Sir George Buckley on Driving Innovation and Growth in Central Florida

Former Chairman & CEO Sir George Buckley in January at The Alfond Inn. He was in town for the inaugural John Lord Lecture Series.

As Central Florida works to position itself as a serious contender in advanced technology, semiconductor research and next-generation manufacturing, the region finds itself asking an essential question: What does it actually take to build a sustainable innovation ecosystem?

To explore that question, Orlando magazine publisher, Catherine Walters, sat down with Sir George Buckley, former chairman and CEO of 3M, one of the world’s most respected innovation-driven companies. Over a career spanning science, engineering and executive leadership, Buckley helped guide 3M through years of global growth while protecting the culture that made it an enduring research powerhouse.

His message for Florida is clear: Innovation is not a slogan. It is an ecosystem.

Ecosystem Over Ambition

Regions that succeed in technology do not simply aspire to innovate. They surround themselves with others who think the same way.

“If you look at places like California or Cambridge in the U.K., innovation works because people are surrounded by others who think the same way,” Buckley said. “At 3M, innovation was simply how everyone thought.”

For Central Florida, he cautioned against trying to outcompete established giants at their own game. “You are not going to beat someone like TSMC at their own game,” he said, referring to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., the global semiconductor leader.

Instead, Buckley advises targeting associate emerging segments where markets are still forming, including artificial intelligence, advanced assembly techniques, novel circuitry and even chipless technologies. In new fields, regions can define the rules rather than chase them.

Universities, he emphasized, are essential, not only as research hubs but as technical training pipelines. Just as critical are early customers and real market research. “Value creation, like compound interest, builds over time,” he said. “Growth compounds, and that’s where lasting success comes from.”

Structural Realities Matter

Florida brings undeniable advantages, including ports, airports, logistics infrastructure and business-friendly policies. But Buckley did not shy away from the challenges.

Housing costs, property taxes and rising insurance premiums create barriers for young engineers, researchers and entrepreneurs. “Innovation cannot thrive if people cannot afford to live and build here,” he said.

Government plays a necessary role, though it often moves slowly. That pace, Buckley noted, exists for a reason. Governments must consider broad constituencies. The key is finding trustworthy partners, institutions and leaders who act with integrity and long-term vision. At 3M, he said, the most productive partnerships were rooted in absolute trust, with no hint of favoritism or greed.

The “Banana-Free Zone”

One unexpected advantage for regions like Central Florida is space. Buckley joked about what 3M once called a “banana-free zone,” meaning build nothing near anyone. Advanced manufacturing facilities generate jobs, but communities rarely welcome traffic and disruption.

Locating high-tech manufacturing inland, away from dense population centers but well connected by transportation networks, often makes strategic sense. Regions without legacy congestion or entrenched industrial constraints can move more nimbly than older hubs.

Former Chairman & CEO Sir George Buckley in January at The Alfond Inn. He was in town for the inaugural John Lord Lecture Series.

The Hardest Lesson: People

Asked what leadership lesson took the longest to learn, Buckley did not hesitate. “People. Completely and utterly people.” He recalled an article in The Economist that argued the closest thing to a money-back guarantee for success is surrounding yourself with people who are better than you at what they do. “Many leaders say they believe this, but few truly act on it,” Buckley said. “Everything else, including innovation, execution and resilience, flows from talent.”

Protecting Curiosity

Large organizations often struggle to protect experimentation. Buckley believes the difference lies in how leaders treat failure.

“You cannot ignore it, and you cannot punish it,” he said. At 3M, projects were sometimes paused rather than killed. Ideas were parked until new technologies or insights unlocked their value.

The company reinstated its policy allowing employees to spend 15 percent of their time on projects of their choosing. It also funded “Genesis Grants,” small internal budgets that empowered independent exploration. Thousands of innovations emerged from those practices.

“When employees feel even a small sense of ownership, like they have a hand on the steering wheel, it changes everything,” Buckley said.

Consensus vs. Courage

Buckley is skeptical of consensus-driven leadership. “In theory it sounds wonderful. In practice it frequently produces average outcomes,” he said. Innovation, he argues, often comes from outliers rather than compromise.

His approach was simple: listen to everyone and speak last. Avoid signaling your opinion too early. Make it clear the goal is discovering what is right, not who is right. When honesty is safe, decision-making improves.

Feeding the Future

Sustained innovation requires vigilance. Buckley compares companies to buckets. New ideas pour in while old products leak out through competition and technological change.

“You must constantly measure both what you are creating and what is leaking away,” he said.

Cannibalizing your own products is not failure. It is survival.

Long-term investments are equally essential. “If you do not invest in the future, it simply will not exist,” he said. “Ten years feels distant until it suddenly is not. Leaders must allocate real money to long-horizon exploration and build cultures that believe tomorrow is worth funding today.”

Advice for the Next Generation

For young people entering technology fields, Buckley’s advice is straightforward: hard work.

“There is no substitute, not even intelligence,” he said.

He encourages young professionals to eliminate ignorance quickly, overprepare, bring solutions rather than problems and share credit generously. “Life is not about finding yourself. Life is about making yourself,” he said.

Florida’s Crystal Ball

If he could advise Florida’s civic and business leaders over the next 10 to 20 years, Buckley would prioritize people above all else.

Within technology, he points to three foundational disciplines: mathematics, electronics and material science.

“These underpin everything, from artificial intelligence to advanced manufacturing to entirely new ways materials behave,” he said.

If Florida invests deeply in people who master those fields, he believes the ecosystem will follow.

For a region eager to define its next chapter, Buckley’s blueprint is less about chasing headlines and more about building patiently. Talent comes first, infrastructure follows, and culture must be constant.

Innovation, he suggests, is not an event. It is a habit.