As the president of Ritani, Brian Watkins is disrupting the luxury-shopping world by creating the first ever Clicks-and-Bricks Omni-Channel retail experience in bridal and designer jewelry. Since launching in 2012, Ritani has grown rapidly, shipping to more than 65 countries and featured in over 150 jewelry stores through a robust partner network. Brian began his career with Bain Consulting before entering the diamond business at Blue Nile with positions including VP of Corporate Planning and VP of Merchandising. Prior to Ritani – Brian held the CFO role at WetPaint and Director of Strategy at Nordstrom. Brian is an angel investor in a number of e-commerce companies and a frequent conference speaker about Omni-Channel retailing and the diamond industry. A graduate from the Walter A Haas School of Business at Berkeley, Brian makes his home in Seattle with his wife and two children.

On the show, Watkins duscussed Ritani’s innovation practices. He explained their “clicks and bricks” business model: customers can create and buytheir rings online, but have the choice of actually purchasing online or waiting and examining the piece once it is shipped to a local retailer. By partnering with local jewelers, they benefit from the jewelers’ trusted brand reputation, and the jewelers benefit from being able to adopt new technologies and innovation practices that they otherwise wouldnt be able to do.

Derek Lidow is a longtime global CEO, innovator and startup coach. He is widely-known as one of the world’s top experts on the electronics industry; his contributions range from patents to value chain applications that have forever improved companies as diverse as Sony, Samsung, Philips, Goldman Sachs and IBM. Among his many accomplishments, Derek a successful entrepreneur who built iSuppli, a leading market research firm. In 2010 he sold his company for $100 million to global information leader IHS.Today, Derek is giving back by teaching; Entrepreneurial Leadership and Creativity, Innovation and Design at Princeton and by working with young companies and aspiring entrepreneurs. He is a media commentator; Lidow’s coverage to date includes The New York Times, Wall Street Journal,BusinessWeek, Forbes, Bloomberg, The Economist, Nikkei, Reuters, and Taipei Times as well as many top bloggers. Derek’s degrees come from Princeton and Stanford where he earned a PhD in applied physics as a Hertz Foundation Fellow. He is based in New York City and Princeton, NJ.

On Innovation Navigation, Lidow started by explaining warm-up exercises he uses in his innovation class at Princeton, to get his students in the creative mindset. He then discussed entrepreneurial leadership and and to lead innovation. Start-Up success is similar to innovation “…in youre trying to impact the world.” According to Lidow, getting people to change in order to accomodate your ideas is key; however, leading change is a skill many are scared to tackle. Observation and understanding your customer is the key to successful change. He talked about the benefits of traditional bootstrapping in start-ups and innovation. At the end of his segment, Lidow talked about Apple’s innovation techniques in developing the iPad and the iPod Touch.

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Drew Boyd is co-author of Inside the Box: A Proven System of Creativity for Breakthrough Results. He is a recognized authority, thought leader, educator, and practitioner in the fields of innovation, persuasion, and social media. He is the Executive Director of the Master of Science in Marketing Program and Assistant Professor of Marketing and Innovation at the University of Cincinnati.Drew spent seventeen years with Johnson & Johnson in marketing, mergers & acquisitions, and international development. He founded and directed J&J’s Marketing Mastery Program, an internal “marketing university” benchmarked by companies such as GE, P&G, Kraft, and Merck. Drew’s focus was on raising competencies in the areas of strategic marketing, market management, and new product innovation. Of particular focus was teaching employees how to systematically invent new medical products and integrate the inventions into long-range strategic plans. Drew is an inventor himself, earning his first patent for a device that makes spine surgery easier.Before Johnson & Johnson, Drew spent ten years with United Airlines, in sales, marketing, and strategic planning. He was one of the early pioneers of strategic partnerships between carriers that led to the creation of the Star Alliance.Drew served as an officer in the United States Air Force and completed a distinguished tour of duty as a crew commander in the Nuclear Missile Force and a war planning officer of the Strategic Air Command. He won the ICBM version of the “Top Gun” competition in 1980.Drew graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 1976 with a Bachelors of Science Degree in Management Science and Operations Research. He earned an MBA from the University of Chicago.

Drew Boyd discussed his book: Inside the Box: A Proven System of Creativity for Breakthrough Results. He talked with Dave about why thinking inside the box is better. According to Boyd, “When you tell someone to think outside the box, you send them on a wild goose chase… better thinking happens with constraints, using a set of ideation tools.” The method in the book allows you to extract patterns from innovation and apply them to your own products and services. Boyd explained the division technique, where you divide a problem and rearrange it in space or time and re-evaluate the results.

Professor Read’s research is focused on effectuation. Derived from practices employed by expert entrepreneurs, effectuation is a set of heuristics that describe how people make decisions and take action in situations of true uncertainty. As uncertainty is pervasive across all aspects of firms, markets and organizations, his work on effectuation applies to, and has been published in a variety of disciplinary areas such as strategy, Marketing, new ventures, innnovation, finance, organizational behavior, policy and economics.

Professor Read has nearly twenty years of industry experience, having participated in the creation of six high technology start-up firms. Four of those firms were acquired by industry leaders including Sun Microsystems and Lotus Development Corporation. Two are publicly traded. He also spent six years with enterprise database software provider, Oracle Corporation. Read holds a Ph.D. from the University of Washington and an A.B. from Harvard University. On Tuesday’s show, Stuart Read discussed a recent study he performed. He compared experienced entrepreneurs to novices in the way they approach starting a new business and their though processes. Novices woudl try to find a market and target it, but the product was completely new, so there was no existing market. Experienced entrepreneurs would find a way to create a new market. The study found 9 different opportunity generation techniques used by these experienced entrepreneurs. Read discussed, specifically, “deleting and supplementing” and “composing and decomposing” techniques. He finished his segment with 4 pieces of advice for novice entrepreneurs.

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Shana Dressler has built a decade-long career leading and nurturing entrepreneurs, creative professionals, and social change leaders. As the Executive Director of Google’s 30 Weeks, Shana Dressler ran an incubator for design entrepreneurs that Fast Company named as one of the World’s Top 10 Most Innovative Companies of 2015 in design.

A deeply committed social entrepreneur, Shana is widely recognized as the first person in New York to organize rigorous educational programming for social entrepreneurs and creatives interested in achieving both financial sustainability and measurable impact. To fill a notable gap in the lack of resources available, Shana co-created the Social Good Guides, a series of guides focused on the essential small-business skills that would-be changemakers need to know and an 8-week workshop called Social Good Startup: Idea to Launch.

Shana is an Aspen Institute Scholar, a member of the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a judge for The Webby Awards and a graduate of the THNK School of Creative Leadership. In 2014 she became a Delegate to the United Nations Foundation Global Accelerator which brought together “100 of the world’s top entrepreneurs to work together with policy leaders on global issues.” In 2015, Shana was honored by the World CSR Congress as one of the 50 Most Talented Social Innovators. She has given keynote talks and led workshops at the Harvard Social Enterprise Conference, HarvardxDesign, Core77, Social of Visual Art’s Impact Design for Social Change, A Better World By Design, 99u, the Social Good Summit, the Disruptive Innovation Festival and many others. In addition to frequent travel to far-flung places, Shana loves all things chocolate and makes her way around New York on a midnight blue Vespa. You can follow her @shanadressler.

Rod Pyle writes on NASA and space exploration history. His science books have been published by Prometheus/Random House, Smithsonian, HarperCollins, McGraw-Hill and Carlton Books, and are part of the permanent collection of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. “Destination Moon” was cited as a “Top Ten Science Book of 2005” by About.com, and has been published in three editions. His “Destination Mars” was published in 2013 and has received rave reviews, been selected by Scientific American as a book club publication, and was recommended for classroom use by the National Science Teachers Association. “Missions to the Moon,” published in 2009 and 2010, continues in press with robust sales, and his 2004 “In Their Own words: The Space Race” audiobook is a classroom staple. Two new books, “Innovation the NASA Way” and “Curiosity” were released in 2014 to high praise.Rod is a space journalist, making regular written and video contributions to Space.com, LiveScience and other science news outlets. His frequent radio interviews can be heard on WGN/Chicago, KFI, BBC and NPR. In 2010-2011, Rod developed and presented leadership training for NASA at the Johnson Space Center. This program presents the history of leadership during the Apollo lunar program to the top executives of Conoco-Phillips, Michelin USA, and a number of other Fortune 100 companies. As a producer-writer, Rod has created non-fiction programming for The History Channel, Veria TV, Discovery Communications and other clients. He worked for seven years in visual effects for “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” and the new “Battlestar Galactica” for Paramount Television. Rod also worked in the TV commercial industry, with such clients as IBM, Ford, Xerox, Dr. Pepper and Coors. He taught communication and media production at the university level for 10 years, and was an assistant professor at the University of La Verne through 2005.

On the show, Rod Pyle talked about innovation practices at NASA. He discussed the Mars missions and their innovation challenges. He also explained the differences between the processes at privately owned companies, and governement-run NASA. According to Pyle, some keys to successful NASA projects include: being very clever with money, giving design teams goal mandates, thinking outside the box and trying to accomplish something wild. Ideas are developed, pared down, further developed, then one is chosen. It is important to give people an ownership in the process, set big aggressive, impossible goals and give the team resources to attack those goals.

Linda A. Hill is the Wallace Brett Donham Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. She is the faculty chair of the Leadership Initiative and has chaired numerous HBS Executive Education programs, including the Young Presidents’ Organization Presidents’ Seminar and the High Potentials Leadership Program. Hill’s consulting and executive education activities have been in the areas of leadership development, talent management, leading change and innovation, implementing global strategies, and managing cross-organizational relationships. She has worked with organizations worldwide, including General Electric, Reed Elsevier, Accenture, Pfizer, IBM, MasterCard, Mitsubishi, Morgan Stanley, the National Bank of Kuwait, AREVA, and the Economist. Hill is the coauthor, with Kent Lineback, of Being the Boss: The 3 Imperatives for Becoming a Great Leader, which the Wall Street Journal named one of “Five Best Business Books to Read for Your Career in 2011.” Hill is also the author of Becoming a Manager: How New Managers Master the Challenges of Leadership (2nd Edition), as well as course modules, award-winning multimedia management development programs, and numerous HBR articles. In 2013 she was named by Thinkers50 as one of the top ten management thinkers in the world. Hill is currently a member of the boards of State Street Corporation, Eaton Corporation, and Harvard Business Publishing. She is a trustee of The Bridgespan Group and the Art Center College of Design, an advisor for the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund USA, and a special representative to the Board of Trustees of Bryn Mawr College. She is also on the advisory board of the Aspen Institute Business and Society Program. Hill holds a PhD in behavioral sciences and an MA in educational psychology, both from the University of Chicago. She received a BA summa cum laude in psychology from Bryn Mawr College.

On Innovation Navigation, Linda Hill discussed the book she co-authored, The Art and Practice of Leading Innovation. She talked with Dave about how to successfully create an organization that can innovate. Being a leader who can create this type of organization requires both the ability to make a group willing to innovate and making a group able to innovate. She gave advice for someone who has just taken a leadership position. The new leader must first, take a step back and look at what innovation in his organization really takes, and he must be a stage setter: more back stage, than front stage.

Hugh Molotsi is the Vice President of the Intuit Labs Incubator at Intuit. Hugh joined Intuit in 1993 and in his tenure has worked on QuickBooks and several other small business offerings. Hugh has a passion for innovation and has helped launch several new businesses at Intuit including Intuit Payments. Hugh’s current responsibilities involve incubating nascent offerings that develop out of Intuit’s grassroots innovation programs including strategic new businesses like Brainstorm. Hugh is also the president of the Board of Directors of Fresh Lifelines for Youth, a nonprofit agency that runs programs for at-risk youth. Hugh holds a Master of Science degree in Computer Engineering from Santa Clara University and a Bachelors of Science degree in Computer Engineering Technology from the University of Southern Mississippi. Hugh is married to Michelle and is the proud father of two daughters. For more about Hugh, check out his blog.

On the show, Hugh Molotsi discussed Intuit’s innovation stragies, the Intuit Labs incubator, and how Intuit encourages its employees to innovate themselves. Intuit provides “unstructured time” into the workweek for their employees. This is time and freedom for them to work on the projects they are passionate about. Intuit’s Incubator has an Incubation week, where groups get one week to turn an idea into a minimum viable product to test and experiment with; and Intuit provides coaching and help. Hugh explained the “D for D” process, Intuit’s version of design thinking and way to get the best ideas.

As President and CEO of Cirque du Soleil, Daniel Lamarre is in charge of developing strategies related to both business development and operations. He is also responsible for ensuring the financial sustainability of the company and for perpetuating its culture and values.Before joining Guy Laliberté’s team in January 2001, he served as president and CEO of TVA Group, Quebec’s largest private television broadcaster, for nearly four years. In addition to his day-to-day management duties, he was also responsible for strategic planning and business development. While holding a seat on the TVA Group board of directors, he also served as an administrator for McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters, and the Montreal Heart Institute Research Fund. From 1984 to 1997, Daniel Lamarre worked with National Public Relations, the largest private public relations firm in Canada, first as executive vice-president and senior partner, then as president starting in 1995. He became president and CEO of Burson-Marsteller in 1981, and opened a first Montreal branch for this, the world’s largest PR firm. In 1977, he served as public relations director for the cable operator Cogeco. Before that, he was communications director for the Fédération des Caisses Populaires du Centre du Québec. Before taking up his management duties in the world of communications, Daniel Lamarre worked as a journalist for over 10 years.

Saul Kaplan is the founder and Chief Catalyst of the Business Innovation Factory and author of The Business Model Innovation Factory: How to Stay Relevant when the World Is Changing. Kaplan started BIF in 2005 with a mission to enable collaborative innovation. The non-profit is creating a real world laboratory for innovators to explore and test new business models and system level solutions in areas of high social importance including health care, education, entrepreneurship, and energy independence. Prior to the Business Innovation Factory Kaplan served as the Executive Director of the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation and as the Executive Counselor to the Governor on Economic and Community Development. Kaplan created Rhode Island’s unique innovation @ scale economic development strategy aimed at increasing the state’s capacity to grow and support an innovation economy, including an effort to turn the state’s compact geography and close knit public and private sector networks into a competitive advantage. Prior to his state leadership role in economic development Kaplan served as a Senior Strategy Partner in Accenture’s Health & Life-Science practice and worked broadly throughout the pharmaceutical, medical products, and biotechnology industry. Kaplan also spent eight years working for the Pharmaceutical Division of Eli Lilly and Company. As a Marketing Plans Manager, Kaplan assisted in developing the launch strategy and successful introduction of Prozac into the U.S. market.Kaplan shares his innovation musings on Twitter (@skap5), his blog (It’s Saul Connected) and as regular contributor to the Harvard Business Review and Bloomberg Business Week. Kaplan holds an MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute focusing on the strategic management of technology and a BS in Pharmacy from the University of Rhode Island.

Innovation strategist Lisa Kay Solomon works with leaders to solve their high-stakes issues with new frameworks and practices. Her method helps leaders not only address today’s most vexing business challenges, but also accelerate progress on their greatest opportunities. Lisa is a sought after advisor to many Fortune 1000 companies. She has worked with such companies as ING, Andreesen Horowitz, Nestle, PBS, Toyota Financial Services, and Citrix, among others. She frequently keynotes at leading business schools across the country including Stanford University, University of California- Berkeley, University of Virginia, and Cornell University as well as at numerous innovation and leadership conferences.She recently delivered a TEDx talk on her passion for innovation as a leadership practice and was co-host at the international Business Design Summit in Berlin. Lisa also teaches Innovation in the ground-breaking MBA in Design Strategy program at the California College of the Arts.Lisa coauthored the Wall Street Journal Bestseller, Moments of Impact: How to Design Strategic Conversations that Accelerate Change (Simon & Schuster, Feb. 2014)and her work has been covered by The Wall Street Journal, Inc., Fast Company, Forbes, Huffington Post, Business Week, and more. Lisa earned a BA from Cornell University and an MBA from New York University-Stern School of Business.