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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160: Rob Barnett, Increase your hire-ability

160: Rob Barnett, Increase your hire-ability

Welcome to. Strategy Skills episode 160, an episode with Rob Barnett. Get Rob's new book here: https://amzn.to/3i9rMbo Rob Barnett is a headhunter, management executive, podcaster, entrepreneur and author of NEXT JOB, BEST JOB: A Headhunter's 11 Strategies to Getting Hired Now (Citadel, June 29, 2021. He founded Rob Barnett Media in 2018, an inclusive platform for thousands of job-seeking professionals and industry leaders, placing the right people in the best jobs. Rob has discovered, hired, and led hundreds of talented creators and executives in senior management roles at MTV, VH1, and Audible/Amazon. He was President of Programming at CBS Radio. A digital pioneer, he founded My Damn Channel, one of the first original online studios and networks. Representing diverse careers, companies, and opportunities, Rob's multi-platform content and no-nonsense approach inspires people to define and sell their best professional brand. Visit RobBarnettMedia.com.  NEXT JOB, BEST JOB. Rob Barnett: https://amzn.to/3i9rMbo 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).

14 Juli 202154min

159: Ash Fontana, The AI-first company

159: Ash Fontana, The AI-first company

Welcome to. Strategy Skills episode 159, an episode with Ash Fontana on the future of AI. Ash just published a great book on AI, THE AI-FIRST COMPANY, please see a link below. THE AI-FIRST COMPANY: https://amzn.to/3zRYW7o Among other insights, Fontana shows readers how to: Make AI your company's first priority. Identify the most valuable data. Build AI teams. Create AI budgets. Integrate AI with existing processes. Measure its effectiveness. Reinvest the profits from automation to build a competitive advantage. About the Author Ash Fontana became one of the most recognized startup investors in the world after launching online investing at AngelList. He then became a Managing Director of Zetta Venture Partners, the first investment fund that focused on AI. The firm was the lead investor in category-defining AI companies such as Kaggle, Domino, Tractable, Lilt and Invenia. 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).

23 Juni 20211h 3min

158: Location is leverage or proximity is leverage (Monday Morning 8 a.m. #29, part 3)

158: Location is leverage or proximity is leverage (Monday Morning 8 a.m. #29, part 3)

Hello everyone! This is Monday Morning 8 a.m., a weekly newsletter where we distill the insights from all of the distractions, articles, and emails that you receive in your inbox every day. In this newsletter, we're going to focus on four major themes from last week's news. To listen to the audio version of this newsletter, search for "Strategy Skills" in any podcast app. To get a written copy with links to mentioned articles sign up here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo To get a copy of some of the previous issues you might have missed, get the Strategy Insights book. If you love Strategy Insights and support it with reviews on Goodreads and Google Play (and support on Amazon is very much appreciated) by May 30th 2021, please email support@firmsconsulting.com as we will be sending 1-month access to the accompanying course as a gift to members who loved and supported the book with reviews. P.S. If you want to support the Monday Morning 8 a.m. and our other work, there are many ways you can do that, including reviews on iTunes / Amazon / Goodreads / app, purchasing our memberships / books, applying to join our prelaunch team, or just spreading the word. Some links above are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

26 Maj 202115min

157: Google, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon and Facebook's AI advantage (Monday Morning 8 a.m. #29, part 2)

157: Google, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon and Facebook's AI advantage (Monday Morning 8 a.m. #29, part 2)

Hello everyone! This is Monday Morning 8 a.m., a weekly newsletter where we distill the insights from all of the distractions, articles, and emails that you receive in your inbox every day. In this newsletter, we're going to focus on four major themes from last week's news. To listen to the audio version of this newsletter, search for "Strategy Skills" in any podcast app. To get a written copy with links to mentioned articles sign up here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo To get a copy of some of the previous issues you might have missed, get the Strategy Insights book. If you love Strategy Insights and support it with reviews on Goodreads and Google Play (and support on Amazon is very much appreciated) by May 30th 2021, please email support@firmsconsulting.com as we will be sending 1-month access to the accompanying course as a gift to members who loved and supported the book with reviews. P.S. If you want to support the Monday Morning 8 a.m. and our other work, there are many ways you can do that, including reviews on iTunes / Amazon / Goodreads / app, purchasing our memberships / books, applying to join our prelaunch team, or just spreading the word. Some links above are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

25 Maj 20219min

156: 7-Eleven's inconvenient truth about convenience (Monday Morning 8 a.m. #29, part 1)

156: 7-Eleven's inconvenient truth about convenience (Monday Morning 8 a.m. #29, part 1)

Hello everyone! This is Monday Morning 8 a.m., a weekly newsletter where we distill the insights from all of the distractions, articles, and emails that you receive in your inbox every day. In this newsletter, we're going to focus on four major themes from last week's news. To listen to the audio version of this newsletter, search for "Strategy Skills" in any podcast app. To get a written copy with links to mentioned articles sign up here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo To get a copy of some of the previous issues you might have missed, get the Strategy Insights book. If you love Strategy Insights and support it with reviews on Goodreads and Google Play (and support on Amazon is very much appreciated) by May 30th 2021, please email support@firmsconsulting.com as we will be sending 1-month access to the accompanying course as a gift to members who loved and supported the book with reviews. P.S. If you want to support the Monday Morning 8 a.m. and our other work, there are many ways you can do that, including reviews on iTunes / Amazon / Goodreads / app, purchasing our memberships / books, applying to join our prelaunch team, or just spreading the word. Some links above are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

24 Maj 202110min

155: Taming the beast tech has become with actionable solutions. With Cognizant's Ben Pring

155: Taming the beast tech has become with actionable solutions. With Cognizant's Ben Pring

How can we take back control of technology so it will shape the society we want for ourselves instead of becoming a monster we can no longer tame? Monster: A Tough Love Letter On Taming the Machines that Rule our Jobs, Lives, and Future - https://amzn.to/3fAeX8T Ben Pring co-founded and leads the Center for the Future of Work at Cognizant, an American multinational technology company that provides consulting, information technology and outsourcing services. Ben sits on the advisory board of the Labor and Work Life program at Harvard Law School. In 2018 Ben was a Bilderberg Meeting participant. Ben was named as one of 30 management thinkers to watch in 2020 by Thinkers 50. He was recently named a leading influencer on the future of work by Onalytica. In 2007, Ben won Gartner's prestigious Thought Leader Award. His work has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, the London Times, the Drucker Forum Report, Business Insider, Forbes, and Fortune. Based near Boston since 2000, Ben graduated with a degree in Philosophy from Manchester University, in the UK where he grew up. 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).

20 Maj 20211h 1min

154: Harvard's Gorick Ng on career secrets

154: Harvard's Gorick Ng on career secrets

"The book demystifies what managers expect but never explain and what top performers do subconsciously. These unspoken rules create an unlevel playing field between insiders and outsiders. My book bridges the divide by giving all early-career professionals the concrete, tactical advice they need to excel." The Unspoken Rules: https://amzn.to/2Rwzx1L 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).

19 Maj 202159min

153: The experience economy strategy (Monday Morning 8 a.m. #28, part 2)

153: The experience economy strategy (Monday Morning 8 a.m. #28, part 2)

Hello everyone! This is Monday Morning 8 a.m., a weekly newsletter where we distill the insights from all of the distractions, articles, and emails that you receive in your inbox every day. In this newsletter, we're going to focus on four major themes from last week's news. To listen to the audio version of this newsletter, search for "Strategy Skills" in any podcast app. To get a written copy with links to mentioned articles sign up here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo To get a copy of some of the previous issues you might have missed, get the Strategy Insights book. If you love Strategy Insights and support it with reviews on Goodreads and Google Play (and support on Amazon is very much appreciated) by May 30th 2021, please email support@firmsconsulting.com as we will be sending 1-month access to the accompanying course as a gift to members who loved and supported the book with reviews. P.S. If you want to support the Monday Morning 8 a.m. and our other work, there are many ways you can do that, including reviews on iTunes / Amazon / Goodreads / app, purchasing our memberships / books, applying to join our prelaunch team, or just spreading the word. Some links above are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

18 Maj 202111min

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