Innovation Storytellers

What if the secret ingredient to startup success isn't just what or how, but when? This week on the Innovation Storytellers Show, we're joined by Paul Orlando, a seasoned entrepreneur and the brain behind four international startup accelerators. Paul is not only a professor of entrepreneurship at the University of Southern California but also the author of the thought-provoking book "Why Now: How Good Timing Makes Great Products."

In our discussion, Paul dives into the often-neglected aspect of timing in business ventures. With a background that spans continents and industries, he shares unique insights on how timing influences the success or failure of products and innovations. From technological shifts and regulatory changes to societal crises, understanding the timing landscape is crucial for any business leader.

Paul doesn't just stop at theory; he offers practical frameworks and methodologies developed from years of leading innovation labs and accelerators. These tools help entrepreneurs analyze their market position, assess potential risks, and decide if the moment is ripe for their ventures—or if patience might prove more prudent.

Highlighting a compelling case study of YouTube's launch and acquisition by Google, Paul illustrates the strategic mastery of timing. But perhaps even more intriguingly, he revisits the timeless strategy of being the "picks and shovels" provider in a gold rush, drawing lessons from historical figures like Levi Strauss, whose adaptability turned a practical product into a global fashion staple.

Whether you're at the helm of a startup, involved in product development, or leading a corporate innovation lab, this episode is a treasure trove of strategies to ensure your initiatives hit the market at just the right time.

Tune in to uncover how you can harness the power of timing to drive your projects to success. What timing drivers have you identified in your industry, and how have they shaped your business decisions? Join the conversation and share your experiences with us!

What defines a strong communications culture, and how does it enable better innovation outcomes? In this episode of Innovation Storytellers, I welcome Niosha Kayhani, Director of International Programs and Commercial Products at Cubic. We delve into how his role shifted from individual innovator to empowering others to create and lead within a global organization of 7,000 people.

Niosha shares insights on how Cubic built a culture that encourages collaboration across teams, relying on a network of internal "entrepreneurs in residence" who spark creativity from within. With the CEO's unwavering support, Niosha and his team developed a structured innovation process that motivates staff through cross-functional initiatives like tiger teams, enabling rapid development with a clear 12-week focus.

Tune in to learn how Cubic’s culture of storytelling and open dialogue drives change, tackles challenges, and empowers people to thrive. Whether you’re interested in hearing about the emotional journey of letting go of personal ideas or finding the right balance between passion and adaptability, this episode is packed with valuable insights.

We all know storytelling is a business imperative, especially for innovators, but Carol Barash is a special breed of storyteller. Knowing that some kids don’t see their stories as special – maybe even hard or painful to share, Carol started Story2 to create a future where everyone, from every background, can tell their stories and pursue their boldest dreams. She has been counseling students on college admissions and working in EdTech for more than 20 years.

Carol has also innovated HOW we tell them with tech. Leveraging her deep knowledge of storytelling from teaching at Princeton, the University of Michigan and Rutgers University, she created Story2 to build an app that makes storytelling practical, repeatable and shareable, worldwide. Her book, Write Out Loud (McGraw-Hill, 2013), is cannon for storytellers and she now shares how she’s taking the storytelling revolution, global. Get ready!

More about Carol

Award winning education innovator and entrepreneur, Carol has spent 20+ years building solutions at the intersection of teaching, technology, and community. She started Story2 to teach people how to transform themselves and their communities through the art and science of storytelling.

I’m thrilled that Elyette Roux, Head of Customer Experience in South Europe for Cisco Systems, could join me on the show today. I first met Elyette at Innov8tors, a fantastic conference in Paris attended by people at the cutting edge of innovation.

Elyette joins us as an intrapreneur and customer centricity expert who is driving business transformation and customer and employee engagement at Cisco. In this episode, we talk about the fact that sales is about far more than just selling your product. It’s about attaching human values to business problems. Connecting with people from an authentic place and a desire for impact. And adding value faster through digital transformation.

You’ll hear us explore the importance of teamwork, collaboration, and breaking down silos in your organization, as well as the ONE thing that is absolutely key to building business resiliency.

Bio: As an intrapreneur who drives business transformations powered by digital, customer, and employee engagement, customer centricity is more than Elyette Roux’s area of expertise: it's a constant motivation, and a source of energy to lead agile change every day.

With experience in areas including Project Management, International Sales, Key and Global Account Management, P&L Management, Strategy and Business Development to Customer Experience, Services & Support, Elyette is an expert when it comes to business and organizational strategy. Thanks to her extensive international experience, including five years in the Nordics, she has learned that top performance comes from both providing meaning and a sense of purpose to teams and customers, as well as daily care, diversity-powered innovation, and inclusion.

Charlie Tuxworth, Founder and Director of Celsio, joins me in exploring the fascinating world of innovation. We discuss the challenges, joys, and excitements of creating a universal standard around innovation. Is it possible? Can it be applied to everyone, both inside and outside of corporations? Tune in to learn more.

Charlie is an expert in helping companies set a clear direction for innovation and develop the capability and confidence to deliver it. He shares his journey from taking on the innovation brief in a UK financial services company in 2013 to founding Celsio and co-founding Innovate Island.

Listen in as Charlie discusses the challenges he faced when tasked with making a company "more innovative," revealing the power of diverse perspectives and finding better ways to solve problems. Charlie shares his captivating stories, from his experiences with international innovation consultants to the inspiration he drew from Winnie the Pooh in finding creative solutions.

This interview will leave you pondering the importance of innovation and the potential for a universal standard that could change how we approach and think about innovation across industries.