562: Steve Jobs' Former Colleague on How to Achieve Creative Velocity in the Age of Gen AI

562: Steve Jobs' Former Colleague on How to Achieve Creative Velocity in the Age of Gen AI

Leslie Grandy, a seasoned executive who has led global product teams at Apple, Amazon, Best Buy, and T-Mobile, shares a deeply practical perspective on how leaders can activate creativity across functions, not just in design or strategy.



Drawing from her early years in the film industry and later executive roles in technology, Grandy explains how she developed three capabilities that proved critical in high-performance product environments:



"You've got to grind it out… and you have to have that intrinsic motivation to continue, even when it looks like failure is obvious."

"You have to be resilient and flexible… because you have so many people depending on the outcome."

"If I haven't seen the problem before, it doesn't seem daunting to me… It seems fun."

These capabilities (grit, adaptability, and creative problem solving) formed the foundation of her success in ambiguous, fast-moving, and high-stakes environments.

Grandy also speaks directly to what supports and undermines creative velocity inside organizations. She notes that the most adaptive cultures don't reserve creativity for a few select teams:

"They expect every role is going to show up with that same creative intention… that the status quo doesn't seep into the lower ranks."

But she also warns:

"Status quo as a cultural norm is dangerous."
"Consensus-driven thinking is equally problematic for creative velocity."

Her insights on Steve Jobs provide a rare look inside Apple's leadership culture. When asked about her interview with him, she explains:

"Your interview will be five minutes or it'll be 60 minutes. It's up to Steve."
"I didn't come in there acting like I was an equal… I just came in there with a confidence that I could answer whatever he asked."

When her team added preset engraving suggestions to iPods to help customers complete purchases, Jobs reacted immediately:

"He saw it, and within a day, it was pulled down."
"He had such a finite view of his brand… there were no blurry edges around the brand."

Grandy's new book, Creative Velocity, argues that creativity is not a fixed trait, but a capability that can be developed with intention.

She addresses how leaders should approach generative AI, not just as an efficiency tool, but as a creative partner:

"What's really transformative… is doing the exact opposite of prompt engineering."
"It's not about speed to answer. It's about using that time to evolve a thought into different tributaries of thought."

This episode raises a critical question for senior leaders:

"Are you designing your organization to perform or to invent?"

Get Leslie's book here: https://rb.gy/d5zr69

Creative Velocity: Propelling Breakthrough Ideas in the Age of Generative AI

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185: Why you should read Bill Matassoni's memoir (Strategy Skills classics)

185: Why you should read Bill Matassoni's memoir (Strategy Skills classics)

For this episode, let's revisit one of the classics by Strategy Skills where we discuss why everyone should read Bill Matassoni's book. Every now and then, someone comes along and makes the subject of management both fun and insightful. That's what Bill Matassoni has done in his memoir—a combination of compelling stories and contrarian substance—that covers his forty-year career selling what he calls "ephemeral things." In addition to the memoir, Bill plays host to a series of videos that are entertaining, irreverent, and filled with his conviction that marketing is the primary driver of progress in both commercial and social markets. MARKETING SAVES THE WORLD: Stories Why Capitalism Works. Bill Matassoni Enjoying our podcast? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

1 Nov 202118min

184: Kent Taylor, The man behind the success of Texas Roadhouse (with Travis Doster)

184: Kent Taylor, The man behind the success of Texas Roadhouse (with Travis Doster)

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 184, an episode with the Vice President for Communications of Texas Roadhouse and Kent Taylor's close friend, Travis Doster. Get Kent's new book here: https://amzn.to/30Q9SW7 Kent Taylor was the Founder and CEO of Texas Roadhouse, one of the most successful restaurant chains in America. It was founded in 1993 and is currently operating 647 restaurants in 49 states and 10 foreign countries. In 2016 and 2018, it was recognized by Forbes as America's Best Large Employer. On the 18th of March 2021, Kent died at the age of 65; just a few months before his book was finally released in the market. In this episode, Travis Doster talks about the humble beginnings of the iconic Casual Dining food chain. He talked about how Kent made out-of-the-box strategies that contributed to the company's legendary success. He also talked about how Kent handled more than 80 rejections as he pitched the idea for his business. For business owners who are facing difficulties during these trying times, this is for you. MADE FROM SCRATCH: The Legendary Success Story of Texas Roadhouse. Kent Taylor: https://amzn.to/30Q9SW7 Enjoying our podcast? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo We use affiliate links whenever possible (if you purchase items listed above using our affiliate links, we will get a bonus).

27 Okt 202159min

183: How to start shifting to the career you've always wanted - Author program Q&A 7

183: How to start shifting to the career you've always wanted - Author program Q&A 7

Learn more and see the application guidelines: https://www.firmsconsulting.com/experts-published-author-program/ Apply: email team@firmsconsulting.com This is a part of a 10-episode program to help our clients and customers measurably and radically transform their careers through The Author Program. How would your career, reputation, and earnings change as a published author? Imagine your client interactions when potential and current clients saw your thinking in a published book before they met you? Imagine the time you would save not having to explain your ideas and the value you could add to them? Imagine the fee premium you could earn? Imagine avoiding awkward meetings trying to establish your credibility? Imagine how many potential clients would find you and reach out to you? Enjoying our podcast? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

25 Okt 20216min

182: What is corporate strategy? (Strategy Skills classics)

182: What is corporate strategy? (Strategy Skills classics)

For this episode, let's revisit one of the classics by Strategy Skills where we discuss the most important concepts you need to understand in order to advance your career. Be reminded about what is Corporate Strategy and how is it different from the other types of strategies. Enjoying our podcast? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

20 Okt 202112min

181: How to handle a "horrible" client (Strategy Skills classics)

181: How to handle a "horrible" client (Strategy Skills classics)

For this episode, let's revisit one of the classics by Strategy Skills where we answer a question from our audience. Facing a "horrible" client is a common experience in the business world. You could say that it is part of the journey. It can be hard to know what you should do during this situation. But it is exactly in these types of situations that we learn a lot. Enjoying our podcast? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

18 Okt 202114min

180: Jonathan Brill, Turn uncertainty into opportunity

180: Jonathan Brill, Turn uncertainty into opportunity

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 180, an episode with the former Global Futurist at Hewlett Packard, Jonathan Brill. Get Jonathan's new book here: https://amzn.to/3uG0m2F Jonathan Brill is an expert on resilient growth, innovation, and decision-making during uncertainty. He helps organizations by preparing them to profit from radical change. As a former senior leader in HP, he directed the company's long-term strategy programs. He was also a creative director at Frog Design and the managing partner of innovation firms that created over 350 products. He is currently the managing director at Resilient Growth Partners and a board member at Frost & Sullivan, a major market intelligence firm with offices in 46 countries. He also develops products for both fictional heroes and real people as the Futurist-in-Residence at Territory Studio, the creative visionaries behind the sci-fi tech in Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One, Ghost in the Shell, and Blade Runner 2049. He advises globally on product innovation and resilient growth strategy with clients, including Samsung, Microsoft, Verizon, PepsiCo, the United States government, and the MIT Media Lab. He is an in-demand thought leader, speaker, and contributor to TED, Singularity University, Korn Ferry, JP Morgan, Forbes, and Harvard Business Review. He holds a degree in industrial design from Pratt Institute and has done extensive management training at Stanford University.  In this episode, Jonathan talked about how companies could prepare for uncertain times and what they could do to turn these into opportunities for profit and growth. For business owners who want to have a more secure future for their companies, this is for you. ROGUE WAVES: Future-Proof Your Business to Survive and Profit from Radical Change. Jonathan Brill: https://amzn.to/3uG0m2F Enjoying our podcast? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo We use affiliate links whenever possible (if you purchase items listed above using our affiliate links, we will get a bonus).

13 Okt 202141min

179: How to write a book even if you're "too junior" - Author Program Q&A 6

179: How to write a book even if you're "too junior" - Author Program Q&A 6

Learn more and see the application guidelines: https://www.firmsconsulting.com/experts-published-author-program/ Apply: email team@firmsconsulting.com This is a part of a 10-episode program to help our clients and customers measurably and radically transform their careers through The Author Program. How would your career, reputation, and earnings change as a published author? Imagine your client interactions when potential and current clients saw your thinking in a published book before they met you? Imagine the time you would save not having to explain your ideas and the value you could add to them? Imagine the fee premium you could earn? Imagine avoiding awkward meetings trying to establish your credibility? Imagine how many potential clients would find you and reach out to you? Enjoying our podcast? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

11 Okt 202110min

178: Should I wait to publish a solo book? Author Program Q&A 5

178: Should I wait to publish a solo book? Author Program Q&A 5

Learn more and see the application guidelines: https://www.firmsconsulting.com/experts-published-author-program/ Apply: email team@firmsconsulting.com This is a part of a 10-episode program to help our clients and customers measurably and radically transform their careers through The Author Program. How would your career, reputation, and earnings change as a published author? Imagine your client interactions when potential and current clients saw your thinking in a published book before they met you? Imagine the time you would save not having to explain your ideas and the value you could add to them? Imagine the fee premium you could earn? Imagine avoiding awkward meetings trying to establish your credibility? Imagine how many potential clients would find you and reach out to you? Enjoying our podcast? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

10 Okt 202111min

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