Hi! I am Greg,Just an Average Guy…• A Dad;• A Husband;• A Higher Education

Administrator;• And a Doctoral

Student.

But on the inside I am a web of creativeconnections that manifest into innovative solutions

at work, play, and parenting.

Understanding My Persona of How the 10 Faces of Innovation & Manifest in My Life

by Greg Wurth

The AnthropologistStarts with the beginners mind.

• Don’t judge, just observe;• Look for the real system;• Discover barriers and challenges through

collecting observations;• Use science as a guide, but draw from own

conclusions;• See things as if they are seeing it for the

first time;• Very curious.

How it relates to me…• I seek first to understand.• I observe the current system

prior to implementing change.

• I trust gut feeling and use science as a guide.

• I believe, if we learned something, then it was growth.

The ExperimenterThe curious mind/Prototyper…

• Passion for hard work;• Prototypes everything;• Makes ideas tangible;• Constantly tweaking ideas;• Learns by failing;• Obsessively works on prototypes; • Very curious.

How it relates to me…• I love to build proof of

concepts;• Love tweaking process for

improvements;• I am not obsessive with

projects;• I lam not passionate for

hard work (not lazy);• Don’t like to fail.

The Cross-PollinatorBringing ideas together…

• Find Clever Solutions;• Avid learners who see how ideas can

translate across disciplines;• They love new experiences so they can

apply to other areas;• Love to read and apply to new contexts;• Believe that you don’t have to re-invent to

innovate.• Very curious.

How it relates to me…• I am an avid reader of non-

fiction;• Love to connect ideas from

area to area;• Constantly learn from

others;• Avid learner.

The HurdlerCharged by the Challenge…

• Efficient;• Love doing things that have never been

done before;• Navigates Organizational Structure;• Will win through persistence;

How it relates to me…• I am great at circumventing

organizational structure.• I love doing something that

has never been done before.

• However, I will tire if the road blocks are too extreme.

The CollaboratorBringing ideas and people together…

• Brings people and ideas together;• Understands diversity of culture and ideas

breeds better outcomes;• Teaches and learns constantly from others;• Promotes meetings/gatherings;• Values team over individual• Connects people with like minded

interests/goals;• Very curious.

How it relates to me…• Communication is breath of

improvement;• Connection and synergy

create better efficiency;• Constantly learn/teach from

others;• Very inquisitive of who

people are and what they like.

The DirectorFacilitating innovation…

• Put others in the spotlight;• Love new projects;• The coach;• Build teams to accomplish tasks;• Aim for the best;• Possess various tools at their disposal;• Brainstorming;

How it relates to me…• I put others in the spotlight;• I have a vast tool box to

accomplish tasks;• However, I do not enjoy

brainstorming, nor do I over emphasize the best.

• My philosophy is lets make it better today than it was yesterday. Better over best.

The Experience ArchitectCreating the extraordinary environments…

• Look to build great experiences;• Think of the user experience (Design

Thinking);• Look for trigger points that create better

experiences;• Understand the customers’ journey;• Very creative.

How it relates to me…• I think of our customer all

the time;• Need to be more focused on

trigger points;• Need to think of

environments (now in charge of events).

The Set DesignerArranging artifacts to build culture & Innovation…

• Understand how people behave in spaces;• Recognize the power of synergy with

environment;• Understand the importance of creating the

feeling;• Understand the importance of the details;• Capture how space can communicate.

How it relates to me…• I am a Org Culturist at

Heart;• Very focused on the details

of the experience;• Need to become more

aware of the details (connecting spaces);

• Need to see how are spaces dictate interactions.

The CaregiverUnderstanding people and connecting customer service with the human element…

• Product experts facilitating the right product fit for the right customer;

• Exceeding expectations;• Understands the need for interaction and

exchange;• Builds loyalty to products and services.

How it relates to me…• I understand expectations

and how to satisfy needs that people don’t know they have.

• Great at anticipating wants.• Need to become better at

listening and developing interactions.

The StorytellerCommunicating the values and mission through tales…

• Understands the right story at the right time can communicate powerful values;

• Instills the human element (heroes) into organizational goals, and culture;

• Stories are transformational that include vision, strife, connections;

• Connects people to pasts, futures, strife, challenges, emotion, and more.

How it relates to me…• I am wish I could tell a story;• I understand it it the most

powerful form of communicating;

• But it is not me, I get too wrapped up in the data;

• Need to develop this skill.

Leading with Innovation

Customer Experience

CaregiverSet DesignerExperience Architect

Employee Experience

Cross PollinatorAnthropologistCollaborator

Organizational Experience

HurdlerDirectorStory TellerThe Experimenter

Allow for divergent thinking

We can create new experiences and organizations that far exceed anyone's expectations.

We have to search for the why…. Experiment with the how, and drive for the win!