Unlocking corporate innovation and talent. In this episode Judith Germain speaks to Elizabeth Bieniek discussing corporate innovation, collective leadership, and talent management. Elizabeth discusses her approach to collaborative leadership, where she gathers diverse input and feedback, but then makes decisive calls when needed to move a project forward. She highlights the importance of creating an environment where employees feel comfortable sharing their perspectives.
You can listen to Episode 472 on any of the popular podcast platforms or apps (including Spotify, and Audible). If you prefer to listen to your browser you can do that below. Enjoy!
Key Takeaways
- Innovation should be viewed as a mindset rather than a specific project, applicable across various aspects of an organisation
- Effective leadership balances collaboration with decisive action when needed
- Identifying and nurturing raw talent requires looking beyond traditional hiring criteria and creating opportunities for growth
- AI and technology are changing skill requirements, emphasising the importance of understanding underlying concepts and asking good questions
Topics
Elizabeth’s Background and Book
- Transitioned from creative writing to business, then to tech in Silicon Valley
- Led a stealth startup within a large tech corporation
- Published “Cake on Tuesday: 25 Lessons to Unlock Corporate Innovation” in October
Corporate Innovation Approach
- Treat innovation as a mindset rather than a specific project
- Apply innovative thinking to various aspects: processes, hiring, culture
- Leaders should model innovative behaviour
- Implement metrics that reward long-term innovation, not just short-term results
- Create “play time” for teams to think differently about their work
- Balance collaborative input with decisive leadership when needed
Talent Management and Recruitment
- Shift from hiring for 75% of role requirements to 125% may be counterproductive
- Look for potential beyond specific job requirements
- Allow freedom in how tasks are accomplished to foster innovation
- Recognise and nurture talents employees may not realise they have
- Challenge: identifying talent during short recruitment processes
- Consider inclusive hiring practices for neurodivergent candidates
Adapting to Technological Changes
- AI and technology are changing required skills and problem-solving approaches
- Importance of understanding underlying concepts to effectively use new tools
- Balance needed between learning fundamentals and leveraging technology
- Critical thinking and asking good questions remain crucial skills
Making Room for Interpretation
- Allow team members to contribute beyond their core roles
- Create an environment where people feel safe to share ideas outside their expertise
- Example: Operations lead contributed design ideas and received a patent
- Be open to unexpected use cases and customer feedback (e.g., WebEx hologram project)
Next Steps
- Continue exploring innovative approaches to leadership and talent management
- Consider implementing “play time” or similar initiatives to foster innovation
- Review hiring practices to better identify and nurture raw talent
- Explore ways to balance fundamental skills with leveraging new technologies
- Create opportunities for team members to contribute beyond their core roles
In this conversation Elizabeth shares her perspective that innovation is not just about new products or technology, but can be applied to processes, hiring, and the overall mindset and culture of an organisation. She emphasises the importance of leaders modelling an innovative mindset and creating an environment that empowers employees to contribute ideas.
Named one of the most influential ‘Female pioneers in technology’, Elizabeth Bieniek is an author, founder, and Fortune 100 leadership veteran focused on ‘good peopling’ as the secret to exceptional execution.
Elizabeth Bieniek can be found on LinkedIn here. Her website is here.
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