center for Applied Imagination at SUNY Buffalo State, as well as a guest lecturer at the University at Buffalo School of Medicine. As president of Innovation Resources, Inc., he consults, creates training programs, runs Breakthrough Labs, and has created a series of courses for Open Sesame.  He is author of several popular books including Create In A Flash:  A Leader's Recipe For Breakthrough Innovation and WHY DIDN’T I THINK OF THAT?: Better Ideas & Decision Making At Home And At Work. For more information, please visit www.RogerFirestien.com

------------------------------------------------
Episode Guide:

1:45  - What is Innovation?

2:14 - Creativity consultant vs Innovation consultant

4:02 - Book: Solve The Real Problem

5:57 - The Boeing 747 windshield problem

10:05 - Myth: Mandated Innovation System

12:15 - What isn't innovation?

13:47 - Asking the creative questions

15:44 - Innovation and Creativity

17:27 - How has innovation shaped your career?

19:04 - Advice to innovators

-------------------------
Resources Mentioned: 

Books / Articles:

• Book: Solve The Real Problem (pre-order here!)

--------------------------

OUTLAST Consulting offers professional development and strategic advisory services in the areas of innovation and diversity management.