Unleashed E54: Shawn Kanungo - The Bold Ones: How Innovation is No Longer Optional

Remaining in the status quo is dangerous for both individuals and organizations. If you don’t drive change, you are likely to be changed by some kind of disruption. Innovation and adaptation need to be part of every healthy culture.

In this episode, author and innovation expert Shawn Kanungo promotes the importance of change and innovation, and how we can start having more of it in our lives and organizations.

Actions You Can Take Right Now

1. If you don’t drive change, you are likely to be changed by some kind of disruption. “You have to continuously try new ways of doing things, because ultimately something, someone, some technology, is going to come out of nowhere while you are sitting there pretty and eat your lunch.”
2. The most successful leaders are those who are most vulnerable. They can step back and say, “I need help.” This is an ongoing journey, but we need to surround ourselves with loving critics.
3. There is no such thing as perfect prediction but pay attention to what’s happening across a broad number of fields and disciplines, observe people, look for patterns, and be a deep generalist. Be curious in every direction.
   
   
   

View or listen to this and other past episodes on the Unleashed Podcast Library

Episode Highlights and Excerpts

• Shawn’s book, “The Bold Ones”, profiles not just innovators, but those who have changed the status quo in some meaningful way. Bold ones are constantly looking, searching, hungry, and exploring.
• Remaining in the status quo is dangerous for both individuals and organizations. If you don’t drive change, you are likely to be changed by some kind of disruption. “You have to continuously try new ways of doing things, because ultimately something, someone, some technology, is going to come out of nowhere while you are sitting there pretty and eat your lunch.”
• The catalyst for innovation typically starts with some kind of pain or discomfort. The pain of the COVID-19 pandemic forced a lot of change and innovation. People who were flexible and nimble rose and improved during the pandemic.
• Innovation can be stifled by critics and people holding on to their comfort zones. People don’t want to risk job security or status. The “what will people say” mentality stops many of us from doing great things.
• Brainstorming leads to mediocre ideas. The best and boldest innovations come from outside the room.
• When you start something new, get co-conspirators with you so you have people who have your back. Find champions who believe.
• “The way to live a meaningful life is to constantly live in discomfort.” We need to get used to the fact that uncertainty is here to stay.
• The most successful leaders are those who are most vulnerable. They can step back and say, “I need help.” This is an ongoing journey, but we need to surround ourselves with loving critics. “Memento mori” is Latin for “Remember that you will die.” It helps us keep our success and glory in check. It keeps us humble.
• There is no such thing as perfect prediction but pay attention to what’s happening across a broad number of fields and disciplines, observe people, look for patterns and be a deep generalist. Be curious in every direction – history, pop culture, science, economics, etc.
• Hiring younger people can help with innovation. They naturally bring a rookie mindset. Great leaders recognize and foster this rather than asking them to just follow the process and maintain the status quo.

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Each episode of Unleashed is hosted by Results’ CEO Jeff Tetz who spends most of his day exploring what makes high performers tick and helping build a community of leaders who want to learn and grow together. Follow Jeff (Twitter; LinkedIn; Instagram) for more great leadership insights.

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Shawn Kanungo

Shawn Kanungo is a globally recognized innovation strategist and bestselling author. He previously spent 12 years at Deloitte working closely with leaders to better plan for the opportunities associated with disruptive innovation. Shawn is a Partner with Queen & Rook, where he advises leading organizations and executives on disruptive trends.

His work and interviews have been featured in The Globe & Mail, The Guardian, CBC, and CTV. He has been recognized as Edify's Top 40 Under 40. In 2021, he was named in Forbes as the “Best Virtual Keynote Speaker I’ve Ever Seen”. Shawn’s content on innovation has garnered millions of views, respectively across LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube,and Facebook. His bestselling debut book, “The Bold Ones”, offers a playbook for individuals to become bolder to push their careers and companies forward.

You can learn more at Shawn’s website.