Denver Peak Academy
Innovate. Elevate. Repeat.
The famous author and science/policy communicator Vaclav Smil said, “collaboration and augmentation are the foundational principles of innovation.” One cannot make improvements to the world around themselves without collaborative augmentation. […]
The famous author and science/policy communicator Vaclav Smil said, “collaboration and augmentation are the foundational principles of innovation.” One cannot make improvements to the world around themselves without collaborative augmentation. We need each other to share, create, and bring to fruition things and ideas of value (innovation).
1. Collaboration
What to know – The American science author of “Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation” – Steven Johnson said, “luck favors the connected mind.” To collaborate is to willingly connect to others and foster an environment of luck in regards to innovation & new ideas.
What to do – create and sustain a “psychologically-safe” space for yourself and your cohorts to “gel.” (Charles Duhigg) Consistently connect with your team and their ideas to generate and deliver the best insights.
2. Augmentation
What to know – W. Edwards Deming, an American engineer, and father of Performance Management, said, “learning is not compulsory; it’s voluntary. Improvement is not compulsory; it’s voluntary. [However], to survive, we must learn.” Improvement is optional, a choice to augment the systems & organizations of our world for the better, and it doesn’t happen overnight. Growth requires people, ideas, & time: the “Diffusion of Innovation” (Rogers).
What to do – Volunteer to improve or augment something for the better. Set “Wildy Important Goals [WIGs]” that are realistic (Sean Covey – “4DX”). Establish a “cadence of accountability” against those WIGs to ensure you & your cohorts are continuously moving towards your improvement-goals. Create and support a professional environment where it’s okay to fail against your WIGs. Consistently create a space to hear and take what you & your cohorts have learned from your failures to augment your systems & organizations for the better.
Jerraud Coleman is a creative, data-driven, focused, and positive Deputy Director for the City and County of Denver's Peak Academy.
For the past seven years, alongside an exceptional team of continuous improvement professionals, he helps direct, generate, and facilitate process improvement events throughout Denver, Colorado, and the nation.
He trains employees of government, non-profits, and other enterprises (nationally, abroad and at all levels) in the principles and methods of continuous improvement, performance, and change management tools like Lean, the Four Disciplines of Execution (Covey), & PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act/Adjust).
He also works at promoting and sharing the methods mentioned above via blogs, social media, workshops/improvement events, and conferences.
Jerraud believes that "sharing and talking about continuous improvement tools can help enterprises identify and sustain the elimination of any waste or pain point found within any process or system." Thus, resulting in happier customers, employees, and organizations.
Moreover, regarding his work with the City & County of Denver, Jerraud believes in "creating a world-class place where everybody matters matter," primarily through systems-thinking, more productive, valuable, and efficient processes.
Jerraud holds a BFA (in Integrated Arts) from the University of Colorado, Boulder, a Lean Black Belt certificate from Regis University, and a handful of certifications from Coursera in Data Science tools and methods.
Denver Peak Academy
Denver Peak Academy 