by Kevin Popović
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by Kevin Popović
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Dear Idea Guy,
Our leadership team keeps talking about “being more innovative,” but no one knows what that actually means. We’ve got meetings full of buzzwords but no real movement. How do we turn the talk into action?
– Frustrated in FinTech
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Dear Frustrated,
This is one of the most common questions leaders ask. “Be more innovative” sounds visionary, but without definition and structure, it becomes frustratingly vague. The result? Confusion, stalled initiatives, and disengaged teams.
Innovation isn’t a moment of inspiration—it’s a process. And that process begins with identifying the right problem to solve.
Try this approach:
- Clarify the challenge. Ask: What’s working? What’s not? What’s changing?
- Frame a real problem. Narrow your focus to a specific issue that matters.
- Engage your team. Give them the tools and time to explore meaningful solutions.
Innovation doesn’t begin with ideas—it begins with questions. And the most important one is: What’s the real problem we’re trying to solve?
— Kevin Popovic, The Idea Guy®
Read this column on San Diego Business Journal.
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WHAT’S YOUR PROBLEM? is a weekly column by Kevin Popovic, The Idea Guy®—a trusted advisor to CEOs and leaders across industries. Each edition answers real-world business challenges with clear, creative insights you can use to think differently and lead confidently.
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We’ve done the work: defined our problems, identified opportunities, and even started building an innovation process. But here’s the issue: my team still holds back.
We’ve been through so many changes over the past few years—new strategies, new systems, new leadership. Now, every time we propose something new, my team’s energy crashes.
My team is constantly asked to “show” our innovation ideas before we gain buy-in, but we struggle with how to illustrate our concepts effectively.
There’s no clear path to move forward, and we’re starting to lose momentum. How do we decide which ideas are worth investing in without overthinking it?
