At Ascendco, innovation is who we are. But it doesn’t happen by accident.
And it doesn’t start with tech, tools, or trends.
It starts with people—and the environment they’re in.
The best ideas come from teams that feel trusted, heard, and aligned around a mission that matters. As we continue to grow, I’ve spent time reflecting on the leadership principles that have shaped how we operate and why they’ve been critical to our success.
Here’s what we’ve learned about building real, lasting innovation:
1. Start with a Vision and Mission
Innovation starts with people who care. When our team knows the why, they invest in the how.
That’s where energy, creativity, and ownership to push boundaries start to show up.
At Ascendco, our mission stays grounded:
→ To help hospitals meet surgical demand safely and efficiently.
It’s a mission that drives every decision and brings out our best.
2. Stay Frontline-Centric
From day one, I knew real change in healthcare would only happen if we put the frontline first.
If you want to fix the system, start with the people closest to the work. When we were first building Sonar, we strapped GoPros on techs just to understand how they were moving through their day. That’s why—from development to implementation—every role at Ascendco is focused on solving the real challenges our customers face.
Our org chart is built around the people we serve. That connection builds trust, drives relevance, and ensures we’re building solutions that actually work.
Because when your team understands the frontline, they build what the frontline truly needs.
3. Make Every Voice Count
One of the most powerful things a leader can do is create space for people to be heard, to take risks, and to contribute.
That’s why we work in cross-functional clusters instead of siloed hierarchies. Ideas flow. Feedback is fast. Ownership is shared.
People speak up, not because they’re asked to, but because they know their input matters.
Give your team the mic, and watch what they build.
4. Create a Safe Environment
Innovation doesn’t happen without risk, and risk doesn’t happen without safety.
We’ve worked hard to build an environment where vulnerability is encouraged. Where people can try, fail, and try again. People take ownership when they’re trusted not just to succeed, but to stumble and grow. For every success I’ve been part of, I’ve had 100 failures that taught me more.
You have to create that same space for your team—because real innovation only happens when people feel safe enough to take the leap.
Progress isn’t perfect. And that’s okay.
5. Treat Innovation as a Constant
We don’t view innovation as a project or a phase. It’s woven into how we think, how we work, and how we grow.
We move forward with daily incremental steps: testing, learning, adjusting.
This rhythm becomes a natural habit and when it does, innovation naturally follows.
Leadership isn’t just about setting direction, it’s about creating the conditions for people to do their best work. At Ascendco, we’re committed to building a culture where innovation thrives because it’s lived every day.
→ Invest in purpose.
→ Build around your people.
→ Remove the fear.
→ Share the mic.
→ Never stop evolving.
We don’t wait for innovation to happen. We build for it—every day.