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Welcome on board the ecosystem of innovation starting now with our Innovation Series! Helping us dive right in is Anjan Bhowmick, Executive Director of Talent & Organisation Development, Reinsurance Group of America.Innovation starts with you and your mindset. Anjan as an advocate for completely considering the self and absorbing positive inspiration from the same takes us through the basics of approaches to innovation as a USP for organisations. We talk about relevant subsets and systems that make for enabling environments to push capabilities forward with strides of innovation.A keyword that Anjan elaborates on and uses to contextualise innovation with strategy and tactical strength is ‘continuous improvement’ - converging information, increasing and involving cognitive intelligence and creating something that adds value.Further, we talk about leadership dynamics and patterns to make transformative innovation conducive, the pace of disruptive change, making empathy operational and the appetite for learning as a factor of need. He brings in ample personal anecdotes and experience interweaving them with theories and knowledge towards mindsets and beliefs. There is meaningful advice and recommendations on aspects like dealing with blurred roles to changing the “I can’t change my mindset” belief. Tune into the episode now!0:00 Introduction2:52 Who is Anjan?When the professional self is separated from the personal self, who does one become? Anjan explores this question through his lens8:30 Who are we really?Introspection is what leads us to become more conscious of our strengths10:48 Architecture behind landscape of innovationThere is the ambiguity that surrounds innovation but what’s more important is to figure out the need to state and mould intelligence while developing a prototype. We explore this in the Indian context15:38 Startups Vs Legacies: How do they build strategies?From going back and riding up the game plan, the ecosystems in small and big firms are completely different19:20 When leaders take the leadNo game plan comes without its set of obstacles, whether you’re a small or an established firm. Leaders have their own dynamics to cross these hurdles27:01 The big pictureInnovation is all about experimentation, trial and error, and resilience because it is a continuous journey30:05 A team perspectiveHow does a leader sift through demands of talent?32:43 Building capacities in sync with visionOrganizational development is one of the salient features that help build new capabilities and HR is the backbone of it all38:06 Navigation of a fixed mindsetFrom contributions of HR to ESG reports, Anjan talks about what happens in this process40:27 Detaching from leader personaAnjan talks about how an individual navigates through leadership and its changes44:58 Extrapolating individual inquiriesRoles are never set in stone because there is always a fine line between different roles50:16 Internalizing individual perspectiveIt does not matter what your role is. As an individual, you are subjected to multi-task and a shift in mindset can be useful52:36 Exploring rolesExploring roles through interaction and communication than a document brings more room for clarity55:16 The creator’s personaLooking through the lens of a creator and how their mind works through a mix of storytelling and exploration57:41 Embarking on a creator’s journeyDrifting away from the traditional, there are several factors that can contribute to this transition – from working in the traditional arena to being an innovator1:03:30 The purposeful plungeTaking the plunge is more than just being willing to take risks; it’s evaluating the sustainability factor1:07:38 Building the larger goalFrom reflecting through an organization’s angle, introspecting from an individual perspective and building a prototype, Anjan talks about how one can navigate through the process.1:15:18 Stepping out of comfort zonesThe discussion revolves around pushing past one’s comfort zones and one’s mental limitations1:18:55 Devil’s in the detailsInquisition is the first step and opens even the tiniest of doors that you would not have regarded otherwise1:22:32 Anjan’s takeawaysAnjan talks about the key takeaways from the conversation from the role leaders will play in the next few years and managing dynamics through reflection and the growing amount of questions we seem to have1:26:16 Art of asking questionsQuestioning is not just seeking an answer, it’s also a tool for reflection1:27:59 Meaning of attitude makeoverAnjan talks about how attitude makeover is synonymous with transformation for him-- Connect with Me --Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/attitudemakeover/Twitter: https://twitter.com/sowjanyashetty