Step into a world where innovation meets execution in the latest episode of Leadership NOW with my guest Steve Blank, the architect behind the Lean Startup revolution. We're dissecting the nuances of what it takes to blend day-to-day operations with the art of innovation, unearthing insights from the startup sphere that big businesses need to hear, and unpacking the transformative role of leadership in an ever-evolving business environment. 

This isn't just a chat; it's an expedition into the heart of entrepreneurial thinking. Tune in for this enriching dialogue and explore more in the accompanying Forbes article, where we delve deeper into the strategies shaping the future of leadership. It's an episode filled with thought-provoking ideas and actionable wisdom you won't want to miss.

Steve Blank is a founding member at the Gordian Knot Center, an Adjunct Professor at Stanford University, and Senior Fellow for Innovation at Columbia University. Steve consults for the National Security establishment on innovation methods, processes, policies, and doctrine. He created the curriculum for the National Science Foundation Innovation Corps. At Stanford he co-created the Department of Defense Hacking for Defense and Department of State Hacking for Diplomacy curriculums.

Steve arrived in Silicon Valley in 1978, at the very beginning of the startup boom, founded or was part of eight ventures. His book The Four Steps to the Epiphany is credited with launching the Lean Startup movement and which touted the principle that startups must operate differently from big companies to be successful.
 
His follow-on book The Startup Owner’s Manual described a process for turning ideas into scale and his Harvard Business Review cover story redefined how large organizations can innovate at speed.

In sum, Steve has changed how startups are built; how entrepreneurship is taught; how science is commercialized, and how companies and the government innovate. He has been described as the Father of Modern Entrepreneurship.

Find out more about Steve at www.steveblank.com

Innovate or Stagnate: Lessons from Steve Blank on Future-Proofing Your Business

Dan Pontefract is an award-winning author, leadership strategist, and culture change expert. Dan's podcast explores all aspects of leadership, organizational culture, purpose, and professional development. 
 
Dan is the best-selling author of five books: WORK-LIFE BLOOM, LEAD. CARE. WIN., OPEN TO THINK, THE PURPOSE EFFECT, and FLAT ARMY. A renowned speaker, Dan has presented at four different TED events and also writes for Forbes and Harvard Business Review. Dan is an adjunct professor at the University of Victoria, Gustavson School of Business, and has garnered more than 20 industry awards over his career.
 
Previously, as Chief Envisioner and Chief Learning Officer at TELUS—a Canadian telecommunications company with revenues of $14 billion and 50,000 global employees—he launched the Transformation Office, the TELUS MBA, and the TELUS Leadership Philosophy, all award-winning initiatives that dramatically helped to increase the company’s employee engagement to record levels of nearly 90%. Prior to TELUS, he held senior roles at SAP, Business Objects, and BCIT. He is honoured to be on the Thinkers50 radar list.

Innovate or Stagnate: Lessons from Steve Blank on Future-Proofing Your Business

Dan Pontefract, Author and Leadership Strategist