In this second half of their conversation, host Jerry Cuomo and Phil Gilbert pick up where they left off—moving from the craft of design to the culture that makes design thrive.

Phil shares how his work at IBM revealed that the real challenge wasn’t design talent, but organizational mindset. He explains how he and his team turned culture change into a product—earning buy-in across 300,000 employees and proving that true transformation happens when people choose to adopt new ways of working.

They also discuss the creation of the IBM Garage, the power of design thinking at scale, and how these lessons inspired Phil’s new book, Irresistible Change: A Blueprint for Earning Buy-In and Breakout Success.

Key Takeaways from Part 2 (on Culture & Change):

1. From Design to Culture — Great design can’t flourish without a culture that values empathy, collaboration, and curiosity.
2. Culture as a Product — Phil treated culture change like a product launch: define the audience, prove value, and earn adoption.
3. Outcomes Over Inputs — Change succeeds when it’s tied to measurable outcomes, not training programs or slogans.
4. The IBM Garage — A model for co-creation that brings design thinking to life with real clients and teams.
5. Earning Buy-In — Sustainable transformation is built on trust, participation, and shared purpose—not mandates.

In essence, Part 2 shows how Phil applied design principles to reshape an entire organization, culminating in the lessons captured in Irresistible Change.

#WildDucksPodcast #PhilGilbert #DesignThinking #CorporateCulture #IrresistibleChange #JerryCuomo #Leadership #Innovation

In this first of a two-part conversation, host Jerry Cuomo sits down with Phil Gilbert — entrepreneur, design leader, and the mind behind IBM’s modern design movement.

Phil takes us back to his startup roots in the 1980s, when helping professionals adopt personal computers sparked a lifelong passion for design as a force for clarity and connection. Along the way, he reflects on the thinkers who influenced him — from Alan Cooper’s persona-based design to Richard Buchanan’s “Wicked Problems in Design Thinking.”

Phil reminded us that great design scales quality, solves real human problems, and sometimes means knowing when to break the mold. Whether designing products or the organizations that design great products, this formula has proven to be a winner.

Key Takeaways from Part 1 (on Design):

1. Design as a Way to Scale Quality — Design isn’t decoration; it’s a method for making complex systems more usable, reliable, and human-centered at scale.

2. The Alan Cooper Moment — Persona-based design reframed how to build products around real people, not requirements.

3. Wicked Problems, Not Simple Fixes — Inspired by Buchanan’s 1992 paper, Phil saw design thinking as a way to address messy, evolving challenges.

4. Design Beyond Products — The same mindset that shapes great software can redesign organizations and cultures through empathy and experimentation.

5. Breaking the Mold — From early PCs to the iPhone, Phil shows that great design sometimes means knowing when to break consistency to create transformation.

In essence, Part 1 traces Phil’s evolution from software builder to design thinker, showing how design became his lifelong tool for meaningful, human-centered change.

Stay tuned for Part 2, where Jerry and Phil continue the story — exploring how design principles shape companies and inspire Phil’s new book, Irresistible Change.

#WildDucksPodcast #PhilGilbert #DesignThinking #Innovation #IrresistibleChange #JerryCuomo

In this episode of Wild Ducks, Jerry reconnects with his first programming teacher, Brent Hailpern, to explore how a simple course on Karel the Robot sparked a lifelong passion for software. They reflect on the early days at IBM’s TJ Watson Research Center, the art of programming, and today’s rise of AI code assistants. Join them for a thoughtful and lively discussion on how the tools may change, but the core discipline of coding endures.

In part two of this conversation, host Jerry Cuomo continues his discussion with Ken Kocienda, creator of iPhone’s autocorrect and author of Creative Selection. Ken reflects on his post-Apple career, including roles at Postmates, Airbnb, and co-founding his AI company, Infactory. He explores making AI-powered tools more transparent and enterprise-ready while sharing his vision for the future of human-computer interaction.

Key Takeaways:

1. AI’s next frontier lies in enterprise applications beyond consumer chatbots.
2. Transparent AI models can improve reliability and decision-making.
3. The future includes seamless, conversational interfaces for businesses and individuals alike.

In part one of this two-part conversation, host Jerry Cuomo talks with Ken Kocienda, former Apple software engineer and author of Creative Selection: Inside Apple's Design Process During the Golden Age of Steve Jobs. Ken shares the backstory of creating the iPhone’s autocorrect feature and working closely with Steve Jobs. He reflects on the significance of blending design and technology to shape user experiences, offering insights into Apple’s innovation culture that still resonates in today’s tech landscape.

Key Takeaways:

1. Creating iPhone autocorrect required blending design with tech for seamless typing.
2. Apple’s innovation culture emphasized decisive, user-focused development.
3. Working with Steve Jobs meant delivering fast, clear, and impactful solutions.

In this episode, host Jerry Cuomo sits down with Elizabeth Bieniek to discuss practical ways to spark innovation in corporate environments. Elizabeth shares insights from her book, Cake on Tuesday, and talks about the importance of curiosity, asking the right questions, and overcoming fears to drive meaningful change.

Key takeaways include:

• Innovation starts with action—take the first step, even if it’s imperfect, to build momentum.
• Identifying and questioning fears can reveal they’re often assumptions, not real barriers to progress.
• Authenticity and openness from leaders encourage genuine collaboration and spark great ideas within teams.

Enjoy!

In this episode, Kathryn Harrison, CEO of Magpie Collectibles, joins host Jerry Cuomo to explore how technology is transforming the collectibles industry. They discuss innovations like secure digital signatures to protect collectibles from counterfeits, leveraging AI and image recognition to streamline inventory management, and the growing role of interactive digital experiences. Kathryn shares her vision of a future where physical and digital collectibles coexist seamlessly, creating exciting new opportunities for collectors. Tune in for an insightful conversation on the future of collectibles!

Introducing "Wild Ducks," a tech podcast hosted by Jerry Cuomo. In this bonus episode, Jerry unveils the new podcast format and his latest book, "Think Artificial Intelligence." While AI remains a core focus, the podcast now explores a broader range of tech topics, featuring expert interviews and lighthearted, fictional guests. Episodes are concise, perfect for quick listens. Additionally, Jerry discusses "Think AI," a book designed to demystify AI and highlight its practical applications. Tune in to "Wild Ducks" for insightful tech discussions and grab your copy of "Think Artificial Intelligence" to support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.