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CL253: How Fearless Innovation Helps Leaders Adapt To Change – Interview with Alex Goryachev



Alex Goryachev is the managing director of Cisco’s global Co-Innovation Centers. He spearheads several award-winning international programs and initiatives to accelerate innovation – whether that impacts operations, business processes, or technology. An award-winning Silicon Valley veteran whose resume reads like a brief history of tech disruption, Alex is a sought-after speaker on innovation and a regular contributor to Forbes, Chief Executive Magazine, Information Week, and other leading media outlets. His new book is called FEARLESS INNOVATION: Going Beyond the Buzzword to Continuously Drive Growth, Improve the Bottom Line, and Enact Change.


In this episode, we cover:

How To Be A Fearless Leader

  • 3:23 – Hitting the Wall Street Journal bestseller list

  • 6:34 – Innovation vs disruption

  • 7:40 – What is innovation?

  • 8:31 – What is the difference between creativity versus innovation?

  • 8:52 – Innovation is pragmatic

  • 9:15 – Innovation is about execution

  • 10:02 – From idea to execution

  • 12:08 – Customer validation

  • 14:51 – What is the link between innovation and leadership?

  • 15:13 – The role of HR in leadership

  • 15:56 – Innovation is not a job title

  • 17:22 – What is co-innovation?

  • 18:16 – How to measure innovation?

  • 20:29 – What metric are you trying to move?


Resources mentioned in this episode:

  • blogs.cisco.com/author/alexgoryachev

  • Tools: Pen and paper

  • Book: Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport

  • Album: Pink Floyd


This podcast originally appeared in SuperCreativity Podcast with James Taylor on March 24, 2020



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