Robert Snyder
Robert Snyder is the founder and president of Innovation Elegance, LLC. His thirty-year career spans roles such as developer, project management, change management, sales enablement, and the performing arts. His career path includes corporate roles, consulting roles, startups, PMP, and Agile certifications. He’s performed in numerous vocal, dance, and theater ensembles. Robert earned his BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois and his MBA in Strategy from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Robert is publishing a series of books on innovation methodology.
- “Innovation Elegance: Transcending Agile with Ruthlessness and Grace” (available now)
- “Innovation Portfolio: Five Verbs Shape Your Team’s Legacy” (available now)
- “Elegant Leadership: Distinguishing the Good, the Bad, and the False” (targeting 2025)
Presentation: The Elegant Expectation Factory
Many of us are experiencing unique levels of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA). We can’t control VUCA outside our teams, but inside our teams, we can. This session shares metaphors, mechanics, and tools for teams to establish a simple rhythm of expectation setting, a state of always being ready to pivot, and never batting an eye when you have to.
Agenda
- Re-imagine those Four Adjectives (RACI) as Five Verbs
- Choose your cost profile (where to be cheap)
- Give skeptics an off-ramp
- Empathy is your factory’s lubrication
- Steps to build an elegant expectation factory
Learning Objectives/Takeaways
- There is power in pulling the levers of simplicity and transparency
- Continually pursue low marginal cost
- Exaggerate counterproductive behavior into absurdity
- Confidence & courage to shape a rhythm of discipline and empathy
- Protect your safety, sanity, and self-respect regardless of what happens