By Aaron Strout, President, WCG

As I mentioned in my kickoff post, we will host a series of blog interviews over the next two weeks with speakers from our upcoming PreCommerce Summit (March 10) and Movers & Shapers Summit (March 12). Today’s interview is with long time friend, author and Principal Analyst at Altimeter, Brian Solis. Brian will be doing a featured fireside chat at our Movers & Shapers event on Saturday. His session is will be right after lunch at approximately 1:15 PM CT.

According to Brian’s LinkedIn profile, he is “globally recognized as one of the most prominent thought leaders, speakers, and published authors in new technology, digital marketing and culture shifts. His new book, X: The Experience When Business Meets Design, explores the importance of experiences and how to design them for customers, employees and human beings everywhere. Solis also designed the book to be an experience as a physical example of what’s possible when you take a step back to rethink products, services and models in a new economy (and world).” Some of the skills he’s been endorsed for by his peers are social media, digital strategy and marketing.

Without further ado, let’s jump right into our five questions:

1. Aaron: How do you define innovation?
   Brian: I believe we live in a time where we need a balance of iteration and innovation to break free from “business as usual.”
   – Iteration is doing the same things better.
   – Innovation is doing new things that creates new value.
   – Disruption is doing new things that make the old things obsolete.
2. Aaron: What are you or your organization doing to drive innovation?
   Brian: I start by observing technology’s impact on business and society. I then look at how behavior, expectations and values are evolving. I study problems and approaches to solving them. I also study how innovation plays out in terms of challenges, opportunities, successes, people, etc. I then share my perspective on everything in the form of research reports, books and speeches to inspire people to drive change.
3. Aaron: Who is someone in your industry (or outside) that you admire? Why?
   Brian: I admire anyone in any organization stepping outside of their roles to take on the great task of change. It’s political. It can be demeaning. It’s frustrating. It makes you want to quit. But it is because of these people that any form of transformation can see the light of day.
4. Aaron: Where do you see your industry being in 3 years? 5? 10?
   Brian: Change is now a constant. Disruption is now a choice. We either disrupt ourselves or the gift of disruption is given to us. Here are some of the things I’m thinking about over the next 10 years (also embedded below).
5. Aaron: For fun: what three things would you make sure you brought with you in a zombie apocalypse?

• Milla Jovovich aka Alice
• Water
• Perishables
• Tools/supplies
• Documentation
• First aid supplies
• Effective weapons
• Delorean

Okay, that’s eight. But always a good choice to pick more rather than less. And smart vehicle choice with the Delorean. Assume that’s because it runs on nuclear power.