I’ve spent 36 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 book from John Murray Press, a division of Hachette, interviewing 35 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 successful 30%? They build innovation ECOSYSTEMS, not programs.
For 52 weeks, I’ll share insights from my book launching October 22, 2026. But this is conversation, not lecture.
I’ll share real client stories, research from 35 in-depth 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.