Courageous Leadership in Government Innovation — with Susie Braam

Quick Overview

Susie Braam, former UK National Security leader and current CEO of Lean Startup Co., asserts that successful leadership in government innovation requires a mindset shift from control to curiosity, emphasizing the importance of courage, storytelling, and creating a safe, non-punitive environment for experimentation and learning, even when facing bureaucracy and risk aversion.

Key Points: Braam, formerly leading innovation units for the UK National Security sector, transitioned to helping innovators and product leaders globally apply Lean Startup methodology, emphasizing courage over control. She identifies two key qualities in effective leaders: curiosity (wanting to know 'why') and openness to learning/trying new things, contrasting this with the risk aversion often found in government. A critical realization for Braam was that innovation leaders do not need to be the 'most naturally creative person,' but must foster an environment where creativity is valued and nurtured. She describes an early career moment as a 'car crash in slow motion' when a leader asked her to learn/explore for six months instead of demanding immediate results, which she initially resisted but later realized was the greatest gift. In highly regulated environments like government/national security, leaders often fall into the trap of prioritizing security and compliance over necessary exploration, leading to an artificial sense of control. Braam advocates for creating a culture where leaders encourage inquiry ('Why can't we do this differently?') and where failure is seen as learning, rather than being punished. The core challenge in regulated sectors is shifting the internal mindset from enforcing compliance to actively seeking and rewarding behaviors that drive valuable innovation.

Context: This interview on the 'Lean Stories' podcast, hosted by Jonathan Bertfield, CEO of Lean Startup Co., features Susie Braam, a former UK National Security leader who now coaches innovators and product leaders globally on applying Lean Startup principles, particularly within typically rigid or risk-averse sectors like government and national security.