I’ve spent 35 years in boardrooms watching brilliant organizations fail at innovation. Not because they lacked smart people or budgets—they failed because they used tools designed for yesterday’s problems to solve today’s interconnected challenges.
Last month, a Fortune 500 CEO confessed: “We tried seventeen different innovation methodologies in five years. They all failed.”
His executive team went silent—not surprised, just shocked he’d finally said it.
Through research for my upcoming Hachette book, interviewing 45+ innovation thought leaders including former Tom Peters partners and Peter Senge’s Innovation Associates executives, I’ve discovered a brutal truth: 70% of innovation initiatives are expensive theater delivering no lasting results.
The consultants depart. Frameworks gather dust. Innovation labs stand empty. Executives return to asking: “Why aren’t we innovating?”
That CEO discovered what my decades of consulting confirms: It’s not about wrong methodology. Design Thinking, Agile, Lean Startup—all excellent when properly applied.
The problem runs deeper. Organizations attempt system-wide change before employees are psychologically ready. They launch initiatives while people carry fear from layoffs, skepticism from failed attempts, uncertainty about job security, and exhaustion from constant upheaval.
It’s like asking someone to dance on hot coals. No matter how good the music or skilled the instructor, they can’t focus when in pain.
The 2025 Nobel Prize validated what leaders know: sustained growth depends on innovation-driven processes where new technologies replace older ones. But while economists proved innovation drives societal growth, 70% of corporate initiatives fail because organizations use isolated approaches instead of integrated ecosystem thinking.
The successful 30%? They build innovation ECOSYSTEMS, not programs.
For 52 weeks, I’ll share insights from my book launching November 2026. But this is conversation, not lecture.
I’ll share real client stories, research from 45+ interviews, the Seven-Phase Framework making innovation inevitable, practical Monday tools, and why Nine Disruptive Forces demand new approaches.
Innovation ecosystems aren’t built alone—they’re built by practitioner communities learning and experimenting together.
Welcome to the journey.
Worth considering: If this resonates, I’d be interested in the innovation challenge you’re currently facing.
