Disruption, Innovation, and Battling Complacency, with Whitney Johnson (Business, Leadership, Executive, Learning)

07/10/18 • 46 min

Recognized as one of the 50 leading business thinkers in the world (Thinkers50), Whitney Johnson is an expert on disruptive innovation and personal disruption; specifically, a framework which she codifies in the critically acclaimed book Disrupt Yourself: Putting the Power of Disruptive Innovation to Work and the upcoming book Build an “A” Team: Play To Their Strengths and Lead Them Up the Learning Curve. (Harvard Business Press, 2018). She is also the author of Dare, Dream, Do: Remarkable Things Happen When You Dare to Dream.

She developed her proprietary framework and diagnostics after having co-founded the Disruptive Innovation Fund with Harvard Business School’s Clayton Christensen. This framework is complemented by a deep understanding of how executives create and destroy value, having spent nearly a decade as an Institutional Investor ranked equity analyst on Wall Street.

In addition to her work as a speaker and advisor, Whitney is one of Marshall Goldsmith's original cohort of 25 for the #100 Coaches Project, is a coach for Harvard Business School's Executive Education program, frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review, is a Linkedin influencer, and hosts the weekly Disrupt Yourself Podcast. You can follow her on Twitter at @johnsonwhitney.

Show Highlights:

When you are willing to disrupt yourself as an individual, you're actually able to disrupt as an organization. @johnsonwhitneyCompanies don't actually disrupt; it's the people who do it. @johnsonwhitneyHow do I get my organization to let me disrupt? @johnsonwhitneyIf there is not some intentional piece of your strategy to move your team towards disruption, you are running the risk of extinction. @johnsonwhitneyIf you want to build a team, build a company that can manage through change that is innovative. @johnsonwhitneyYour organization is a collection of learning curves. @johnsonwhitneyLearn, leap, repeat. @johnsonwhitneyIf you want to know if you, as a company or team, are about to get disrupted, take the pulse of your workforce. @johnsonwhitneyIf you want to get those really capable people to continue to be at their best for your organization, give them something new to do with, for you. @johnsonwhitneyIf you feel somewhere deep inside of yourself that you need to try something new and you don't, you will die inside a little. @johnsonwhitneyIf you feel scared or lonely, that is actually the path you want to be on because that's where you are going to see your odds of success be the highest. @johnsonwhitney

The Action Catalyst is a weekly podcast hosted by Dan Moore, President of Southwestern Advantage, the oldest direct-sales company in America, and Partner with Southwestern Consulting. With more than 45 years in sales leadership and marketing management, Dan has a wealth of knowledge to share on how to make better use of time to achieve life, sales, and other business goals. Each week, he interviews some of the nation’s top thought leaders and experts, sharing meaningful tips and advice. Subscribe on iTunes and please leave a rating and review!

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Disruption, Innovation, and Battling Complacency with Whitney Johnson: Episode 242 of The Action Catalyst Podcast

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Leaders Make the Necessary Changes with Gary Garfield: Episode 243 of The Action Catalyst Podcast

Gary Garfield shares the truly unique insight he gained first practicing law, and then turning around the financial performance of Bridgestone Americas and the organization’s corporate culture. Through his innovative approach to changing the culture of the organization, Garfield changed the focus of the organization, drove innovation and collaboration, and broke down silos. The result: the company pulled out of its marketplace rut. Under Gary’s leadership, the company had record profits each year, grew profits by more than five-fold during his tenure, and outperformed the S&P 500 over that period. Prior to his achievements as the CEO, Gary served as General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer for Bridgestone. During that time, he helped the company survive the massive Ford Explorer-Firestone tire recall that started in August 2000. Through this experience, Gary also developed an extraordinary experience in crisis management. Show Highlights: Don’t tell people exactly what to do, let them surprise you in the remarkable ways that they achieve their goals. – Gary GarfieldAttitude is a choice. Always choose a positive attitude. – Gary GarfieldBe receptive to how you can be a better leader and person. – Gary GarfieldWhen people spend too much energy on things that ought to accept, they lose the power to control and influence. – Dan Moore @SW_ConsultingCulture eats strategy for breakfast. – Peter F. DruckerIt starts with attitudes and values. When people have their attitudes and values right, then they can increase their influence. – Dan Moore @SW_ConsultingIf you don’t understand yourself, you can’t lead yourself. If you can’t lead yourself, you can’t possibly lead others. -Attributed to Professor Harry Kraemer @HarryKraemerJr Gary’s closing thoughts– The foundation of leadership is you. They [Leaders] have a vision. They pay a great attention to the culture they create. They pay attention to the team around them. As a leader, you have to take ownership by focusing on what needs to be done to succeed and hold them accountable for that. The Action Catalyst is a weekly podcast hosted by Dan Moore, President of Southwestern Advantage, the oldest direct-sales company in America, and Partner with Southwestern Consulting. With more than 45 years in sales leadership and marketing management, Dan has a wealth of knowledge to share on how to make better use of time to achieve life, sales, and other business goals. Each week, he interviews some of the nation’s top thought leaders and experts, sharing meaningful tips and advice. Subscribe on iTunes and please leave a rating and review!