Amy Radin has always been interested in change—a valuable asset for a leader in today’s technology field. The pace of advancement and evolution in tech makes it almost impossible for anyone to keep up, and as Radin puts it, we are living in a world of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity.
This is where Columbia’s Technology Management program comes in. The goal of her course, Strategic Advocacy, is to equip students with skills that will enable them to be effective strategic advocates for the changes they will implement as technology executives.
We recently spoke to Radin about her career as a digital transformation, innovation, and marketing executive; how she designed her course; and her advice to students.
Tell us about your background and career.
I’ve held executive and other leadership roles at companies including American Express, Citi, and AXA. The common thread is that I support executives navigating today’s unprecedented market potential and risks, integrating the marketing, digital, innovation, and customer-experience expertise I have accumulated in my corporate career and my work with scrappy start-ups and nonprofits.
My focus is always on enabling change—which also requires de-risking change—so that strategic outcomes can be achieved. I’ve launched new products and businesses, integrated new technologies, led a large-scale digital transformation, and served as one of the world’s first corporate chief innovation officers at Citi. For the past decade, I’ve pursued a portfolio career as an early-stage investor, advisory board member, author, and speaker.
What course do you teach at SPS?
I teach Strategic Advocacy in the Executive M.S. Technology Management program. I designed the course by viewing advocacy as an interdisciplinary subject drawing upon domains including strategy, leadership, innovation, organizational learning, sales, and psychology. The goal is to build students’ understanding of four dimensions required to be a great strategic advocate: self-development, relationship building, narratives, and hands-on tools and skills.
What do you enjoy most about teaching in the TMGT program?
My favorite part is definitely being in the classroom with the students. They are always very engaged and excited to learn, and they ask great questions that provoke deeper thinking. There is always more knowledge to gain about this topic, and I learn more with each class session and reading assignment.
What do you find valuable about Columbia’s Tech Management program?
Technology executives are truly in the “eye of the storm” of change and have a critical role to play in their organizations, society, and the economy. The Technology Management program offers the opportunity for tech leaders to build a valuable peer and faculty network, increase their skills and knowledge, contribute to important conversations on campus, and advance their careers—either on the path they are already on or on a new one.
What topic in tech management are you interested in at the moment?
The big topic that interests me now is the idea that we have to “change the way we change.” There’s a deep, well-established body of practices around “change management,” which is not appropriate to the speed, agility, iteration, and messiness of change in today’s environment. This course has made me think much more about this topic, and I am pursuing more work in this area within and outside Columbia.
The biggest change leaders have to make is to shift from leading through a hierarchical, siloed structure to leading as builders and cultivators of networks. This is the only way to build support for transformative change at the pace that is now demanded.
What advice do you have for students in the program?
My advice is to invest full effort in the program and to take advantage of the resources Columbia has to offer. This University is remarkable. Get to know your peers and your faculty, and dig into the readings, assignments, and class sessions with your whole self. Be an active participant. Take risks. We learn the most when we treat failure as learning, so don’t be afraid to push yourself out of your comfort zone.
About the Technology Management Program
Columbia University's Master of Science in Technology Management is designed to respond to the urgent need for strategic perspectives, critical thinking, and exceptional communication skills at all levels of the workplace and across all types of organizations.
