About me
The Economist tagged John with the nicknames “Mr. Creativity” and “A Serial Innovator.” He is a thought leader, practitioner and activist, who has played a leading role in the fields of innovation and business creativity for over 30 years. His knowledge is eclectic and blends the perspectives of former Harvard Business School professor, serial entrepreneur, musician, master facilitator, former CEO, Harvard-trained psychiatrist, best-selling author and Tony-nominated producer of film and stage. Yamaha Music Corporation named him their first “innovation artist.” He is a trusted advisor to leaders of companies, startups and nations that are on the hot seat to deliver meaningful innovation strategies and action agendas.
Specialties:
Keynote speeches that are consistently described as inspiring and eye-opening, and that set organizations on a refreshed path to value creation through a reimagined approach to innovation.
Compelling learning experiences delivered to innovators, entrepreneurs and leaders based on his 14 years as a Harvard Business School professor. John’s new leadership development framework – The Six Intelligences – has received rave reviews.
Advisory work that reflects an ongoing engagement with advanced, disruptive technologies. His work as an entrepreneur has embraced fields as diverse as blockchain credentialing for education, AI and big data models for microbiome research and ocean surveillance, immersive gaming, collaboration technology and more.
Conflict mediation and team building for boards of directors, venture capital funds and entrepreneurial partnerships. He has branded this set of clinical skills as “leadership kinetics.”
Public policy advisory related to what John terms “large scale innovation” that addresses the question of how to build innovation capacity at a societal scale. For example, he was a member of a White House/Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology innovation policy process and has served as chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Innovation Council, in addition to providing advisory services for government agencies and political figures worldwide.
John is author of the best-selling Jamming: The Art and Discipline of Business Creativity, which describes what leaders of all kinds can learn from jazz musicians, as well as Innovation Nation, which documents America’s growing innovation challenge. He was a producer on sex, lies and videotape (Palme d’Or, Cannes) and Mr. Baseball (Universal Studios), and was nominated for a Tony Award for producing the play Golden Child on Broadway.
John’s education includes BA and MD degrees from Yale, a residency at the McLean division of Massachusetts General Hospital and an MBA from Harvard Business School. His work has received coverage in such media as The New York Times, The Economist, CNN, and The Colbert Report. He also served as Contributing Editor at The Daily Beast.
Currently, John serves on the non-profit boards of SFJAZZ and the Riverdale Country School in New York City. In the summer of 1969, he apprenticed to rock legend Frank Zappa. In his spare time, he plays jazz piano.