Episode 29 of “What is Innovation?” is live! This time, Jared talks with Amanda Billiot, VP of Human Resources for Military Engines at Pratt & Whitney. Amanda shares her opinion on what is innovation through her years of experience as a self-proclaimed positive disruptor in the DEI field of the industry. Listen and subscribe today!
Amanda Billiot, VP of Human Resources for Military Engines at Pratt & Whitney, shares what is innovation through her years as a positive disruptor in DEI.
More about our guest:
Amanda Billiot is the VP, Human Resources for Military Engines at Pratt & Whitney. After over 16 years in HR, she is a self-proclaimed positive disruptor when it comes to leading innovation and growth courageously. Two of her proudest professional accomplishments include helping to start the award-winning Empower Ability ERG and this incredible WILL Rise program at Pratt. She has also worked for GE, Cooper Industries, the National Labor Relations Board, and in sports radio. Amanda is also a proud fellow of the Aspen Institute’s First Mover Program and an active member of her local community and church.
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Episode guide
2:27 - What is Innovation
3:37 - Energy in industry level work processes
4:24 - Innovation and Patents
5:44 - Innovation Buzzword: Inclusion
8:26 - DEI program: Raytheon
10:30 - DEI for broader innovation
11:54 - Having a heart
14:34 - What isn't Innovation?
19:11 - Resiliency, Celebrations, and Learning
20:58 - Innovation, Health, Well-being, and COVID
22:22 - Performance reviews, Cookie-cutter employees,
25:46 - Interview, expectations, bias, and validation
29:06 - Advice to deal with the imposter syndrome
32:34 - Advice for innovators
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OUTLAST Consulting offers professional development and strategic advisory services in the areas of innovation and diversity management.
/This transcript was automatically generated using AI; please forgive any inconsistencies. We are working to provide the correct and more concise copy of the transcript. For urgent need, please send us an email.
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Jared Simmons 00:05
Hello, and welcome to what is innovation. The podcast that explores the reality of a word that is in danger of losing its meaning altogether. This podcast is produced by Outlast consulting, LLC, a boutique consultancy that helps companies use innovation principles to solve their toughest business problems. I'm your host, Jared Simmons, and I'm so excited to have Amanda bill yet. Amanda bill yet is the VP human resources for military engines at Pratt and Whitney. After over 16 years in HR, she is a self proclaimed positive disrupter when it comes to leading innovation and growth courageously. Two of her proudest professional accomplishments include helping to start the winning empower ability er GE, and this incredible will rise program at Pratt. She has also worked for GE Cooper industries, the National Labor Relations Board and in sports radio. Amanda is also a proud fellow of the Aspen Institute's first mover program and an active member of her local community and church. Amanda has a bachelor's degree in International Economics from the University of Alabama, and a master's in human resources in industrial relations from Le AR at the University of Illinois. She is married to a former Army Ranger, and is the proud mom of two daughters and two sons and an 18 month old foster daughter she hopes to adopt this year. The entire family are outrageous alabama football fans and lifelong southerners who live on an old Christmas tree farm in New England with their dogs, some useless goats and unwanted chickens. Amanda, welcome. Thank you so much for joining us today. If the rest of the conversation is as fun as the bio then in good shape.
Amanda Billiot 01:44
Thank you. I'm really excited to be here.
Jared Simmons 01:46
It's great to see you, Amanda and I go way back to college. 20 years. Oh, my goodness, I wasn't gonna say the number. Because I haven't computers 20 years, 20 years. Yes, yes. And I know the audio podcast. But the last time I saw him, and it was 20 years ago, and she looks exactly the same. It's, it's good to see you. And it's good to talk to you because your energy is infectious. And I'm excited to talk about innovation and who knows what else will come out in the chat. We're gonna dive right in. And in start with the way we always started, as you know, what is innovation.
Amanda Billiot 02:29
I love innovation, because it can take on so many different flavors. It can mean something to something different to everyone. But no matter what innovation has energy behind it. And so this this manifestation of energy, and whether you're challenging or you're pushing, or you're creating, or you're recreating all of this energy around innovation is an exciting thing to be a part of. So I love the idea of continuous improvement. But I think innovation is that but it's always got more energy around it, then the old standard lean, Six Sigma kind of approach to things is just more exciting when you call it an innovation.
Jared Simmons 03:17
I couldn't agree more and no surprise that energy is at the root of your definition of innovation. And one thing I'm thinking I'm curious about you mentioned Lean Six Sigma and other things, that continuous improvement, a lot of, you know, industry level work processes to make things better or more efficient, what have you, what does that energy you infuse something with and energy and it becomes innovation? How does it look different?
Amanda Billiot 03:43
So one of the things that tends to happen when you have a culture of continuous improvement along the process to use of lean or six sigma. Sometimes you fall into a rut of doing process for the sake of process. And that's not energy. That's just lethargy, better word, you lack the passion behind it. And what I have to remind folks sometimes is that energy with innovation sometimes can feel uncomfortable, and that's okay. I would rather be comfortable with being uncomfortable than lethargic or languishing. I see patents, right? We have a ton of patents at Pratt and Whitney. And a lot of times people think that patents are just associated with a particular part widget design system, that type of thing, something more, but you can also patent process, you can patent ways of doing things. So even the innovation around patents is multi dimensional. And that's just one example. So if I think about innovation in any type of form or function across a business, it's not just in process. It's not just an engineering it's not just in those hardcore Sort of tangible functions, it's been anything and everything that we do. As long as it's done with energy, we can get innovative.
Jared Simmons 05:09
I love it, I love it. I particularly like that it kind of turns everything on its ear a bit. Because most of the time when people start talking about innovation, they start talking about work processes, they start talking about how things are done, they start talking about approaches to different approaches to have how you accomplish things. And I think I really like your definition, because you kind of turn it around and say, You know what, if you start with energy, and you start with enthusiasm, and you start with a passion for something, whatever you apply that to, is going to take on a more innovative perspective.
Amanda Billiot 05:44
Yeah, I remember a couple of years ago, my company did this really great training, and it was around managing inclusion. And a lot of times people sort of roll their eyes at anything that has a buzzword attached to it, especially on topics such as inclusion and diversity and equity, etc. I think you go in there with this, like preconceived notion about what you're about to learn those off during this training was phenomenal, because it took a very, I'll use the word innovative approach to inclusion by talking about creating go to performers on your team, we all have sort of bias or an inclination to go to people that we either know we can get the good stuff out of all the time that will go above and beyond, but we had our favorites, whatever the underlying cause of that bias or preference may be, we all have our favorites, it's something that everybody can confess to, I guess, you know, non guilty kind of way. But if you think about what it would take to create more, go to performers on your team, not only are you being more inclusive of all the parties that are involved, but you are energizing every person on your team, therefore exponentially increasing the productivity, the efficiency, the energy, whatever the case may be. And then you can really start busting down walls and breaking through ceilings, and then it becomes innovative. It was a great approach to inclusion, because it wasn't about any type of category. It wasn't making somebody feel, you know, self reflective when it came to bias necessarily, it was more about this could make you and your entire team better. Everybody. So it was an innovative approach to inclusion training.
Jared Simmons 07:36
Oh, I love that. That's a it's a great example. And it highlights your definition of innovation. It also highlights your sort of viewpoint on how things should be. So I like that you kind of pointed out that a lot of UI work or inclusion work specifically, can begin from a sort of, here's what you're doing wrong. Here's the problem that you have that needs to be fixed point of view. And I like that this innovative approach that you're describing starts from, you know, human nature, and something that we all can acknowledge and agree with about ourselves and not feel any sort of inborn guilt or shame about. It's just about how to name that, expose it and then leverage it to address this issue.
Amanda Billiot 08:26
We have a great dei program, Raytheon, our chief diversity officer is Marie Silla Dixon, and she's a force. She's phenomenal. I'm excited that that Chief Diversity Officer position is a direct report into our CEO, I think last year 2020. And some of the things that happened from a social injustice standpoint across the country, sort of elevated the need for that. But at the same time, dei has been a buzzword. It's been important. It's been a thing for years. All of the studies, you can't find a study out there that doesn't prove the increase in profit margin, or the increase in business, productivity, efficiency, inclusion, engagement, right? Like there's no there's not a study out there. That doesn't create the business case, right? Well, we don't make any big strides. Right? Where have we really done a what at on dei anywhere and, and I would say globally, even with all of this data around how important it is for your business to not only establish themselves, you know, as set aside from the rest, but to win, right? Everybody likes to win. So if you think about it, everybody's like, I want to win and we put sort of the answer in front of you, which is di will help you win. And yet nobody's making these great strides. And then somebody gets innovative and they think about coming Add it from a different point of view. And lo and behold, it sticks. Now is it a one and done never because dei is not a finish line, it's an endless journey that we all get to travel down that road together. And I read that in a book somewhere. So I'm really not that articulate or poetic. And so we have to use that energy, we have to be innovative, we have to flip it if we ever really want to change the game, because the data to change has been there, the heart to change there hasn't.
Jared Simmons 10:28
Wow, well said Well said. And I think that using Dei, as a sort of metaphor for broader innovation really brings into focus when you think about the fact that by and large, this this innovative approach, notwithstanding the same basic toolkit for diversity, equity inclusion has existed since the early 80s. And you cannot find a company, a 40 year old company that was doing business in 1980, that does anything else, the same way they did in 1980. But they still have employee resource groups, they still establish mentoring programs, they still follow the same playbook, track the same metrics, and use the same data to build the case. And what's sad to me about that is it over those same 40 years, we've learned so much about psychology and human nature, and you know, the entire field of industrial organizational psychology has come into its own in that era. And books have been written, you know, they're stars, they're, you know, people who are famous for writing books about how, how people think, but that thinking, never got circled back around to being factored in how we approach diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace. And so to hear these about these new approaches, just gives me hope, frankly, that we're not going to be here 40 years from now, having the same conversation about the same numbers in the same place doing things the same way. So that thank you for sharing that because it's, it's really energizing.
Amanda Billiot 11:54
Well, I'm proud of the work that our company has done. And all of those things that you mentioned, particularly er G's, I have such a heart for those. They're all great, and they're necessary. But those are done in groups, or it's a checklist. But where's the hard work? And, you know, I think a lot of times we try and separate business from personal and we say things like, it's not personal, it's business, but it's not true. Okay, how many times you say that business is personal, because it's made up of your employees or your customers? It's all people and we're all human. So again, where is the innovation? How do we flip it? And that's where the energy has to come in. That's where the, you know, I'll use another word passion has to come in. And a lot of times passion makes people feel uncomfortable. Get over it. Yeah, right. Okay, short story. I out one night, one Thanksgiving night, so that I could be at the front of the line at Target to get a TV that was on sale for Black Friday. I admit it, I stayed out in the cold, it was probably not my best decision. But when those doors opened, my friend looked at me, and he linked arms with me. And he goes, honey, you just heard all the slip and falls. And I was like, Oh my God, that's perfect. Because we always think about like linking arms so that we're stronger together. But we don't necessarily think about linking arms so that we're helping each other get through these hard times, right? Yeah, yeah, it's both and it's everything. And I don't know why I chose to share that story about camping out at Target, but let's just say I never forgot it. And I've applied it so many more times. So hey, you got a hurdle, the slip and falls, but put together
Jared Simmons 13:53
hurdling this slip and falls together. That is
Amanda Billiot 13:55
awful story. It is hurtling but I feel bad.
Jared Simmons 14:01
is a great is a great story. And you know what it did it gave those slipping falls purpose. Those people that were on the ground, they now have a purpose. They're helping people to you know, get a visual that I can help them conceptualize innovation. That's what that's what the value they brought that day is
Amanda Billiot 14:21
that they got me a $299 big screen TV for my teenager's room.
Jared Simmons 14:26
That didn't hurt either. I have a clear view now of what innovation is for you. Tell me what innovation isn't? What isn't innovation?
Amanda Billiot 14:35
So I thought about this question. And in some ways, I really hesitate to exclude anything. What is innovation? Look, I work for one of the three biggest engine manufacturers in the world. Pratt and Whitney manufacturers designs and manufactures some of the finest jet engines in the world. The barriers to entry for this type and size of company are huge. And during and impossible, but if you think about it, we've been around for almost 100 years. And we keep innovating on these engines. What was once water cooled was air cooled, now we have the NGP F, or I guess I should use not use that acronym. But the next generation propulsion engines, the GTF, the gear turbo fan is on over 1000 planes right now. And it's just come out in this last decade, and it takes decades sometimes to get these innovations, you know, seen through the design phase and the testing phase and the manufacturing, you know, to get them to a customer. And in this engine, right, it's the greenest engine on the planet. And I don't know that, you know, 20 years ago, when it was a concept that we were trying to bring the world that we were trying to save the world from climate change, right? We did. It's a phenomenal, phenomenal product. The other thing we look at from a military engine standpoint is we're the fifth generation, the f1 35, Joint Strike Fighter is the fifth Gen military engine, the only fifth generation engine that's out there, and it is a beast, and it's gorgeous, and it's beautiful, and it's fighting for our freedom and protecting our freedom on a daily basis. Now, engines and military engines have nothing to do with one another. Now, except they lived really big things that shouldn't be able to fly off the ground. And I think about the iterations that it took to get us to where we are, some people might not consider those really innovative. But some of the things that they do really are. But let's take it another step further. We talked about patents, we talked about a product versus a process, we talked about the way we think the way we train, the way we work with others. innovation can absolutely be anything. And even if it's going backwards, sometimes that's necessary. We have to retrace where we came from, to understand where we need to go. So unless it's doing something negative, or it's hurting someone, I kind of hesitate to say that there's anything that's not innovative. We that's just a soft answer. But the minute we start putting limitations on how we can change the world. I guess it's the minute I think we stopped trying to change it.
Jared Simmons 17:38
Yes, all of that fully agree with all of that. I think the main thing I really appreciate about that thought process. And that philosophy, I'll call it is that idea of looking back to look forward. And you know, a fifth generation engine tells you that this engine has not only survived, but it's improved, and it's adapted. And you know, when you're talking about the incremental steps, micro innovations, the tiny things that had to be figured out or updated, or, you know, instead of using this material, use that material, like all those changes that kind of go into building up this broader innovation that you can look back over this decades period and say, oh, that that is innovation, when you're standing up close to it and living it every day. And going through the the minutiae, and the sort of mundane aspects of a broader innovation effort. I agree with the things that people might say, Oh, that's not innovative, you know, swapping out that bolt with that bolt. That's not innovation. But when it allows you to take X percent of weight out of this engine and do this other thing and create these other opportunities, it is part of a broader innovation ecosystem. And I think it's important that you highlight that the way you did, because it is very easy for people to look at the process and decide if something's innovative versus looking at the outcomes. And I think a lot of the innovation is in the outcomes in a lot of situations.
Amanda Billiot 19:10
I think we can dissect but even further, if you'll allow me please. So what I want to kind of talent in starting some development when we hold off from that one for just a second because that mundane. We all hit the Monday law. We all I mean even if every day is different for us at some point in time we hit the Monday wall. That's where even if you look at the way that the US military is training its soldiers now. They build in resiliency, resiliency isn't just for PTSD. resiliency is for Monday, right? I mean it's for Whole Health and well well being. So when I think about that sluggish that languishing kind of thing. You can look at it multiple different rates, like people always used to tell us hit many milestones, set many milestones for yourself. Guess where you hear about it all the time. Weight Loss There's a few pounds, reward yourself not with food. But yourself, right? It's many milestones, it's determining little steps along the way that are worth celebrating, even if they're not huge. It's in the company cultures where they say, if you fail, let's celebrate. Because we celebrate failure, you're celebrating learning. And it's a twist. It's an innovative approach to something that used to hold us back, when we have people that make a widget that maybe don't realize what that widget becomes a part of. It's taking, you know, an assembly line worker, to a military air show, or just an air show in general and having them watch that airplane, that their widget as a part of line. So you tie things together, when things get mundane, from a different perspective, when things languish and building those chances and opportunities for celebration and success. Those are the milestones that we need in an innovative approach to whole health and well being because let me tell you, COVID, changing our world and languishing in whatever the heck this chaos has been for the last 16 months. I mean, I was telling somebody the other day, I was like, okay, within about 10 days time I went from going into an office every single day, working 5060 hours a week managing like juggling the home stuff with my husband, trying to be there for my kids to working every single day from home trying to figure out how to work remotely, what the hell is zoom in a way, my dogs always going to bark at the wrong time, my toddler is probably going to, like, try across the room, hopefully with at least a diaper on at some point in time. All of these things that nobody ever prepared you for they prepared you for the rough feedback, or they warned you against not doing the slide presentation well and gave you presentation skills training. But they didn't warn me that my teenager was going to take up all the Wi Fi. And my zoom meeting was going to collapse just as soon as I started it. And it was going to be a big meeting, you know, oh my goodness. Yeah. resiliency, health and well being I think he has come to the forefront really big. And the last year, he says the talent nugget. And I've seen this change a lot in the last decade. So we used to always have performance reviews that had strengths and development needs. Where do we spend our time
Jared Simmons 22:32
in the development needs? Why, yeah.
Amanda Billiot 22:35
Why? And that has become such a fun conversation over the last year because first of all, I don't need cookie cutter employees. Why in tarnation? Do I need every single person to have the same strengths? across areas, I don't need the same personalities, I don't need the same strength. I don't need the cookie cutter team, I need diversity of thought and diversity of experience and diversity of strikes across the organization to really make it home. So I've seen that over the last decade, there's been a shift that okay, if there's a development need, that's a derailleur, we probably need to address that. Right? Why? How do you make your strengths stronger? How do you make your strengths stronger for your team? How does that become a huge value add for you, as well as your organization, I have loved seeing that shift happen. And I also connects back to our dei strategies to our employee engagement, and career development, because what we're seeing is, you know, more and more people in the workplace are flexible about what their careers look like, what they want to be like when they grow up. And they may change their mind three or four times in the process. And if we're still stuck on Well, these are your strengths. And these are your development needs. And we got to work on development needs, when that may be what makes them feel special rules, again, de railing ourselves from an innovation standpoint, and definitely killing the energy.
Jared Simmons 24:01
So for sure, and it becomes a downward cycle, right? Because the energy is what drives the innovation and you kill the energy you can get that that's exactly right. I'll give you my example. From that I get I always talk about, I'm kind of a laid back guy. So when I started in the corporate world, shortly, shortly after I left Tuscaloosa, the feedback I got in my first six months was basically you don't speak up enough in meetings. And no one knows who you are, and you're not going to make it if you don't start talking more 18 months later, I get this great ratings, great review and all this stuff. And the first sentence on this on this thing This document is he thinks before he speaks and so when he does say something, a whole room listens, you know what I mean? And focusing on your strengths versus your development areas and the diversity of personalities has always been very personal to me because It could have been very easy for me to be sort of shuffled out the back door, because Oh, he doesn't talk enough. No one knows who he is. He's not saying anything,
Amanda Billiot 25:10
wants to have a meeting where everybody talks all the same. I
Jared Simmons 25:14
don't know, I don't know who wants to have that meeting? I don't want to be at that meeting.
Amanda Billiot 25:20
It when we talk over each other on zoom, like I just punched the screen. Raise your hand or something? It's the same. Where I see it even more than performance reviews, and interviewing. internal or external, it doesn't matter. Yep. Always look for ourselves. things that make us feel comfortable. And where's that a problem?
Jared Simmons 25:43
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion?
Amanda Billiot 25:45
No, like, if you're a white woman interviewing a black man, then I'm expecting something when you come into the room, I'm expecting a particular persona. And you probably are expecting me to expect something and want to fill that. Yep, want to fill that mold, right? Like you want to be what you think I'm looking for. Even if you're not diverse, we always want to be what we think the interviewer is looking for. Because why would we interview if we wouldn't want the job?
Jared Simmons 26:12
Exactly.
Amanda Billiot 26:13
But then they don't match up. We're like, Hmm, I don't think there's a fit. What the hell is fit? What is executive presence, so
Jared Simmons 26:24
no,
Amanda Billiot 26:26
just a QA that I can't put my finger on. But I don't think that they're right for the job, that laziness 100%. It's bias coming out whether acknowledge it or not. And it's our inability, or our unwillingness to have a tough conversation. I interviewed a kid, I say, kid, because I feel like once you got over 40 anybody younger than me as a kid? Yep. I know that when I interviewed this kid from Wake Forest, he had gone to law school for a year, dropped out, decided that wasn't for him, was now in a master's program. And I interviewed him for a position with the company. And he's apologizing for his inability to finish or unwillingness to finish law school. And it was because he had been through all these interviews thinking that he didn't get the job because he didn't finish law school. I looked at him and I said, Stop it. And I totally throw him off. I said, I said, so you didn't waste three years in law school, you already knew that you're in it wasn't for you. And so you made a brave decision to quit and go find something that fit you better? Where Is that wrong? Where's that weakness? Where is that necessary for an apology and dude started crying,
Jared Simmons 27:40
because they had to be feel validated. And I was
Amanda Billiot 27:43
like, I love you. I think you bring everything we need to the table, but I can't have you walking in the door apologizing to everybody. So walk out of the room, go get your cup of water, come back and let the interview again, like this is everything you know, you can do? Yeah. And I hired him. And he's awesome. But that's what it takes some time, even as an interviewer is to say, you know what, drop the facade. Let's just talk, don't be anybody other than who you are. Go hire the person that I interviewed who decides to come in and be somebody different. I want to hire you for who you are. And I want to be smart enough to recognize the qualities and the values that you're going to bring to the organization. And hopefully I can get that part. Right. You got to get your part. Right.
Jared Simmons 28:25
Yeah, well said. So my follow up question is, or it's a statement than a question. I guess it takes a lot of subject matter expertise, and confidence, and security, to be able to do what you just did for that young man. Because I think most people see hiring as a thing, you can get very wrong, but only kind of right. You know what I mean? Like the downside of, if this person doesn't work out, you know, Amanda, why did you hire this person, but no one's gonna come bursting in and say, this was the best hire you've ever made. It's gonna be Oh, this guy's a rock star. You know what I mean? Like, there's just not a whole lot of upside to that. So how what would what's your advice to folks who think the way you think, believe what you believe, but may not quite Be brave and bold enough to put it into action?
Amanda Billiot 29:16
So first of all, I appreciate you saying that. I don't know that it's subject matter expertise. And I don't know that much better at hiring than anybody else. But I am passionate about people. And I'm passionate about what's right. A long time ago, I stepped out on my own and I tried to do the right thing, and it had some pretty negative repercussions. But you know, in the overall scheme of things from a life standpoint, it was just a silly sort of college political nonsense. However, doing the right thing is never the wrong thing. And a lot of times when it comes to hiring people, I do think that hiring managers think that we intern to something Sort of like lifelong blood signing, like spit on your hand and shake contract. And that's not it. I mean, it is a two way contract between the company and the employee, right? I mean, I pay you a check, you do the work. So there's the action going on here. But it doesn't mean that it's going to be the right transaction for both of you for forever. And I also understand that people feel that way. But you know, not getting the hiring, right? No, it's just another learning people are going to failure or a costly mistake, but it's not, it's another way to learn. The other thing I would say, though, is just because you hired somebody into your organization, and they don't work out right on your team. It doesn't mean they're not the right person. Maybe the team's not right. Maybe the dynamics not right, maybe we didn't onboard them appropriately. Or maybe we didn't give them the right training, or, you know, guess what, maybe their skills, their strengths are really better suited over here in your company than they are right here. And so we have to be willing to be innovative and devote the energy to the people in our organization to make sure that they're on the right path, and have the skill set or the tools or the support, they need to succeed. Oh, my kids are white. They match me. Unfortunately, they don't look too much like their native american father, but they're, they're very white like me, my boys all the time, you can win. But I don't want you to win, because you started out 100 yards ahead of anybody else in the race. And that's where the wanting to do the right thing comes in. And giving people the opportunity that may require a little more energy, or may require a little more innovation on how to make them successful. But we got to get people on the same starting line. And we have to make sure that we're all looking at the starting line. As we line up together, making sure that it's fair for all of us. I don't know what party line that belongs to. And I care, I think it all comes down to, like, I want to do the right thing. And I think when enough people want to do that. That's innovation, the energy is goodness, and it's humanity. Right? As I think it should be.
Jared Simmons 32:25
That's inspirational stuff. I think that's at the core of everything, everything we've talked about, and you know, I appreciate you sharing that perspective with us. Do you have any advice, any kind of tactical advice for people who want to be innovators?
Amanda Billiot 32:40
I think resiliency is key. It's one of them, honestly, especially people that are unwilling to change. They always push back they always fight harder, and there's got to be a little bit of stubbornness, but also that self protective resiliency, put your mask on first. Yep, thank you flight attendants. It's not selfish, it's self care. The other thing that I would say is and honestly I think this is the only thing that's gotten me to where I am because I'm not the smartest person in the room. Hell I work with the company of 1000s of engineers and they are legit rocket scientists right so I'm looking at one of them right now on the podcast. You were an inferior and you're extremely brilliant but I care and we care about people and I think that has gotten me along way is because people know that I am what a ham they know I'm genuinely know I'm transparent and because they know that I care, they are assuming positive intent for the most part. And that's been a way for me to drive change to open eyes to help people look at things differently but also hopefully encourage them to be their own type of energetic innovator you know, in their own space wherever that is, that's the kind of inspiration that's the kind of lightbulb person that I've always enjoyed being and if I don't get to do anything else that's what I hope I get to leave behind.
Jared Simmons 34:08
Thank you so much for that thank you for not changing in 20 years. My friend and I appreciate the energy you brought to this conversation and your unique perspective on all of this and congratulations on your your success and congratulations and Pratt and Whitney are making a brilliant hire and when I'm sure they've not regretted for a second time it's been a pleasure and I appreciate your time and I look forward to maybe having you back on get some more of this energy.
Amanda Billiot 34:38
I would love to Jared but you know I can't in the conversation without saying Roll Tide Roll
Jared Simmons 34:42
Tide I wasn't gonna i was i it slipped my mind so thank you so much. They come pick up my degree.
Amanda Billiot 34:52
You know I love you but we got to say roll time. It's just, it's part of the contract.
Jared Simmons 34:56
It is it's it's it's part of the contract. So thank you for listening. All right, take care.
Jared Simmons 35:07
We'd love to hear your thoughts about this week's show. You can drop us a line on Twitter at OUTLAST LLC, or follow us on LinkedIn where we're OUTLAST Consulting. Until next time, keep innovating. Whatever that means.