The Innovation Engine Podcast

Digital transformation is a term often tossed around in boardrooms but rarely understood in its full depth and breadth. David Rogers joins us on this episode of The Innovation Engine podcast to discuss his latest book, The Digital Transformation Roadmap, and his vast experience advising a bevy of top-tier corporate clients including Google, Microsoft, Citigroup, and Toyota. A renowned faculty member at Columbia Business School, expert in digital transformation, and the brain behind several groundbreaking books on the subject, David is the perfect voice of reason to bring a logical understanding to this vital concept. David underscores the significant differences between a digital-first startup and a legacy enterprise attempting to make its products and services viable in the digital realm. He emphasizes that digital transformation is not a short-term project, but a continuous journey intertwined with both digital strategy and sweeping organizational change. In David's latest book, The Digital Transformation Roadmap, he outlines the Five Steps for Digital Transformation: Define a Shared Vision: This involves crafting a vision unique to the organization. It should be more specific than just wanting to "go digital" and should be commonly understood by everyone in the company. Pick the Problems that Matter Most: Prioritize key issues and be willing to say no to less important opportunities. Validating New Ventures: Shift from traditional planning-focused models to iterative processes that allow for continuous learning and adaptation. Managing Growth at Scale: Adopt different management or governance models that can work across multiple teams and cater to different strategic opportunities. Growing Technology, Talent, and Culture: Identify gaps in technology infrastructure, talent, and company culture, and address these. The process is cyclical, not linear, and the steps should be revisited regularly for continuous adaptation and improvement. Tune in for an insightful journey into the heart of digital transformation with one of the foremost thought leaders in the field. Don't miss David's deep insights, actionable strategies, and a fresh perspective on a topic that's reshaping the global business landscape. Resources: Learn more at davidrogers.digital Read "The Digital Transformation Roadmap" by David Rogers Connect with David Rogers on LinkedIn Read "Marketing Myopia" by Theodore Levitt Produced by NOVA Media

Bernie Doone joins us on this episode of The Innovation Engine to delve deep into the intricate world of Information Services. Bernie is no stranger to our listeners, having previously co-hosted episodes featuring insightful dialogues with experts like Marianne Johnson of Cox Automotive and Josh Eastright from Bloomberg Industry Group. At its core, Information Services revolves around B2B companies whose assets lie predominantly in insights and value-added services. These entities play the crucial role of transforming data into insights and content, combining proprietary, third-party, and publicly available data. Companies like Bloomberg Industry Group and Cox Automotive are stellar examples of Information Services companies that have evolved into digital powerhouses, now offering tools and insights right when their customers need them most. Throughout the conversation, we uncover key developments and trends in the Information Services sector. From building a common data platform to leveraging metadata for intuitive search, and from creating exceptional user experiences to the importance of research insights — we touch on a number of facets that are reshaping the industry. Bernie brings a fresh perspective to product development that is sure to broaden your own understanding of what it means to innovate. Join us for this in-depth exploration and garner insights into the ever-evolving world of Information Services, the fascinating intersections with technology and AI, and why this industry can serve as an inspiration for sectors far and wide.   Resources: Connect with Bernie on LinkedIn Read The Product Mindset by David H. DeWolf and Jessica S. Hall Read The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek Read Enduring Ideas: The three horizons of growth from McKinsey & Company   Produced by NOVA Media  

Productizing a services business is no small feat, but the benefits of doing so are vast: improved margins, increased productivity, higher company valuations, and less reliance on increasingly in-demand tech talent. Eisha Armstrong joins us on this episode of The Innovation Engine to share more about how to turn a services company into a productized business. Eisha has established herself as an authoritative voice in this space, having authored two compelling books: Fearless: How to Transform a Services Culture and Successfully Productize and Productize: The Ultimate Guide to Turning Professional Services into Scalable Products. With her deep understanding of the challenges faced by B2B services companies competing against digital-first companies and scaling efficiently, Eisha offers some insightful strategies and tips. In this conversation, Eisha highlights the importance of setting clear goals to inform your productization approach, treating productization as a portfolio, and overcoming the fear of productization. Listen in as Eisha and host Scott Varho unpack the essentials of a product-friendly culture, highlighting five levers: vision, organizational structure, governance, talent, and people-related practices. Finally, Eisha introduces us to the 'four horsemen of productization': Knowing, Perfectionism, Scarcity thinking, and Individual heroics. She breaks down this daunting task into something surmountable that anyone in a services organization can't afford to miss. Resources Learn more about Vecteris at vecteris.com Connect with Eisha on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/eishaarmstrong Read Eisha's books: "Fearless: How to Transform a Services Culture and Successfully Productize" and  "Productize: The Ultimate Guide to Turning Professional Services into Scalable Products" Learn more and get the full show notes at: 3PillarGlobal.com Produced by Nova Media  

Sam Yen, the Chief Innovation Officer for Commercial Banking at JPMorgan Chase, joins us for this episode of The Innovation Engine to discuss Innovation by Design and Scaling Innovation. Sam is responsible for JPMorgan Chase's digital products, platforms, innovation, and product strategy, so there is a massive amount of responsibility that falls under his purview. We kick off the episode by diving into Sam's guiding principles for leading teams and prioritizing work in a financial institution of JPMorgan Chase's scale. He stresses the importance of being customer or client-centered, maintaining effective communication, ensuring a deep understanding of end-to-end experiences in product delivery, and keeping the bigger picture in mind while fostering a culture of quick learning and iteration. Sam shares his insights on the power of design in crafting user experiences that are intuitive, delightful, and even "forgettable" in terms of ease of use. We discuss the challenges and constraints of fostering innovation in a large financial institution and how the constraints by which financial services companies are bound can, perhaps counterintuitively, lead to more focused solutions. We also cover Sam's previous work at SAP and the four phases of scaling innovation in large organizations he uncovered with Janaki Kumar and Baba Shiv. The four phases Sam details on the innovation journey run from the "lonely soldier phase" all the way through to a fully scaled culture of innovation. Episode Highlights Why the role of design includes but also extends well beyond delivering a delightful and intuitive user experience The concept of thinking of risk as a line of boxes that gets increasingly larger over time, and the process of de-risking ideas incrementally as they scale Why innovation requires excelling at both creativity AND execution; you don't get to pick just one Sam shares why the emphasis that's often placed on creative problem solving would be even more productive if it were instead placed on creative problem finding The value of diverse teams in delivering innovative solutions and the difference between constructive tension and destructive tension About Sam Yen Sam Yen is an acclaimed design leader who has had an exceptional career trajectory. Prior to his role as Chief Innovation Officer for Commercial Banking at JPMorgan Chase, he served as Managing Director for SAP Silicon Valley and was SAP's first Chief Design Officer. At SAP, Sam led their Design Thinking practice both internally and for customers. Sam offers a valuable perspective on integrating design principles at the highest levels of corporate decision-making and scaling innovation throughout large organizations. Resources Connect with Sam Yen on LinkedIn Read one of Sam's recent interviews for more on the 4 phases of innovation Learn more about how JPMorgan Chase Commercial Bank is banking the innovation economy Read volume 1 of “Payments Unbound,” a partnership between JPMorgan and Wired on the future of digital cash and more Read volume 2 of “Payments Unbound,” which focuses on the future of commerce   Learn more and get the full show notes at: 3PillarGlobal.com Produced by Nova Media  

Ready to be inspired by a transformation story that propelled a bank to new heights? In this discussion with Paul Cobban, we dig deep into the remarkable business transformation of DBS Bank under his leadership.  DBS' incredible journey saw the company go from having the reputation of being known as "D#mn Bloody Slow," as Paul tells it, to becoming a digital powerhouse that regularly earns accolades for its digital experience and transformation. DBS was named "World's Best Bank” by Global Finance 5 times, and it was hailed as one of Harvard Business Review's top 10 business transformations of the last decade, alongside innovation stalwarts Netflix, Amazon, and Adobe.  Paul also shares insights from the book he co-authored with Scott Anthony, Eat, Sleep, Innovate which serves as a roadmap for companies and leaders looking to excel with the right mindset, tools, and habits. Join us for this engaging conversation as we uncover the magic behind DBS' transformation journey and gain valuable insights from Paul Cobban's wealth of knowledge and experience. Resources: Learn more about Paul and his work at PaulCobban.com Connect with Paul on LinkedIn Read:  Eat, Sleep, Innovate by Scott Anthony, Paul Cobban, Natalie Painchaud, and Andy Parker View the full webinar here: 3pillarglobal.com/insights/learn-from-paul-cobban Learn more and get the full show notes at: 3PillarGlobal.com Produced by Nova Media  

On this episode, we're diving into the world of Agile Thinking with our guest, Kevin Philpott, Director of Product Design at Pie Insurance. Pie Insurance is a venture-backed insurtech startup, having raised over $600 million in funding since its inception in 2017. Kevin, who has been with Pie Insurance from the very start, is now responsible for all B2B, B2C, and enterprise digital interfaces. Prior to Pie, Kevin held senior product design roles at companies such as RapidFinance, part of the Quicken Loans Family of Companies, and GEICO. His experience across small, medium, and enterprise-sized companies gives him a unique perspective on the Agile Thinking challenges that occur in different business environments. In this episode, Kevin shares his insights on building a culture of Agile Thinking. He emphasizes the "think big, start small, learn fast" mentality and the importance of focusing on outcomes over outputs. He stresses that the role UX can play in developing an Agile Thinking culture extends far beyond wireframes and pixels and reaches into areas like user research and deeply understanding quantitative metrics. Kevin also discusses the value of failure and learning, the power of trust in product development, and the need for a user-centric approach in product design. Whether you're a product leader looking to shift your team's focus towards Agile Thinking or a UX designer eager to make a bigger impact, this episode is packed with practical insights and actionable advice.   Resources: Connect with Kevin on LinkedIn Learn more about Pie Insurance at pieinsurance.com Read "Don't Make Me Think" by Steve Krug   Learn more and get the full show notes at: 3PillarGlobal.com   Produced by Nova Media

On this episode of The Innovation Engine, we explore the fascinating world of applied innovation and the critical process of testing the commercial viability of ideas. Join us as we speak with Michael Rabjohns, Global Head of User Experience Research and Design at 3Pillar, and Steven Cooper, a Lead UX Designer in Michael's group. Both bring extensive experience in the digital product space. Between them, they have worked with household names like Marriott, Calvin Klein, Microsoft, Salesforce, and Google. Alongside host Scott Varho, they share their unique insights and valuable advice on navigating the complex landscape of innovation and product development. Listen to the full conversation to hear about the importance of understanding users and their needs, the role of execution and the necessity of pivoting or persevering based on user feedback, and various tools and techniques for user research and testing. We also discuss the challenges of communicating with stakeholders, creating safe spaces for unbiased research, and the benefits of using low-fidelity prototypes in the early stages of development. Don't miss this engaging discussion packed with practical knowledge and valuable insights for product developers at any stage of their innovation journey. Resources: View the webinar slides and resources: On-Demand Webinar Key takeaways from the webinar: How to Test the Commercial Viability of an Idea Connect with Michael Rabjohns on LinkedIn Connect with Steven Cooper on LinkedIn Connect with Scott Varho on LinkedIn Learn more and get the full show notes at: 3PillarGlobal.com Produced by Nova Media

Do you know the difference between focusing on outcomes versus outputs in product development — and why the difference can make or break a product? In this episode, we explore how shifting the focus from churning out features to driving business outcomes can help product teams deliver far greater value to users and organizations. Our guest, Josh Siden, is a designer, strategy consultant, and author of the book Outcomes Over Output: Why customer behavior is the key metric for business success. He spent two years working on a stock trading app that never shipped, which taught him the importance of putting products in users' hands  “unreasonably early.”  Josh presents three “magic questions” to help product teams focus on outcomes and introduces a new behavioral model that suggests teams should focus on changes in user behavior that create business value. He explains the importance of telling a specific story about the user journey, highlighting key moments that make a difference, and building a shared perspective and understanding to make collaborative prioritization decisions. Finally, Josh discusses the benefits of outcomes-based roadmaps, providing context for why the team is doing something and outlining traditional roadmap content, questions, and risks. Resources: Learn more at JoshuaSeiden.com Connect with Josh on LinkedIn Follow Josh on Twitter: @jseiden Read: Outcomes Over Output by Joshua Seiden Read Josh's recommended business book: Good Strategy, Bad Strategy by Richard Rumelt Read Josh's recommended book on writing, which he cites as an inherently creative process akin to product development: Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg Learn more and get the full show notes at: 3PillarGlobal.com Produced by Nova Media  

In this episode, we're joined by Teresa Torres, an internationally recognized author, speaker, and coach. With a focus on continuous discovery, Teresa has coached hundreds of product teams of all sizes and industries in a structured approach to infusing customer input into their daily product decisions. Her expertise has helped product teams move away from simply focusing on Agile execution and how they build products towards a more holistic approach to development that places an equal focus on making sure what they build delivers value to the customer and the business. Teresa's expertise has helped product teams move away from simply focusing on Agile execution and how they build products towards a more holistic approach to product development where teams place an equal focus on making sure what they build delivers value to the customer and the business.  We dive deep into the key concepts of Teresa's book, Continuous Discovery Habits, in which she introduces a framework for product teams to think about customer discovery. We explore the importance of an outcome mindset, getting good at interviewing to discover unmet customer needs, pain points, and desires, and assumption testing to help evaluate solutions. Episode Highlights: How product teams can learn to focus on executing on the right things, not just executing in the right way The most vital habits that teams should employ for continuous discovery Why following Teresa's collaborative “product trio” model, where a Product Manager, Design Lead, and Tech Lead all work closely together from the start, leads to far less waste than the traditional product development model and process   How embracing the creative tension of bringing multiple disciplines together yields better results than the top-down style of decision-making prevalent in many organizations The 2 different kinds of product instrumentation — optimization and value creation — and examples of both Which companies are positive examples of continuous discovery in action (hint: not many!)   Resources: Learn more at ProductTalk.org Follow Teresa on Twitter: @ttorres Connect with Teresa on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/teresatorres Read: Continuous Discovery Habits by Teresa Torres   Learn more and get the full show notes at: 3PillarGlobal.com  

In the first segment of our conversation with Marty Cagan, the celebrated product expert and bestselling author of Empowered and Inspired, we discussed why a roadmap focused on outcomes yields far better results than one based on solutions, the importance of clearly communicating and exhibiting an appealing product vision, and the critical inquiry that a strong product vision must address directly. In part two, we discuss the foundational elements needed for product teams to be successful, and how to identify mission-driven teams.  Tune in to the full conversation to hear how teams can balance the immediate needs of the business with the long-term product vision, the importance of taking ownership of things outside of your control, and why empowered product teams are passionate about solving problems.   Resources: Listen to part 1 of our discussion with Marty Cagan  Learn more at svpg.com Read Empowered Read Inspired Connect with Marty on LinkedIn Follow Marty on Twitter   Learn more and get the full show notes at: 3PillarGlobal.com  

What separates the most successful product companies in the world — Apple, Amazon, Google —from everyone else? It's a question Marty Cagan has spent the better part of his career exploring, writing about, and seeking to answer. At least part of the answer lies in the fact that many of these highly successful companies follow a model where product teams are empowered to solve problems and deliver outcomes rather than accept requirements and deliver outputs.  Marty Cagan joins us to discuss the many ways empowered product teams can drive value and growth for companies if only they're allowed to. Marty is a renowned product leader, founder, and partner at the Silicon Valley Product Group. He's the author of two influential books, Empowered: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Products and Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love. Marty has been a prominent figure in Silicon Valley for years, having previously worked at eBay, Netscape, and Hewlett-Packard. Over the past two decades as the founder of Silicon Valley Product Group, Marty has provided consultancy for several significant technology products and established himself as a leading advocate for building customer-centric, product-focused organizations.   Resources: Learn more at svpg.com See examples of product visions for companies like Airbnb, Apple, Asana, Dropbox, Hubspot, and SpaceX on the SVPG site Read Empowered Read Inspired Connect with Marty Cagan on LinkedIn Follow Marty Cagan on Twitter Learn more and get the full show notes on the 3Pillar website  

How can you predict opportunities for massive innovation before they happen? By identifying inflection points before they happen.  Inflection points are moments of significant change for a business, industry, or market. They feature prominently in Dr. Rita Gunther McGrath's latest book, Seeing Around Corners: How to Spot Inflection Points in Business Before They Happen.  Dr. McGrath discusses how to identify and navigate these inflection points in business — so you can position yourself and your organization for success in the age of disruption. Tune in to the full conversation to hear how to spot inflection points before they happen, how to keep innovating without putting yourself or your business at catastrophic risk, and find out what happens when we let AI take over the interview and ask some questions. Dr. Rita Gunther McGrath is a leading authority on strategic innovation and growth. She is a professor at Columbia Business School, a globally recognized thought leader, and the author of several best-selling books. Resources: Learn more at ritamcgrath.com Read Seeing Around Corners Connect with Dr. McGrath on LinkedIn Learn more and get the full show notes at: 3PillarGlobal.com

When it comes to innovation, the education industry typically isn't the first that comes to mind — but Ron Reed is trying to change that. He's the Founder and Executive Producer of SXSW EDU, an annual event that fosters innovation and learning within the education industry. SXSW is well-known for its tech conference, music festival, and independent film festival, but it covers a wider range of topics, including the education event that's held in the days before the tech conference. Ron talks about the role of technology in education, the conversations that are being had ahead of SXSW EDU 2023, and what the future is going to bring to both education and SXSW EDU specifically.Episode Highlights: What SXSW EDU is and what it strives to achieve The origin story of How SXSW EDU began and how it is continuing to grow and evolve How Ron and his partners decided to make alterations and improvements to the event as it grows The rise of education technology and how it has continued to evolve since Ron's days selling educational material on laser video discs  What's is coming up in SXSW EDU 2023 Opening up the discussion around mental health in education   Resources: Learn more at sxswedu.com Connect with Ronald Reed on LinkedIn Follow SXSW EDU on Twitter   Learn more and get the full show notes at: 3PillarGlobal.com

Marianne Johnson is the Executive Vice President and Chief Product Officer at Cox Automotive, where she oversees a team of roughly 5000 people across 700 Scrum teams. She's responsible for an $8 billion dollar portfolio that includes a number of products that are household names, including Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book. On this episode, Scott Varho and Bernie Doone talk with Mariannne about building a culture where rapid innovation and living on the cutting-edge of technology are the norm.Episode Highlights: What Marianne's role at Cox as Chief Product Officer entails (01:13) What makes up Cox's $8 billion dollar product portfolio (9:20) Running an Agile culture across 700 Scrum teams (13:20) Insights from running the five patterns of Agile (18:47) How composability informs what products to launch (24:00) Leveraging data to drive value (28:03) How Cox Automotive uses AI for growth (32:31) Speed round, which covers Marianne's boat, what to look for in new hires, and the most impactful business or tech book she's ever read (33:31) Resources: Learn more at coxautoinc.com Follow Marianne Johnson on LinkedIn Learn more and get the full show notes at: 3PillarGlobal.com

Sejal Amin is the newly-named Chief Technology Officer at Shutterstock where she has a broad mandate to drive Shutterstock's digital transformation into a full-service creative platform for hundreds of thousands of creative professionals around the world. She talks with 3Pillar's Scott Varho and Elisabeth Beller about moving from software project to product on this episode of The Innovation Engine. Tune in to the full conversation to hear how Shutterstock is making the leap from project to product, what a value stream is and how to manage it within a company, and why using a body of metrics is vital to drive decision-making during digital transformation.   Resources: Connect with Sejal on LinkedIn Read: Accelerate: Building and Scaling High Performing Technology Organizations by Nicole Forsgren, PhD, Jez Humble, and Gene Kim Read: Project to Product: How to Survive and Thrive in the Age of Digital Disruption with the Flow Framework by Mik Kersten Read: Sooner Safer Happier: Antipatterns and Patterns for Business Agility by Jonathan Smart If you have any feedback about the podcast or guests you'd like to hear interviewed, send your suggestions to info@3pillarglobal.com.   Learn more and get the full show notes at: 3PillarGlobal.com

When you think of financial services and healthcare, ease of transformation likely isn't the first to come to mind. There are privacy concerns, compliance issues, and security responsibilities. So how does a company that sits at the intersection of those two tackle radical digital transformation—all while already sitting at the top of its field? For this episode, we speak with Cory Gundberg about driving digital transformation in large organizations. Cory is the COO of Optum Financial, where he's driven their transformation strategy for close to a year. Prior to that, he was the Chief Digital Officer at Optum Rx, and he also held several leadership roles at Walmart, including SVP of Health and Wellness, SVP of Walmart Labs, VP of Walmart Technology, and Senior Director of Innovation. We discuss what drives innovation within his organization, how he filters through the noise to find where transformation is truly needed, and how UnitedHealth channels its digital innovations budget into new technologies that help its consumers.   Resources: Learn more at Optum.com Connect with Cory on LinkedIn   Learn more and get the full show notes at: 3PillarGlobal.com

In this special episode of The Innovation Engine, we're joined by Jessica Hall, VP of Design at CoStar Group, alongside 3Pillar Global CEO David DeWolf. Three years ago we spoke with them both about their book, The Product Mindset: Succeed in the Digital Economy by Changing the Way Your Organization Thinks. This time around, we take a look at what they've both learned in the years since, how Jessica's perspective of The Product Mindset has changed since working at CoStar Group, and what they would change or add to the book today.   Episode Highlights: Jess discusses her role at CoStar Group, a new addition to the S&P 500 that provides a number of data-related digital products to customers mostly in commercial real estate (1:46)  The three characteristics of a digital product and the three guiding principles of success that make up The Product Mindset (08:35) How Jess' personal experience with The Product Mindset at CoStar Group has shifted her perspective (12:24) Changing the conversation from what are we doing? to why are we doing it? (21:10) Connecting the dots between a digital product and the company's success (27:28) The continual decision-making process (29:31) Leveraging insight to see beyond what is being said (44:07)   Resources: Learn more about The Product Mindset at productmindset.com Buy The Product Mindset on Amazon Visit Jessica's LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicashall  Visit David's LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ddewolf Learn more about Upstream: The Quest to Solve Problems Before They Happen, by Dan Heath Learn more about Accelerate: Building and Scaling High Performing Technology Organizations, by Dr. Nicole Forsgren    Learn more and get the full show notes at: 3PillarGlobal.com

Bloomberg Industry Group CEO Josh Eastright talks with us about putting CX innovation into practice for this episode of the podcast. We discuss why when you're running a digital business a product is never done, why providing your customers with answers at their point of need is a sign of an evolved customer experience, and why AI and machine learning are still heavily reliant on the human component to deliver valuable content to consumers.    Resources: Learn more at bloombergindustry.com Visit Josh's LinkedIn profile: linkedin.com/in/josheastright   Learn more and get the full show notes at: 3PillarGlobal.com   Episode Highlights: [01:09] The origins of Bloomberg Industry Group and who they serve [04:45] Solving for your customers' needs begins with the onboarding process, and understanding that technology buyers and users are often different audiences [07:42] Transitioning from traditional publishing to digital product innovation [17:50] How Bloomberg Industry Group drives innovation at a high level [20:52] Leveraging 90 years of history to create a business advantage [22:51] Providing answers at your customers' point of need [27:33] The rate of digital adoption and how the pandemic impacted it [31:33] The struggles that come with using AI and machine learning

What do you do when changes in competition and customer expectations necessitate a radical change to your business model? Kevin Turpin is President of The National Journal, where he's seen a complete overhaul of the company's business model—from a traditional media advertising model to an advisory and information services company with an ever-growing number of digital products and services. He joins us to discuss the process of this digital transformation, how long new products take from idea to launch, adapting to your customers' or members' ever-changing needs, and how National Journal is continuing to evolve today.   Resources: Learn more at nationaljournal.com Connect with Kevin on LinkedIn     Learn more and get the full show notes at: 3PillarGlobal.com

It's undeniable that Apple is at the top of its game—yet despite its overwhelming success, Apple has also fundamentally changed in the last decade without the innovative leadership of Steve Jobs. For this episode of the podcast, we speak with Tripp Mickle, a reporter with The New York Times and the author of 'After Steve: How Apple Became a Trillion Dollar Company and Lost Its Soul.' Tripp discusses how the absence of Steve's balancing role led to an imbalance between Apple's creative innovations and its operational excellence, and how the company's incredible growth has necessitated a new approach to product design and product development.   Resources: Learn more about After Steve on Amazon Read Tripp's articles in The New York Times Read Tripp's articles in The Wall Street Journal  Visit Tripp's LinkedIn profile: linkedin.com/in/trippmickle   Learn more and get the full show notes at: 3PillarGlobal.com

The pandemic forced a lot of innovation on corporations but didn't give us much time to carefully consider how to best implement those changes. Now that it feels like we can take a step back, what can we do to utilize the recent digital transformations to their fullest potential? Ben Chodor is the president of Notified and host of the Insights with Ben Chodor podcast. He's been guiding corporations as they adapt to the rapidly accelerating digital landscape forced onto them by the pandemic. He promotes how organizations can create engaging online experiences as the co-author of “Transitioning to Virtual and Hybrid Events.” And that's our topic for the day; how companies can make the most of their forced innovations before higher expectations become the norm. Tune in.   Resources: Listen: Insights with Ben Chodor Read: Transitioning to Virtual and Hybrid Events Learn more and get the full show notes at: 3PillarGlobal.com

The cloud is the future, that much is clear. But that doesn't mean it doesn't come with some bumps in the road along the way. Yun Freund is the Senior Vice President of Platform and Product at Equinix. Yun's career has been spent bridging the gap between corporate physical infrastructure and its digital future. As a seasoned industry executive, she's ushered in the cloud renovation of her engineering, communications, and data services employers, and is currently advising Google on hybrid multi cloud industry trends and platform strategy. Yun shares what companies can expect going through digital transformation, some of the hurdles that hold businesses back, and ensuring that the cloud future is safe, secure, and reliable.   Resources: Yun Freund on LinkedIn   Learn more and get the full show notes at: 3PillarGlobal.com

Ian Wright is Chief Insights Officer at Equifax. But what does that actually mean and what insights can he give us into the current (and future) state of the marketplace? Do you wish there was an easy way to access data and see insights into what it means all in one go? That's one of Ian's main roles along with keeping track of the market and its trends. When it comes to innovation, you have to know exactly where you are before you can decide where you want to go and how you want to get there.  Equifax provides marketing solutions to help businesses achieve more targeted, meaningful interactions across the customer journey. They believe that understanding household economics is critical to marketing success, and that's where a Chief Insights Officer comes in.  Listen for a more thorough explanation of Ian's role along with his view of the state of the market, and even his takes on things like getting the work/life balance right and handling imposter syndrome.    Resources: Ian Wright on LinkedIn Equifax   Learn more and get the full show notes at: 3PillarGlobal.com

We've assembled some of the sharpest minds from 3Pillar Global for a discussion of everything to expect in the marketplace in 2022. What trends are we currently watching and what should we be looking out for as the year rolls on? Making up our panel are Scott Varho (Vice President of Product Development), Margaret Irons (Vice President of Global Marketing and Communications), Jamie Whitacre (Chief People Officer), and Kim Mirazimi (Senior Vice President of the Commercial Services Portfolio). Between them, you couldn't ask for a more qualified group to explore where we're headed. First, we look at the takeaways that leaders need to be aware of when it comes to product design and development. Then, we move into the three major differentiators of 3Pillar.  Other topics include working from home, how to get messaging effectively out into the marketplace, data collection, and the increasingly digital landscape businesses and their leaders must traverse on the way to employee wellness.    Resources: Scott Varho on LinkedIn Margaret Irons on LinkedIn Jamie Whitacre on LinkedIn Kim Mirazimi on LinkedIn   Learn more and get the full show notes at: 3PillarGlobal.com

Almost any stat you can find on the subject suggests that Americans are worryingly lacking in financial literacy. Only about 6% of the nation's employees are positioned to prepare for retirement on their own and only half of those will succeed in doing so. That leaves 97% in need of help.  Financial education isn't a new concept, but it's only now that it's finally starting to gain traction as a legitimate avenue for businesses to explore for their employees – in part thanks to the work of people like Whitney Queen and mindful financial brands like Mentoro. President of Mentoro, a turn-key financial wellness service provider, Whitney explains that the firm's aim is to empower employees to focus on their financial journeys and, in turn, create a happier, more productive workplace for everyone. Our conversation covers financial literacy shortcomings we see on a day-to-day basis, actions that individual companies and organizations can take to cultivate financial wellness within their workforce, and the tangible benefits they're likely to see by doing so.    Resources: Mentoro Whitney on LinkedIn   Learn more and get the full show notes at: 3PillarGlobal.com

One of the biggest, most visible impacts of the pandemic was the massive disruption of supply chains across the globe. It led to shipment delays and product shortages across multiple industries. The problem is that this data can be hard to visualize when you're trying to solve complicated disruptions. We're sitting down with a dynamic woman leading a dynamic company doing incredibly relevant work in the tech space, Jennifer Bisceglie. She's the founder and CEO of Interos, a supply chain management company that developed powerful artificial intelligence tools which empower companies to quickly identify and respond to rapid changes in their supply chains. Instead of endless spreadsheets, Interos provides clients with a live, global visualization of their supply chains, making it that much easier to protect and improve them. We get her perspective on everything from modern logistical challenges, to what makes a successful leader, to women in technology. We also discuss Interos' recent successful funding event where they raised $100 million in investments.   Resources: interos.ai LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jennifer-bisceglie-3328b2   Learn more and get the full show notes at: 3PillarGlobal.com

How do you take your disruptive ideas and quickly turn them into products consumers want?   Bob Moesta is a one-man innovation engine. He's the principal architect of the jobs-to-be-done theory along with Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen. He's Founder, President, and CEO of the Rewired Group, a consulting firm dedicated to helping companies innovate better, cheaper, and faster. They've done so for over 3,500 products and services across countless industries. We speak about the challenges he faces in helping companies rethink how they do business, and his new book, Demand-Side Sales.   Resources: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bobmoesta Read: Demand-Side Sales   Learn more and get the full show notes at: 3PillarGlobal.com  

Few retail industries were disrupted by COVID as much as the fashion industry. And yet, many of the biggest brands out there have managed to weather the storm and create digital transformations that kept them agile and relevant. Joanne Joliet is currently Head of Worldwide Fashion and Apparel at Amazon Web Services and has had a long career in research and analytics in the retail industry. Previously, she was senior research director in retail at Gartner and has led digital innovation in executive roles at Belk and Family Dollar Stores, Inc. She shares her take on how retail has digitally transformed, how the COVID pandemic affected that transformation, and where we go from here.   Resources: linkedin.com/in/joanne-joliet-8b3815   Learn more and get the full show notes at: 3PillarGlobal.com

We've seen rapid digital transformation over just a few short years, from digital being an afterthought to becoming the primary way customers engage with brands. With the shift to digital comes the opportunity to craft better storytelling and customer experiences. So what do we do to win customers in a digital age? Howard Tiersky provides perspectives on the digital media landscape and the critical role that unique content plays in driving audience engagement today. He's started internet, intranet, and other digital media pages for his previous companies, including Ernst & Young and Capgemini. He's also the author of Winning Digital Customers: The Antidote to Irrelevance. We're going to discuss the benefits of democratized storytelling, how to speak to your customers and make them fall in love with your brand, and what's holding you back from changing at the rate of your customer.   Resources: from.digital/howard-tiersky Read: Winning Digital Customers: The Antidote to Irrelevance LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tiersky   Learn more and get the full show notes at: 3PillarGlobal.com

COVID-19 has caused disruption like we've rarely seen. Media companies have had to adapt fast in our changing environment. Edwin Wong provides a unique perspective on the media landscape. He's led research and data-driven B2B strategies for various companies over the past 20 years, working with the likes of Pinterest, Yahoo!, Buzzfeed, Nielsen, and now Vox Media as their Senior Vice President of Insights & Innovation. He helps their advertising partners understand the value proposition of Vox Media, what's happening in society, and why consumers behave in the way that they do. We explore the ways in which media companies have remained relevant over the past year, and how brands are leveraging those communication channels to reach their customers in new and innovative ways.   Resources: linkedin.com/in/edwinhwong   Learn more and get the full show notes at: 3PillarGlobal.com

Insurance is one of those things that customers don't really like to think about buying. They know they need it, but they don't really want to pay for it and that leads to a fractured experience. How can digital transformation be used to create stronger customer relationships and engagement? Monica Caldas has spent much of her career creating digital solutions and influencing innovation at one of the world's largest companies, GE. In her role as global CIO for GE Transportation, she's helped drive how the transportation industry uses data and digital services to grow revenue. Now, she's helping shape the future of insurance as EVP and Chief Information Officer, Global Retail Markets at Liberty Mutual.   She talks about what digital transformation means to her, how Liberty Mutual is trying to change customers' relationships with insurance, and the role of AI in digital transformation.   Resources: linkedin.com/in/monicacaldas Learn more and get the full show notes at: 3PillarGlobal.com

If there's one positive thing to come out of this pandemic, it's that technological advancements that were expected to take years to adopt happened in a matter of months. Is that trend going to continue? Will that be the expectation, or will innovation slow back down? Eileen Mahoney has been leading digital innovation in the retail industry for decades. She's the Chief Information Officer at PVH, the parent company of household brand names such as Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, IZOD, Geoffrey Beene, and more. Eileen shares her perspective on the many shifts in retail technology, not just in the last year, but over the span of her career.   Resources: linkedin.com/in/eileen-mahoney-b02b86   Learn more and get the full show notes at: 3PillarGlobal.com

Technology can solve nearly every business problem; we just need to know how to use it. It's up to leaders to keep up with that technology and take advantage of what's available — to see around corners to how they can apply the latest innovations to their business. Joining us is Sheila Jordan, Chief Digital Technology Officer at Honeywell. She is an IT executive who excels at solving complex business problems. She understands how technology can add value to a business, and how it can define the IT vision and strategy that leads teams to a successful execution. With this approach, she considers herself to be an agent of change.  Sheila explores Honeywell's goal of creating future shapers in its industry, the necessity of trusting your team to innovate, and the importance of data in digital transformation.   Resources: linkedin.com/in/jordansheila   Learn more and get the full show notes at: 3PillarGlobal.com

Our guest today is Riddhi Gupta. She is an agile transformation leader focused on people, products, and organizations, and she's held senior roles at Wells Fargo, AIG, and Bank of America. She's also done a lot for the community as a founding board member of Agile Week Charlotte and a leader in Women in Agile, Charlotte Metro. Hear Riddhi talk about the importance of the human factor in successful transformation, and why grounding those humans in purpose and alignment is the first stage to the most successful transformations. If you're looking for a new set of tools to add to your digital transformation toolbox, you're about to get them.   Resources: linkedin.com/in/riddhigupta   Learn more and get the full show notes at: 3PillarGlobal.com

What role does security play in the growth of a business? Sam Curry is a podcaster, the Chief Security Officer of Cybereason, and a visiting fellow at the National Security Institute. Sam has been through a lot of growth in his career, working for two startups in the 90's, one of which sold to security giant McAfee. Hear Sam talk about the importance of breaking out of your box and becoming a lifelong learner to make an impact at the leadership level, and how investing in security is not about making a return on your investment but making a sound investment in what you've already built.   Resources: cybereason.com linkedin.com/in/currysam   Learn more and get the full show notes at: 3PillarGlobal.com

Productivity is one of the keys to growth, but it can be hard to remain productive when processes are rapidly evolving and changing. Joining us is Andy Glover, the Director of Productivity Engineering at Netflix. Hear what it means to operate in an organization undergoing constant change and get the inside scoop on whether the Netflix culture deck is real. We discuss the importance of productivity in innovation, the pains that come when a business grows rapidly, and having empathy for the end user of your product. Resources: linkedin.com/in/ajglover   Learn more and get the full show notes at: 3PillarGlobal.com

You're about to hear about the challenge of getting calorie counts into digital menus, and what it's like to live between a fast-moving non-digital business and a digital transformation challenge. Joining us is Rob Tedesco, a digital strategist who spearheaded the digital transformation of Subway, the world's largest restaurant chain. We discuss how a franchise business went on to prioritize its digital transformation, getting leadership buy-in, and all the unforeseen challenges that are involved with taking an existing franchise and adapting it to a digital platform.   Resources: Learn more: www.equilibriaservices.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/robertcharlestedesco   Learn more and get the full show notes at: 3PillarGlobal.com

We discuss customer development in existing markets versus new markets, how those journeys are different, the potential dangers of data in consumer insight, and some fun stories from Silicon Valley along the way. Joining us is the Father of Modern Entrepreneurship, Steve Blank, who is credited with launching the Lean Startup movement. Most of you listening are probably already familiar with Steve's work, and as you might expect, he has some fantastic insights to share.   Resources: Twitter: @sgblank LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/steveblank Why Companies and Government Do “Innovation Theater” Instead of Actual Innovation Ardent War Story 4: You Know You're Getting Close to Your Customers When They Offer You a Job Removing the Roadblocks to Government/Corporate Innovation – When Theory Meets Practice How To Keep Your Company Alive – Observe, Orient, Decide and Act Steve Blank Customer Discovery In the Time Of the Covid-19 Virus Steve Blank Building Great Founding Teams   Learn more and get the full show notes at: 3PillarGlobal.com

Today you're going to learn a practical approach to inventing the future. That may not seem like a particularly practical thing to do, but once you learn the models, all you have to do is take action and trust the process. Joining us is Alexander Osterwalder, inventor of the Business Model Canvas and co-founder of strategyzer.com.  Alexander recently released a new book — “The Invincible Company: How to Constantly Reinvent Your Organization with Inspiration From the World's Best Business Models” — and it's a fantastic resource for any organization struggling with a prioritization roadmap.   Resources: Alexosterwalder.com Strategyzer.com Read: “The Invincible Company"   Learn more and get the full show notes at: 3PillarGlobal.com

You've done a lot of work to get yourself and your business to where you are today. You've learned new skills, implemented new systems, and started working with new people — but that's not necessarily going to get you over the next hurdle. Joining us to talk about what WILL get your organization over its next hurdle is Andrea Goulet, who is Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Corgibytes and a prominent thought leader in the technology industry around three ideas: legacy code, communication, and empathy-driven development. Andrea is also the founder of LegacyCode.Rocks and the host of Legacy Code Rocks, a podcast dedicated to changing the way we think about legacy code.   Resources: Andreagoulet.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/andreamgoulet Twitter: twitter.com/andreagoulet Corgibytes.com Take the course: Agile Software Development: Creating an Agile Culture Take the course: Agile Software Development: Remote Teams   Learn more and get the full show notes at: 3PillarGlobal.com

Join us for a fun and enlightening conversation with Lisa Schneider, Chief Digital Officer of Merriam-Webster. You'll learn about how Lisa lead a true digital transformation at a company best known for their physical dictionary, the value of leveraging mission and transparency, and how letting the world see who you truly are can be a catalyst for transformation. Plus, you'll hear about Merriam-Webster's new Puku app for kids.   Resources: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lisaschneider64 Twitter: twitter.com/lisaschneider64 Puku app   Learn more and get the full show notes at: 3PillarGlobal.com

Startups, by their very nature, experience a lot of growth and evolution over a relatively short period of time — and if they don't, they fail. But simultaneously planning for growth and change, both internally and externally, is a difficult task for even the most experienced product managers. Luckily, our guest today is not just an experienced product manager but also a growth specialist: Jaffrey Ali, Chief Product Officer at FranConnect. Resources: www.franconnect.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jaffrey-ali-604245 "Franchising wasn't ready for COVID-19. Will you be ready for the recovery?"   Learn more and get the full show notes at: 3PillarGlobal.com  

This show focuses on how you can steer a team or organization through growth and change, and one common form of growth — explosive growth, in some cases — is when two companies merge or one company acquires another. In these instances, you have to combine not just different platforms or technologies but different groups of people who have different processes, philosophies, and perspectives. So, in this episode, we're joined by someone who has already gone through a big merger: Dominic O'Connor, the current CTO of EmployStream and formerly of InterFolio, where he led the engineering team from startup to M&A and growth. We learn what the transformation looked like, what he learned as a leader, what went well and, more importantly, what Dominic would do differently if he had to start again today.   Resources: www.dominic-oconnor.com Twitter: twitter.com/dominicoconnor LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dominicoconnor www.employstream.com   Learn more and get the full show notes at: 3PillarGlobal.com

We feature interviews with best-selling authors and innovation experts from around the world. We focus on corporate innovation through the lenses of leadership, company culture, and emerging trends and technologies. Recorded & produced by 3Pillar Global, a product lifecycle management and software development company based in Fairfax, VA, with offices around the world.

Today we discuss the transformative potential of design systems and how they can help accomplish alignment and the integration of different silos — key ingredients to any successful transformations or turnarounds. Joining us is Art Rivera, a former member of the 3Pillar UX team and current Director of Product Design for Mobile Posse. In addition to offering his insight on business transformation, Arty shares the story of his personal transformation from designer to design leader to business leader, and what he's learned along the way.   Resources: Mobileposse.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/artemiorivera Read: “Human-Centered Design lets carriers unlock the door to the Experience Economy”   Learn more and get the full show notes at: 3PillarGlobal.com

We're continuing our series about transformation and turnaround with an episode focusing on how you can get engineering and the business to better understand each other and better solve problems, including how to deal with some nasty technical debt. Our guest also has some thoughts about microservices, a technical transformation strategy that's still gaining popularity — but probably shouldn't be. Joining us is Daniel Greene, VP of Engineering at X-Mode. Dan has 22 years of software development experience with everything from big data analysis to cloud computing, including some time at 3Pillar Global working on product architecture. Dan offers a unique combination of strategic and tactical, and in this episode, he shares some valuable insights learned from tackling real-life transformation problems.   Resources: Xmode.io LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/danielngreene   Learn more and get the full show notes at: 3PillarGlobal.com

In the last episode, we started a conversation about transformation and turnaround, specifically regarding what you can do when you're thrust into a new role, you're in a tight spot, and you need to create a plan to dig yourself out. Joining us again for part two of this conversation is Tiffany Kleemann, former CEO of Distil Networks (which was acquired) and current Senior Vice President at Imperva. While episode 158 focused on how Tiffany made plans for transformation after she was brought into Distil, this episode focuses on creating a go-to-market strategy, why what got you here won't get you there, and what it's like to go through a significant transformation on a personal level. We will be continuing this Transformation Turnaround series next week with new episodes and new guests, so stay tuned!    Resources: www.imperva.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/tiffany-olson-kleemann-cissp-cipp-8b7315/ What Got You Here Won't Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith   Learn more and get the full show notes at: 3PillarGlobal.com

For the next few episodes, we will be talking about transformation and turnaround with a variety of guests who have gone through a wide range of transformations. So often, we hear about the methodologies and the practices of transformation; what it's like to go from the garage to the fancy building. But I think a lot of people wonder about what happens after you've taken a new role. You're in a rough spot, you've possibly even created the rough spot, so how do you start to dig yourself out of it? Joining us is Tiffany Kleemann, former CEO of Distil Networks (which was acquired) and current Senior Vice President at Imperva. You will learn about the importance of alignment in leadership and throughout the organization, the value of listening both to others and to your gut, and what it takes to ensure transparency along the way from someone who has been there and done that. At the same time, you'll learn a little bit about what it's like to go through a significant transformation on a personal level.   Resources: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/tiffany-olson-kleemann-cissp-cipp-8b7315/ The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck The Speed of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything by Stephen M. R. Covey   Learn more and get the full show notes at: 3PillarGlobal.com

On this special edition of the Innovation Engine Podcast, David DeWolf, Founder and CEO of 3Pillar Global, and Jessica Hall, 3Pillar's Vice President of Product Strategy and Design, discuss their new book, The Product Mindset: Succeed in the Digital Economy by Changing the Way Your Organization Thinks.   During our discussion, we'll unpack the key characteristics of successful digital products and the three core principles that drive their creation: minimizing time to value, solving for need, and excelling at change. We'll also talk about the challenge of an antiquated IT mindset and how leaders can embrace company-wide thinking that leads to great products and thriving businesses.   We are also joined by Shawn DuBravac, Founder and President at Avrio Institute and author of the New York Times bestseller Digital Destiny, who will moderate the discussion.   Resources: Learn more about The Product Mindset at productmindset.com Connect with Shawn at shawndubravac.com Digital Destiny: How the New Age of Data Will Transform the Way We Work, Live, and Communicate by Shawn DuBravac Learn more and get the full show notes at: 3PillarGlobal.com

We discuss whether to view innovation as a top-down or bottom-up function, why innovation measurement is a mirage, and why places like Google X believe that rewarding failure is a way to fuel future successes.   Joining us to talk about all of that and more is Taylor Ryan, the CMO of Valuer.ai, which helps corporations, accelerators, and investors find high-potential startups that specifically fit the corporation's strategic innovation requirements. In order to achieve this, Valuer has developed a platform that uses crowdsourcing and artificial intelligence to detect, predict, evaluate, and select startups that are particularly relevant to large companies.   Resources: Learn more at Valuer.ai LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylorryan/ Watch: “Astro Teller: The unexpected benefit of celebrating failure | TED Talk” Learn more and get the full show notes at: 3PillarGlobal.com

On this episode, we'll be talking about the growing importance of the role of the Chief Product Officer at driving innovation in many companies. Among the topics we'll discuss are the most important functions the CPO should perform, what kinds of companies are best suited to hire CPOs, and how you'll know if your company is ready for one. Joining us to talk about all that and more is Ben Foster. Ben is the Chief Product Officer at GoCanvas and an Executive Product Advisor to more than 50 product companies. His career includes 4 years in product positions at eBay, as well as VP level product positions at companies like AdChemy and OPower. Among the more than 50 product companies he has advised since his days in the Bay Area are well-known innovative software companies like Contactually, Aquicore, StoryBlocks, and many more. Resources: Visit the GoCanvas website: https://www.gocanvas.com/ Connect with Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benfoster/ Learn more and get the full show notes at: 3PillarGlobal.com