What a Punk (wsg Alex Awn) – EP 139
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 Steinig, 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
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