Why Most Innovation Efforts Fail:...

Why Most Innovation Efforts Fail: Future-Fit Leadership | Barbara Salopek | iNNOVATION Insights | Ep. 76

iNNOVATION Insights Podcast di Dr. Eulanda A. Sanders
S6 · E76
5 mar 2026
49:57

Note sull'episodio

In this episode of iNNOVATION Insights, Dr. Eulanda Sanders sits down with Barbara Salopek, MBA, MS — Innovation Strategist, TEDx Speaker, Founder of Vinco Innovation, and author of Future-Fit Innovation.

Barbara shares why most AI and innovation initiatives fail — and it is not because of technology. It is because of people, culture, and leadership. Drawing from 20+ years of international innovation leadership across Europe,

Barbara explains why innovation must work on three levels:

• The individual

• The team

• The organization

Skip one, and the transformation stays superficial.

⚫In this conversation, you will learn:

• Why innovation is a marathon, not a sprint

• The hidden human blocks that stall AI adoption

• How functional fixedness limits creativity

• Why psychological safety is essential for transformation

• The role of diversity in driving better innovation outcomes

• Why leadership alignment determines success or failure

• How to build an innovation muscle bottom-up and top-down

Barbara also shares her journey as a female founder building a global innovation consultancy from scratch — and what it truly takes to tolerate uncertainty and lead through complexity. If you are a business leader, academic, entrepreneur, strategist, or executive navigating AI, sustainability, or culture change — this episode will challenge and equip you. Innovation is not a department. It is a system.

⚫Connect with Barbara

◾LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbara-salopek/

◾TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@barbaraceovinco

◾Vinco Website: https://vinco.no/

◾Personal Website: barbarasalopek.com/

⚫Subscribe to iNNOVATION Insights News https://www.innovation-and-insights.com/contact

⚫iNNOVATION Insights - https://www.innovation-and-insights.com/

Parole chiave

business owner
innovation
entreprenuer
author
educator
branding
executive
strategist
personal branding
brand development
narrative
insights
graduate student
Tedtalk
writer
mentorship
energy
technology
education
experimentation
learning
professor
culture
collaboration
leadership
business
teacher
experiment
intellectual property
economics
strategy
management
human resources
communication
woman business owner
woman entrepreneur
entrepreneur
building wealth
career development
innovation insights podcast
podcast
global
consulting
teaching
empowerment
global education
consultant
higher education
faculty
faculty development
women history month
Norway
Croatia
Europe
European