--- title: "Preparing Senior Leaders to \"Walk the Talk\"" description: What happens when you introduce 270 senior leaders to the innovative concepts of Design Thinker? Success, changes in behavior and thinking, and much more. --- Primary Menu *Preparing Senior Leaders to "Walk the Talk"* June 26, 2012 | Design Thinking [by ExperiencePoint POSTED ON June 26, 2012](https://blog.experiencepoint.com/author/experiencepoint) [mailto:?body=https://blog.experiencepoint.com/2012/06/26/preparing-senior-leaders-to-walk-the-talk-3/](mailto:?body=https://blog.experiencepoint.com/2012/06/26/preparing-senior-leaders-to-walk-the-talk-3/) What happens when you introduce 270 senior leaders to the innovative concepts of [ExperienceInnovation™](http://www.experiencepoint.com/ExperienceInnovation) ? You get a tidal wave of excitement leading to agile innovation. ***“I wish we had done this a long time ago!”***  Priestley, Mgr of IT Architecture & Projects **A Vision Of Innovation** Almost three hundred senior IT leaders from a large global manufacturer gathered in Germany to transform the company’s innovation abilities. A key theme of the leadership summit was “walk the talk” – for leaders to embrace innovation and be catalysts for change. Central to this cultural transformation was [ExperienceInnovation™](http://www.experiencepoint.com/ExperienceInnovation). **A Resounding Success** The [ExperienceInnovationTM](http://www.experiencepoint.com/ExperienceInnovation) workshop was integrated into the multi-day summit. Day one focused on the current state of their transformation efforts.  Senior leaders experienced an energizing [ExperienceInnovation™](http://www.experiencepoint.com/ExperienceInnovation)session on day two that delivered new tools and techniques to help them address some challenges from a new angle.   On the third day, leaders applied what they learned and generated new insights and ideas for current challenges. **Changes in Behaviour** Leaders were stretched out of their comfort zones and many changes in behaviour were immediately observed. During the application exercises, for example, delegates drew storyboards to illustrate and evolve their understanding of ideas, eschewing their usual behaviour of writing lists. The innovative design thinking process resonated as teams collaborated to tackle workplace challenges. ***“Think innovation before providing a solution.” *** Bonnenberger, IT Service Manager **Changes in Thinking** Delegates noted that rapid problem solving is rewarded in their IT environment. This may be effective for some technical issues, but less effective for complex challenges. Leaders practiced thoughtful observation and innovative thinking techniques to discover novel solutions. The intellectual “muscles” most exercised related to resisting the urge to jump to solutions. ***“Opened my eyes to a new way of thinking!”***  Nily, Manager of Quality & Process Optimization **Putting It Into Practice** The real-time application of innovation concepts was a resounding success. Leaders demonstrated how they could support innovative behaviour back in the organization through presentations and freshly adapted approaches. 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