From Bench to Boardroom

This must-read guide offers a practical and engaging introduction to the ins and outs of R&D leadership.  Innovation is a two-trillion-dollar industry, and, on top of the baseline complexity faced by any manager, the R&D or Innovation leader confronts an additional set of challenges. 

Armed with years of experience in roles ranging from scientist to Vice President of R&D to founder of his own company to innovation career coach, Dr. Clifford L. Spiro shares his insights on a carefully curated selection of topics.  This indispensable playbook covers everything from building, managing, and motivating a team to setting schedules and goals, assessing and rewarding project success, working with other departments, and legal and intellectual property considerations.  Dr. Spiro's distinctive blend of big-picture strategic thinking and day-to-day, nitty-gritty tips (e.g., Five Great Questions For R&D Managers to Ask Every Time) is essential reading for current and aspiring R&D leaders through seasoned managers as well as anyone at an organization that has an R&D, innovation, or technology transfer component.

The book begins with an unexpectedly provocative chapter on the definition of 'innovation,' setting the stage for the out-of-the-box thinking that defines Dr. Spiro's effective approach. Further chapters delve into tactical issues, including putting together project portfolios, keeping them on track, killing off lagging projects when necessary, achieving results, and liaising with boards of directors and fellow members of the leadership team. In addition, the book extensively addresses strategic concerns, such as the cross-functional nature of innovation and the need for cross-business alignment to achieve success.  Providing a prescriptive, in-the-trenches assessment of how to lead innovation more effectively, this book ably equips the reader to anticipate potential problems and to succeed both within the R&D department and across his or her company.

Cliff Spiro received BS and PhD degrees in Chemistry from Stanford and Caltech. In 1980, Cliff joined GE's Corporate Research labs, where he worked as a research scientist and manager for 15 years. His research included projects in energy and fuels, synthetic diamonds, and advanced metallurgical and ceramic coatings. Cliff then went on to lead R&D groups in silicone rubber, halogen lamps, water, paper, energy chemicals, and semiconductor processes. Since leaving the corporate world in 2011, Cliff has written three books about research including Leading Innovation, and has coached several corporate clients in their innovation cultures, people, and processes.