To develop something new that solves a significant problem and creates real value for customers, you have to take risk proportionate to the potential return. Yet, most people are conditioned to avoid risk. Leading innovation requires a willingness to pursue a goal without knowing exactly how you’ll achieve it. To overcome the fear of failure and move forward with pursuing the unknown, leaders must learn to embrace the concept of being “directionally correct.”

Meet Chuck

Innovation expert Chuck Swoboda is a pioneer in the LED lighting industry, and has over 30 years of experience in the technology business. He is an author, speaker and host of the “Innovators on Tap” podcast. His new book is The Innovator’s Spirit: Discover the Mindset to Pursue the Impossible.

Timestamped Overview

During this interview, Glenn and I discuss the following topics:

  • The inspiration behind his book
  • What it means to have an innovator’s spirit
  • How leaders can innovate outside of the boundaries
  • Why failure is so important to innovation
  • When and how leaders can know that innovation is not the right thing to do
  • How leaders can continue to innovate as their organization matures
  • How leaders can inspire innovation in their organization
  • How leader can ensure that their organization’s culture enables innovation
  • How leaders enable accountability within the organization

Guest Resources

If you are interested in learning more about Chuck and his resources be sure to check out the following links:

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About the Host

Scott McCarthy

Scott McCarthy is a leadership coach who works with executives, senior leaders and organizations to lead themselves, their teams and their organizations more effectively. A retired Canadian Armed Forces Lieutenant-Colonel, he brings 25+ years of leadership experience, including command of 25 Canadian Forces Supply Depot and responsibility for $8.6 billion in assets.

Scott hosts the Peak Performance Leadership podcast, with more than 300 conversations with leaders, authors and experts, and is the author of You Don’t Know Sh*t About Leadership: And Neither Do I.

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Transcript

The following is an AI generated transcript which should be used for reference purposes only. It has not been verified or edited to reflect what was actually said in the podcast episode. 


 

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