Bruce Vojak closes our three-part Serial Innovators series with the playbook for finding and protecting breakthrough talent: the five core traits to look for, the four engagement filters that actually identify a serial innovator, why HR and AI hiring screens filter them out, and the manager behaviours — air cover, patience, no “J work” — that keep them from walking out the door.
Posted 4 weeks ago Tagged Abbie Griffin innovation Aidan McCullen breakthrough innovation politics Bruce Vojak Change Management Corporate Innovation crossing the bridge innovation Disruption how to get ideas approved innovation in large companies innovation podcast Innovation Strategy intrapreneur leadership podcast organisational politics serial innovators Serial Innovators book The Innovation Show Thinkers50
Most innovators believe a great idea will sell itself. Bruce Vojak, co-author of Serial Innovators, joins Aidan McCullen to reveal why that belief will get you fired — and how the rare few who repeatedly deliver breakthrough innovations inside mature firms actually navigate the organisational politics that stop everyone else cold.
Posted 4 weeks ago Tagged Abbie Griffin Aidan McCullen breakthrough innovation Bruce Vojak Corporate Innovation create market acceptance customer empathy Design Thinking find the right problem fuzzy front end hourglass innovation model Innovation Culture Innovation Leadership Innovation Mindset innovation podcast innovation process innovation self-diagnostic Innovation Strategy invent and validate it's them not me Kyndryl mature firms innovation New Product Development NPD process organisational innovation Raymond Price serial innovators Serial Innovators book stage gate process The Hourglass Model Vojak The Innovation Show
Bruce Vojak returns for a short bonus episode on the Hourglass Model — the descriptive state diagram he and his co-authors built to explain how serial innovators actually move from a customer problem to a launched product, without the prescriptive rigidity of stage-gate.
Posted 2 months ago Tagged constructive conflict Innovation innovation archetypes Innovation Culture Innovation Mindset Innovation Strategy Jeff DeGraff Leadership Organisational Change Podcast Staney DeGraff The Innovation Code The Innovation Show
What if innovation doesn’t come from alignment—but from constructive conflict? In this episode of The Innovation Show, Aidan McCullen explores The Innovation Code with Jeff and Staney DeGraff, revealing how breakthrough ideas emerge when opposing perspectives collide. Learn the four innovation archetypes—Artist, Engineer, Athlete, and Sage—and how to harness tension to drive creativity, adaptability, and long-term success.
Posted 3 months ago Tagged Business Lessons Business Strategy Case Study Change Management Corporate Strategy decision making Digital Transformation Disruption emotional intelligence Innovation Innovation Strategy Leadership Nokia Organizational Change Reinvention Strategy Execution Strategy Process Technology Strategy Transformation Turnaround Strategy
Nokia didn’t just collapse—it reinvented itself. This episode explores how leadership, emotion, and strategy combined to transform Nokia into a new kind of company.
Posted 4 months ago Tagged Business Model Innovation Change Management Corporate Innovation experimentation Forecasting Innovation Culture Innovation Governance Innovation Management Innovation metrics innovation portfolio Innovation Strategy innovation toolkit Intrapreneurship Leadership managing up organizational strategy Product Development project portfolio management R&D return maps venture building
Innovation often fails inside big companies. Chuck House explains managing up, using return maps, and aligning strategy so intrapreneurs can get permission to win
Posted 5 months ago Tagged Anomaly Detection Business Innovation cognitive psychology Cognitive Science Creative Thinking decision making Gary Klein Innovation innovation podcast Innovation Strategy Insight Generation Insights Leadership Organizational Culture Organizational Intelligence Problem Solving Seeing What Others Don’t Smarter Decisions strategic thinking
Gary Klein, renowned cognitive psychologist and author of Seeing What Others Don’t, joins Aidan McCullen to discuss how individuals and organizations can spot insights, avoid flawed mental models, and foster smarter decision-making. A masterclass in innovation and leadership.
Posted 6 months ago Tagged breakthrough innovations Business Models Business Transformation Clayton Christensen Disruptive Innovation emergent strategy epic disruptions Harvard Business School Innovation Show Innovation Strategy Scott D. Anthony
Scott D. Anthony joins The Innovation Show to explore his latest book Epic Disruptions, tracing 11 game-changing innovations that transformed society—from the printing press to the iPhone. Discover the hidden patterns of disruption, why history keeps repeating itself, and how to prepare your organization for the next wave.
Posted 8 months ago Tagged AI in innovation Business Innovation Business Transformation CFO innovation Expected Value Innovation Accounting Innovation metrics Innovation ROI Innovation Strategy Innovation theatre Kill credits Kyndryl sponsor Measure innovation Project evaluation S-curve innovation Simon Hill Strategic Innovation Wazoku xV framework Zombie projects
Simon Hill, author of Expected Value (xV), reveals a powerful framework to measure the true impact of innovation. Learn how to avoid innovation theatre, kill zombie projects, and align creativity with real business value through xV’s blend of confidence, predicted value, time sensitivity, and strategic fit.
Posted 9 months ago Tagged Aidan McCullen BCE case study Business Strategy CEO leadership Clayton Christensen corporate governance Disruptive Innovation diversification strategy Innovation Strategy leadership and strategy Michael Raynor Organizational Change RAP model real options in strategy resource allocation strategic integration strategy failure The Innovation Show The Innovator’s Solution The Strategy Paradox why strategies fail
Michael Raynor explains why most strategies fail and how CEOs can fix them, exploring the RAP model, BCE’s diversification, and lessons in strategy.