Have you noticed how much and how fast the market for education and lifelong learning has changed over the past several years?
Would you welcome practical insights to help you not only keep up, but innovate and provide new value to your audience?
In this episode of the podcast, change and innovation expert Seth Kahan offers valuable advice on how to get change and innovation right. This is knowledge the successful Learning Revolutionary most definitely needs.
This episode also marks a turning point in the podcast. The interview with Seth is the last of those I conducted while writing the Leading the Learning Revolution. The podcast will go on, though. For starters, I’ve got Harold Stolovitch, author of the perennial best-seller Telling Ain’t Training lined up for the next episode.
I’ve got plenty more interviews in mind, but I’d also really like to get you input. If you have questions, issues, or people you would like to have featured on the Learning Revolution podcast, please e-mail me.
In the meantime, enjoy the session with Seth Kahan.
Play the Podcast
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | iTunes
Get the Show Notes
03:20 – Introduction of Seth Kahan. Seth is a well-known thought leader, consultant, and author of the best-selling book Getting Change Right. He also has new book on the way soon Getting Innovation Right: How Leaders Create Inflection Points that Drive Success in the Marketplace.
3:55 – A lot of the most interesting change is coming from solo entrepreneurs or educators who are leaving their institutions behind. What is it about institutions that just doesn’t like change?
04:25 – Seth discusses two kinds of culture: operations culture and innovation culture. In some organizations it is clear which is which, even within a single organization
05:55 – How can a solo expert or small organization manage to cultivate both types of culture, given that both are necessary?
06:15 – Has to be a conscious decision. The leader in smaller organization tends to have a proclivity for one or the other. You have to find people who can step into the vacant role.
06:40 – Whether innovation is coming from a leader or someone else, where do concepts like testing and experimentation fit in? Is constant experimentation a necessity or a distraction?
06:55 – Seth argues that it all comes down to value generation and you do have to experiment to figure out what increases value. “Value is really the holy grail when it comes to organizational success.”
07:20 – When it comes to proving value, where does “free” fit in? Many organizations in the educational space seem fearful of giving too much – if anything – away for free.
08:00 – Seth stresses that there is a lot of fear in general out there. Not just in the education business. Set discusses three ways to generate value – and how “free” fits in.
09:18 – Discussion of filling the “gaps” over time – between actual financial transactions. You have to provide value even in the times when customers are between transactions or you risk becoming a commodity.
10:25 – Is there any room for price innovation on the low end at this point? Or does the focus need to be on higher value and potentially higher prices? Seth says if you are only focusing on the lower end, you are headed toward commoditization. You have to focus on value.
11:10 – What are some of the biggest opportunities for creating value? Seth talks through four opportunities for creating value.
15:20 – People sometimes miss out on value opportunities that are right in front of them. Seth discusses some of his tips for identifying and exploiting value opportunities. Pros and cons of bringing in a consultants versus hiring. Either way, you need to bring in an expert.
16:25 Also, conduct competitive business intelligence. But some organizations remain stuck even with an expert’s help – what is Seth’s number one tip for getting unstuck?
17:20 – The leaders have to become adept at re-framing strategy – shift their orientation inside the organization. Seth discusses four ways to re-frame.
19:30 – Final words of wisdom from Seth – focused on the opportunities in the education space. Getting innovation right in the education space is extremely important.
20:30 – End of interview with Seth. You can find Seth on the Web at http://www.visionaryleadership.com. Be sure to check out the wealth of free resources Seth makes available there. Also, I highly recommend his series of interviews with seasoned, successful consultants posted on his Freelance Fortune site.
Finally, as promised, here is some information about getting preview goodies for Seth’s soon-to-be-released book Getting Innovation Right: How Leaders Create Inflection Points that Drive Success in the Marketplace. These will include invitations to participate in 2 teleseminars on innovation and links to the recordings, as well as a special PDF workbook based upon the material in the book. The content will be new, original, and not available in the book.
To get your preview materials, first pre-order the book. Then, send proof of your purchase to GIRadvance @ gmail.com. Seth will then make sure you get your preview goodies.
That’s it for the interview with Seth Kahan. If you like the Learning Revolution podcast, I would be eternally grateful if you would consider giving it a brief review on iTunes and sharing it with others. Thanks!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | iTunes
The theme music for Learning Revolution is The Information Age by Anthony Fiumano, available on the Podsafe Music Network.
P.S. – Sign up for updates and get my eBook The Learning Revolutionary’s Toolbox and Chapter 1 from Leading the Learning Revolution!
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