Ep. 1.4: Defining Goals in Innovation Through Hackathons with Everett Hagan & Ben Wasson, SS&C Advent

The Synthesize Pod

"Understanding the goals of an initiative before diving into the process is crucial for true innovation,"- Ben Wasson.

Ben Wasson and Everett Hagan serve as innovation leaders at SS&C Advent, a global company in the wealth and asset management market. They sit down with hosts Matt Greeley and Margaret Kelsey to discuss the role of clearly defining objectives to align innovation strategies, as well as the value of leadership engagement in promoting and sustaining collaborative initiatives.

In this episode, Ben and Everett discuss the importance of understanding goals, the power of outreach efforts, and the challenges of innovating without traditional support. They also touch on using Hackathons as a catalyst for innovation and the importance of leadership involvement in these events.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Understanding Goals Before Process: Ben Wasson emphasizes the crucial role of understanding the goals of an initiative before determining the process. This approach ensures that innovation efforts are aligned with organizational objectives, thereby increasing the likelihood of success and maximizing resource allocation.

• The Challenges and Necessity of Proving Value: The discussion around the challenges faced when launching innovation initiatives, touches on a common hurdle within organizations. Highlighting the importance of demonstrating tangible value can help innovation leaders plan better rollouts and anticipate obstacles.

• The Balance Between Sprinting and Marathoning in Innovation: The analogy of a Hackathon being a sprint and an innovation program being a marathon proves the importance of pacing and perseverance in driving long-term innovation. Understanding this helps organizations set realistic expectations and build sustainable innovation practices that can deliver consistent results over time.

Jump into the conversation:

00:00 Introduction to The Synthesize Pod with hosts Matt and Margaret, and special guests Ben Wasson and Everett Hagan

04:32 How Ben and Everett got into the financial space

12:03 How innovation started to solidify for SS&C Advent

16:45 Creating something that would live beyond us

19:52 Making innovation not feel like a to-do task

24:33 How SS&C Advent is operating across different levels

31:24 Developing an innovative mindset

35:52 When SS&C Advent started using Hackathons

40:38 How often global Hackathons are taking place

44:00 Permissionless innovation

54:15 Culture changes at SS&C Advent

59:26 What Ben and Everett would tell their younger selves about Hackathons

Connect with us:

Brightidea - www.brightidea.com
More on Hackathons - http://www.brightidea.com/hackathon

Matt Greeley on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewgreeley/

Margaret Kelsey on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaret-kelsey
Everett Hagan on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/everetthagan/

Ben Wasson on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminwasson/

Brightidea on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/brightidea/