image credit to allvisionnThere’s a quote I heard years ago that still rattles around in my mind:”The most desired trait in an employee is innovation. The most rewarded trait in an employee is compliance.”(If you know who originally said this, please tell me. I’ve searched. I’ve asked. Nothing. At this point I’ve accepted that it

You Say You Want Innovation. But Do You Actually Reward It?

In this episode I sit down with innovation strategist, improviser, and author Melissa Dinwiddie to talk about her new book, Innovation at Work: 52 Micro-Experiments for Brave Leaders Who Want to Unstick Teams, Spark Ideas, and Build What’s Next.Melissa shares how organizations can build real cultures of innovation—not through giant retreats or complicated systems, but

Say “Yes, And!” to Innovation at Work with Melissa Dinwiddie

I was on a plane after a keynote a few years ago.Spent. That good kind of spent where you gave everything you had and you know it landed. I put my headphones on, leaned back, and hit play on “La Villa Strangiato” by Rush.If you don’t know it: 10 minutes, no lyrics, three guys making

What a 10-Minute Rush Song Taught Me About Beating Apathy

Image credit: NewAfricaWe were two high school kids shooting hoops in my driveway when one sentence changed the course of my life.My friend Anish looked over and said: “What if we ran the play ourselves?”He meant the Indian community theater productions we’d both grown up watching. Every year, the adults in our community organized elaborate

The Thing We Call “Immaturity” Might Be the Leadership Skill You’re Missing

Leaders struggling with slow change adoption are often working hard on exactly the wrong thing. I learned this in a roundabout way this past weekend…My wife took the kids to visit her family for a few days, and I decided to tackle a home improvement project that had been quietly annoying me for months.We had

Slow Change Adoption? Maybe You’re Not Solving the Problem. Maybe You’re Just Patching It.

In this episode, I sit down with my longtime friend (all the way back to childhood!) Dr. Anish Mahajan for a fascinating conversation about leadership, listening, and leading through uncertainty.Anish has led at the highest levels of healthcare and public health, from helping implement the Affordable Care Act to leading a major public hospital through

Say “Yes, And!” to Leadership, Listening, and Change with Anish Mahajan