Innovation isn’t a brainstorm. It’s a way of thinking, organising, and acting in uncertainty.

In this episode of Strategy Meets Reality, Mike Jones sits down with Paul Frobisher—engineer, strategist, and founder of Strategic Innovation—to explore how organisations often misdiagnose the innovation challenge. From solving the wrong problems to collapsing under performance pressure, Paul breaks down the real reasons innovation fails—and what leaders can do instead.

They explore the value of TRIZ and IDEF0, the emotional cost of failed innovation, and how to build innovation systems that work over time—not just on slides. With insight from automotive and energy disruption, this is a sharp look at how to think better, decide better, and act with intent.

🔍 In this episode:

• Why most innovation fails before it starts
• How to solve the right problem—not just move fast
• Using TRIZ, IDEF0 and models to design innovation processes
• The emotional and political side of innovation
• Hydrogen, EVs, and the long game of disruption
• Why innovation isn’t about creativity—it’s about clarity

🎧 Keywords: Innovation, TRIZ, IDEF0, uncertainty, strategy, engineering, EV disruption, hydrogen, decision-making, organisational design

📘 Learn more about Paul’s work: https://strategic-innovation.co.uk/

Send Mike a Message

👂 Enjoying the show?
Subscribe and leave a review on your favourite platform — it helps more people find the podcast.

🔗 Full episodes, show notes, and resources: https://www.lbiconsulting.com/strategymeetsreality-podcast

📺 Watch on YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@StrategyMeetsReality
🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Buzzsprout

💬 Connect with host Mike Jones → https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-h-jones/

What if the most powerful lever in strategy isn’t action—but orientation?

In this episode of Strategy Meets Reality, Mike Jones is joined by Mark McGrath—Marine veteran, strategist, and expert in John Boyd’s OODA loop—to unpack how orientation drives adaptation, shapes perception, and rewires how organisations respond to disruption.

Mark takes us deep into Boyd’s legacy, revealing why strategy is less about linear plans and more about continuous learning, destruction and creation, and evolving faster than the environment. From Wall Street trading floors to boardroom transformation, this episode is a masterclass in fighting inertia, rethinking time, and breaking free from the guardians of decay.

🔍 In this episode:

• Why orientation—not action—is the true source of advantage
• How destruction and creation enable real adaptation
• Understanding time, tempo, and disruption
• What it means to lead with curiosity and humility
• Why small shifts create exponential effects
• How to challenge entrenched assumptions and power

🎧 Keywords: OODA loop, John Boyd, strategy, orientation, disruption, decision-making, leadership, complexity, learning, strategic advantage

📘 Learn more from Mark at: https://substack.com/@markjmcgrath

Send Mike a Message

👂 Enjoying the show?
Subscribe and leave a review on your favourite platform — it helps more people find the podcast.

🔗 Full episodes, show notes, and resources: https://www.lbiconsulting.com/strategymeetsreality-podcast

📺 Watch on YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@StrategyMeetsReality
🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Buzzsprout

💬 Connect with host Mike Jones → https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-h-jones/

Design thinking isn’t just for product teams—it can reshape how we do strategy.

In this episode, Mike Jones is joined by Leanne Sobel—Director of Strategic Design at Snowmelt and author of a recent PhD on the intersection of design and strategy. Together, they explore what it means to bring design into strategic work: not just as a toolkit, but as an ethos of participation, reflection, and experimentation.

Leanne shares how traditional strategy often limits possibility through early assumptions—while design opens up space to sense, test, and adapt. From stakeholder engagement to making strategy usable in practice, this episode reframes how strategy can be done in complex environments.

🔍 In this episode:

• How design challenges traditional strategy models
• Building usable strategies—not just presentations
• Why stakeholder inclusion is a risk-reducer, not a slowdown
• The difference between design thinking and design practice
• Why reflection is a core strategic act
• Creating feedback loops to make strategy adaptive

📘 Learn more about Leanne: https://www.snowmelt.io/team-members/leanne-sobel
🎧 Full podcast + notes: https://www.lbiconsulting.com/strategymeetsreality
🎙 Listen on Spotify, Apple, or YouTube

Keywords: Strategic Design, Design Thinking, Organisational Strategy, Adaptive Strategy, Design-Led Change, Stakeholder Engagement, Strategic Practice, Leadership, Systems Thinking, Complexity

Send Mike a Message

👂 Enjoying the show?
Subscribe and leave a review on your favourite platform — it helps more people find the podcast.

🔗 Full episodes, show notes, and resources: https://www.lbiconsulting.com/strategymeetsreality-podcast

📺 Watch on YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@StrategyMeetsReality
🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Buzzsprout

💬 Connect with host Mike Jones → https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-h-jones/