# Courageous Leadership in Government Innovation — with Susie Braam Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiuP-0RYMHo Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/uiuP-0RYMHo Generated: 2025-12-02T13:05:17.174+00:00 --- ## 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. ![Screenshot at 01:11: Host Jonathan Bertfield welcomes Susie Braam, introducing her as a former UK National Security leader turned coach, setting the stage for a discussion on leading innovation in regulated environments.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/uiuP-0RYMHo/00-01-11.png) **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. ## Detailed Analysis Susie Braam explains that her journey from a high-stakes UK National Security role to coaching innovators required a fundamental shift in mindset, moving from a focus on control to one centered on curiosity and continuous improvement. She emphasizes that successful innovation leadership is not about innate creativity but about fostering a specific culture. She recounts a pivotal moment early in her career when a leader gave her six months to learn and explore rather than demanding immediate deliverables, a gift she initially resisted but later understood as crucial for genuine discovery. Braam argues that in highly regulated environments, leaders often default to prioritizing compliance and security, inadvertently creating a culture where necessary exploratory risk-taking is punished or avoided. She advocates for leaders to cultivate curiosity by consistently asking 'why' and challenging existing processes, particularly around risk and compliance checks. Furthermore, she stresses the importance of storytelling and demonstrating the impact of small wins to build trust and encourage others to adopt experimental behaviors. She defines innovation simply as 'anything new that adds value,' noting that this value creation must be prioritized over maintaining the status quo or avoiding perceived failure. ### Early Career Shift - Braam's career began in UK National Security operations, spending over 12 years there before moving into innovation leadership for government digital transformation projects. ### The Pivotal Gift - A director gave Braam six months to learn and coach rather than demanding immediate results, which she initially resisted but later saw as vital for fostering innovation. ### Defining Innovation - Braam defines innovation simply as 'anything new that adds value,' contrasting it with simply maintaining existing secure or compliant processes. ### Leadership Mindset - Effective leadership requires courage and shifting from control to curiosity, constantly asking 'Why are we doing it this way?' and being open to trying different approaches. ### Culture vs. Compliance - In regulated sectors, leaders often prioritize security and compliance, which can create a culture that punishes risk-taking and discourages the necessary exploration required for innovation. ### Key Leadership Qualities - The two most critical qualities she looks for in leaders are curiosity (asking 'why') and openness to learning and trying new things, even if the outcomes are uncertain. ### Practical Application - She coaches leaders to build trust by demonstrating how new, exploratory methods can still achieve security and compliance goals without unnecessary bureaucracy. ![Screenshot at 00:01: Title slide for 'Lean Stories' podcast hosted by Jonathan Bertfield of Lean Startup Co., introducing real stories from innovators.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/uiuP-0RYMHo/00-00-01.png) ![Screenshot at 01:11: Split screen showing Jonathan Bertfield \(host\) and Susie Braam \(guest\), with their titles displayed below.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/uiuP-0RYMHo/00-01-11.png) ![Screenshot at 02:51: Susie Braam uses expansive hand gestures while laughing, describing an early career realization about her own perceived lack of creativity.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/uiuP-0RYMHo/00-02-51.png) ![Screenshot at 09:00: On-screen text overlay: 'THERE'S ALWAYS A BETTER WAY THAT I CAN ALWAYS BE BETTER' summarizing a key mindset shift.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/uiuP-0RYMHo/00-09-00.png) ![Screenshot at 37:36: Jonathan Bertfield concludes the interview, thanking Susie Braam for the valuable conversation.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/uiuP-0RYMHo/00-37-36.png)