We’re dipping into the archives for one of our most popular episodes! Andy Lopata revisits his fascinating conversation with Dr. Beam Maue, co-founder of AFWERX, the Innovation mission within the US Air Force.
How do you build a forward-thinking, agile community within one of the world’s most hierarchical organisations? Dr. Brian shares the incredible story of how AFWERX grew from just five people into an award-winning ecosystem that connected with over 700 new Small Businesses, many
of whom had never worked with the government before.
This episode is a masterclass in leading change from within. Dr. Brian explains his philosophy of “going to war with the army you’ve got,” empowering the team you have rather than wishing for another. He shares powerful stories, from a pig farmer’s innovative soap to navigating Pentagon red tape, illustrating how to manage the environment
for innovation, not the innovation itself. Tune in to learn how to foster
experimentation, build momentum through short-term wins, and lead with a “faeces umbrella” to protect your team.
Key Takeaways
-
Lead the Team You Have: You must work with the people and resources available, not the ones you wish you had. The key is to identify and play to their existing strengths.
-
Manage the Environment, Not the Innovation: A leader’s role isn’t to direct every innovative step but to create a safe environment where experimentation, learning, and even small-scale failures are encouraged.
-
Empower Your Experts: Trust the experts on your team. Instead of dictating their goals, give them the space to define the strategy and tell you what’s needed for success.
-
Stories and Short-Term Wins Build Momentum: Data is forgettable, but stories stick. Highlight short-term wins to prove the value of your mission, build belief, and attract support from sceptical stakeholders.
-
Flow Like Water Around Bureaucracy: When facing bureaucratic obstacles, seek out allies who interpret rules with an “if it’s not illegal” mindset. Don’t waste energy on pockets of resistance; pivot to where there is less friction.
Actionable Insights
- What can a pig farmer’s special soap teach a high-tech military organisation about the true source of innovation?
- How can you transform a team that’s been told “there are no additional
personnel” into a globally-ranked best place to work for innovators?
- What does it mean to be a “faeces umbrella” for your team, and why is it one of a leader’s most critical (and unglamorous) roles?
Tune in to learn more.
SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE
Connect with Andy Lopata: Website | Instagram | LinkedIn | X/Twitter YouTube
Connect with Daniela Landher: LinkedIn
The Financial Times Guide to Mentoring
Episode 121 Featuring Dr. Beam
Andy Lopata is a specialist speaker on professional relationships, mentoring, networking, and social media strategy. He is a firm believer that professional relationships underpin our success in business, our roles, and our careers. The right relationships with the right people can lead to new business opportunities, investment, collaborative working, innovation, and career progress. We just need to be comfortable approaching those relationships strategically, without making people feel ‘networked’ by us.
Andy has worked in the field of networking and professional relationships for 25 years, working with global giants such as Paypal, GSK, AstraZeneca, Wella, HSBC, Wembley Stadium, the BBC, and the Prime Minister’s Office of the UAE, among many others during that time. He has also worked with leading universities including NYU, Duke University, and Oxford University’s Said Business School.
A regular blogger for Psychology Today, Andy has been quoted in The Sunday Times, The Financial Times, and The Guardian, as well as many other national and regional newspapers and magazines worldwide. He has written or co-authored six books on networking and professional relationships, with his sixth book, "The Financial Times Guide to Mentoring," being published in Spring 2024. He is also the host of The Connected Leadership Podcast and has interviewed globally recognized names in business, academia, sports, and entertainment for the show.
Andy has been inducted into the PSAE Hall of Fame – the Professional Speaking Association Award of Excellence, which was held by only 21 other speakers at the time it was presented. He is a Fellow and a former President of the Fellows’ Community of the Professional Speaking Association (PSA), a Fellow of the Learning and Performance Institute (LPI), and a Member of the Association of Business Mentors and the Meetings Industry Association.
