Introduction to Innovation Leadership & Entrepreneurship: My Personal Journey
From KFUPM to Microsoft to Xceed Ventures: an introduction to a blog series on leading innovation, and my studies at Stanford under Professor Bob Sutton.
This post is a translation of the original Arabic article.
When I talk about innovations, I don't only mean the ones that have always amazed us, like iPhones or social media platforms like Twitter. I also mean the devices and products we use every day without thinking about them, yet they are an important part of our lives. These innovations were once creative ideas applied in the real world as products and services.
Leading innovation and entrepreneurship is different from leading other companies and organizations. It comes with its own set of unique challenges.
If you are an entrepreneur, or if you lead a creative team (as I do now), or if you simply care about this field, this post and the ones that follow deserve a place on your reading list. What I write here is my personal experience, which may be right or wrong. That means what I write is not settled science. When I present an idea or a term, I will cite sources whenever I can. I will also summarize what I am learning in my current studies at Stanford University in the field of leading entrepreneurship and innovation, especially the course on Innovation Leadership (XINE229) by Professor Robert (or Bob) Sutton, author of the well-known book "The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't" (link).
Also, when I talk about innovation and entrepreneurship, I will draw on examples from information technology, because that is my personal area of experience and because it represents the largest share of innovation and entrepreneurship globally.
My Personal Journey
My story starts with an old memory. When I was young, I asked my father who made Windows. He told me it was Bill Gates. Right then and there, I made up my mind that I would work with this man one day.
As fate would have it, I ended up working at Microsoft in Saudi Arabia after graduating from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals with a degree in Software Engineering. I spent seven years at Microsoft working first as a consultant in application development and web portals, then as an architecture and technology consultant. Today I have the honor of leading a distinguished team of talented software engineers, web application developers, mobile developers, QA specialists, and designers at Xceed Ventures (learn more), where we work together to develop advanced products and services across multiple fields.
Terminology for the Series
Let me clarify some terms that may lose something in translation:
- When I say innovation, I am referring to the English word Innovation
- When I say entrepreneurship, I mean the word Entrepreneurship
- When I say creativity, I am talking about Creativity
And if you are wondering whether I actually achieved my childhood dream of working with Bill Gates — not exactly! We were never truly working together since I was a junior consultant at the company and he was the Chief Software Architect of Microsoft. But I did meet him in person several times and we spoke on a few occasions. He probably does not remember me, but I certainly remember him. What I do know is that I got far more than I ever dreamed of as a child.
Innovation Leadership Series:
