Dana Oliver used emotionally intelligent leadership at Medtronic to grow his business unit from $100million to $2billion in annual revenues. Sometimes, leadership looks like a self-advancing bully. Other times, leadership is an empowering opportunity for ownership and investment.

As the Senior Director of Research & Development at Medtronic, Dana wrote a book, “Mantra Design”, revealing the secrets for profitable and lasting innovation, including how to identify your customer’s unmet needs and how to expedite new product development. He provides an easy to understand methodology in the form of 14 quick, digestible mantras that highlight the power of true innovation.

On this show, we discuss the powers of innovation, customer service, and emotionally intelligent leadership.

In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

• Who do you want to be? Who is your customer?
• Three kinds of technology for innovation: Customer focused, Technology focused, or hap-hazard
• Starbucks and Victoria’s Secret created an ecosystem of experience
• Mantra: “On the bus early, off the bus early”
• When you invest in exceptional people, you can increase your productivity by 30%
• Leadership is all too often focused on their own self-advancement
• EI should be considered more than a skill, but think of it as a style and a philosophy
• Culture is a bi-product of leadership
• If a company grows beyond $500million, they should consider carving out parts of the business
• People need to feel like someone has an interest in their career
• 1. Invest 10% of company revenues should be invested back into organic research and development
• 2. Develop your product through your customer’s eyes
• 3. Focus on the strategically few core platforms that can move your annual operating plan needle
• 4. Hire ambitious, get-it-done people, but then lead with emotionally intelligent leadership skills
• Don’t ask for responsibility, take it
• It begins and ends with your customers
• and more!

Links and Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

Dana’s email:  [email protected]

www.mantraleadership.com

Dana’s book:  Mantra Design – Innovate, Buy or Die!: Discover the Secrets for Profitable and Lasting Innovation

Primal Leadership, With a New Preface by the Authors: Unleashing the Power of Emotional Intelligence

Good to Great: Why