Driving Innovation

I recently spoke to Steve Justice. Steve is the executive director of the Georgia Centers of Innovation, a division of the Georgia Department of Economic Development. Steve brings more than thirty years of diverse experience to the role, having worked in the aerospace and innovation for Lockheed Martin, Gulfstream Aerospace, Northrop Grumman, Delta Air Lines, and The Ginn Group, and having previously founded two Georgia-based aerospace companies.

​Adam: Thanks again for taking the time to share your advice. First things first, though, I am sure readers would love to learn more about you. How did you get here? What experiences, failures, setbacks or challenges have been most instrumental to your growth?

Steve: I was a young boy during the “space race” of the 1960s and just fell madly in love with anything and everything about aviation and space, so it was natural that after I graduated from high school here in Atlanta that I went to Georgia Tech to study aerospace engineering. What followed was a 30-plus year career in aerospace, starting with big military aircraft companies Lockheed and Northrop, business jet manufacturer Gulfstream Aerospace and Delta Air Lines. Then I moved to the small company side of things, starting a couple of my own companies and working for another small defense contractor. I think that mix of large to small, commercial and defense experiences gives me very broad experience that led me to the Georgia Centers of Innovation about 10 years ago.

Adam: What is the Georgia Centers of Innovation all about?

Steve: The Centers focus on helping Georgia companies to grow by connecting them with resources within state government, universities, industry and other organizations to solve their challenges to growth. Our staff have extensive industry experience, so we speak the language of industry that allows us to dive deep with a company to understand the issues and find the right set of solutions. We have five focus industries – aerospace, energy technology, information technology, logistics and manufacturing – but we work with any type and size of company anywhere in the state. It is always about how we can help a Georgia company reach their goals.

Adam: How can leaders build a culture that fuels innovation?

Steve: There are whole books written on this which I won’t try to summarize, but it really comes down to always asking, “how can we do better for our customers and our employees?” I think an important first step is to demonstrate that you as a leader are personally open to new ideas. Innovation can’t be seen as good for everyone else if the leader stays with the old entrenched ways of doing things. You have to “walk the talk” starting with very small things in the office, such as taking a recommendation from a staff member to try a new personal productivity software tool. Showing your willingness to openly change your personal work habits demonstrates that you’re open to even bigger ideas in the workplace.

Adam: More broadly, what are your best tips for leaders on how they can scale their businesses?

Steve: First, listening to your customers and potential customers is extremely important to inventors and founders, because they have ideas that they’re very wedded to, and often they don’t listen to the feedback they’re getting. It’s key that they do so, since they need to make sure they’re going in the right direction, or they may need to change directions. Second, they also need to think about scaling downstream, and make decisions not just based on the first thing they’re doing during launch, but also on the scaling that will come down the line if they’re successful. It’s all about managing risk versus opportunity, not just in the initial startup phase, but looking to the next couple of steps as well. If they choose a vendor that can’t scale with them, they can’t grow. And they may have to accept a little more risk upfront so that they won’t set themselves up for future failure.

Adam: How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their leadership skills to the next level?

Steve: Many people are great at their technical skills, but when they’re promoted into a leadership role, they often don’t get the necessary training and skills to succeed at the next level. They don’t necessarily have to get an MBA, but they should take advantage of professional development training that maps up with the demands of their new job, such as public speaking and managing teams. Also you need to grow the skills of those around you; leaders should have a written plan, with a budget, for themselves and for their team which focuses on improving their skills.

Adam: What are your three best tips applicable to entrepreneurs, executives and civic leaders?

Steve: 1. Listen! I’m not necessarily the most innovative person in the room, but I know a good idea when I hear one. Leaders need to set the stage, then be quiet and let other people talk, so that they can really hear the feedback.

2. Once you’ve heard those ideas, develop your skills on how you can combine several of the best ideas, because the solution usually isn’t one silver bullet, it’s a combination of different concepts.

3. Don’t be afraid of failure. You have to go out and test that solution, and not be afraid of feedback that leads to changes that will make your solution better.

Adam: What is the single best piece of advice you have ever received?

Steve: While I was in college at Georgia Tech, Dr. Vernon Crawford told me that “honest people can disagree honestly”; candid and respectful discussion between people with sometimes very different ideas leads to real learning and understanding. In this incredibly divided time in public discourse, I think this advice is more important than ever.

Adam: What are your hobbies and how have they shaped you as a leader?

Steve: I was a competitive swimmer all the way through high school, college and Masters levels, and was also a coach. Swimming is a very individual sport, because you and other people are swimming against the clock, but you do compete as a team. So you have to perform as an individual – but if the team loses, you’ve lost too. You can’t just focus on your own accomplishments, you have to focus on the team, and sometimes even swim in events that aren’t your strongest, so that you can put the team in a better position to win.