Today we have the pleasure of hearing from Theo Edmonds, JD, MHA, MFA. Theo is a co-founder of CU Denver’s Imaginator Academy, a cultural analytics strategy and futurist innovation hub. Theo is a skilled, energetic, culture futurist, and innovator with 25 years of senior level strategic national and international leadership experience, spent in the private, public, and non-profit sectors. As directing co-founder of CU Denver’s Imaginator Academy, Theo is a weaver of ideas who scouts global networks of entrepreneurs, companies, scientists, artists, creative innovators, and change makers.

In our discussion today, Theo describes the Imaginator Academy and the drive to keep innovation, curiosity, and the artistic mindset alive. At times, this isn’t easy, especially within an organization and even more so during the Great Resignation. But Theo has a great outlook on things and by using the data the Imaginator Academy finds, we are seeing constant opportunities for innovation all around us.

In This Episode:

[01:41] Welcome to the show, Theo! Theo shares his background.

[03:05] Theo learned how to do different things to navigate a world he didn’t fit in.

[04:49] The things that promote wellbeing are autonomy, competence, and relatedness.

[06:39] The feeling of belonging and community is something highly valued by Theo.

[07:27] Where did the idea of the Imaginator Academy come from?

[09:04] Theo had his eye on Denver because of what he wanted to be a part of.

[11:12] A futurist is someone who pays attention and understands that there is a timeline that connects past, present, and future in compelling ways.

[13:20] The way things have been established in the United States is for people to work in silos.

[15:18] When you have a lot of innovative opportunities, who is the gatekeeper?

[17:31] People in different societal groups, such as the LGBTQ+ community, have had to navigate dominant cultures that are not their own.

[20:17] When leaders have biases, they have profound implications on resource allocation.

[21:57] We have set ourselves up with systems we’ve created with unrealistic expectations.

[24:09] We don’t need more research on why this is a problem, but rather lean into the existing data to solve the problem.

[26:22] The purpose of the arts has been misunderstood.

[28:27] Theo explains the inspiration for starting a non-profit.

[30:30] There are more artist residencies in organizations now, but it’s not genuine and more for PR. 

[32:56] There are some things involved that make private sector companies uncomfortable.

[33:52] If you are an innovator, the celebration of failure is valuable.

[35:16] Innovation in organizations takes messiness.

[37:01] People are exhausted right now and it is impacting our innovation process.

[39:02] Theo explains what the Imaginator Academy is doing regarding the Great Resignation.

[40:45] What the Imaginator Academy does is not provide more surveys.

[42:48] They put a data bridge in place between culture change and innovation.

[45:23] In Denver, they are hosting their first Innovator Summit.

[46:44] There are two components in researching curiosity.

[48:53] Nature self manages creative tension beautifully, but in our human systems we focus on measuring strengths.

[51:08] Theo describes the different types of people on the bell curve.

[54:03] What does the research say about leaders and the people who derisk?

[56:37] Data makes the stories believable and investable. Stories change the world.

[58:16] Theo shares the hopes he has for the Imaginator Academy.

[60:52] Companies will always have a human component.

[62:25] There are opportunities for innovation all around us.

[64:57] The Great Resignation is a result of Americans doing what we’ve always done. We’re seeing Americans showing new signs of life and imagination.

Find Theo:

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