Chris Hood, Business Innovation at Google Cloud

Welcome back friends to our podcast, unlocking your world of creativity. We've been talking with creative practitioners all over the world about how they get inspired and how they organize their ideas. And most of all, how they gain the confidence and the connections to launch their creative work into the world. And if you've been thinking about this concept of digital transformation, customer orientation, and making the customer first, we are going to take that from concept to reality today with our guest Chris Hood.

Chris is a digital strategist, podcaster, and thought leader.  He is head of business development, business innovation, and strategy with the Google cloud. With a highly creative background 

Chris's Website

Chris on YouTube

@chrishood on Instagram

in the media entertainment industries with people like Fox and Disney and Universal. In many circles, he is on the leading edge of the concept of digital transformation.

Today as we talk about digital transformation, he defines it as the process by which organizations have to change their technology to keep up with the demands that consumers have. 

He also reminds us to look at it as more than just improving customer service and that it's real customer orientation. Brought about by the continuous evolution of technology.

As technology trends change, businesses have to be able to adapt to them in almost real-time 

And so, digital transformation is best understood as, if a consumer wants to use a certain type of technology, the business better be ready to support that technology.

To understand this concept, he reckons that we start with what is the customer expectation and experience that an individual like us is looking for.  He simply refers to this as the outside-in perspective. Start on the outside, understand what the customers want and then work your way to the inside to figure out what technologies and services, and products you need to build to satisfy those expectations

We asked him to highlight his day-to-day creativity deliverables, especially from his role as head of business, innovation, and strategy at Google.

• Where we arrive at the deliverables for creativity being the art of the possible. Giving the customer convenience and endless possibilities there has to e innovation.  
• This calls for a lot of teamwork to improve the customer's journey. He soundly guides us and lets us know that it's everybody's responsibility at every organization to solve every problem. 
• And organizations have to be able to accept and embrace that. They have to admit that everyone within that organization is responsible for ideas, creativity, innovation, business, and partnerships.
•  And so he encourages organizations to build and embrace that culture.

He started working at a movie theater and has seen how technology has evolved. Which definitely has been an influence throughout his career as a creative of how you reach people who are passionate about something. 

In conclusion as a creative himself writing a fantasy adventure novel, he described the creative process as a learning process too. Highlighting the importance of continuously growing, evolving, and learning individuals, outside our organizations and careers. Reminding us that that's the only way that we're going to be able to keep up with the things that are changing around us.

Chris Hood website: chrishood.com

Mark Stinson

Copyright 2025 Mark Stinson