John Kao

Disruption – and not just of the Covid-19 variety - is our new reality. The rapid economic, social and political shifts we are experiencing today are unprecedented – and require proactive, creative responses.

Yet, most business leaders are stuck in “crisis mode,” making short-term, reactive decisions aimed at battening down the hatches and weathering the storm until things return to “normal.”

Normal no longer exists. Constant disruption is here to stay. The organizations that will thrive are those who are rapidly able to transition from crisis to opportunity – the ability that Dr. John Kao calls “making the flip,” which is a deliberate shift in attitude, focus and decision-making that capitalizes on the fluid situation created by a crisis.

Dr. John Kao’s approach to making the flip is based on a new leadership paradigm of hybrid thinking, acting and organizing that will prepare your leaders, your people and your organization to reframe crises as opportunity. Its blended framework will release energy stuck in old patterns and conservative behavior, and create momentum for high-potential, future-oriented actions.

This blended framework of thought and action is what Dr. John Kao refers to as The Six Intelligences that enables smart leadership and rapid transitions to opportunity in disrupted times. They include:

• Contextual Intelligence – From confusion to clarity
• Moral Intelligence – From tactics to principles
• Psychological Intelligence – From structures to people
• Generative Intelligence – From mechanisms to ecosystems
• Technological Intelligence – From adequacy to fluency
• Transformational Intelligence – From mere change to a desired future

Dr. Kao’s deep and eclectic background from psychiatry (Yale, M.D.) to developing Harvard Business School’s acclaimed MBA curriculum on business creativity and innovation, to his work consulting Fortune 50s and government leaders on successful behaviors and concepts around transformational change, to his entrepreneurial successes as co-founder of several high tech companies, positions him as the perfect guide to lead your people through the narrative of WHY this framework is so critical, as well as the roadmap to HOW each person can begin to implement it starting today.

Dr. Kao has shared his relevant and tactical approaches at The World Economic Forum Davos, TED, Google, the Keidanren and NATO, and has been dubbed “Mr. Creativity” and a “Serial Innovator” by The Economist.

SPEECH TAKEAWAYS

• Flip Your Perspective: Dr. Kao provides a new model of thinking based on what he calls the Six Intelligences that enable each person in your organization (from leader to individual contributor) to tap into a broader perspective, free themselves from limiting preconceptions, reimagine what is possible and take decisive action.
• Flip Your Story: From his Tony-nominated mini-career in Hollywood and on Broadway, Dr. Kao brings a wealth of unique experience to crafting powerful narratives for your organization that open new horizons of possibility.
• Flip Your Reach: Every touchpoint matters. From your internal monologue, to your external dialogue, to sharing your product or service with the world. Dr. Kao’s Six Intelligences framework provides a roadmap for every person in your organization to express their deeper value as a stakeholder and to use the framework to create meaningful organizational change.
• Flip Your Solution Model: Dr. Kao shifts thinking from revenue-first to people-first, which will help your teams solve problems based on human needs and ultimately result in higher revenue.

Dr. Kao’s Six Intelligences Framework can be presented as a holistic big picture message or as curated content with specific relevance to these four audiences:

• INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTORS – The “so what” for me – self-development, fulfilling human potential, empowerment.
• TEAMS – The “so what” for us - enhancing collaboration, engendering belief in what is possible.
• ORGANIZATION – The “so what” for our organization - pre-positioning capability, thinking the unthinkable, reimagining innovation, reframing culture, inspiring narratives and a sense of urgency.
• SOCIETY – The “so what” for all of us - different patterns of response to disruptions such as Covid-19 and thinking beyond to the next big disruptor

Innovation is a hot topic these days.  Countries cultivate it, companies demand it.  Employees seek the innovation edge.  And Gen Z wants it.  

However, before innovation comes creativity.  It all begins with the spark of an idea, generated in a human brain in uncertain circumstances that must be nurtured to express its full potential. Yet in the headlong rush for innovation, the practice of creativity has largely been ignored. Ideas are assumed to be fungible, while the emphasis has been on reducing innovation to a best practice, metrics, stage gates, process flows, management accountability systems and the like.  

This is a dangerous assumption as it is the quality (and quantity of ideas) generated that leads to quality innovation.  And the very management practices that lead to efficient innovation are often directly opposed to those that support creativity in the enterprise.  

John Kao balances the creative and the business perspective in drawing from a lifelong immersion in creative fields.  As Yamaha’s first “Innovation Artist,” he can use music as a compelling illustration of how creativity in business works and what the management requirements really are.

Dr. John Kao’s five decades of layered knowledge and application in the worlds of behavioral science (he is a Yale-trained psychiatrist), business creativity (he developed the acclaimed Harvard Business School program on business creativity and innovation), entrepreneurship (he is the co-founder of several high-tech companies), innovation (he has advised Fortune 50s and governments on innovation at scale), and music (he is a jazz pianist) make him an incredibly nuanced and eclectic guide who captivates virtual audiences. He also has a full studio set-up at home with the latest in innovative presentation platforms to make virtual a memorable experience for all audiences.

• Virtual Narrative and Q&A - Dr. Kao delivers 30-40 min of content in a conversational style, accompanied with engaging slides, and followed  by Q&A which can be moderated by the organization host, or he can field questions through the online chat feature.

• Leadership Virtual Fireside Chat - 40-60 min of open dialogue with organization leadership and moderated Q&A with viewing audiences focused on the organization's goals and challenges and how Dr. Kao's framework can help them achieve their desired future.

• Virtual Breakout Room - 20-30min breakout session with key leadership can be added to any program for deeper dive conversation addressing how Dr. Kao's content can be directly applied with their teams.

• Virtual Meet and Greet - 20-30min virtual meet and greet can be added to any program so that the viewing audience can engage with Dr. Kao and ask specific questions.   

• Deep Dives - 30-60min Deep Dives on practical applications of Dr. Kao's content can be curated for a deeper strategy session with leaders and teams.

Innovation is at the top of the management agenda, yet it has become a meaningless buzzword. While many leaders “get” why innovation is important, most struggle to create a transformative innovation strategy that is distinct, effective and actionable. In this presentation John Kao helps organizations get past the hype of innovation and right to the heart of getting it done.

Innovation now has a new geography as countries from China to Dubai invest in massive national innovation agendas designed to enhance their competitiveness.  It is hard to underestimate the speed at which the global game board is shifting through the influence of new technologies, new business models, new consumer demographics and more.  

At the same time, incumbent countries, America principal among them, must reassess their innovation posture.  America has always taken its innovation advantage for granted; it is woven into our country’s DNA.  Yet innovation is no longer a set of advantages that can be taken for granted.  This presentation documents the rising tide of innovation worldwide and positions America within it and presents an agenda for what America must do to remain pre-eminent. 

This keynote speech draws upon the Jon Kao's unique perspective as an advisor to numerous countries on innovation policy, as a member of a U.S. White House Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology expert panel on G2 innovation cooperation, and author of the influential book Innovation Nation, which documents America’s rising innovation challenge.

Today's rising generation was born into a world with problems: climate, conflict, poverty, disease.  No wonder that they are imbued with purpose and a desire to make change – and at an earlier age than ever before.  

The question is where they will learn the skills of creativity, digital fluency, entrepreneurship, collaboration, design and story-telling that will give them the “how” of innovation and enhance their employability in a turbulent world.  Schools in most parts of the world are not the answer, they are rooted in an old-world model of what it means to be educated.  

This keynote presents a new vision of the capacities needed by young people to express their passion and idealism in service of world changing goals.  Vivid case studies of young people who are making a difference way ahead of schedule are presented.  And a new vision of education – digitally enabled, distributed and personal – will be shared.  It draws upon the speaker’s 30 years of experience creating compelling learning experiences for business students and executives, which has culminated in a new vision of innovation learning: EdgeMakers.

John Kao’s Innovation Master Class (1-2 day program) combines the best of an executive program with a deep dive component to produce, not just a knowledge base around innovation, but practical steps to innovation and execution. 

Mr. Kao wrote the book on executive education for innovation—literally. His acclaimed residential executive program at Harvard Business School—Enhancing Corporate Creativity—was rated 4.8 out of 5 in its first year of inception. Mr. Kao has modified this core curriculum to teach executives in companies and governments worldwide, including the Singapore Civil Service College and the US Naval Postgraduate School, which made John a Distinguished Visiting Professor of Innovation. 

Now, your executives don't have to travel or sit in a group setting that prevents candid discussion about your organization’s innovation needs-—John will bring the power of executive education to YOU with a customized two-day program.