Leading Innovation

There's a learning curve to running any successful business. But once you begin to rely on past achievements or get stuck in outdated thinking and practices that no longer work, you need to take a step back―and unlearn. This innovative and actionable framework from executive coach Barry O'Reilly shows you how to break the cycle of behaviors that were effective in the past but are no longer relevant in the current business climate, and now limit or may even stand in the way of your success.Barry O'Reilly is the founder and CEO of ExecCamp, an entrepreneurial experience for executives, and the management consultancy Antennae. A business advisor, entrepreneur, and sought-after speaker, O'Reilly has pioneered the intersection of business model innovation, product development, organizational design, and culture transformation. He works with the world's leading innovators, from disruptive startups to Fortune 500 companies. He is a frequent writer and contributor to The Economist, Strategy+Business, and MIT Sloan Management Review, as well as a coauthor of the international bestseller Lean Enterprise: How High Performance Organizations Innovate at Scale―included in the Eric Ries Lean series and a Harvard Business Review “must-read” for would-be CEOs and business leaders. He is also an executive advisor and faculty member at Singularity University.

One of the leading business thinkers in the world offers a bold, new theory of advanced leadership for tackling the world's complex, messy, and recalcitrant social and environmental problems. In this episode we have the pleasure of speaking with Harvard Business School's Rosabeth Moss Kanter. Her breakthrough work with hundreds of successful professionals and executives, as well as aspiring young entrepreneurs, identifies the leadership paradigm of the future: the ability to "think outside the building" to overcome establishment paralysis and produce significant innovation for a better world.More About Rosabeth:Rosabeth Moss Kanter holds the Ernest L. Arbuckle Professorship at Harvard Business School, where she specializes in strategy, innovation, and leadership for change. Her strategic and practical insights have guided leaders of large and small organizations worldwide for over 25 years, through teaching, writing, and direct consultation to major corporations and governments. The former Editor of Harvard Business Review (1989-1992), Professor Kanter has been named to lists of the "50 most powerful women in the world" (Times of London), and the "50 most influential business thinkers in the world" (Accenture and Thinkers 50 research). In 2001, she received the Academy of Management's Distinguished Career Award for her scholarly contributions to management knowledge, and in 2002 was named "Intelligent Community Visionary of the Year" by the World Teleport Association.She is the author or co-author of 18 books. Her latest book is SuperCorp: How Vanguard Companies Create Innovation, Profits, Growth, and Social Good, a manifesto for leadership of sustainable enterprises. SuperCorp is based on three years of research and more than 350 interviews in 20 countries.

In this episode, we delve into the transformative power of design thinking and its potential to drive innovation within corporate environments. We explore how organizations can leverage this human-centered approach to foster creativity, solve complex problems, and achieve meaningful breakthroughs.Our guest expert, Todd McCullough, a renowned design thinking practitioner and innovation strategist, shares insights on the principles and methodologies behind design thinking. About Todd:Todd McCullough is an innovation and growth expert, entrepreneur, and professor at institutions like the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt and the Institute of Design. Over the last 20+ years he has helped over 100 of the Fortune 500 companies with growth strategies. He has been the ‘consultant to the consultant' for 5 of the world's largest consulting firms on the topic. 

In this episode we sit down with Aaron Witt, CEO of BuildWitt, to discuss his journey from starting an Instagram account to building a company with a multi-million dollar valuation. In this conversation, Aaron shares how his curiosity, passion, and storytelling skills have led him to the beginning of an epic disruption of the dirt world.More on Aaron:Aaron Witt is the self-proclaimed “Chief Dirt Nerd” and CEO of BuildWitt, a services, media, and software business focused on the infrastructure and mining industries. He started the company four years ago after studying engineering and working for companies like Kiewit and Skanska.As CEO of BuildWitt, Aaron's role is split between helping to lead the team of over eighty wonderful humans and traveling across America and as far as the Middle East to visit job sites and meeting the people of the Dirt World.

Whether you know it or not, there is a war happening right now for your attention. How are you directing your attention and focus at work and in life? Or are you losing the battle to distractions? Paying attention is a lost art and if you're going to fully engage your day, your goals, and your people, you should employ the intentional strategies from Paul Angone, author of Listen to Your Day. In this episode we discuss what prompted him to write the book, how to pay attention to people, and the different generations in the workforce. About Paul AngonePaul Angone is one of the leading voices in the nation on getting generations to work better together.He is the best-selling author of the new book 101 Questions You Need to Ask in Your Twenties: (and let's be honest, your thirties too),  101 Secrets For Your Twenties and All Groan Up: Searching For Self, Faith, and a Freaking Job!, a sought-after national keynote speaker for corporations and keynote speaker for colleges and universities, and the creator of AllGroanUp.com, which has been read by millions of people in 190 countries.Paul is also an organizational consultant, trainer, and Millennial influencer who specializes in helping companies attract, retain, develop, and harness the best strengths of the Millennial and Gen Z generations. Paul has been honored to work with amazing companies like Intel Security, Wells Fargo, and Aflac through speaking engagements and Millennial influencer branding and awareness campaigns.Paul also has created a cutting-edge proprietary process to assist organizations in attracting, retaining, and motivating the younger workforce, called “Millennial Mapping”.Paul is a media spokesperson on the unique challenges facing the Gen Z and Millennial generations, and has done hundreds of radio, TV, and podcast interviews. Paul frequently contributes, and has been featured, in publications such as Bloomberg, Chicago Tribune, Business Insider, Huffington Post, EntreLeadership, Relevant Magazine, etcera.  

It's not easy leading high performing teams. There's complexity, pressure, stress, and performance milestones you're aiming to achieve. In this episode, we had the pleasure of chatting with one of our own senior consultants, Heather Smith Sawyer, to learn how she builds high performing teams all the while navigating complex projects. More About Heather:Heather Smith Sawyer has 20 years of experience in engineering, project management, and program management. She has extensive experience in managing complex long-term, fast-paced programs that require substantial interaction with multiple stakeholders and regulators. Her technical background combined with program management experience enable her to successfully organize and coordinate multiple, simultaneous projects for the benefit of an overall program.Prior to joining Thrivence, Heather was the Program Manager for Barge Design Solutions' Mission Critical and Nuclear Power Hydrology and Hydraulics Programs. As program manager, she led the efforts to develop program strategies that provide structure for sustainable support and growth. The depth and breadth of Heather's experience is demonstrated in the numerous and varied projects she has led across Barge's Data Center, Federal, Land Planning and Design, and Water Markets.An active member of the Nashville community, Heather is a current member, and former board member, of Impact 100 Nashville. She chaired the American Council of Engineering Companies Tennessee Leadership PE in 2019 and 2020. Heather has been recognized as a Nashville Emerging Leaders Award Finalist and an Athena Young Professionals Leadership Award Nominee.Heather received a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). She served on the UAB National Alumni Society Board of Directors for three years and founded the UAB Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering Alumni Leadership Council. In 2016, Heather was named one of  the UAB School of Engineering's 45 Engineers Making a Difference. She received a master's degree in Civil Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology and completed graduate work at Vanderbilt University. Heather currently has an adjunct appointment at Vanderbilt University School of Engineering in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

As a leader, emotional intelligence (EQ) is one of the biggest predictors of your personal and professional success, and the key to effectively developing your EQ is tying it to your own personality type. In today's episode we have the privilege of hearing from Scott Allender, author of the brand new book called The Enneagram of Emotional Intelligence. He also provides some practical advice for leaders who need help with managing stress, motivating others, and understanding ourselves. About Scott AllenderScott Allender is an expert in global leadership and organizational development. His book is called The Enneagram of Emotional intelligence. Along with cohosting The Evolving Leader podcast, Scott regularly teaches Enneagram workshops and conducts typing interviews and emotional intelligence assessments for individuals and teams who seek to become more radically self-aware and cognizant of the impact they have on the world.  

In today's episode we have the opportunity to hear from someone who works with some of the best innovators in the world. You would think that innovator is someone like Elon Musk, but it's not. Our guest works with people who have been proven by Harvard Business School and other institutions to be the best problem solvers and innovators. These innovators are kids. Our guest is Tara MacDougall, the president and CEO of the Discovery Center in Murfreesboro Tennessee. About the Discovery CenterChartered in 1986 as Children's Museum Corporation of Rutherford County, the Discovery Center provides hands-on education opportunities for the community. An extensive grassroots campaign orchestrated by young parents led to purchasing a building and creating exhibits and programs. During its first year of operation, over 11,000 visitors came to experience the museum's exhibits and programs. Now, 30 years after its inception, the Discovery Center serves as a vibrant community and tourism center with over 120,000 children and families exploring the exhibits each year. Their vision is to build a community with the courage to ask thoughtful questions, the drive to find creative solutions, and the confidence to implement positive changes.

If you've ever felt fatigued by your work in leading innovation, it is our hope this episode will be a breath of fresh air. This episode features Alf Rehn, a globally noted thought leader in innovation and author of "Innovation for the Fatigued: How to Build a Culture of Deep Creativity." In our conversation, we discuss the differences between shallow and deep innovation, the importance of diversity to profits, and the 4 R's of innovation. About Alf Rehn:Alf Rehn is a globally noted thought leader in innovation, trends, and creativity; a sought- after speaker, an author and a columnist, as well as a well-regarded commentator on leadership and organizational culture. He has held the Chair of Management and Organization at Åbo Akademi University in Finland, a professorship of innovation and entrepreneurship at the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden, and is currently a professor of innovation, design, and management at the University of Southern Denmark. His research has spanned numerous fields and has been published in top academic journals as well as in a series of bestselling books, challenging preconceived notions and provoking thought across the world.

Innovative leaders or “intrepreneurs” often experience resistance inside large organizations. After all, leading innovation can be viewed as disruptive, competitive, or even a distraction from a company's mission. But what if there was a way to successfully get buy-in from others to understand your ideas and support you throughout the process? In today's episode we're talking with David Wedemeyer, an expert intrepreneur and SVP of Client Partnerships at Monogram Health. In this episode, David offers advice for innovative leaders and a step-by-step approach for taking an idea to the prototype stage. 

As leaders and as humans, we sometimes have to change directions. But how do you manage when your entire life changes? For many of us, between 2020 and 2022, we had to pivot our work, re-think business, or reinvent ourselves entirely. In today's episode we have the honor of hearing from Dr. Herman Williams; his life was completely turned upside down at the age of 31. Through his inspiring story, we learn the importance of resilience, creativity, and optimism, and we also gain practical insight into how we as leaders can model those values.About Dr. WilliamsHerman helped launch and serves as the leader of the healthcare advisory practice in BDO's Nashville office. His experience includes 10 years of previous healthcare consulting and 18 years of hospital operations as a senior physician executive. Dr. Williams' operational roles include oversight of Rural, Urban, Small and Complex facilities; Academic, Community, For Profit, and Non Profit healthcare organizations.Herman brings a special expertise in medical staff consulting and strategy. He has worked with numerous physicians to improve their efficiency in meeting compliance and regulatory standards. He has also assisted medical staffs in Bylaws development, Contemporary Peer Review policy and procedures, all Credentialing matters, Clinical Documentation, Revenue Cycle efficiency, and establishing Physician – Hospital partnerships that have reduced costs through collaboration. He participated in the original Bundle Payment Demonstration Project and has saved hospitals millions of dollars by establishing successful P4P programs.Herman is the author of a new motivational book called, “CLEAR! Living The Life You Never Dreamed Of”. He is a certified coach with the International Coach Federation (ICF) and has successfully coached numerous physicians and hospital leaders.Herman saves time to give back to his community by serving on the American Heart Association Board and the Tri-State Minority Supplier Development Council. He has given numerous speeches on leadership at institutions such as Harvard University, Boston University, Meharry Medical College, Amherst College, and San Diego State University.

Today's episode features Dr. Greg Jones, the president of Belmont University. Dr. Jones is an entrepreneurial and innovative leader, and what we learn from him is that hope is the orientation to the future. What we long for in communities, organizations, and in our own lives is the breakthrough transformations that hope signifies and makes possible.About Dr. Greg Jones:Known for his entrepreneurial leadership, Dr. Greg Jones became president of Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee on June 1, 2021. Prior to his appointment at Belmont, he served as the longtime dean of Duke Divinity School (from 1997-2010 and again from 2018-mid 2021). Between 2010 and 2018, he served in a variety of roles, including vice president and vice provost for global strategy at Duke University and provost and executive vice president of Baylor University. During his time at Belmont, Greg has established a new vision for the institution “to be the leading Christ-centered university in the world, radically championing the pursuit of life abundant for all people.” Achievements during his first year include securing more than $35 million in grants and gifts, launching the Belmont Data Collaborative, expanding the Bridges to Belmont program to support Metro Nashville Public School students and establishing a program that more deeply connects Belmont students, faculty and staff to the regional community to create programs that foster social good. A gifted speaker, Jones is the author or editor of 19 books, including the recently released Navigating the Future: Traditioned Innovation for Wilder Seas (with Andrew P. Hogue) which outlines his perspective on traditioned innovation as “a habit of being and living that cultivates a certain kind of moral imagination shaped by storytelling and expressed in creative, transformational action.” Other works include Christian Social Innovation, the co-authored Forgiving as We've Been Forgiven: Community Practices for Making Peace (with Celestin Musekura), the co-authored Resurrecting Excellence (with Kevin R. Armstrong), and the widely acclaimed Embodying Forgiveness. An ordained United Methodist minister, he has published more than 200 articles in a variety of publications.Dr. Jones is also a gifted speaker, media contributor and thought leader in higher education, social innovation and theology. He recently joined the National Leadership Council for the Partnership for American Democracy and currently serves as a senior fellow at Leadership Education, which he founded, and senior fellow at the Fuqua-Coach K Center on Leadership and Ethics. Greg is passionate about re-shaping cultures within and across organizations and has coined the term “traditioned innovation” to capture how he re-frames complex challenges to seize significant opportunities. He received his bachelor's in speech communication and a masters of public administration from the University of Denver, and his masters of divinity and Ph.D. in theology from Duke University. He currently serves on the boards of the John Templeton Foundation, the McDonald Agape Foundation and the India Collective.

Complex businesses and organizations must be efficient to succeed. But how can leaders structure their organization and lead in such a way that rewards efficiency and innovation simultaneously? That's what we're discussing today with Marty Paslick, the Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer of HCA Healthcare.About Marty Paslick:Marty is senior vice president and chief information officer of Nashville, Tennessee-based HCA Healthcare, one of the nation's leading providers of healthcare services.Paslick has been with HCA Healthcare for more than three decades and leads the company's Information Technology Group (ITG), which provides IT strategy and support for HCA Healthcare and its hospitals and sites of care. ITG has more than 6,200 employees across the U.S. and includes five data centers and 15 division support centers responsible for delivering IT services to HCA Healthcare, as well as more than 235 non-HCA Healthcare facilities. The department's array of services includes business analysis, systems development, systems integration, information security, customer support, training and education and infrastructure support.During his career at HCA Healthcare, Paslick has led the development of new IT units to pursue business opportunities and the transformation of the organization's field-based IT operations. He became responsible for the day-to-day operations of IT when he was named the department's first chief operating officer (COO) in 2010 and later appointed HCA Healthcare's chief information officer (CIO) in June of 2012.

Shortages of workers, global pandemics, looming recessions, generations leaving, and new generations emerging. The workforce is a hot topic today for a good reason. If you're a business leader, your greatest asset is your people. But how can you unlock the power of the workforce to drive more innovation? With the help of our very own human capital expert, Ann Hatcher, we are answering that important question in this episode.About Ann Hatcher:Ann Hatcher is a Senior Consultant at Thrivence, based in Nashville, with more than 25 years' experience in all areas of human capital. Ann joins Thrivence from the Chief HR Officer role at Wellpath, a $2B private-equity backed healthcare company contracting with state and local governments. At Wellpath, Ann built a scalable HR function to support company growth. Prior to Wellpath, Ann held multiple VP roles at HCA Healthcare, one of the nation's largest publicly traded hospital companies.Ann's experience includes:Executive Team Development: Enterprise and site/facility leadership assessment, organizational design, strategic communications, selection, and onboarding planning. Led process for enterprise COO, Chief Medical Officer, Division Presidents. Leadership Development:  Led needs assessment and development of leadership training from first-level manager through hospital executive. Designed, implemented, and analyzed talent review and succession planning programs. Cultural Initiatives: Developed Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion strategy. Formed and led internal consulting team to assess hospital nurse retention challenges and support Chief Nursing Officers in implementing proven turnover reduction tactics. Human Capital strategic plan: Built three-year roadmap aligned with business strategy; established measurement system to build programs and track impact. Project Management Office: Established and led HR PMO, tools, and reporting to ensure completion of short- and long-term projects timely and within budget.Human Resources team development and integration: Assess HR function relative to strategic plan, organization design and leadership selection, communications plan. Ann received a bachelor's degree in Economics from Washington & Lee University and Master of Business Administration from Belmont University. She serves on the boards of the TN State Workforce Development Department, and the Urban League of Middle TN. She teaches Organizational Behavior as Adjunct Faculty at Belmont University's Massey Graduate School of Business. Ann and her husband Scott reside in Nashville, where they are cheering on their recent college graduate son Joseph.

Not all innovation is created equal. Not all groundbreaking ideas come in a flash. Oftentimes,  an innovative idea is developed in small, incremental steps. On today's episode, Shawn Valenta shares how he uses process innovation to improve the industry of telehealth and how teams can take incremental steps every day to create new value in the world. About Shawn Valenta:Shawn Valenta is the Vice President of Healthcare Cloud - Clinical Services at Wellpath, one of the largest private correctional healthcare companies in the country. With over 20 years of clinical and health care leadership experience, Shawn has a demonstrated record in clinical transformation efforts, successfully achieving results with a focus on quality improvement and cost-efficiency. Shawn is currently overseeing the creation of two of the largest telehealth services ever created in correctional healthcare, Virtual Nurse and Wellpath Now. Wellpath Now is an emergency medicine telehealth service that was recently highlighted at HIMSS 2022. 

Leaders will face uncertainty this year. The workplace will look different and employees needs will be different. As a result, a new kind of leadership needs to emerge in 2023 because some of the old ideas won't work anymore. What does this new leadership paradigm look like? What kinds of pivots will you need to make? That's what we're covering in this episode of Leading Innovation.

Problems are pervasive in every season of leadership. But how you solve a problem is sometimes just as important as the solution. In today's episode, Dr. John Lowry will provide a simple process for solving any problem. Whether it's a problem with your business, your people, or even a problem you didn't even create, this episode will provide you with some direction and the knowledge to be able to solve the problem in a way that honors everyone involved and takes care of the problem once and for all. 

On today's episode we have Matthew Griffith, the business unit leader and vice president for Gould Turner Group, a Nashville-based firm that specializes in designing healthcare spaces. This team of architects and designers have come up with an innovation strategy that humanizes the design process and is exceptionally useful in building a single facility that accommodates the needs of multiple stakeholders. In the realm of healthcare, you've got patients, providers, families,  visitors, vendors, and you have lots of people that are coming in and out of a healthcare facility and that facility has to be functional to accommodate all of those different people, but it also has to be a place that is focused on patient care. Matthew is going to share some of the innovation lessons he has learned in designing a facility that is as functional and as creative and as inspiring as possible. 

Bob Higgins is CEO of Barge Design Solutions. He has been with the firm since 1996 when he started as an intern following graduation from the School of Engineering at Vanderbilt University with a degree in Civil Engineering. Since becoming President and CEO in 2009, Higgins has led the firm through a successful re-organization into core business units and has directed the development and implementation of key technical, project management, and leadership programs. In this episode, Bob provides a roadmap for innovation that is centered around people, processes, and problem solving. 

What if you want to improve your organization but the organization doesn't want to change? As we pursue change and improvement, we run into resistance: a culture of comfort, processes that can't be changed, and a host of other things. In this episode we're sharing how to innovate from within a bureaucratic organization—7 ideas that can be helpful to you in bringing about the change that will make a difference and propel you forward.

Change is constant. Whether it's a shift in strategy, a change in location, or new personnel, organizations and companies experience every day. But how can we as leaders prepare our people for change without breaking the culture? In today's episode, we'll cover 3 ways leaders can bring about change, prepare their people, and lead their organization into the future.

Very rarely will you hear people speak the words hospitality and innovation in the same breath, but it turns out these two concepts are connected. If you lead innovation, you must facilitate an environment of psychological safety with the people involved, either as benefactors or implementors. In today's episode, Dr. John Lowry will share 5 ideas for how to use hospitality as you lead innovation inside your organization or company.   

Innovation is important for the success of every organization or team. But innovation doesn't just happen. You, the leader, have to set the table for genius to flourish inside your organization. That's what today's episode is all about: how to create an environment of innovation and 5 ideas you can use to facilitate innovation.  

Leading Innovation can feel like one of the biggest challenges in business today. We know it's important but we can't always see the day-to-day clearly or know how to make innovation work inside our organizations. The truth is leading innovation takes a distinct kind of leadership with specific qualities. Today on the podcast we're discussing those 9 qualities and how you might implement them today. 

What does espionage and innovation have in common? The answer may surprise you. In 1944, the Office of Strategic Services (the predecessor of the CIA) published a field manual for sabotage. In this manual, they taught spies how to create chaos inside organizations, both physically and psychologically. Within this field manual we find 8 tactics for creating chaos, slowing progress, and killing innovation inside an organization. 

Whether you're developing, communicating, or implementing an innovative idea, there are things we should all take with us on this journey.

In consulting engagements, I often tell leaders that before you bring a new idea to the table or as you go into a new company or organization to lead it, one of the first things and most important things to do is to bring about a culture of innovation: to create an environment that will embrace change. The reason why this is paramount is because we know that the world is going to change, and there's a very good likelihood that the industries that we work in and the customers that we serve, that there also is going to be changes in terms of how those industries operate and the needs of those particular customers. 

Leading innovative teams and organizations is perhaps the biggest mystery in business today. Join host John Lowry as he uncovers the real-world insights and important skills you need to challenge the status quo, drive new ideas, and create an environment where innovation is the norm on your team and inside your organization. Welcome to Leading Innovation, the podcast designed to help you master the art and practice of leading the next big breakthrough in your organization. I'm your host, John Lowry. Over the last 15 years I have helped thousands of business leaders find new ways of adding value to the world through communication training, negotiation, and conflict management. Now I want to help you.  Whether you know it or not, innovation is the key to your organization's survival, but leading innovation is perhaps one of the biggest mysteries for business leaders today. Leaders know they have to do it, but they have little idea in terms of how to get there. Through this podcast, it is my goal to give you a starting point and to teach you the skills you need for creating a culture of innovation within your company or organization. Every episode we will uncover practical skills that will help you unleash the creative potential of your people or your team or your organization. We'll also talk with leaders of the most innovative companies and learn how they made it happen. There's too much at stake for you not to innovate, so join me every week right here on Leading Innovation.