What is Innovation?

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.

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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

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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.

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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

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Resources Mentioned: 

Books / Articles:

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

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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

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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

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Resources Mentioned: 

Books / Articles:

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

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

Carolina Duque Chopitea, Director of Technology and Product at Reciqlo, a Circular Economy company that builds solutions for glass recycling, and Co-founder of Brandformers, a digital marketing and consultancy company that helps brands with their digital transition, discusses why it's important to see innovation as a way of looking at the future, and they unpack the ingredients of innovation that go beyond technology. 

More about our guest:

Carolina Duque Chopitea holds a master’s degree in Business Analytics from Hult International Business School (San Francisco) and has recently co-authored “Tomorrow's people and new technology” , a book that explores how the emerging technologies that power the Fourth Industrial Revolution are changing our lives. With her multidisciplinary background and experience working in technology Carolina helps brands and organizations to build technological and innovative solutions that contribute towards the sustainable development of our plant.

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Episode Guide:

1:20 - What is Innovation

1:59 - Blockchain

2:44 - Book: Tomorrow's people and new technology

6:22 - Big data: shaping it and getting shaped by it

9:08 - Practical Innovation and value

11:56 - Innovation from non-economic projects

12:36 - What isn't innovation?

14:59 - Not something from scratch or zero

17:37 - Innovation Skill: Learning and Promoting

21:32 - Innovation: Shaping Careers

23:45 - Advice to innovators

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Resources Mentioned: 

Books / Articles:

• Book: Tomorrow's people and new technology

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

Hussain Almossawi,  author of  The Innovator's Handbook: A Short Guide to Unleashing Your Creative Mindset and founder of Mossawi Studios talks on how innovation can spring from small ideas compounding into one great big implementation. 

More about our guest:

Hussain Almossawi is also renowned designer and innovator who has worked across industries around the world creating and consulting for companies, including Nike, Apple, Google, Adidas, EA Sports, Intel, and Ford Motor Company. As a regular keynote speaker on innovation and design, Hussain has also taught at several universities such as The New School.

In 2019, he founded Mossawi Studios, a multi-disciplinary design studio specializing in creating memorable, iconic, and bold experiences. He loves blurring the lines between product design, visual effects, and storytelling. 

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Episode Guide:

1:25 - What is Innovation?

2:13 - "Bettering an idea"

3:12 - Improvements and Collaborations in the footwear industry

5:49 - Innovation and Invention: a crossroad

8:52 - FingerWorks and SoundJam: Apple acquired companies

11:56 - What is not Innovation?

12:54 - Innovation and Invention: becoming erroneously synonymous

14:06 - Innovation shaping careers?  

15:16 - Book: The Innovator's Handbook (out on sept 6)

16:50 - The First Principles Method

20:44 - Advice for Innovators

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Resources Mentioned: 

Books / Articles:

•  The Innovator's Handbook: A Short Guide to Unleashing Your Creative Mindset - Out on September 6, 2022!
• The First Principles Method

Companies Mentioned:

• SoundJam
• FingerWorks
• Mossawi Studios

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

David Cutler, founder and CEO of The Puzzler Company, facilitator of the leading immersive 'GAME of Innovation' talks about how gamifying innovation works, the many ways that innovation is not always what is seems to be, and why music and innovation naturally work together. 

More about our guest:

David Cutler, facilitates the leading immersive "GAME of Innovation' where these powerful, team-based experiences have empowered business, arts, and education communities from around the globe to solve creative challenges while becoming better collaborators. He is also an award-winning, multi-genre musician and Yamaha Master Educator.  Cutler is a Distinguished Professor at the University of South Carolina, where he teaches innovation and entrepreneurship, and a member of the Liberty Fellowship and Aspen Global Leadership Network.

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Episode Guide:

1:20  - What is Innovation?

3:08 - Extraordinary problem solving: process and gamification

5:40 - What is G.A.M.E?

8:01 - Article: six things kindergarten teachers know that most CEOs do not 

9:43 - Being problem agnostic

1239 - 6 types of non-innovation

1339 - Not imitation

1423 - Not magic

1509 - Not anarchy

16:48 - "Not everything"

17:33 - Not a big a idea

20:35 - Bonus: not an industry - not therapy, and not easy

21:39 - Innovation: Shaping careers

22:15 - Book: The GAME of innovation

2429 - Classical music, Jazz, and Innovation: an intersection

3137 - Innovation and Diversity

3208 - Murder of George Floyd: becoming more inclusive

3412 - Advice to Innovators

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Resources Mentioned: 

Books / Articles:

• 6 Things Kindergarten Teachers Know That Most CEOs Do Not
• The GAME of Innovation: Conquer Challenges. Level Up Your Team. Play to Win

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

Todd Skidmore is Sr. Director of Digital Marketing, eCommerce and Analytics at Mohawk Industries, the largest flooring manufacturer in the world. 

More about our guest:

Todd leads a team of talented digital marketers, eCommerce managers and analytics professionals to drive growth and create best-in-class experiences across all of Mohawk’s digital platforms including B2C, B2B and B2B2C. Prior to Mohawk, he held multiple roles over a 16 year career at The Coca-Cola Company from eCommerce, marketing strategy and digital marketing through team and program management. When he’s not driving digital transformation, Todd is spending time with family and friends, travelling, cooking and enjoying the outdoors.

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Episode Guide:

1:21 - What is Innovation?  

2:14 - "Finding good ideas"

5:05 - Evaluating and Executing the ideas

6:27 - Middle section of Innovation: due diligence

9:38 - Criticality of Collaboration and bringing in skillsets

11:25 - Bridging the risk adverse and risk taking ends

12:45- Enterprise organizations: longer term results  

14:46 - Innovation in the Ecommerce and Analytics space

16:43 - "Why does this take so long"  

18:47 - Transition from programs into ecommerce

20:32 - Advice for innovators

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

Ralf Specht is a visionary business leader, highly sought-after speaker, and creator of the Soul System™, a framework that aligns value-creating employee action with broader corporate strategy through shared understanding & shared purpose.

More about our guest:

Ralf Specht is a founding partner of Spark44, he was the architect of an innovative, industry-first joint-venture with Jaguar Land Rover, which grew under his leadership to a global revenue of $100+m and 1,200 employees before it joined forces with Accenture Interactive in 2021. Previously, he consulted with global companies and brands for more than two decades with McCann Erickson. He is the author of 2021’s Building Corporate Soul: Powering Culture & Success with the Soul System™ from Fast Company Press, as well as his newest book, Beyond the Startup: Sparking Operational Innovations for Global Growth. His driving vision is to make soulless companies a thing of the past.

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Episode Guide:

1:40 - What is Innovation?

3:29 - What isn't Innovation?

5:24 - Advertising: Changing the game and creating something new

7:53 - The Procter and Gamble Experience

9:30 - Innovation: Shaping and Molding Careers

11:11 - Disrupting the normal

17:29 - Business Development Process and Staffing

20:04 - Becoming the CEO

22:26 - Creating Job Titles

25:07 - "Building Corporate Soul"

29:07 - Having a shared purpose

31:37 - Benefits of spending time on Culture

32:38 - Advice to Innovators

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

Chris Skinner is a bestselling author, independent commentator, and globally sought-after expert on financial markets and technology through his critically acclaimed website, The Finanser.

More about our guest:

Chris has been voted one of the most influential people in financial technology by the Wall Street Journal’s Financial News, and has been an advisor to the White House, the World Bank, the World Economic Forum, and the United Nations. He is a visiting lecturer with Cambridge University as well as a TEDx speaker and is Chair of Nordic Future Innovation and a non-executive director of 11:FS.  

Chris is also the author of sixteen best-selling books, including Digital Bank, ValueWeb and Digital Human as well as a children’s book series, Captain Cake and the Candy Crew. His newest book, Digital For Good: Stand for something…or you will fall has recently been released last June 1, 2022.  

He is also a regular commentator on BBC News, Sky News, CNBC and Bloomberg, Chris serves on various financial and fintech advisory boards, including B-Hive, Bankex, empowr, IoV42, Innovate Finance, Life.SREDA, Moven, Meniga, Pintail, Project Exscudo and Token Fund.  

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Episode Guide:

1:34 - What is Innovation?

3:12 - Innovation before primetime

5:20 - Financial Services, 3G-to-5G evolution, cloud computing, 3d printing

7:33 - Facial Recognition: Mastercard and Alipay

8 :36 - Defining 'Innovation Reapplication'

9:58 - Wallet applications

14:19 - Cash Machines: Why online banks still open physical branches

17:28 - Upcoming Trends: Technology in Financial Industry

21:01 - Blog post: "The best job in banking: Chief Cannibal"

23:24 - What isn't innovation?  

26:12 - Changes in the music industry

28:15 - FinTech: innovations behind the scenes

29:35 - Brazil's Nubank

31:01 - China's Alipay and WeChat Pay

33:20 - "Bankenstien"

3402 - Advice for innovators

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Resources Mentioned: 

Companies/Institutions: 

• Alipay
• WeChat Pay
• Brazil's Nubank

Blogs:

• The Finanser
• The best job in banking: Chief Cannibal by Chris Skinner

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

Geneva Pritchard, Move92's Executive Director, curates relationships between grant makers (donors) and grassroots organizations around the world in a way that is rooted in the core philosophies of trust-based philanthropy.

More about our guest:

Relationship-building is at the center of everything Geneva does. Her devotion to connecting real people to real solutions has been the heartbeat of her work for her entire career. Having worked for large NGOs and grassroots organizations for nearly 20 years, Geneva knows the subtle landscapes of both. Her broad experience includes being involved in water and sanitation programs with CARE International in Nicaragua, drug-resistant malaria solutions among migrant communities, vocational incentive projects for people living with HIV, innovative education systems for mobile populations on the Thailand/Myanmar border, and diabetic retinopathy among marginalized populations with The Fred Hollows Foundation in Nepal and the Pacific Islands.  

Geneva holds a degree in International Studies from Seattle University, and a Master’s in Public Health from Thammasat University in Bangkok.  When she isn't on zoom calls with extraordinary grassroots leaders around the world, you will find her training for a wild adventure race on the trails of Christchurch, New Zealand (or adventuring with her husband and 4 and 6 year old daughters).

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Episode Guide:

1:36 - What is Innovation?

2:04 - What makes it courageous?

3:35 - Provoking the thought

4:50 - Difference on the ground vs main offices

8:15 - The Australian project

8:50 - Move92 and changing philanthropy

9:57 - Move92: bridging the philanthropist and local organizations

13:50  - Curating the process

16:15 -  Core-values of Move92  

18:12 - Being Agile and Move92's brief history

21:59 - Empowering the local leaders in Nepal

23:13 - The "Western lens"

25:08 - Female empowerment and leadership

27:23 - What isn't innovation?

30:56 - Advice to innovators

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Resources Mentioned: 

Companies/Institutions: 

• Move92
• The Fred Hollows Foundation

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