In the Lead Magazine, Spring 2025

INNOVATION

Seton

THE FUTURE OF Survey

Insight and Foresight

The 2025 edition of the survey will build on the success of the 2024 survey and capture cross-cultural insight and foresight on leadership from 18- to 30 -year-old professionals from around the world. We welcome institutions that would like to partner with us on the 2025 survey.

The 2024 survey revealed that trust is the most critical characteristic this generation expects from leaders. This singular value dominated regardless of the country, education level, work experience, or the sex of the respondents. Trust was so compelling a value for Gen Z that it outscored the importance of a leader’s authenticity, the importance of diversity and inclusion, and a purpose-driven leadership focus. Trust is far and away what Gen Z values in their leaders.

CONTACT: ruchin.kansal@shu.edu or karen.boroff@shu.edu

Leap

Building innovation pathways and shaping the future of quantum technology in India.

BY REENA DAYAL YADAV

Estate’s Next Frontier

Redefining spaces for a changing society by creating inclusive and sustainable communities.

BY PAY WU

the Lead With Jordan Sun

The vice president of product at Softbank Robotics America discusses a human-centered, problem-solving approach to innovation and leadership.

BY THE EDITORS

Poker Hands to

Lessons from the poker table: How to apply strategic thinking and risk management to drive innovation success.

BY MONICA JAIN

Lessons

Exploring the merits and challenges of founder-led leadership and the path to scaling innovation responsibly.

BY MIKE GRANDINETTI

Focus

Andrew Felbinger ’12 talks about the challenges of an ever-expanding world and the role of collaboration in addressing urban challenges like housing, climate resilience and economic opportunity. 28

the Crucible

Will universities survive the Gen AI-learning revolution?

BY KATIA PASSERINI

How empathy, compassion and human connection drive organizational growth. BY

APURV GUPTA

| Counterpoint

In The Illusion of Innovation, author Elliot Parker discusses why efficiency is the enemy of true innovation by breaking free from the constraints of short-term gains.

REVIEWED BY PAULA ALEXANDER AND STEPHEN WOOD

Ruchin Kansal, M.B.A. (Editor)

is a professor of practice at Seton Hall University and the founding editor of In the Lead. Prior, he led the Business Leadership Center at the Stillman School of Business, and held senior leadership roles at Capgemini, Deloitte, Boehringer Ingelheim & Siemens Healthineers with a distinguished record in strategy and innovation, digital health, strategic partnerships and business launches. He received his M.B.A. from NYU-Stern.

Katia Passerini, Ph.D.

is provost and senior executive vice president at Seton Hall University. She served as the interim president of the University from 2023 to 2024. She was announced as the 27th president-elect of Gonzaga University on January 15, 2025. Passerini earned a B.A. in political science from Libera Università Internazionale degli Studi Sociali Guido Carli (LUISS) M.A. in economics from the University of Rome Tor Vergata, and M.B.A. and Ph.D. from the George Washington University.

Paula Becker Alexander, Ph.D., J.D.

is an associate professor and chair of the Department of Management at the Stillman School of Business at Seton Hall University. She developed the curriculum for Corporate Social Responsibility, a core course in the school’s M.B.A. program. Routledge published her business ethics textbook, Corporate Social Irresponsibility, in 2015. Her research focuses on firm financial performance, executive comp and socially responsible management.

Jordan Sun, M.B.A.

is the VP of Product at Softbank Robotics. He also served as chief innovation officer for the city of San José and held commercial roles at the intersection of healthcare and technology, including as director of venture development at Siemens Healthineers. Jordan is a veteran of the U.S. Army and the U.S. Department of State with tours across Afghanistan, Japan and Taiwan. He started his career in finance in New York.

Andrew Felbinger, M.B.A.

is a principal at the Urban Innovation Fund, a venture capital firm investing in the future of cities. With the UIF, he’s invested in more than 65 companies and entrepreneurs tackling our toughest urban challenges. Felbinger held roles at Grain Technologies, Castellan Real Estate Partners, and Barclays, where he helped build the firm’s institutional electronic trading desk. He earned an M.B.A. from the Wharton School and a B.S. from Seton Hall University.

Stephen Wood, M.S. consults and writes on policy topics after 43 years on Wall Street and in governmental finance. He specializes in infrastructure and project finance, public-private partnerships, federal and state grant and finance programs. He is also an expert in financial modeling for large, complex capital programs. A speaker at numerous industry conferences, he teaches about corporate social responsibility at Seton Hall.

Mike Grandinetti, M.B.A.

is a former Silicon Valley engineer and McKinsey strategy consultant, and a successful 8X serial tech entrepreneur, helping co-lead two companies to NASDAQ IPOs. He’s an active startup board member, award-winning professor and innovation consultant to executives of global companies. He’s published in HBR, Wharton at Work, Berkeley Haas Case Study Series, Cal (Berkeley) Management Review, Babson Thought & Action and INSEAD Knowledge.

Pay Wu, B.S.

is an executive who excels at strategy and execution. In 2022, she co-founded MWBE Unite Inc., a 100 percent minority and female-owned firm focused on increasing supplier diversity and workforce diversity in commercial real estate. She led the outsourcing business for Cushman & Wakefield in the East region, and has been an executive leader at Deloitte, American Express and TD Bank. In 2020, Pay was named a “Woman of Influence” by Globe Street.

Apurv Gupta, M.D., M.P.H.

is a healthcare transformation expert. An internal medicine physician and VP of advisory services at Premier, he held positions as medical director, chief medical officer, vice president of network performance improvement, and director of care transformation. Gupta completed his internal medicine training at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, received an M.D. and Sc.B. from Brown University, and an M.P.H. from Harvard University.

Reena Dayal Yadav is founder and CEO for QET Council of India (Quantum Ecosystems and Technology Council of India). She is a leader in technology and an innovation management and ecosystems expert. Yadav is on the Global Futures Council at the World Economic Forum, on the Steering Committee of the IEEE Quantum Initiative and on Consultative Committees and Task forces for Quantum constituted at the state and center level in India.

Monica Jain, M.B.A.

is a strategic global leader with a track record for delivering results, transforming businesses, and building legacies while inspiring a generation of empathetic leaders. Jain has worked with global consumer products brands including M&Ms®, Snickers®, Skittles® and Tetley Tea®. She has been recognized for driving sustainable innovation, building highperforming teams and establishing new capabilities and functions at organizations such as Mars, Tata, Disney and IBM.

Lead the Change

I OFTEN tell my students that we get paid to solve problems — and the more complex the problem, the greater the reward. In organizations, the most complex challenges tend to revolve around three key areas: managing, leading and innovating.

• Managing the work of an organization is critical for business continuity.

• Leading an organization is essential for navigating uncertainty.

• Innovating is necessary for sustaining long-term value.

This issue of In the Lead explores the many faces of innovation, offering a rich collection of perspectives from leaders across industries.

You will find that innovation takes on many definitions — each shaped by the unique context of its contributors. Some focus on product innovation, while others emphasize process innovation or the broader innovation ecosystem.

Despite these variations, two challenges confront nearly all organizations: overcoming resistance and measuring impact.

All of this is true. And based on my experience leading innovation at Fortune 500 organizations, four fundamental principles drive innovation success:

• Alignment: Innovation must be recognized as essential for sustaining long-term value by all stakeholders. Without collective buy-in, efforts remain fragmented and short-lived.

• Definition: Every organization must define innovation in a way that works within its culture and strategy. There is no single “right” definition — only one that aligns the organization.

• Balance: Innovation thrives at the intersection of creativity and process.

“Design thinking” fuels ideation, while “systems thinking” ensures execution and scalability.

• Deliberate disruption: To make room for

the new, organizations must be willing to let go of the old. Innovation and disruption must go hand in hand.

That final principle — deliberate disruption — is one of the greatest challenges organizations face.

It is one thing to innovate; it is another to actively dismantle outdated systems, processes and mindsets to create space for new possibilities.

As you read this issue, I encourage you to reflect on how your organization defines, nurtures and sustains innovation.

The future belongs to those who not only generate new ideas but also have the courage to let go of the old.

– Ruchin Kansal

THE NEXT GENERATION OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND INNOVATION

Seton Hall University’s Center of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) acknowledges the broader role of innovation and entrepreneurial skills in our lives and in our futures. Whether our students desire to launch a company or work for a large corporation, it is the innovators and problem solvers — the true entrepreneurs — who create new ideas, products and services that better our society.

The CIE fosters the collaboration of faculty, students, alumni and entrepreneurs through an array of initiatives that advance entrepreneurial learning at Seton Hall. Students are encouraged to transform concepts into practice by kickstarting their entrepreneurial ideas with the support of business mentors.

Business concepts or existing ventures that have been developed by Seton Hall entrepreneurs include:

• Mobile apps

• Computing software

• Online marketplaces

• Consulting services

• Economical sustainability initiatives

• Nonprofit organizations

• Food products

The Founder Factor

Exploring the merits and challenges of founder-led leadership and the path to scaling innovation responsibly.

IN THE dynamic landscape of technology startups and entrepreneurial ventures, “Founder Mode” has emerged as a distinctive leadership paradigm that both captivates and concerns industry observers.

Popularized by influential figures like Y Combinator co-founder Paul Graham, Founder Mode epitomizes the deeply involved, hands-on leadership style often adopted by startup founders, particularly

BY MIKE GRANDINETTI

in their companies’ nascent stages. This approach typically involves founders maintaining significant oversight of critical business decisions, personifying the company’s mission, and exerting direct control over product development and strategic direction.

Iconic entrepreneurs such as Brian Chesky of Airbnb, Elon Musk of Tesla and SpaceX, and the late Steve Jobs of Apple have all exhibited aspects of Founder Mode, all leaving an indelible mark on

their industries. While this leadership style is often credited with fostering rapid innovation and maintaining a clear vision, it also presents significant challenges, especially as companies grow. This article explores the nuances of Founder Mode, examining its merits and drawbacks, and ultimately argues for a balanced approach that integrates elements of both Founder Mode and more traditional management styles to foster sustainable, long-term organizational growth success.

THE MERITS OF FOUNDER MODE

■ Deep Vision and Passion: At the heart of Founder Mode lies an unwavering commitment to a vision. Founders often possess a unique understanding of their product and market, driven by the passion that sparked their entrepreneurial journey. This deep-seated conviction can be a powerful force in navigating challenges and inspiring teams. Jobs’ return to Apple in 1997 exemplifies this — his visionary leadership and intimate knowledge of the company’s ethos were instrumental in Apple’s remarkable turnaround.

■ Agility and Responsiveness: Founder Mode is renowned for the agility it brings to decision-making processes. When founders maintain close control, they can make swift decisions unencumbered by layers of bureaucracy. Musk’s “nanomanagement” style at Tesla and SpaceX epitomizes this approach, enabling rapid iteration and intense involvement

■ Cultural Alignment: Founder Mode can be instrumental in maintaining a strong company culture aligned with the original vision. When founders remain actively involved, they can embody and reinforce the values and mission that define the organization. This cultural consistency can be a powerful tool for attracting talent and keeping employees engaged.

THE DRAWBACKS OF FOUNDER MODE

■ Scalability Challenges: As companies grow, the hands-on approach characteristic of Founder Mode can become unsustainable. The very qualities that make a founder effective in a startup’s early stages — such as involvement in minute details and personal decisionmaking — can become bottlenecks as the organization expands. This challenge is evident in the struggles many founder-led companies face when transitioning from startup to established enterprise.

The rare founder who successfully scales a company combines visionary leadership with the adaptability to embrace structure, delegation, and the input of a strong leadership team.

in every business aspect. This level of responsiveness is particularly valuable during crises, allowing for real-time reactions and strategy adjustments without waiting for managerial consensus.

■ User-Centric Product Development: Founders often maintain a close connection with their user base, ensuring that product development remains aligned with customer needs. This direct line of communication can lead to more intuitive and user-friendly products. Chesky’s hands-on approach at Airbnb, including his practice of regularly using the service and directly engaging with hosts and guests, has been crucial in shaping the platform’s user experience.

■ Risk of Micromanagement:

The intense involvement associated with Founder Mode can sometimes devolve into micromanagement. This can stifle creativity, reduce employee autonomy and lead to a demotivated workforce. It is crucial for founders to recognize when their involvement becomes counterproductive and to learn to delegate effectively.

■ Lack of Diverse Perspectives: Founder Mode can sometimes result in an echo chamber where the founder’s perspective dominates all decision-making. This can lead to missed opportunities and blind spots in strategy. Encouraging diverse viewpoints and fostering an environment

where constructive disagreement is welcomed becomes increasingly important as companies grow.

■ Succession Planning Difficulties: Companies heavily reliant on Founder Mode often struggle with succession planning. The founder’s outsized influence can make it challenging to groom successors or transition to new leadership. This was evident in Apple’s struggles following Jobs’ first departure and underscores the importance of developing a strong leadership bench.

■ Potential for Burnout: The allencompassing nature of Founder Mode can lead to founder burnout. The pressure to be constantly involved in all aspects of the business can take a toll on physical and mental health, potentially jeopardizing the long-term sustainability of the company.

Mark Benioff founded Salesforce in 1999 and remains its chief executive offficer today. He has scaled the NYSElisted company and at the beginning of 2025, its market cap stands at $318 billion, 10 times its revenue. In a recent Wall Street Journal podcast, he stated that Founder Mode emasculates executives.

AN ALTERNATIVE: THE MANAGER MODE

■ Manager Mode is defined as the conventional management style emphasizing structure, processes and delegation. Henrik Torstensson, a general partner at the Nordic venture capital fund Alliance VC and an early team member at Spotify, argues that while some founders are excellent executors, others struggle with the demands of growing a business. He suggests that at a certain point, a skilled manager might be more effective than a founder who lacks execution capabilities. His belief: “When a startup has reached sufficient scale, a great executing manager likely does better than a bad to medium executing founder.”

Closely related is the idea of Adult

Supervision, that experienced managers should take control of startups after the initial founding phase. Two powerful examples are Google hiring Eric Schmidt as CEO, and Facebook hiring Sheryl Sandberg as chief operating officer. Both are credited with helping these companies scale historically unprecedented heights. Benioff speaks about the importance of professional managers “finding the founder within.”

BALANCING FOUNDER MODE AND MANAGER MODE

Regardless of leadership style, successful execution is paramount. As companies evolve, a balanced approach that combines elements of Founder Mode with more structured management practices becomes crucial. This balanced leadership style, which we might call “Adaptive Founder

Mode,” can help organizations scale while retaining their innovative edge. Key aspects of this approach include:

■ Selective Involvement: Founders should identify areas where their direct involvement adds the most value and delegate other responsibilities. This allows them to focus on strategic vision and innovation while empowering their team to manage day-to-day operations.

■ Building a Strong Leadership Team: Investing in a diverse and capable leadership team can complement the founder’s strengths and provide necessary checks and balances. This team should be empowered to challenge the founder constructively and bring fresh perspectives to decision-making.

■ Institutionalizing Vision and Values: Rather than relying solely on the

founder’s presence to maintain company culture, organizations should work to institutionalize their vision and values. This involves creating systems and processes that embody the company’s ethos and can persist beyond the founder’s direct involvement.

■ Embracing Structured DecisionMaking: While maintaining the ability to make quick decisions when necessary, incorporating more structured decisionmaking processes can help balance the founder’s instincts with data-driven insights and diverse viewpoints.

■ Continuous Learning and Adaptation: Founders should commit to continuous personal growth, adapting their leadership style as the company evolves. This might involve formal leadership training, mentorship, or regular feedback

sessions with their team.

Jobs’ success in his second stint at Apple, where he revolutionized the tech industry and the world with products like the iPod and iPhone, demonstrates the power of Founder Mode. However, his eventual success was aided by the operational expertise of Tim Cook, who succeeded him as CEO, highlighting the potential need for both visionaries and strong managers.

CASE STUDY:

JEFF BEZOS AND AMAZON

Jeff Bezos’ leadership at Amazon provides an instructive example of how Founder Mode can evolve. In Amazon’s early years, Bezos was deeply involved in all aspects of the business, from website design to customer service. As the company grew, he adapted his approach, focusing more on high-level strategy and innovation while building a strong leadership team to manage day-to-day operations. Bezos maintained his influence on company culture through mechanisms like the “Day 1” philosophy, which emphasizes maintaining a startup mentality even as a large corporation. His transition to executive chairman in 2021 further shows how founder involvement can evolve while still shaping the company’s direction.

BROADER IMPLICATIONS AND FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS

The debate around Founder Mode extends beyond individual companies, touching on broader societal and ethical considerations:

■ Power Concentration: The concentration of power in founderled companies raises questions about corporate governance and accountability. As these companies grow to have significant societal influence, there’s an increasing need for checks and balances to ensure responsible use of this power.

■ Diversity and Inclusion: The

predominance of Founder Mode in tech startups, often associated with a particular demographic profile, raises concerns about diversity and inclusion in leadership.

Expanding the concept of Founder Mode to be more inclusive and representative is crucial for the industry’s future.

■ Work Culture and Employee Wellbeing: The intense work culture often associated with Founder Mode has come under scrutiny, particularly regarding work-life balance and employee burnout. Future iterations of this leadership style will need to address these concerns to create sustainable work environments.

■ Innovation vs. Stability: As founderled companies become increasingly influential in the global economy, there’s a growing need to balance the drive for rapid innovation with the stability required of major economic players.

MY OWN PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

My first professional role was as an engineer with Hewlett-Packard, the company widely considered to be the grandfather of Silicon Valley. The company created a culture of meritocracy that was decades ahead of its time. The company was named the “Most Admired Company in America” by Fortune magazine and was consistently rated as America’s most innovative company.

Bill and Dave, as the company’s namesake founders were known, took a balanced approach, which enabled the company to reach over $100 billion in revenue. While they remained deeply involved in the company until they retired, they created a startup at-scale organization structure, where new business units were being constantly spun off, enabling young managers to take on significant responsibilities early in their careers, including accountability for P&L. Bill and Dave constantly traveled between their many engineering and

manufacturing locations, serving as mentors and super-connecters.

As a co-founder myself and as board member of many startups, it is clear that it is the rare founder who can effectively scale. Bill Gates, Michael Dell, Mark Benioff, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk are unicorns — those rare leaders who can go from raw startup to a multibillion enterprise. Many simply have no interest. They love starting something new, but have no appetite for structure, process and politics.

Recall that Jobs was fired during his first tour of duty and returned to Apple 12 years later, far more mature and seasoned. Note that Musk is not the founder of Tesla — he joined three years after its founding, and it took him nearly 20 years to grow the company after several existential crises.

CONCLUSION

Founder Mode, with its emphasis on vision, agility and deep involvement, has been a driving force behind some of the most innovative companies of our time. However, as these companies grow and their influence expands, the limitations of this leadership style become apparent. The future of effective leadership in the tech industry and beyond lies in finding a balance — retaining the visionary spirit and passion of the founders while incorporating structures and practices that allow for scalability, diversity of thought and sustainable growth.

The most successful leaders of tomorrow will be those who can adapt their leadership style as their companies evolve, maintaining the innovative edge that drove their initial success while building robust organizations capable of outlasting their founders. This balanced approach — Adaptive Founder Mode — holds the promise of fostering companies that are not only innovative and agile but also sustainable and responsible corporate citizens in an increasingly complex global landscape. L

IN THE LEAD Thank you for speaking with In The Lead, Andrew. Your work at the Urban Innovation Fund is truly inspiring. Could you share your journey with us?

ANDREW FELBINGER Seton Hall will always be home, so I’m thrilled to reconnect with the community.

After graduating from the Stillman School in 2012 with a degree in economics and a minor in sociology, I started my career at Barclays as an interest rate swaps trader. It was everything I’d imagined for my 20s — living in Manhattan, working on Wall Street — fast-paced, loud and exhilarating.

My four years on the trading desk led me to the buy side, where I joined a real estate private equity fund to lead their value-add multi-family acquisitions. This role was a turning point. I found immense satisfaction in the tangible impact of my work — developing and executing a strategy, and seeing it successfully come to life. This experience inspired me to pursue something even greater.

So, I left the cushiness of New York to earn my M.B.A. at the Wharton School of Business, where I committed fully to an asset class that brought me that same thrill: venture capital.

From there, I spent months hopping planes between Philadelphia and San Francisco, talking to anyone — and I mean anyone — who was founding, working for or investing in early-stage startups. That’s when I crossed paths with the general partners of the Urban Innovation Fund. They were young, scrappy, and had just raised their first fund with an ambitious vision: to become the premier seed-stage investor in startups shaping the future of cities. I was hooked.

Fast forward eight years: We’ve raised three additional funds, grown our assets under management by 10 times, and

Andrew Felbinger

Class of 2012

HOMETOWN Northbrook, Illinois

CURRENT POSITION Principal at Urban Innovation Fund

backed over 65 companies alongside some of the world’s most respected investors. I’ve been first money in the door for founders with ideas sketched on napkins that have been transformed into multibillion-dollar businesses.

It’s been a wild ride.

ITL What initially drew you to the field of innovation, and why do you believe others should consider it as a career path?

FELBINGER Disney CEO Bob Iger said, “If you don’t innovate, you die.” While that might sound a bit facetious,

its power lies in its simpliciting: Innovation is the lifeblood of society. Innovation doesn’t have to be grand or complex. It happens everywhere, in all facets of life. You don’t need to be a startup founder or work on the next SpaceX or OpenAI to be an innovator.

Take the local coffee roaster that builds a sustainable supply chain to better align with its customers’ values. Or the landscaper who adopts software to automate bids, streamline scheduling and enable digital payments. Both are examples of innovation — seeing opportunities for progress and acting on them.

When Brian Chesky launched Airbnb, he didn’t introduce any breakthrough technology. Online commerce already existed, and so did couches, spare rooms and travelers. Yet, the idea of strangers paying to stay in someone’s home was unheard of — why would anyone choose that over a hotel? Is it even legal? Chesky’s innovation didn’t come from inventing something entirely new but from challenging conventional wisdom and reimagining what was possible.

Innovation isn’t a job; it’s a mindset. It’s about challenging “how things have always been done” and seeking better solutions. Innovators embrace change and strive for continuous improvement, regardless of their role. Whether you’re an entrepreneur or a barista, this mindset can drive progress.

ITL What are the primary challenges that innovators face today, and how do you personally address these challenges?

FELBINGER The most powerful thing about innovation is also one of its greatest challenges: Every innovation pushes the bounds of what’s possible.

If you want to use computer vision to detect a person’s heart rate based on subtle movements invisible to the naked eye, you can. If you want to deploy software to review millions of pieces of user-generated

content and prevent harmful hate speech or child exploitation, you can.

The possibilities are limitless, but that’s exactly the challenge. “The world is your oyster” has never been truer — or more paralyzing.

The best innovators overcome this by maintaining maniacal focus and clarity of thought. They don’t just build what’s possible — they build what’s essential, the products and services their customers need, not just the ones they can imagine.

As a venture capitalist, I meet with hundreds of entrepreneurs every year. It’s easy to get swept up in the excitement of the “what-ifs” and “what could be.” But my role requires me to stay grounded, to filter the noise, and to ask: Is this solving a real, undeniable problem? Is this a “need to have” or just a “nice to have”?

ITL Looking ahead, what do you see as the biggest challenges for urban spaces? Do you feel equipped to tackle these future challenges?

FELBINGER Creating vibrant communities requires improving the livability, sustainability and economic vitality of cities — simultaneously. This means tackling housing affordability, climate resilience, infrastructure strain and economic opportunity.

Three forces shape the future of cities: urbanization, innovation and regulation. Urbanization brings growth but strains resources. Innovation offers solutions but can outpace regulations. And while regulation ensures equity and safety, it often slows progress. The challenge — and opportunity — is aligning these forces so they work together.

At the Urban Innovation Fund, we invest in startups solving these challenges: electrifying transit, making intelligent healthcare accessible to all, and helping small businesses thrive. I believe the future of cities depends on collaboration — innovators, policymakers and communities

working hand in hand. When we get this right, the result is clear: healthier, more inclusive and more resilient cities for generations to come.

ITL How did your experience at the Buccino Leadership Center prepare you to adapt to change and lead effectively?

FELBINGER The Buccino Leadership Center stands out because it pushes you out of your comfort zone and challenges how you think about success and leadership.

I’ll never forget an eye-opening moment during our year’s Ideas & Trends session when Jack Shannon described how the education system is often structured to reward memorization — ingesting information, storing it, and regurgitating it on tests. But what happens when there’s

collection of different friend groups across campus, we quickly bonded over a shared vision and mission (much like some of the best and most innovative startup teams).

During the chartering process, I was elected president by my fellow founding fathers and was suddenly tasked with the responsibility of building something far bigger than myself — something that could scale and endure well beyond my time at Seton Hall. It was my first real leadership challenge, and it forced me to make tough decisions that impacted the entire brotherhood. I had to prioritize the needs of the group over my own interests and ensure that each choice supported the long-term success of the chapter.

That experience taught me invaluable lessons about leadership — particularly

Innovation doesn’t have to be grand or complex. It happens everywhere, in all facets of life. You don’t need to be a startup founder or work on the next SpaceX or OpenAI to be an innovator.

no clear input, no black-and-white answer, no obvious “right” or “wrong”?

That insight has stuck with me because leading and adapting to change — especially in innovation — rarely comes with a playbook. Success lies in embracing ambiguity, asking the right questions, and rewarding the process: the critical thinking, the reasoning and the ability to make progress when structure doesn’t exist.

The Buccino Leadership Center didn’t just teach us to lead — it taught us how to navigate uncertainty with confidence and clarity.

ITL Was there a particular moment or activity at Seton Hall that marked a turning point in your leadership development?

FELBINGER A pivotal moment in my leadership development came when I became a founding father of Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity. Though it started as a

the importance of aligning a team around a common mission, and the necessity of making decisions that benefit the collective.

ITL What advice would you give to your younger self, knowing what you know now?

FELBINGER Don’t let outside forces dictate your path. I’ve broken just about every “rule” in the playbook — and I wouldn’t change a thing. Your unique path is not a liability; it’s a strength. Embrace it.

I’ll leave you with a favorite quote from one of the greatest innovators of all time, Steve Jobs: “Everything around you that you call life was made up by people no smarter than you. And you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that others can use. Once you learn that, you’ll never be the same again.”

The world is malleable. You have the power to shape it — so don’t be afraid to forge your own way. L

QUANTUM

BUILDING INNOVATION PATHWAYS AND SHAPING THE FUTURE OF QUANTUM TECHNOLOGY IN INDIA.

BY REENA DAYAL YADAV

INNOVATION occurs at various spheres of influence — at an individual level, within companies, across industries, or even at the ecosystem level in a country. It can arise naturally and spontaneously from human ingenuity, emerge out of necessity, or, in the case of industries, be spurred by competition, the desire to carve new niches, or disrupt markets altogether. In emerging technologies, understanding ecosystems and using Innovation Management strategies play a key role in shaping how these technologies develop and at what speed. With a career spanning three decades, I have spent two of those focusing on innovation management, particularly in emerging technologies. This work has involved different spheres of influence, but for the past decade or so, my primary focus has been on emerging technology ecosystems.

When considering innovation at the ecosystem level, there is a fundamental shift in mindset compared to innovating within a company or industry. The emphasis moves from management to influence — operating across multiple dimensions and layers. This journey, while challenging, has been deeply satisfying. Below, I share some of my learnings from this ongoing ► ► ►

experience. Many examples are drawn from my recent work that focuses on enabling and accelerating the quantum ecosystem in India. However, these learnings are universal and applicable to any emerging technology ecosystem.

INSIGHTS ON INNOVATION SYSTEMS THINKING APPROACH TO THE ECOSYSTEM

A technology ecosystem within a country goes far beyond just the companies and people working in the field. It includes multiple stakeholders — government, industry, academia, researchers, investors and end users. The complexity extends to evolving supply chains, value chains, market opportunities and capacity-building needs.

A systems thinking approach allows us to look at the ecosystem as a collection of smaller subsystems that interact with and influence each other. Intervening in one part of the ecosystem may not yield the desired effect unless other parts are also aligned. For example, increasing incentives and grants for startups will not work if the end-user industry is unaware of the technology’s potential, market opportunities are scarce, or skilled talent is unavailable to work in startups. Taking a systems thinking approach, the right kind of interventions can be designed across the subsystems, addressing different dependencies and bottlenecks to progress.

A specific industry might be viewed as the movement of value between entities consisting of that ecosystem. The mapping of the value chain provides knowledge of the roles, functions and interconnections of the entities, and it helps policymakers, researchers and businesses to make effective decisions.

Yet even this framework needed adaptation, leading us to define “allied value chains.” This innovation provided a clearer picture of the Indian ecosystem and is now used in other contexts. For example, quantum computing, communications, sensors and materials are not just part of an isolated quantum value chain; value flows from and to other industries. The most notable of these are the semiconductor, nano technology and electronics industries. These are referred to as Allied Value Chains.

EVIDENCE-BASED INSIGHTS FOR BETTER FORESIGHT

Evidence-based insights are crucially important to gain buy-in. A data-based approach also removes biases that creep in based on knowledge gaps and past experiences of individuals providing policy recommendations.

WE CAN ONLY ASPIRE TO SOMETHING IF WE KNOW ABOUT IT.

In case of quantum, policy recommendations to the government were driven by evidence-based insights. Conducting experiments within the ecosystem helped gather data, which informed actionable insights and, in turn, effective policies.

FIRST-PRINCIPLES APPROACH

Innovatively solving complex problems in new domains often requires a first-principles approach. A first principle is a basic assumption that cannot be deduced any further. For instance, at the Quantum Ecosystems and Technology Council of India (QETCI), we aimed to map India’s quantum ecosystem. Global best practices primarily focused on supply chain mapping. However, given the diverse technologies in quantum computing (e.g., at least 10 different approaches), future supply chains could diverge significantly.

Adopting a holistic approach, we discovered that Porter’s Value Chain was more suitable. Originally proposed by Michael Porter for individual firms, value chain analysis looks at the organization’s activities that collectively contribute to the creation, production and delivery of products or services, enabling insight into which activities create the most value and which ones may be outsourced. The concept has since been extended to study national and international production networks.

A good example is the three-month incubation efforts done by QETCI in 2022. While we wanted to promote more startups in quantum in India and drive policies that support such efforts, it was essential to understand what kind of skill, mindset and motivation existed in the ecosystem for initiating such startups. The incubation effort included support for early-stage ideas with mentorship and the availability of free infrastructure. At the end of two months, we had 40 completed prototypes from 1,626 participants, with 127 projects initially submitted. These were huge numbers.

We were also able to capture data on students vs. industryexperienced participants, the number of female entrepreneurs, and where in India were the teams coming from. All in all, the data was extremely useful in convincing the government that there was enough potential for startups in quantum in India. From six startups in 2021, the number is now close to 45 at the beginning of 2025.

LEARNING FROM OTHERS, ADAPTING FOR INDIA

Efforts in quantum technology across other countries offered valuable lessons. However, applying these best practices without

accounting for India’s context would have been ineffective. For example, India’s strengths in photonics require tailored approaches compared to superconducting qubits or other quantum computing methodologies. On the other hand, Europe’s skill mapping framework for quantum is something that we are finding useful at QETCI as we work on the skill and workforce planning for India.

INSIGHTS ON INNOVATION LEADERSHIP COURAGE IS KEY

In 2021, I realized the impact I wanted to create for quantum in India could not be achieved within a corporate setting. The country needed a catalyst — a dedicated ecosystem entity working with all stakeholders (government, academia, industry, investors, etc.).

When I was thinking of starting QETCI, a little voice in my head highlighted the impostor syndrome I was experiencing. “Who did I think I was, trying to address the quantum ecosystem at a national level?”

Leaving a well-paying corporate job to start QETCI — a nonprofit with no blueprint — required significant courage. It wasn’t just a startup; it was envisioned as an institution supporting India’s quantum aspirations. While the journey continues, the progress over the past three years is motivating.

CO-CONSPIRATORS AND COLLABORATORS MATTER

Courage thrives in the presence of collaborators. The belief and support of my co-founders and governing board members enabled QETCI’s establishment and progress. Together, we’ve laid a path for long-term impact.

ROLE MODELS ARE A GREAT INSPIRATION

I have derived insights and inspiration from those close to me. My father, who is a civil engineer from IIT Madras (IITs are akin to the Ivy League institutions in the U.S.), was born and brought up in a tiny village in Uttar Pradesh. Not only was the village remote, but my grandfather was also a poor farmer.

When my father was 10 years old, he went to the nearby district school for an event and was very impressed by the teachers visiting from a university in the nearest town. He aspired to become a teacher. However, when he was a teenager, a civil engineer visited the village to oversee the construction of irrigation canals. Curious about engineering, my father asked this gentleman many questions and was amazed to learn about engineering as a profession. He was astute enough to ask the engineer about the path to becoming an engineer and studied

extremely hard — topping his district, earning scholarships and later applying for entrance to the IITs.

This story from my father’s life made me realize that we can only aspire to something if we know about it. When we think about quantum education, we want to spread awareness throughout India’s vast and diverse landscape, reaching even the most remote villages, so we can provide knowledge that sparks inspiration. Who knows — perhaps the next Einstein or Roger Penrose equivalent is in a small Indian village right now, waiting for that spark to arrive.

CLARITY OF PURPOSE AND SERVICE MINDSET CREATE THE ALIGNMENT

In navigating complexities, evolving technology and challenging situations, clarity of purpose has been a guiding force. Revisiting our mission statement during moments of doubt ensured alignment with our goals.

As an ecosystem player, QETCI serves and supports all entities, big or small. A service mindset keeps us aligned with our mission.

FINAL REFLECTIONS

Before QETCI’s formation, my work offered important lessons. In 2020, while working at a corporate entity, we trained 900 academicians in quantum information and computing. This was in response to widespread interest from institutions eager to start quantum courses. The scale of interest prompted a shift from our traditional support model to a scalable “train the trainer” program.

Calls from students, Ph.D. scholars, faculty and professionals seeking advice or insights reinforced the need for a nationallevel effort. Questions like “What does the nation need to move forward in quantum?” and “What are the long-term implications for India?” became central to my thought process. These thoughts in turn led to the recognition that a catalyst ecosystem entity was required, which in turn led me to found QETCI, a not-for-profit company whose mission is to enable and accelerate the quantum ecosystem in India and to drive international collaboration in quantum.

QETCI’s existence, however, is a collective achievement. As leaders it would be foolish to assume that our roles are the fruits of our own efforts entirely. While my co-founders and I play roles in this journey, the ecosystem’s collective effort drives success. Gratitude and humility remain the most powerful mantras as we move forward.

As the celebrated poet Robert Frost, an innovator of his time, wrote, “The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, but I have miles to go before I sleep.” L

REAL ESTATE’S NEXT FRONTIER

REDEFINING SPACES FOR A CHANGING SOCIETY BY CREATING INCLUSIVE AND SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES. BY PAY WU

REAL ESTATE is a cornerstone of the economy, contributing nearly 20 percent to the U.S. gross domestic product. Its significance extends beyond asset value, playing a crucial role in the tax base of municipalities. However, the COVID-19 pandemic sparked extensive debate about the industry’s downward trajectory, driven in part by digitization and online transformations that are redefining the purpose of physical spaces. While market discussions often center on declining valuations, they also reveal opportunities for renewal and reinvention.

Innovation in real estate is evident in our daily environments,

where we live, work, play and study, focusing on creating unique experiences that foster community well-being. Leaders who have experienced several cycles of real estate know that down cycles create windows of opportunities for improvement. There is no better time to implement improvements, as new methods, players, processes, capital and technologies are ripe for innovation in this sector.

As an example of innovation, lower office building occupancies created vacancies that have spawned an urban farm industry never possible before. The ability to grow food closer to significant population centers means lower carbon emissions.

Another example would be real estate owners investing in new technologies, as COVID introduced touchless technologies and more sensors in their buildings. Even elevators are getting smarter and delivering people and food based on destination. The pandemic has illuminated several pressing societal challenges and where real estate can be impactful:

AGING POPULATION

In many developed countries, the ratio of older individuals to the working-age population is projected to double or triple over the next 30 to 40 years. As advancements in technology extend longevity, there is a pressing need for innovative real estate solutions tailored for aging populations. Communities and homes must be designed to accommodate older adults who may continue working longer or wish to age in place, especially as assisted living becomes unaffordable for many families. Planned communities offering comprehensive services for aging individuals and working parents in the “sandwich generation” are essential for maintaining workforce productivity.

SHIFT TO HYBRID WORK

The pandemic catalyzed a widespread shift to hybrid work models, a trend that is likely here to stay despite calls for a return to the office. Digital-first employers view hybrid arrangements as essential for attracting talent and enhancing productivity. As organizations grapple with this transition, municipalities must reassess their economic development strategies and tax incentives. A focus on creating vibrant communities where people can live, work, play and study in proximity is critical. This includes promoting affordable workforce housing, integrating educational environments with eldercare facilities, and developing community amenities that foster engagement and a sense of belonging.

WORKFORCE DISENGAGEMENT AND LONELINESS

The workplace, traditionally a hub for social interaction, has changed dramatically. With the rise of social media and shifting generational norms, millennials and Gen Z are less inclined to forge connections with coworkers, opting instead for socializing based on individual interests. This has resulted in increased disengagement and a crisis of loneliness, recently highlighted by the U.S. surgeon general, who equated its health impact to that of smoking. To counteract this epidemic, employers, communities and institutions must create environments that promote engagement — be it through workplace amenities, community centers or repurposed spaces. As the need for office space diminishes, these assets can be transformed to connect individuals and foster social ties, a key determinant of health and well-being.

SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES AND CIRCULAR ECONOMY

Sustainability is increasingly viewed through the lens of inclusive growth, responsible supply chains and positive community impact. Real estate has a pivotal role in driving these goals. Adopting sustainable practices and using eco-friendly materials can significantly mitigate climate impact. Prioritizing supplier diversity can promote community benefits and help build generational wealth as we revitalize our cities.

However, driving such innovations is never easy. Real estate can be an impactful lever to address societal challenges, but as an industry that is slow to adopt new ways and embrace change, resistance often gets in the way.

Founding MWBE Unite created a platform to help lead the industry through needed changes. During our nearly three years of operations, we have led projects and curated teams to tackle a diverse range of project types, from consulting through operations.

THERE IS NO BETTER TIME TO IMPLEMENT IMPROVEMENTS, AS NEW METHODS, PLAYERS, PROCESSES, CAPITAL AND TECHNOLOGIES ARE RIPE FOR INNOVATION IN THIS SECTOR.

The projects span the transformational use of space into hybrid designs, property technology and related data analytics, creating opportunities for alternative uses of campus space for colleges with excess land to address challenges with eldercare and housing. Leading these projects and pursuits require an out-of-box lens on the industry, integrating the following practices:

■ The willingness to set aside the age-old thinking of “we have always done it this way.”

■ Leading through uncertainty and the journey, but also being clear about the value proposition and outcome.

■ Creating a process that is deliberate, and managed with governance.

■ Taking an agile mindset to lead through the change.

Now is the ideal time to innovate the real estate profession by repositioning assets, designing inclusive environments, fostering community collaboration, and enhancing sustainability. Through new technologies — such as drones, automation, robotics, sensors and virtual reality — we have the chance to reshape our spaces for future generations, creating a vibrant world where we can all thrive. L

JORDAN SUN IN THE LEAD WITH

IN THE LEAD WITH IS A CONVERSATION WITH INDUSTRY LEADERS ON KEY TRENDS AND LEADERSHIP CHALLENGES. IN THIS ISSUE, WE SPOKE WITH JORDAN SUN, VICE PRESIDENT OF PRODUCT AT SOFTBANK ROBOTICS AMERICA. HERE HE DISCUSSES THE IMPORTANCE OF A HUMAN-CENTERED, PROBLEM-SOLVING APPROACH TO INNOVATION AND LEADERSHIP.

RUCHIN KANSAL: I met Jordan Sun during my tenure at Siemens Healthineers, where he was serving as director of venture development. A fellow NYU-Stern alum, Jordan currently is the vice president of product at Softbank Robotics. A veteran of the Army and the U.S. Department of State, he also served as chief innovation officer for the city of San Jose.

Jordan, you are committed to making the world a better place. How do you define better?

JORDAN SUN: Leaving the world in a better place comes down to how I grew up. I come from a marginalized community and saw folks around me struggle with everything. One, being able to leave that ZIP code, and two, being able to overcome some of the inherent challenges that I picked up in my formative childhood years, is humbling. I could give young people better access to opportunity and make people deep down inside feel a little bit more hopeful for what’s to come among the challenges and opportunities that they’re facing now, then I think that’s already leaving the world in a better place. When people have their backs against the wall and they feel like they have no other opportunity, if we can make them feel hopeful and believe that life will get better, then I think they’re less willing to commit themselves to short-term thinking that sometimes leads to very negative consequences.

R.K.  Very inspiring, Jordan. A couple of follow-ups on that one: Describe more of the community you come from. I’m also very curious, why do you want to do this?

J.S.  When I served in San Jose in the City Hall, I reflected a lot on this — about my upbringing in South Texas along the TexasMexico border, and then in Houston in a predominantly Asian Latino neighborhood. There was a lot of crime around me — a lot of youthful energy being misdirected or simply not having any direction. I was fortunate to go to a school outside of my ZIP code

by magnet program. I’m extremely thankful for those small turns in life that led to something greater.

As a city, we made significant investments in bridging the digital divide for 100,000 residents, passed a digital privacy policy as the foundation to prepare us for emerging technology adoption, built a data team to make more informed policy decisions and explored how AI and autonomy can improve resident experiences.

R.K.  Was there a mentor or someone who inspired you the way you want to inspire others?

J.S.  During my childhood years, my parents always stood out to me as folks who, as immigrants, were willing to take a risk for a better life and to try to pursue a dream. My dad came from Taiwan, and he just knew that he needed to be in America, the land of freedom and opportunity. I am guided by the same principles, pursuing that better opportunity rather than settling early on. The other part of it was understanding the importance of education. I didn’t grow up with tiger parents. But their overall philosophy of pursuing opportunity is what I give credit to. Seeing the smart kids around me in high school and doing what they did was helpful. I remember asking them what they were doing that weekend and they said they were going to SAT prep. I asked, what’s SAT prep? That really woke me up — oh, my gosh, there’s a whole list of things that people are doing to prepare, and I need to focus on that too. Because that gets me out of this place and into another place.

R.K.  I wish I knew this side of your story a long time back. I’m really amazed. How did you go from those early beginnings in the military to leading innovation in health care, public sector and now robotics?

J.S.  I think innovation didn’t have “innovation.” In fact, what is more important is to understand how to manage change.

The word innovation fundamentally stems from when an

organization or an industry has realized that change is necessary, but they really can’t (a), define what that change needs to be, and (b), what are the problems inhibiting that change? And most importantly, getting people to change, which is a people process and often the greatest inhibitor to innovation.

R.K.  So very interesting. What you’re saying is we don’t need to call everything organizations do differently as innovation?

J.S.  It is change and not innovation that has a significant disruptive impact.

R.K.  Is it then accurate to say that your definition of change is the paradigm shift to where an industry is, where it needs to be, and how it gets there?

J.S.  Yeah, that would be a very fair definition.

R.K.  And why do you say that you don’t want the term “innovation” in your title?

J.S.  Often, innovation is misconstrued as technology. There is also the myth that if we follow certain processes, we will get to an innovative outcome. Remember when human-centered design was all the rage? I must give credit to the early waves of innovation, but we need to ask if that definition still holds. Or are we talking about something else now?

We need to have a process to look at problems, define them, make further discoveries, attempt to quantify them and to iterate on that. And I think we could do better by being specific rather than lumping them all under “innovation.” For instance, once the pursuit of “innovation” has identified the fundamental challenges or blockers to adoption; using the term innovation fully captures or clarifies what needs to change. In the defense industry, people often identify procurement reform as the significant blocker to getting the warfighter solutions they need to be successful.

R.K.  Let’s go back to your time in the industry. Describe for me an experience that you would call innovative, disruptive or transformative, and then use that example to define the term innovation.

J.S.  My current company, SoftBank, did a fundamental shift in our robotics investments when we moved from a single product portfolio to a multi-OEM (original equipment manufacturer) product portfolio. It is a monumental shift to go from an OEM to a robot integrator, and I give a lot of credit to the team.

What we’ve come to realize is that we need to be hyperfocused on what does the market needs from us.

When we talk to a lot of robot founders now versus 10-20 years ago, people are less in love with simply building robots and more focused on solving problems with robots. For example, AMP robotics recently raised a large sum of money and brought in a new CEO who is a veteran of the waste and recycling business, and the founder CEO became the chief technology officer. We’re starting to

see this movement where robotics companies are maniacal about solving problems in the industries they want to live in.

Which is what I think makes a good robotics company today. Robotics companies need to move away from the traditional industrial, manufacturing and logistics-use cases into the next wave of unlocking opportunity where robots can really make a difference in our society and in our businesses.

In the dot-com era, every company was an internet company. We have seen the same trend with generative AI and robotics. I think we’re starting to break from the fact that you don’t need the product or the product category in your company name itself. Rather, you need to be hyperfocused on solving a problem, what are the fundamental drivers of the problem, and a deep understanding of how to drive change management. Otherwise, you are just an innovation project and kind of missing the point.

R.K.  What you are essentially saying is innovation is not just coming up with a product or an idea. Innovation is when you can apply an idea to solve a problem and generate a return.

J.S.  Yes. Industries that are getting digitized around robots right now have traditionally not been impacted by technology as much.

HUMILITY IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT WHEN DEALING WITH PEOPLE. YOU’RE NOT OMNIPOTENT, AND THERE’S ALWAYS SOMETHING SOMEONE WOULD KNOW THAT YOU DON’T.

So, you must think about what all the holdback was, you just really must be obsessed with that industry, its customers and with solving their problems. I think that’s where the most successful founders will be. For instance, we have so much opportunity to rethink managing and operating buildings in the commercial real estate world. However, when you walk into an office building or mall right now, you might wonder how much of the experience is digitized or automated. What would digitization or automation improve in the occupant or visitor’s experience — let’s say in a shopping mall? We can think about how floors are cleaned, how security systems are managed to reduce theft or active shooter risks, or how do you surface relevant products or restaurants to the shopper.

R.K.  Talk about the challenges a leader faces in driving such change. J.S. One, a leader must understand what the core of the organization cares about. If one is not able to understand and internalize it, you’re really going to lose sight of it. So, to be an effective change agent, either you come from within the core, or

you’re able to drop in but still build deep trust and a collaborative spirit with that core. Two, you must be clearly able to articulate your strategy and your goals. You must build and narrate a story that points to what success looks like, that it’s doable, and that together you can go even higher. It’s important to be able to do that mapping exercise first and foremost. Three, you must figure out how to gather talent — internally. And finally, you must think through and implement process and policy changes that need to happen. At the end of the day, there is always an impact component, and a cost component, because people look at risk rewards. Being able to articulate the risk and reward is essential.

R.K.  Interestingly, you did not mention technology at all.

J.S.  Yes, because you need to be able to define the problem first. Technology is a means to get you to the solution. For example, with robotics, all you need to know at the start is whether there is connectivity in the building, coupled with basic privacy and cyber constraints. I would say the best people that I see do this well repeatedly are salespeople that are good at solution selling. They do problem mapping very well.

R.K.  Talk to me about three values, leadership behaviors or traits that make Jordan Sun a successful leader of change.

J.S. My first is being able to quickly catch up on any new problem set or environment that I’m in, and to be able to see through the fog and really focus on what needs to get done. And then being able to articulate a vision, gain consensus and alignment around that vision, and build a plan for execution. I would credit this ability to my experience working in high-friction markets for the last 15 years. The second is having a high tolerance for ambiguity and chaos and being able to stabilize others around me. It’s never easy and sometimes takes longer than you anticipate. So really

being able to be calm about it and calm others is important, because you don’t want to lose your best talent. Also, good things just take a little bit longer, and so being able to negotiate that time is important and part of it is keeping folks’ calm. The third I would say is having a good sense of the basic management principles, focusing on business outcomes, and being detail oriented. The ability to speak to finance, ability to understand the numbers, or having people do that for you and trusting them in doing that. Knowing who to bring along with you and being able to delegate to the experts when you need to is really important as well.

R.K.  You answered two aspects of managing change. One, that you need to understand the environment, the expected outcomes, the constraints and your ability to operate under that. Two, you described yourself as a change agent, which is being able to live with ambiguity, see through the fog, stay calm and keep your team calm. Three, being business results oriented.

Is that a good formula to drive change overall? Is that your message to other leaders?

J.S.  I don’t think there is a one-size-fits-all approach. I think it depends on the industries or sectors that you’re in, your own personality, and the people that are willing to join you for the ride. And there are a lot of X factors in all those mixes.

This is just the mix that works for me so far, and I would say I need to constantly evolve myself. In terms of what I need to do better and how I need to improve. Because if you lose sight of that, then you become a relic of the past.

R.K.  Yeah, absolutely. If you don’t learn, you become a regular quickly. Now you know this issue of In the Lead is about leading innovation, which you say should be redefined. Anything else that you would like to share with the readers?

J.S.  I would say two things — humility and trust. I think humility is important to be a constant learner. Humility is especially important when dealing with people. You’re not omnipotent, and there’s always something someone would know that you don’t. The second is trust. You always need to be building and maintaining trust. Trust can be easily broken. My parents used to tell me — you can do 100 things right, you can do 99 things right, but it only takes one wrong to lose someone’s trust, and you can never really make up for it. I think integrity is a key underlying factor of building trust.

R.K.  Jordan, thank you to your parents for raising you and giving you all these values. You must be proud of them. I’m honored to know your story.

J.S.  I appreciate the opportunity, and I’m honored to have shared my journey with you. I really appreciate how the world has brought us together over and over again, so thank you. L

FROM POKER HANDS

LESSONS FROM THE POKER TABLE: HOW TO APPLY STRATEGIC THINKING AND RISK MANAGEMENT TO DRIVE INNOVATION SUCCESS.

BY MONICA JAIN

TO BUSINESS PLANS

IN MY FAMILY, I am infamous for always having a deck of cards tucked in my purse on vacations.

• On the beach? Let’s play bluff!

• Flight delayed? How about a round of go fish!

• Keeping the kids awake until midnight on New Year’s Eve? Time for slapjack!

As the kids have grown older, we have decided it’s time to add a new “life skill” to their repertoire: poker! Armed with a brandnew poker set and a trusty cheat sheet, we dove into the world of poker on a recent family vacation.

As a competitive mom who doesn’t let her kids win, I couldn’t resist doing a bit of research to understand what it takes to master poker. As I read, I had an unexpected realization: The skills that matter most in poker aren’t all that different from the ones needed to lead innovation.

Stick with me here. I’ll admit up front that I’m no poker pro, so bear with me if my references aren’t perfect. But I promise, the parallels are worth exploring!

POKER TIP #1

KNOW THE PLAYERS

LEADING INNOVATION TIP #1 BE CONSUMER OBSESSED

IN POKER, players are taught to get to know everyone at the table and adjust their strategy accordingly. A well-known poker adage reminds us “You don’t play the cards in front of you, you play the [person] across from you.” Often, understanding your opponent’s playing style is more critical than the hand you’re dealt.

In the world of innovation, this principle translates to understanding your consumer. As a marketer, I was trained to be consumer obsessed. Consumers cannot be an afterthought — innovation must begin and end with them.

To create meaningful and sustainable innovation, we need to gain an understanding of consumers’ needs, wants, behaviors and motivations. By identifying unmet needs, we can develop solutions that deliver real value. This focus is crucial, especially considering that, according to Nielsen, only 15 percent of new consumer packaged goods (CPG) in the U.S. remain in the market after two years.

Spending time with your consumers is essential. As leaders in the consumer industry, we must prioritize store visits and even home visits to observe how consumers shop and use our products. The insights gained from these experiences can be transformative.

During my time in the confectionery industry, I visited consumers’ homes to discuss our brands. I discovered that many loved our packaging so much that they kept the empty boxes for years, repurposing them to store personal belongings. This insight inspired us to think differently about

innovation. By combining this finding with the growing trend of personalization, we developed custom, personalized gift boxes for the holiday season — a hit with our consumers. Mine still sits on my shelf!

POKER TIP #2

UNDERSTAND THE GAME

LEADING INNOVATION TIP #2

DEFINE YOUR OBJECTIVES

AS A NEW POKER PLAYER, my first step has been to learn the poker hand rankings. Understanding these rankings allows me to make informed decisions, develop strategies and increase my chances of winning.

Similarly, when leading innovation, the first step is to define your goal. While creating value may be the overarching objective, it is essential to clarify what type of innovation you’re pursuing.

Are you focusing on incremental innovation — making minor improvements or changes to products to maintain consumer interest and keep your business competitive?

Or are you aiming for breakthrough innovation — developing entirely new markets or disrupting existing ones to drive change, enter untapped white spaces or address unmet consumer needs? According to Forbes, less than 10 percent of CPG innovation is truly breakthrough.

Once your focus is clear, establish specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound (SMART) goals to guide your efforts. These goals ensure alignment and provide a framework for tracking progress. Create a regular cadence for reviewing and refining these goals to stay on course and adapt to evolving market conditions.

POKER TIP #3 UNDERSTAND WHEN TO PLAY AND WHEN TO FOLD

LEADING INNOVATION TIP #3 KNOW WHEN TO WALK AWAY AND WHEN TO DOUBLE DOWN

THERE’S A POPULAR POKER QUOTE: “The only thing you really need to know about poker is to know when to hold ’em and when to fold ’em.” It underscores the importance of knowing when to play a hand and when to fold, based on your cards and opponent’s behavior.

Innovation follows a similar principle. Not every launch will be a success, and the real skill lies in knowing when to stick with an idea and when to walk away. While there’s no universal formula for deciding when to pivot or abandon a project, the key is finding the balance between patience and vulnerability.

Sometimes, we become so attached to our ideas — or invested in the time and resources spent — that walking away feels too emotional. On the other hand, organizations can sometimes lack patience, discarding a product prematurely when it doesn’t deliver immediate results. Instead of giving up, we should embrace agility, learn from setbacks and refine the idea.

While working in Africa in the gum business, we launched an innovation for our No. 1 brand: We changed the color of our historically white pellets to yellow. As marketers, we believed the yellow color better represented the fun, playful nature of the brand. However, within days, consumer feedback was overwhelmingly negative. Our loyal customers felt we had altered a beloved brand, and they were not happy about it.

Faced with this backlash, we reversed 18 months of work to go back to the original white pellets. We had misjudged consumer attachment to the brand. However, our decision-making process allowed us to course-correct without causing permanent damage to the brand’s reputation. This experience reinforced the importance of staying closely connected to consumer sentiment and being willing to adapt quickly when necessary. Had we been reluctant to admit defeat, the brand could have been irrevocably hurt.

POKER TIP #4 MANAGE YOUR BANKROLL

LEADING INNOVATION TIP #4 SUPPORT YOUR INNOVATION

I WAS SURPRISED to discover that one of the most common tips for poker success is managing your money — or your “bankroll.”

Playing above your means or taking excessive risks can quickly lead to losing everything. Good money management is essential for successful poker — and the same holds true for successful innovation.

In innovation, resources matter. For an initiative to succeed, an organization must be willing to back it with financial, human and technological support. There are countless examples of failed innovation stemming from insufficient resource allocation. If an organization is not willing to put some skin in the game, why would a consumer? After all, if a consumer can’t find your product or isn’t aware of its value, how can they buy it?

While innovation with limited support can sometimes succeed, thanks to a strong brand reputation, a niche market or the benefit of viral marketing, most innovation efforts require robust backing. Resources fuel awareness, accessibility and ability to scale.

As poker writer Terrence “V.P. Pappy” Murphy wisely said, “Gambling is not about how well you play the games, it’s really about how well you handle your money.” The same principle applies to innovation: Managing resources effectively can be the difference between success and failure.

POKER TIP #5

DON’T TAKE LOSSES PERSONALLY LEADING INNOVATION TIP #5 FAIL FAST AND FAIL FORWARD

FAILURE IS INEVITABLE. In poker, sources suggest that only 0-15 percent of players consistently win, with the majority of them losing money. Among those who do win, only a small percentage achieve a significant success rate. The odds of long-term success in poker are stacked against most players.

Innovation faces similarly daunting odds. According to Neilsen, up to 85 percent of CPG innovation fail. The reasons are many: prioritizing short-term goals over long-term strategies, rushed product launches, poor understanding of the consumer or competitive landscape, lack of agility or insufficient support. Innovation is undeniably hard. As consumers, we often see large companies playing it safe with incremental innovation — new flavors or minor tweaks to existing products. Meanwhile, smaller, nimbler and less risk-averse players often sneak in with truly groundbreaking innovation. This is because there is a lot at stake.

With the odds against us, how can leaders drive successful, sustainable innovation?

We must be prepared to fail — but fail fast and fail forward. As in poker, we can’t take our losses personally. Instead, we need to accept failure as a learning opportunity and use it as a road map for future success. Shifting your mindset to see setbacks as steppingstones to greater achievements requires resilience, agility and perspective. A mindset of continuous improvement is essential for navigating the challenges of innovation.

So, is launching innovation just gambling?

Innovation, much like poker, is a game of strategy, adaptability and resilience. It starts with understanding the “players at your table” — your consumers — so you can meet their needs and create meaningful value. It requires setting clear goals, whether pursuing incremental improvements or aiming for disruptive breakthroughs. Agility and vulnerability allow us to understand “when to hold ’em and when to fold ’em.” Just as poker demands careful bankroll management, successful innovation depends on allocating the right resources to bring ideas to life. And finally, it demands a mindset that embraces failure — not as the end, but as a steppingstone to future success.

By combining consumer obsession, strategic focus, resource management and a willingness to learn from setbacks, leaders can stack the odds in their favor. Innovation may not always guarantee a win, but the right approach can create a lasting impact — one that keeps you in the game and ahead of the competition. L

Reluctantly Innovative

Will universities survive the Gen AI-learning revolution?

WHEN ASKED to write about leading innovation in universities, I wondered if this was an oxymoron. Higher education institutions are often seen as slow-moving giants, better known for resistance to curricular innovation, a careful emphasis on history and tradition, and a general unwillingness to change.

On second thought, I realized that I was wrong. The fact that innovation is challenging in academia does not mean it does not exist — it is just a type of innovation likely to be prudently paced and that can survive the test of time. After all, no institution has lasted in its original form since the foundation of universities in medieval times.

At the same time, universities

have remained grossly unchanged and uncompromisingly stuck to their core missions: to preserve, produce and disseminate knowledge. They have maintained primacy as cradles of traditional knowledge while developing new knowledge.

At a closer look, it becomes clearer that universities innovate continuously, steadily, and, yes, reluctantly. This reluctance is the saving grace that protects higher ed from the latest fads and helps endure the test of time.

Therefore, I decided that rather than postulating on how to lead innovation in higher education, I would look at the evolution of universities and try to answer two questions: First, have universities survived the test of time, and if so, how?

BY KATIA PASSERINI

Second, can universities now survive the disruption of the personalized learning era with generative artificial intelligence?

HISTORY AND EVOLUTION OF UNIVERSITIES: SURVIVING THE TEST OF TIME

The University of al-Qarawiyyin in Morocco (founded in 859 as a mosque) and the University of Bologna in Italy (circa 1088) are considered the earliest continuously operating universities.

A number of universities started as religious communities or linked with cathedrals and monasteries, formed to train clergy and preserve sacred texts. They quickly evolved by broadening their scope to focus on philosophy, mathematics and astronomy, laying the

groundwork for a more comprehensive exploration of knowledge.

Over time, especially starting from the Renaissance and Enlightenment periods, a wave of humanist thought pushed universities to focus more on classical texts, liberal arts and the early scientific method. They helped spark transformations in art, science and culture, and their curricula began to center on general world knowledge, becoming incubators of new ideas. By the 19th and 20th centuries, universities had expanded rapidly, accommodating more students from diverse backgrounds and offering education to the masses. This was the period of the Humboldtian model in Germany, which later inspired the research university, tying scholarly inquiry and teaching together.

By the mid-20th century, universities had become cradles of progress, producing innovations in technology, medicine and social sciences and linking teaching and scholarship. Especially in the United States, they fueled economic growth by investing in research and establishing incubators to nurture startups. Today, most universities prepare students for lifelong careers while imparting what is needed to succeed in knowledge-intensive professions such as health, life sciences, business, engineering and law.

THE HOW OF SURVIVAL: EXPLAINING LONGEVITY

While not known for fast-paced innovation, universities can merge adaptability with tradition and ground their changes in an in-depth process of experimentation, evaluation and course correction when necessary, and to some extent, free from market logic.

More importantly, they help the cultural evolution of society, being the first point of contact for learners who will be future engaged citizens and influencers. The interconnection with culture and the needs and wants of

new generations are unique and vital because universities do much more: They undertake research and study that shapes public policy, fosters community engagement, and creates lifelong bonds. The university experience creates a special connection with those who shape important formative years for students, including professors and classmates.

Even if it may not be immediately evident, universities have adapted mightily since their inception. Pedagogical methods have adjusted to diverse learners and modes of learning. Curricula have morphed from individualistic learning and reflection to the construction of knowledge within teams. Instead of just sitting in a class to earn credit hours, students now experience many delivery modes (in-person, online, hybrid) and other experiential learning opportunities outside of the classroom, ranging from internships, co-op, study abroad, undergraduate research, service learning, clinical activities and many more, all considered part of the more extensive educational experience. Driven by changing accreditation models and frameworks, universities are slowly moving away from a fixed notion of learning outcomes to learning modules built around competencies and skills needed to show mastery in a given field. In reality, universities have fully embraced the notion that everything changes. These changes need to be navigated, syllabi need to be updated, skills need to be refined, and new skills need to be developed. This continuous flux of change is challenging to keep up with and explains the need to renew support for paradigms that offer a sense of permanency (like the tenure system) and moments of reflection and recharge (like the sabbatical). These enable instructors to continuously refine and adapt, free from the pressure of producing and allowing room for “the pace” and “the space” necessary for meaningful change.

SAMPLING A FEW MODES OF ADAPTATION

We have already seen some different models for educational adaptation, with four examples emerging: 1) Fully online classes (replacing brick-and-mortar schools and only operating online); 2) the hybrid (a mix of face-to-face and online); 3) the castle (focused on the Socratic, in-person model, residential campus only); and 4) the corporatized (where business partners with universities to deliver professional development opportunities). These models acknowledge a progressive change in university operations, especially with the support of new technology. Through multiple tech tools, universities have reengineered their value chain, including campus services, teaching and learning, publishing and research, student support, employee interactions, community engagement and fundraising.

Some might think that there is nothing to worry about, and that universities are ready to survive with some adjustments again today, as they have done before.

Except that this assumption would now be wrong. The technology we are dealing with today fundamentally differs from the general-purpose technologies of the past. Early massive open online courses (MOOC) were dull, depersonalized and too crowded. The learning experience felt anonymous and autonomous from the individual. The basic principle of success for the MOOC — the adaptation to the masses — led to their lack of stickiness. The masses started, and did not finish, and then became disengaged. This is unlikely to happen with generative AI.

THE IMPENDING CATACLYSM: GENERATIVE AI AND THE LOSS OF (LEARNING) CONTROL

While we do not know enough yet about how generative AI learns and evolves, we do know that it is designed for engagement: It connects with the user in personal and contextual ways and

adjusts to the user’s needs and wants. Applications may provide individual counseling, and individuals may interact with them as if they were “real beings” with the illusion that the AI understands and empathizes with them, because it looks and feels like it does.

If one is not looking for 100 percent accuracy and can get by with a certain level of approximation, then today’s generative AI is absolutely fine. Tomorrow will be better because the version we use today is the worst we will ever use.

This continuous evolution and betterment will force us to rethink the way we must teach. Even when tempered through ethical standards and honor codes, students, administrators and faculty alike are experimenting with generative AI, and if not, they should be. Not knowing

lose control of the learning experience, and we are going to have to rely, reluctantly, on a tool we do not fully understand.

We need to rethink pedagogical models and treat AI as a co-creator of content, a companion for test preparation (it does score better in standardized tests, probably because it has memorized the underlying knowledge base), an enabler of productivity acceleration, and ultimately, a cyborg that we will need to live with.

The only way to control the evolution of generative AI may be to consider it an extension of “us,” to consider it as “a person,” or “multiple persons” (based on the prompt, chatbots like ChatGPT may acquire different personalities), humanizing them, and trying to understand identify their limitations. We accept that humans are fallible, that we

Universities can merge adaptability with tradition and ground their changes in a process of experimentation, evaluation, course correction and, when necessary, free from market logic.

the potency and limitation of a tool that is going to replace routine job skills and increase productivity (the ultimate holy grail of an employer) would be anachronistic. It would be like typing a paper on a typewriter, or completing return on investment calculations manually instead of using a spreadsheet with embedded formulas. There might be a time to do so (the learning phase), but not after the basic knowledge has been acquired and mastered.

If today’s generative AI errors are somewhat scary, and in other published research we highlight the limitations in analytical methods we still identify in chatbots like ChatGPT, we need to remember that technology evolves and that machine learning systems learn and retain at an infinitely higher level than we do. If we do not understand that, we are going to

may lie, that we generally excel if we work hard, and that we prefer to think with love and kindness. But we remain vigilant about others’ behavior with the right amount of suspicion and doubt. Let us do the same with generative AI.

CONCLUSIONS: CONTROL, SURRENDER OR SURVIVE?

Since we cannot fully control what the AI learns and how it reassembles information once an immense knowledge base is part of its training data lake, we could consider establishing boundaries through specialization and training on small data models (as opposed to large data lakes), trying to retain the human at the center of the equation. An unsupervised learning AI could as well put the machina at the center and lead to possibilities and combinations that we are currently unable to conceive

(we are not trained on, nor do we remember, the infinitely large data input that some of the most sophisticated AI are now trained with).

The industrial revolution substituted manual agricultural labor with machinesupported labor. The data revolution enabled better decision-making through analysis and management of data, replacing the knowledge worker. Now the AI revolution is substituting the brain to the point that we could risk making ourselves obsolete.

Or, we could make ourselves more productive, automate mundane and time-consuming tasks, such as writing operational memos or producing meeting minutes and action items, and use the efficiencies to focus on higher-level tasks or spend more time on family, our well-being and other fulfilling activities. Those opportunities cannot be replaced; we have too little time in today’s fast-paced environments. This change of approach may even generate savings for organizations that are spending too much on mental health resources and trying to reduce the stress of expectations and demands.

Eventually, universities that wish to lead need to take this transformation seriously and decide what role AI will play in the future: Substitution? Augmentation? Isolation or insulation (back to a monastic model)? It may just be time to rethink the role of universities, but less reluctantly this time. While we have argued that taking time to reflect and discern is what has kept universities alive, the rate of adoption of generative AI may not allow us to wait this out. ChatGPT took less than two months to reach 100 million downloads, compared to 14 years for that number of computer users, 22 years for television, 50 years for landline telephones, and 62 years for automobiles.

It is not that the “sky is falling.” It is that our “students have taken flight.” L

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The Heart of Innovation

How empathy, compassion and human connection drive organizational growth.

LOVE AND innovation, seemingly disparate concepts, are surprisingly interconnected. On the surface, love is an emotional, human experience, while innovation suggests a mechanical, cerebral process focused on problem-solving and improvement.

However, when we dive deeper, we discover that love fuels innovation, while innovation amplifies our ability to express and experience love. Together they are

BY APURV GUPTA

instrumental in shaping human progress, fostering creativity and enhancing well-being.

In the fast-paced, competitive world of modern business, the idea of love may seem out of place. Organizations are discovering, however, that love is not only compatible with success but can also drive innovation and sustainable growth. This is particularly the case for healthcare organizations challenged by employee disengagement, burnout and

turnover while facing increasing pressure to deliver results as margins get tighter. By prioritizing love — that is, empathy, care and emotional intelligence — and creating environments where creativity flourishes and employees feel they belong, organizations can foster greater collaboration and willingness to improve, resulting in better patient safety and care, better patient experience, and ultimately, overall greater profitability.

So, love and innovation are not just complementary forces, but essential ingredients in building organizations that thrive in the long term.

WHAT ARE LOVING ORGANIZATIONS?

A loving organization is one where the well-being of everyone is a central priority, where there is a culture of mutual respect, support and compassion. Leading with empathy and trust encourages open communication and creates an environment where everyone feels valued.

Loving organizations prioritize human connections and acknowledge that emotional and psychological needs are as important as professional skills and output. This is a practical strategy that drives engagement, retention and — perhaps most surprisingly — innovation.

Such organizations put the focus on what they can do to make their environment more loving and compassionate rather than expecting more from already overburdened and overwhelmed individuals. Workflows, policies, tools, culture, leadership and management all help support an environment of love and compassion.

LOVE AS A CATALYST FOR INNOVATION

Innovation is often thought to be a product of intellectual brilliance, but in loving organizations, it is understood as something far deeper: a byproduct

of trust, collaboration and a sense of purpose. When people feel valued and supported, they are more likely to take risks, share creative ideas, and work together to solve problems.

Here’s how love catalyzes innovation:

■ Growth Mindset and Emotional Intelligence: Love catalyzes a growth mindset. A growth mindset values learning and supports individual development and organizational growth. There is an emphasis on the idea that challenges and setbacks can be overcome, that the performance of others can inspire us rather than result in envy and competition, that we can learn from feedback rather than perceive a personal attack, and that effort is the path to mastery, rather than taking shortcuts.

The growth mindset can be developed within individuals and within organizations. Learning is critical to innovation, as it encourages risk-taking without fear of failure and supports collaboration rather than competition.

Additionally, organizations that value emotional intelligence are better equipped to navigate complex interpersonal dynamics. Emotional intelligence fosters stronger relationships, better communication and conflict resolution skills, which are critical when working through the challenges of innovation. Disagreements lead to constructive outcomes rather than setbacks.

■ Psychological Safety and Empathetic Leadership: In a loving organization, employees feel they may express ideas without fear of judgment or failure. This is a breeding ground for innovation as it encourages experimentation and learning from mistakes. When people know they are loved for who they are, they feel empowered to think outside the box and push boundaries.

Leaders exhibit empathy as they listen to their employees, consider their

perspectives, and create a nurturing work environment. This increases employee loyalty and sparks innovation, as workers feel their voices matter and are encouraged to contribute novel ideas.

■ Collaborative Spirit and Culture of Inclusivity: Love in an organization fosters genuine connections between people. Collaboration is not just transactional; it is relational. Employees are more likely to support one another, share knowledge, and work together to achieve common goals. This collective energy generates new ideas and innovations that individuals working in isolation might not have conceived.

A loving organization is also inclusive, recognizing and celebrating the diverse talents and perspectives that each employee brings. Innovation becomes more organic. Diverse teams generate

tools, workflows, policies, leadership, management — is implemented with love. This creates a default culture that can outlast turnover and is not dependent on individual heroic behavior. A focus on love helps make innovation and creativity more likely to be catalyzed when individuals are operating at the top of their game in terms of alignment with mission, vision and purpose and charged with meaning and engagement.

HOW INNOVATION SHAPES AND AMPLIFIES LOVE

Technology has dramatically altered how we connect with one another. Social media platforms, video calls and instant messaging have redefined relationships, allowing love to cross physical boundaries. Families separated by thousands of miles can now communicate instantly, sharing

In a loving organization, employees can express ideas without fear of judgment or failure. This is a breeding ground for innovation and encourages experimentation and learning from mistakes.

a wider array of ideas and solutions, as different viewpoints lead to more comprehensive problem-solving.

■ Purpose-Driven Innovation: Love in an organizational context also means caring deeply about the impact of the company’s products or services on society. Innovation is often purpose-driven, aiming to make a difference in people’s lives. Employees are motivated not just by profit but by the desire to create something that will improve the well-being of others. This can lead to innovations that are both ethically grounded and transformative.

■ Focus on Systems: The responsibility for creating an environment of love and compassion is incumbent on the organization itself, not only on its people. Everything about the organization — its mission, vision, values, culture,

in each other’s lives in ways that were unimaginable a generation ago.

Healthcare innovations, too, allow us to love better by extending life expectancy, improving quality of life, and reducing suffering. From pacemakers to telemedicine, innovations help us take better care of those we love, ensuring they live healthier, fuller lives. The ability to monitor and support a loved one’s health remotely, for instance, empowers caregivers to offer continuous care even when physical presence is impossible.

Such things as mindfulness apps and therapy platforms help individuals understand their emotions and cultivate healthier relationships. In doing so, they foster deeper connections, a greater capacity for empathy, and, ultimately, more profound experiences of love.

LOVE AS A FRAMEWORK FOR ETHICAL INNOVATION

In a world increasingly driven by technological advancement, love also serves as an important ethical compass. As we innovate, we must constantly ask ourselves: Are we improving the human experience? Are we designing systems that promote empathy, fairness and inclusivity?

Innovations such as artificial intelligence (AI) and automation may revolutionize industries, but without the guiding force of love, they risk dehumanizing us or exacerbating inequalities. When approached from a place of care for humanity, however, these technologies can be shaped to support human dignity, equity and flourishing.

For example, AI-powered platforms can be used to combat mental health issues by providing support to those in crisis or offering personalized education. With love as a guiding principle, innovation can become a tool for fostering connections, building understanding, and elevating human well-being.

THE ROLE OF LOVING LEADERSHIP

The organizational transformation to becoming more loving is naturally led by the organization’s leaders. Often the CEO is the critical driving force; however, that is not necessarily so. One entity’s changes were led by their chief clinical quality transformation officer, while another was led by their chief quality officer. At some, there is simply a small group of leaders committed to the cause and nurtured the transformation. However, in all cases, a small number of leaders were critical to recognizing the need for this transformation and bringing it into being.

A vigorous and long-standing debate continues to rage about the nature vs. nurture issue in leadership, particularly when it comes to developing loving leaders. There are some who are

naturally charismatic and exude love and compassion due to their training and upbringing. However, many of these characteristics can be learned and developed, starting with awareness and intention, and built upon with reflection and deliberate practice. This includes nurturing win-win thinking, learning how to avoid reactivity and personalization, and exploring what outcomes can be controlled.

REAL-WORLD EXAMPLES OF LOVING ORGANIZATIONS

Several well-known companies exemplify the integration of love and innovation. Patagonia, an outdoor clothing company, embeds love for the environment and social responsibility into its business model. The company’s commitment to environmental sustainability and fair labor practices has led to innovations in materials, manufacturing processes and corporate activism that set it apart from its competitors.

Another example is Zappos, a shoe company renowned for its exceptional customer service and employee-centric culture. The company’s philosophy of delivering happiness — both to employees

and customers — creates an environment where creativity and innovation flourish. Zappos encourages employees to take ownership of their roles, which empowers them to go above and beyond to solve problems for customers, resulting in a dynamic, innovative workplace. One final model of a loving organization in the world of health care comes from St. Luke’s University Health Network based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

CONCLUSION: BUILDING A

FUTURE WHERE LOVE AND INNOVATION THRIVE TOGETHER Love and innovation, though distinct, are inextricably linked in their ability to shape the world. Love inspires people to create, to problem-solve, and to build a better future. Innovation amplifies the power of love, enabling us to express care in new and profound ways. Together, they form a virtuous cycle: Love motivates innovation, and innovation allows us to love more fully. This symbiosis is essential for driving human progress — ensuring that we not only advance technologically but also deepen our capacity for empathy, compassion and connection. L

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Embrace the Chaos

Why efficiency is the enemy of true innovation by breaking free from the constraints of short-term gains. REVIEWED BY PAULA ALEXANDER, Ph.D., J.D., and STEPHEN WOOD, M.S.

ELLIOTT PARKER is a corporate consultant and founder of High Alpha Innovation. He built his career at Innosight, the firm funded by Clayton Christensen, author of the Innovators Dilemma. Parker is of the opinion that large organizations are uniquely suited to solving the significant problems of our day. However, they get trapped by the illusion of innovation because their focus is on efficiency. To create real innovation, corporations should focus on resiliency and harness “the power of small teams” to drive fundamental or

radical changes through innovation by using small teams.

Parker advocates that the problems be delegated to small teams for the development of creative and new ideas, and that the small teams’ systematic experimentation will drive radical change. Vesting the authority to propose radical change in small groups is akin to Eric Reis’ notion of minimally viable product (MVP). Managers need to adjust to the messiness of innovation and let go of their exclusive focus on efficiency. There is a paradox here because a strategy of safety will lead to the failure of the company. Modern times

require real innovation, and the illusion of innovation will lead to failure.

Parker’s book, awarded an honorable mention by the Royal Dragonfly Book Award Contest in January, builds its themes on an important foundation stone — that learning and insights are not merely valuable, but critical assets to a company. His analysis not only identifies what is conducive to learning and innovation but also alerts us to the inherent barriers to innovation, and impediments to transformative corporate research.

Parker’s title, The Illusion of Innovation, is intended to call out the folly of an

embedded, perhaps unconscious, corporate value system, where research and development can become calcified, limiting its focus to honing existing processes and operations. Success is defined as results that are quickly monetized. Experimental results that fail to monetize are penalized either explicitly in resource allocation and promotion policy, or implicitly through the imposition of return on invested capital (ROIC) or internal rate of return (IRR) metrics.

Whereas Edison’s famous quote demonstrates his conviction that the knowledge of 10,000 things that don’t work is indeed an asset, modern corporate accounting categorizes these as 10,000 mistakes, and the wouldbe innovators are not rewarded, but penalized for lack of results. Large-scale organizations have attained excellent results with tactics and operations honed and tweaked to achieve capital efficiency. But the nature of innovative discovery does not fit into this paradigm.

Reading Parker’s indictment of corporate R & D myopia reminded me of the Austin Powers movie scene where Dr. Evil berates his staff, “You know I have one simple request, and that is to have sharks with laser beams attached to their heads! Remind me what I pay you people for.” The boss is focused on expense and preconceived notions rather than embracing the chaos of innovation and creativity.

Parker argues that truly transformative innovations follow a power law pattern. Whereas most actionable improvement ideas are generated over a bell curve distribution of positive results, occurring within a reasonable number of experiments, (i.e., successes come relatively quickly). In contrast, a power law distribution has perhaps hundreds of zero-payback results. The hits occur only 1 percent to 2 percent of the time, but when they do occur, they yield extraordinarily

The

Illusion of Innovation Escape “Efficiency” and Unleash Radical Progress

By Elliott Parker

Ideapress Publishing • April 16, 2024

high — even transformative — payoffs. Parker draws a distinction between transformative innovations and others by categorizing innovations according to their relationship to existing operations:

■ Performance-improving innovations such as replacing old products with new models. These merely keep the current customer dynamics in the current value proposition.

■ Efficiency innovations — lowering operating costs. Again, these sustain or represent incremental improvement to the current paradigm.

■ Empowering innovations — change radical enough to create new classes of customers and markets.

Typical financial metrics, intentionally or unintentionally, tend to prioritize the first two types of innovation at the expense of the third.

THE MESSY NATURE OF TRUE INNOVATION

In his famous TED Talk, Sir Ken Robinson said, “If you’re not prepared

to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original.”¹

Parker echoes this sentiment by urging us to shift our mindset. While he does not argue that being wrong is a good thing, he advocates processes that produce the most insights, furthers learning, maximizes potential for mutation, and uncovers anomalies. These processes are naturally messy and chaotic but produce collisions and novelty that can truly impact corporate resilience.

In order to shift our mindset, Parker provides some excellent guideposts to help break free from the bias toward capital efficiency and to encourage transformative thinking:

■ Consider those engaged in experimentation as professional insight gatherers. The accumulation of insights is tantamount to gathering assets (a la Edison’s quote).

■ Experimentation is best done at the margins where failure is cheap but success can catch on.

■ Empower small teams through decentralization.

■ Encourage the pursuit of novelty in and of itself, regardless of the lack of apparent objective — again recognizing value in insights, regardless of the lack of obvious immediate application.

■ Experiments should be designed to surface anomalies, to challenge — not reinforce — the status quo.

■ Recognize that the traditional measures of positive results, such as capital returns, or employee production incentives may not work well due to the inherent uncertainty and longer-term payoff tail of the results.

■ Recognize that experimentation is messy and chaotic — not hierarchical or objective driven.

■ “Learn quickly through the accumulation of many small insights.”²

INTERNAL VS. EXTERNAL LAUNCH

To avoid the inherent bias of corporate capital efficiency measures, Parker offers a useful decision metric for launching innovation operations internal to the company, or launching through investment in an external startup. He offers a quick heuristic:

“If you can build a forecast of firstyear financial results for a new business concept with a high degree of confidence, you should likely launch the idea inside of a corporation. … When you’re dealing primarily with a learning challenge, the new venture will have a much better chance of success if launched externally …”

COUNTERPOINT:

PARKER CHANGES DIRECTION

Having passionately extolled the virtues of breaking free from the fetters of traditional capital efficiency dogma, Parker now explores the prudence of building for long-term endurance.

“Enduring companies are very good at remembering what they’ve learned. … Companies that last centuries don’t gamble with the resources. … Companies fail for one reason only: They run out of money. If you want your company to endure, don’t run out of money.” The world’s most enduring institutions are hyper conservative about fiscal matters. Founders should make sure their

INTERNAL LAUNCH if the key to success is:

• Close integration with the core existing operations

• Internal expertise is more relevant and valuable external expertise is more valuable

• Moving at SCALE matters more Moving FAST matters more

• There are more knowns than unknowns — execution is more important

companies are cheap to run and have a mission that attracts believers.

Where does the chaotic experimentation and gathering of insights of Parker’s earlier counsel fit into this warning on long term fiscal conservation?

To reconcile the seemingly opposing mandates of breaking free of the bonds of capital efficiency on the one hand, and paying heed to long term viability on the other, Parker advises this:

EXTERNAL LAUNCH if the key to success is:

• New model or customer base is different from (or even may compete with) the core

• External expertise is more valuable

• Moving at SCALE matters more

• There are more unknowns — i.e. learning, is more important than execution

First, reinvent what can change — companies should have a clear sense of what must never change, but pursue reinventing everything else.

Second, obsess over customers for the long term. Base innovation by starting with the customers’ needs and thinking backward, as opposed to thinking of what the company does well pushing forward, a “skills-forward” approach. (“We’re good at making hammers, let’s find ways customers can pound things.”)

Parker sums up the themes of his advice:

“Those who change the world for the better build institutions that are mission oriented and optimized for long-term impact while finding new ways to serve the needs of their stakeholders. Again, it becomes clear that the secret to endurance is constant, rapid, and inexpensive experimentation in service of customer needs.”⁵ L

1 Sir Ken Robinson, TED Talks, 2006, “Do Schools Kill Creativity.”

2 Page 97; 3 Page 159; 4 Page 161; 5 Page 195

“Haste in every business brings failures.”

Herodotus

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