Idea Agent: Leadership that Liberates Creativity and Accelerates Innovation PDF
Preview Idea Agent: Leadership that Liberates Creativity and Accelerates Innovation
Advance praise for Idea Agent “Straight from the career of a true leader in innovation, Idea Agent is timely, insightful, and practical. It points the way out of so many stifling corporate cultures and offers a realistic understanding of the brilliant, strong-minded, and fiercely rebellious creative personalities that baffle so many managers. A must-read for anyone serious about stoking the flames of innovation in their company.” —Rob Kaiser, President, Kaiser Leadership Solutions, Senior Partner, Kaplan DeVries Inc., and author,The Versatile Leader (with Bob Kaplan) and The Perils of Accentuating the Positive “Idea Agentis the perfect book for anyone managing smart, creative, energetic people. Lina Echeverría has done just that—and gotten great work from them. Idea Agentis filled with real-life stories of how innovation works at the front lines of the economy today. Echeverría is a great guide to supporting people whose very brilliance often makes them a challenge inside traditional workplaces. You’ll come away from this book with a whole set of tools and examples to give your own teams both creativity and focus.” —Charles Fishman, New York Timesbestselling author of The Wal-Mart Effectand The Big Thirstand long-time staff member at Fast Companymagazine “Most books overlook the fact that real innovation goes beyond sim- ple processes and techniques. With her unassailable credibility as someone who has done it in an American powerhouse of innovation, who knows what it is like, and who was extremely successful, Echev- erría shows us that sustained innovation comes from developing cul- tures that inspire, impassion, and empower others to explore, act, and take risks on new possibilities. Creativity and innovation come from the inside out not from the outside in. Lina shows us the way well.” —Clint Sidle, Director, Roy H. Park Leadership Fellows Program, Johnson Graduate School of Management, Cornell University, and author, The Leadership Wheeland This Hungry Spirit “As a collaborator and witness, I have seen Lina’s leadership philos- ophy in action, focusing the talents of brilliant, colorful—and some- times obstreperous—characters, gaining their trust and fostering the synergy across the enterprise that led to historic innovations. In Idea Agent she shows us that innovation is not a question of just assembling talent and providing resources, but of creating an envi- ronment where the individuals’ entire selves can be leveraged in a collaborative process. This book is not for the aspiring executive who sees leadership as a means of self-glorification, but rather for those who understand that leadership is service and responsibility to the organization with potential that surpasses any one individual (or one’s own self). I have watched the insights articulated in this engrossing book in action, and they work!” —Peter L. Bocko, CTO, Glass Technologies Group, Corning Incorporated “Anyone interested in creating breakthrough innovations will benefit from reading this book—a deeply personal, authentic, and moving chronicle of one woman’s quest for innovation in one of the most cre- ative places in the world. This is not yet another theoretical text on creativity and innovation in the workplace; rather, it takes the reader on a rich journey through the trenches of one woman’s real-life expe- riences and hard-won, often surprising, insights regarding how to fos- ter innovation in a large, global organization.” —Susan M. Cantrell, Research Fellow at Accenture’s Institute for High Performance Business and author, Workforce of One: Revolutionizing Talent Management Through Customization “Idea Agentis a beautifully written and highly engaging exploration of innovation leadership. Filled with deeply personal stories and insights from Lina Echeverría’s distinguished career as an innovation leader at Corning, I know of no other book that better deals with the human side of innovation.” —Dean R. Spitzer, Ph.D., innovation expert and author, Transforming Performance Measurement IDEA AGENT IDEA AGENT Leadership That Liberates Creativity and Accelerates Innovation Lina M. Echeverría American Management Association New York • Atlanta • Brussels • Chicago • Mexico City • San Francisco Shanghai • Tokyo • Toronto • Washington, D.C. Bulk discounts available. For details visit: www.amacombooks.org/go/specialsales Or contact special sales: Phone: 800-250-5308 E-mail: [email protected] View all the AMACOM titles at: www.amacombooks.org American Management Association: www.amanet.org This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional service. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. With the exception of Dasa, all names that appear in the text are noms de guerre, and some details have been modified for identity protection. Otherwise, all circumstances are true to the best of the author’s recollection. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Echeverría, Lina M. Idea agent : leadership that liberates creativity and accelerates innovation / Lina M. Echeverría. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 978-0-8144-3217-4 (hardcover) 1. Creative ability in business. 2. Self-actualization (Psychology) 3. Leadership. I. Title. HD53.E24 2012 658.4'092—dc23 2012015318 © 2013 Lina M. Echeverría All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. This publication may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of AMACOM, a division of American Management Association, 1601 Broadway, New York, NY 10019. The scanning, uploading, or distribution of this book via the Internet or any other means without the express permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions of this work and do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials, electronically or otherwise. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated. About AMA American Management Association (www.amanet.org) is a world leader in talent development, advancing the skills of individuals to drive business success. Our mission is to support the goals of individuals and organizations through a complete range of products and services, including classroom and virtual seminars, webcasts, webinars, podcasts, conferences, corporate and government solutions, business books, and research. AMA’s approach to improving performance combines experiential learning—learning through doing—with opportunities for ongoing professional growth at every step of one’s career journey. Printing number 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 For Colin and Maia, my reason for it all CONTENTS FOREWORD xiii PROLOGUE—Leadership for Fast-Paced Innovation xxi The need for passion and detachment to stay ahead of the facts. MY PERSONAL JOURNEY—Conflict in Art and Science 1 How early experiences with artists and team participation showed me the key to the creative drive. PASSION 1—Into the Ring of Fire 9 Getting to know creative personalities—the “creatives”—their personal passions, their idiosyncrasies and strengths, is a priority in delivering breakthrough innovation. So is embracing and managing the conflict that will inevitably result.
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