Guest is David Horth, Director of Innovation Venturing and Partnerships, of the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, NC, on the subject of Innovation and Leadership

Present Tense, Future Perfect is a radio show about leadership. Not any leadership, but it seeks to enquire into the factors responsible for today’s turning point in history and if those of us engaged in developing leaders are doing it right. How are organizations, societies, and individuals being impacted by changes in our world? How do we develop leaders to respond to them? What changes can we make today to have an impact on tomorrow? This holds for us on a personal level as much as on organizational and societal levels.

What are the factors which are reshaping our world? I was asked what I saw as the principal challenges facing organizations today. I responded, Globalization and Innovation. Then I heard Thomas Friedman talking about his new book, Thank You for Being Late. He identified the first two and added, Climate Change, and Technology. I could agree with that. In fact, one could well argue that Technology is the principal driver of the first three.

Developing leaders for a future (and a present) reshaped by these factors is the overall theme of the program. However, over 16 weeks we intend to explore with experts in their fields,

  • The effects of Globalization on our economies and labor markets and how global and international companies are responding
  • How Innovation both excites those companies engaged in finding new ways to satisfy their customers, but also challenges them because it requires a dual focus on maintaining the current business while planning for the new
  • What does climate change mean for our agricultural requirements and do rising sea levels mean massive population shifts within and among Continents?
  • If Moore’s Law tells us that advances in digital technologies will grow exponentially every 2 years, what does it mean for humans’ ability to maintain control over the machines and devices?

One of the show’s guests, who will remain nameless for the time being, made an astute observation. Perhaps organizations today are expecting too much of their leaders. With that in mind, we’ve invited guests to talk about Mindfulness, stress management, the introduction of yoga into the workplace, and meditation. If the world is moving at such an incredible pace and our ability to learn how to catch up with the factors responsible for change is challenged, how do we anchor ourselves and keep in touch with our humanity, our souls, our feelings?

Personal development, growth, and fast learning may be our competitive advantage, but at what cost?

Each of our guests will tackle a theme and bring their knowledge and insights to it. As the show progresses, we invite listeners to phone in with questions and comments. The hope is to provoke, stimulate, and inspire.

We invite you to listen to Present Tense, Future Perfect, and to participate.

We’re on a journey together to see if we can find some answers to our personal dilemmas as well as our organizational dilemmas in a fast -changing world. We need to understand what’s pushing change in our lives before we can devise solutions on how to deal with it. Join me as we explore what’s happening in the present, so that we can design a more perfect future.

My first guest is David Horth, Director of Innovation Venturing and Partnerships at the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, North Carolina. David’s background makes him perfect for our first guest. He is a designer, facilitator, and coach, wo specializes in the confluence of design, innovation and leadership development. Our show this week is going to focus on the dilemma of polarities, that is, how do businesses keep the day to day operations going, which make them money, while, at the same time, putting resources to innovative ideas.

David’s background includes 21 years in the computer industry. He led the innovation which won the Queen’s Award for Technological Innovation in 1985. His publications include an award winning book, The Leader’s Edge: Six Creative Competencies for Navigating Complex Challenges.