Doug Robinson believes innovation might benefit from a well-thought-out public relations campaign.

“When you think of the term 'innovator,' you’re probably thinking of a Steve Jobs type character who’s [wearing] a black turtleneck and holding up some piece of shiny, new, breakthrough technology,” says Robinson, director of innovation and strategy at $556 million asset Vermont Federal Credit Union in Burlington. “Those are big shoes to fill in my opinion. And from my experience, a lot of people don’t believe they are innovators.”

But in a recent interview with the CUNA News Podcast, Robinson stresses that everyone has permission to be innovative and therefore, anyone can be considered an innovator.

“It’s something everyone can do and that everyone is capable of,” Robinson says. “If they follow a set methodology with any level of discipline, they’re guaranteed to get some creative breakthroughs through that process. For me, the beginning stage of learning about innovation is to learn that it’s possible for anybody to be an innovator.”

Robinson talks about innovation, his role as director of innovation and strategy at Vermont Federal, how to take the first steps on an innovation journey, and more in this episode of the CUNA News Podcast.

You can listen and subscribe to the CUNA News Podcast in Apple’s iTunes Store, Spotify, Google Play, and Stitcher Radio.