FountainBlue’s September 11 When She Speaks event was on the topic of ‘Embracing the Creative in a Tech-philic World’. Our panelists represented a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives, companies and roles. Although they were each unique and accomplished, they had much in common.
- Each chose a technical/science educational path, yet each made the proactive choice to go into more creative and business-focused roles.
- Each has focused on solving critical, difficult problems, working with both technologists and creatives, and found a way to translate between the two sides when there were conflicts and misunderstandings.
- Each is entrepreneurial, creatively solving problems in new ways, yet each is also process-oriented as she implements solutions.
- Each is customer-centric, curious about the customer problems, the customer experiences. Each insisted in getting a first-hand connection to those customers so that she can better deliver solutions that serve the customers’ needs, providing a flow that is useful and easy to navigate for the customer.
Below is a compilation of advice and best practices on how to be creative in a tech-philic world.
It’s the Age of the Customer
- Focus on the gaps and the pain points. Find out what your team/company is doing to address that pain point and how the customers are responding to these solutions. Then work from there.
- Because technology is moving so fast, and solutions are getting so inter-related and complex, it’s often easier to design a solution based on the problem identified by a customer rather than innovating for the sake of innovating, without knowing if it serves a current pain point/need.
Know yourself
- Know what you’re good at, what you want and reach for it.
- Know how you work with others across the team and beyond, and learn how to work with others not-like-you.
- Make sure that your current roles and responsibilities are a personality fit for you.
Challenge yourself
- Never settle. Keep reaching for what’s next, what can bring out more learnings for you, more value for the customer, for your team and company, especially when it makes you feel uncomfortable.
- Choose excellence, even if it means you have to work really hard to get there.
- Persevere and learn as you go. Don’t expect to be always right, but do expect to be always learning.
- Don’t always adopt someone else’s best practice. Do the research on what works for you and fold in also things that work for others which might also work for you.
- Invite yourself to dream of practical innovations which meet customer needs today and also in the future.
- Creatively consider how AI and IoT solutions can transcend industries not traditionally known for their tech.
- Get noticed for the exceptional work you consistently deliver, the impossible problems you routinely solve.
- Plan-fully and collaboratively plan a future for your product and team so that it has maximum impact on customers and markets.
Be a translator
- Teams and companies need both creatives and technologists. Translating Geek-speak to Biz-speak and vice versa adds value to all involved.
- Translate what Customers are saying to you so that both Creatives and Techies understand. Speak also to the Executives so they also understand how everyone is collaborating to deliver products and services.
Empower Others
- Work with the Creatives to understand the Techies and vice versa, and help all to adopt a ONE TEAM mindset.
The bottom line is to be strategic and customer-focused. Ask yourself the Why of everything, then ask the What and the So What for Which audience.
Your network matters, if you want to make that lasting impact. Prove your value and you will secure additional sponsorship and mentorship and continue to drive high-profile initiatives and generate results.
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Please join me in thanking our hosts at Texas Instruments, and our esteemed panelists for FountainBlue’s September 11 When She Speaks event on the topic of ‘Embracing the Creative in a Tech-philic World’.
- Facilitator Linda Holroyd, CEO, FountainBlue
- Panelist Hope Bovenzi, Sector General Manager for Automotive Infotainment, Texas Instruments
- Panelist Revathi Narayanan, Chief Of Staff, Compute and Networking BU, Micron
- Panelist Preethy Padmanabhan, Head of Platform Product Marketing, Freshworks
- Panelist Charu Roy, Senior Director, Product Management Fusion PLM, Oracle
- Panelist Urvashi Sheth, Senior Vice President Client Services, Intermedia
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