EXPERIENCE

Jake worked closely with the top R&D leaders at a global pharma company to build a culture of rapid learning and intentional pivots. Diagnostic interviews revealed the most pressing issue to be addressed: the team had a tendency to persist with underperforming discovery programs even after intermediate milestones suggested low likelihood of clinical success. Jake facilitated in-depth dialogues that unearthed unspoken truths and led participants to share personal and interpersonal insights. He helped the top R&D leaders commit to using new language that led to new behaviors and, eventually, a new culture of celebrating pivots.

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The head of R&D credited Jake with helping to create a culture where it's okay to say no in order to prioritize the most promising science. The company has reduced the number of therapeutic targets while increasing favorable clinical results. Amy Edmondson included Jake’s work in Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well (Simon & Schuster, 2023), highlighting it as a positive example of helping an org get unstuck by creating new language, new learning and a repeatable approach to scientific innovation.