Dan Ward, Senior Principal Systems Engineer and Author: Catalysts Are Just Powder in a Jar

In this insightful episode, we delve into the unique journey of Dan Ward, a Senior Principal Systems Engineer at MITRE, former Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, and author of four books, including The Simplicity Cycle and Fire. Dan reflects on his innovative career, spanning military service, systems engineering, and prolific writing, sharing lessons on catalyzing change and simplifying complexity.Dan’s anecdotes illuminate key ideas: the transformative power of collaboration—“a catalyst by themselves is just powder in a jar”—and the importance of fostering a culture that celebrates learning from failure. He introduces the concept of “failure cake,” a practice his team developed to destigmatize failure by celebrating attempts and extracting lessons with humor and camaraderie.A firm believer in the power of writing, Dan calls on professionals to contribute to their fields, using his own journey as a guidepost. With practical insights and humor, he explains how writing a book is not just achievable but transformative, offering “book math” as a framework for aspiring authors.Whether it's through his viral article Build Droids, Not Death Stars, his “Green Pen Squad” initiative, or MITRE's free innovation toolkit, Dan exemplifies how leaders can simplify, inspire, and innovate. Tune in for actionable wisdom on leadership, storytelling, and building teams that thrive on collaboration and resilience.Check out "Build Droids Not Death Stars", an articule that Dan wrote that went viral and led to his first book, was inspired by his daughters.Check out The MITRE Innovation Toolkit to support innovation created by a group of Catalysts that Dan brought together.Original music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lynz Floren⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.