P.I. Podcast: Interview with John Kao
March 28th, 2008
Among the innovation thought leaders whose writings and work I respect deeply, there is a short list of those who have really influenced my thinking. John Kao is on that list, and so the chance to do a podcast interview with him was a true honor and pleasure.
John and I spoke yesterday about his latest book, Innovation Nation: How America Is Losing Its Innovation Edge, Why It Matters, and What We Can Do To Get It Back, which came out last fall, and was named by Business Week as one of the ten best business books of 2007. As the title suggests, this book is about what America needs to do to as a country to rebuild its eroding innovation advantage, and it is a very important read for all association leaders.
One of the most interesting aspects of our conversation is around John’s belief that we need to reinvigorate America’s “innovation ethos.” In other words, we need to get clear as individual citizens and as a nation why innovation matters to us. As John explains during our interview, “If innovation is the answer, what is the question?” From my point of view, this is one of the most critical issues facing the association community.
When it comes to innovation, America faces considerable challenges going forward, not only from our own complacency, but from the proactive efforts of nations around the world to take their innovation leadership to another level. As John points out, associations have an important role to play in strengthening this critical element of our national competitiveness, but many organizations appear unwilling to embrace this opportunity. Going forward, then, association CEOs and boards of directors need to decide whether they and their organizations are going to be a part of the problem, or a part of the solution.
I hope you’ll listen to the podcast below (approximately 29 minutes) or download the mp3. And be sure to checkout the Innovation Nation book website for more resources. As always, your feedback on this podcast and suggestions for future guests are welcome as comments below or you can e-mail me at jeffpi1@gmail.com.
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