What a Punk (wsg Alex Awn)

WHAT A PUNK | Alex Awn, Head of UX for Bosch North America, joins host Gregg Garrett to discuss how curiosity and DIY attitudes are what you need to drive innovation as well as how he brings his punk roots to shape corporate culture. Of course, Alex speaks about his Top 3, including his ex-boss, Paul Amegard, who showed him how to extend trust; Wayne Kauffman, a General Counsel who provided him with personal career advice; Oliver Stening, a boss and “gut” checker; and his creative motivators: his wife and members of his band, Temple of Void. And you have to hear what he has to say about responsibility. About ALEX AWN Alex Awn took the road less traveled on his way to becoming a corporate leader and executive. With a background and immersion in punk and heavy metal, Alex initially channeled his creativity into a Bachelor of Fine Art, with a concentration in graphic design. This was a great jumping-off point for his career, and after many years of honing his craft he attained a Creative Director position at a tier one automotive supplier. However, his journey to that position took him down many alleys of curiosity. It was this curious nature that resulted in Alex’s T-shape approach to professional growth. Alex explored Kaizen, eastern philosophy, and doubled down on improving his innate leadership qualities. At a certain point, Alex decided he was too comfortable and maybe even complacent in his position at this company, so he took a risk and joined a marketing firm that focused on customer-centricity. Since Alex’s interest in Design Thinking, Human-Centered Design, and User Experience were really maturing, this made for a golden opportunity. A couple of years into his growth at this firm and he was ready to springboard to tackle a new challenge. This time a multinational organization was calling. This would prove to be his biggest and most intrinsically rewarding challenge to date. Alex took all that prior team-building experience and used it to great effect in his current role as Director of UX for Bosch, North America. Show Highlights During this episode: Introduction [0:00] Creativity is the Heart of Innovation [0:56] Introduction of Alex – Punk Roots [4:36] The “Top Three” Paul Amegard, ex-boss [21:00] Wayne Kaufmann, General Counsel [28:19] Olive Stening, boss and gut checker [33:51] Wife and members of band [39:09] You have to hear this… Who Is Alex and how is he leaning into disruption? [44:00] Life Hack: Responsibility is the ability to respond [49:36] Additional Information Contact Alex: LinkedIn Temple of Void Band Camp Contact Gregg Garrett: LinkedIn Twitter Bio Contact CGS Advisors: Website LinkedIn Twitter

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You, Me, and Your Top Three is a podcast focused on exploring leadership in the connecting world. Specifically, the podcast invites leaders to tell stories, reflect, and discuss their views on: - disruptions in industry and society; - how they are leading transformations considering these disruptions - brave leadership to drive transformation. It is this last point where we focus most of the discussion, asking our guests to share their insights into the relationships they have with their “Top 3” closest advisors. It is our observation and experience that as the world connects, the importance of a diverse set of counselors is increasing in value. For some this may be a formal advisor who has been contracted on behalf of the company. For most this will be deep relationships in which they have been invested and nurtured. Through stories and discussion, we strive to celebrate the art of giving and receiving advice. The stories that are told are heartfelt and real. At the root we are exploring the process of knowledge building, relationship building, and perhaps most importantly, confidence building. After all, it takes a brave leader to battle the inertia that exists in industries, our organizations, and in ourselves. It is our hope that as successful leaders open up about around the subjects and the way in which they interact with their closest confidants, that our listeners will, in turn, reflect on their own “virtual board of advisors.” Over time they will then surround themselves with those who help them stretch toward greatness and lead bravely in the connecting world.