Creative Friction Sparks Innovation with Sandy Fershee

What if innovation isn’t just for a select few, but something every single person can access and contribute to? In this episode of Transformative Leadership Conversations, I had the chance to chat with Sandy Fershee, the Head of Design & User Experience at Audible. Sandy shared some truly inspiring thoughts about innovation—how it’s not something reserved for just a select few, but something that everyone can contribute to. We talked about the importance of curiosity, creating psychological safety within teams, and how failure is just a part of the process of growth and learning. Sandy also gave some great insights on how diverse perspectives and strong leadership can help unlock creativity and fuel innovation.

Listen in as Sandy and Winnie discuss:

• Innovation is for Everyone: Innovation doesn’t need to be limited to a special group of people. Everyone, regardless of their role, can offer valuable ideas and contribute to moving things forward.
• Creating Psychological Safety: It’s vital to create an environment where people feel safe to experiment, fail, and learn without the fear of judgment.
• Curiosity Drives Innovation: Asking questions and digging deeper—always asking "why"—is how you uncover new possibilities and inspire fresh ideas.
• Failure as a Learning Opportunity: Failure isn’t the end—it’s part of the journey. By reflecting on what went wrong, we can adjust, learn, and do better next time.
• The Power of Diverse Teams: Bringing together people from different backgrounds and disciplines leads to more creative solutions and richer ideas.
• Leadership for Innovation: As a leader, it’s crucial to encourage small experiments, fast iterations, and building confidence in ideas. These actions can help keep innovation alive and moving forward.
• Sandy’s Passion for Problem-Solving: Sandy’s drive to solve human problems through design and innovation is infectious. She’s all about creating meaningful experiences that make an impact.

Resources

Sandy Fershee on LinkedIn | Audible

Winnie da Silva on LinkedIn | on the Web | Substack | Email - winnie@winnifred.org

Referenced: Creative Confidence by Tom and David Kelley (IDEO founders)