{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Mindsets, Not Maps: Rethinking Corporate Innovation | Richard Braden | 683","description":"What if innovation wasn\u2019t reserved for a handful of \u201cgeniuses\u201d in hoodies and turtlenecks? What if every person in your organization could solve real problems in bold new ways? Today's episode of Leveraging Thought Leadership, I\u2019m joined by Richard Braden to explore how to democratize innovation inside the enterprise. We dig into his practical framework from "Innovation-ish: How Anyone Can Create Breakthrough Solutions to Real Problems in the Real World" which was co-authored with Tessa Forshaw to challenge the myth of the lone genius. Innovation stops being a mysterious black box and becomes a repeatable, teachable capability across the business. Rich explains why most organizations over-invest in \u201cinnovation theater\u201d and under-invest in mindset. Instead of obsessing over yet another step-by-step process, he focuses on the mental shifts that actually drive breakthrough thinking. From \u201cshopping\u201d vs. \u201cbuying\u201d mindsets to the difference between learning, iterating, and executing, you\u2019ll get language you can use with your teams tomorrow. We also unpack Rich\u2019s hybrid model for innovation: part consulting, part capability-building. You\u2019ll hear how a global quick-service restaurant brand redesigned its supply chain using cross-functional teams\u2014everyone from restaurant crew to executives\u2014working on real projects over nine months. The result? Tangible business outcomes and an enduring lift in problem-solving capability, long after the external experts left. Rich shows that innovation isn\u2019t just about moonshots. It\u2019s about orbit shots, cloud shots, roof shots, and jump shots\u2014small, targeted changes that add up to massive impact. Imagine your finance team \u201cinnovating\u201d the expense-report process so it\u2019s fast, accurate, and painless. That may not land you on the cover of a magazine, but it can unlock time, energy, and engagement across the organization. If you\u2019re tired of one-off workshops, \u201cinnovation labs\u201d off in a corner, or expensive programs that don\u2019t stick, this conversation with Rich Braden offers a better path. You\u2019ll learn how to embed innovation in day-to-day work, build your own obsolescence into client engagements, and turn innovation from a slogan into a core competency. Three Key Takeaways: \u2022 Innovation is a teachable skill. It\u2019s not the domain of lone geniuses; with the right mindsets and language, you can help people across the organization solve real problems in new ways. \u2022 Mindset beats methodology. Most organizations over-index on processes and \u201cinnovation theater,\u201d but sustainable breakthroughs come from shifting how people think, learn, and experiment in their day-to-day work. \u2022 Capability-building must be tied to real work. The most effective innovation programs blend consulting with hands-on projects, so teams deliver tangible business outcomes and build enduring problem-solving muscles at the same time. If this conversation on democratizing innovation resonated with you, your next listen should be the episode with Michele Zanini. In that one, we take the same core ideas\u2014moving beyond \u201cinnovation theater,\u201d distributing problem-solving across the organization, and building real capability instead of one-off programs\u2014and apply them to dismantling bureaucracy and unleashing talent at scale. Listen to both episodes together and you\u2019ll get a powerful one-two punch: a practical framework for everyday innovation, plus a blueprint for removing the structural and cultural barriers that keep your people from using it. If you\u2019re serious about making innovation everyone\u2019s job\u2014not just a select few in a lab\u2014queue up the Michele Zanini episode next. ","author_name":"Leveraging Thought Leadership","author_url":"https:\/\/thoughtleadershipleverage.com\/podcasts\/","html":"