Lubar Executive Education PodcastAuthor: MICHAEL C MARKIEWICZ
A curated collection of tools, concepts, and ideas to help all leaders make a larger impact and move forward on their personal leadership journey. Language: en-us Genres: Business, Management Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
Listen Now...
The Cost of Can't: How Organizations Disguise Choices as Constraints
Episode 3
Thursday, 15 October, 2026
In this episode, we sit down with JL Heather, co-founder and managing partner of Centered, to talk about the concept of “Can’t Culture” - how organizations often limit innovation, transformation, and growth by disguising decisions as unavoidable realities. During our time together, we discuss practical strategies leaders can use to uncover hidden assumptions, reduce innovation bottlenecks, and create systems that encourage experimentation and learning. Highlights include:What "Can't Culture" is and why it quietly undermines innovation and transformation effortsThe difference between a true constraint, a choice, and a capability gap using JL's Can't, Won't, or Haven't frameworkWhy saying "no" is often easier and safer for individuals, even when it creates significant costs for the organizationHow leaders can identify hidden constraints embedded in policies, procedures, and organizational normsWhy many organizations engage in "innovation theater" rather than building innovation into the way work actually gets doneWhy curiosity is often more valuable than having the "right answer" as a leaderHow to increase support for innovation by positioning ideas as low-risk experiments with clear success and failure criteriaWhy courage alone is not a sustainable organizational strategy and why systems matter moreHow organizations can balance speed and quality while reducing innovation cycle timesA simple challenge leaders can use to uncover hidden "can'ts" within their organizationsTo learn more from JL Heather:Visit centered.workConnect with JL on LinkedInLearn more at JLHeather.comListen to the Breakthrough Innovation Podcast
