Turbocharge Innovation Through Psychological Safety: Daniel Strode

In this podcast, Siân Harrington interviews Daniel Strode about the connection between culture, innovation and a growth mindset, emphasising the importance of psychological safety in fostering a growth mindset within organisations. 

Dan argues that culture is the primary factor driving innovation, regardless of business size or type. He highlights the rapid pace of technological advancements in the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the need for companies to innovate daily to stay relevant and competitive.

Daniel discusses eight consistent principles for creating a culture of innovation:

1. Rethinking business models
2. Fostering creativity with constraints
3. Embracing a growth mindset
4. Leveraging the wisdom of crowds
5. Embracing technology
6. Hire well
7. Putting your people first
8. Ensuring leadership participation in culture. 

He stresses the significance of culture in shaping behaviour and mindset, defining it as "the way we do things around here when no one is looking" and emphasising the importance of caring for all stakeholders.

Dan discusses the impact of a growth mindset on individuals and organisations, highlighting the importance of taking risks, learning from failure and embracing change. He offers advice to overcome the challenges of creating a culture of psychological safety, where employees feel safe to take risks, share ideas and engage in open dialogue.

He concludes by encouraging individuals to try new things and embrace new experiences as a way to develop a growth mindset. He advises organisations to implement structured feedback models, create safe spaces for open debate and learn from successful leaders to improve psychological safety and foster a culture of growth and innovation.

About Daniel Strode

Daniel Strode is head of culture for Banco Santander – a 200,000 strong global bank – where he leads the global effort to implement a strong common culture across the whole workforce. For the past five years his culture work sees him cross 32 different countries globally, implementing “The Santander Way” and embedding the culture across a range of activities. 

Dan is also an academic, teaching at universities and business schools around the world including Madrid’s IE Business School in Spain, and Bologna Business School in Italy. His main topics of teaching focus on how to create cultures where innovation can thrive, how to lead in the digital era, and, how to give and receive world class feedback. 

 In 2023 he released The Culture Advantage – Empowering your people to drive innovati

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