INNOVATION AGENDA – Lem and Nick Talk About What It Takes to Change the Game
Lem Lasher, formerly the Chief Innovation Officer at CSC, interviews Nick Donofrio innovation guru and legendary iconic former IBM executive. Nick Donofrio’s brand and reputation is centered around the Innovation Agenda. Nick is one of America’s most celebrated and beloved technology executives. He retired from IBM in 2008 after a 44-year career. During the last 18 years of his career he led IBM’s technology and innovation strategies.
His responsibilities included IBM Research, Governmental Programs, Technical Support & Quality, Corporate Community Relations, as well as Environmental Health & Product Safety. Also reporting to Mr. Donofrio were the senior executives responsible for IBM’s enterprise on demand transformation. In 2008 IBM Chairman Sam Palmisano elected Nick IBM Fellow, the company’s highest technical honor.
During this interview, Lem and Nick talk about what it takes to be a game changer and how to change the game at an enterprise/institutional level.
Important takeaways include profoundly simple lessons learned from the rigorous application of problem-solving combined with the art of listening in order to innovate and unlock hidden value. Lem and Nick explore the following themes:
- Big challenges and strategies around big game changing moves
- Innovation Agenda in a publicly traded company
- Relationship of R&D spend to successful innovation
- Nick’s post IBM career – passion for education and involvement in Academia
- What’s Nick reading and why?
- Nick’s take on the big lessons he has learned as one of America’s most influential leaders