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The Innovation ShowAuthor: The Innovation Show
A Global weekly show interviewing authors to inspire, educate and inform the business world and the curious. Presented by the author of "Undisruptable", this Global show speaks of something greater beyond innovation, disruption and technology. It speaks to the human need to learn: how to adapt to and love a changing world. It embraces the spirit of constant change, of staying receptive, of always learning. Language: en Genres: Business, Technology Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
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Corporate Innovation Strategy: Return Maps, Managing Up & Forecasting with Chuck House
Episode 635
Wednesday, 18 February, 2026
Why does corporate innovation fail so often — even with talented teams and strong ideas? In this episode of The Innovation Show with Aidan McCullen, intrapreneur and innovation veteran Chuck House returns to explain why innovation dies when projects, programs, and strategy aren't clearly connected — and why executives often misjudge innovation timelines because they're optimizing established businesses. Chuck breaks down the 4 intrapreneur traits (curiosity, perspective, resilience, and comfort with data) and the overlooked career skill that makes or breaks intrapreneurs: managing down AND managing up. Learn how to build team trust, navigate organizational politics, make "invisible work" visible, and persuade decision-makers to keep the right bets alive. He also challenges traditional project review approaches (IRR, cost/schedule targets, early sales projections) and introduces his practical alignment tool: the Return Map — a living, cross-functional view that integrates investment, revenue, and profit over time, assigns accountability across functions, and forces iterative re-forecasting as reality changes (slips, market windows, manufacturing costs, and sales forecasts). In this episode Why innovation feels like "snakes and ladders" inside large organisations Steve Jobs as a blueprint: iPod → iTunes → iPhone as a strategic cycle Managing up: credibility, trust, and navigating corporate politics Why HQ metrics can kill risky projects too early Brunnergrams vs strategy: what engineering tracking misses How Return Maps improve alignment, accountability, and forecasting Teaser: a future conversation with Kodak digital camera inventor Steve Sasson Sponsor: Kyndryl





