About Phil McKinney

Why do smart leaders consistently make terrible choices about breakthrough ideas? I've spent 30 years finding the answer through high-stakes innovation decisions—from co-founding and taking a company public to serving as HP's CTO and now leading CableLabs as CEO.

The Innovation Decision Expert

I'm Phil McKinney, and I've discovered that most innovation failures don't happen during execution—they happen at the decision stage. Brilliant teams kill breakthrough opportunities through predictable thinking errors, cognitive biases, and flawed decision frameworks.

After making thousands of innovation choices worth billions of dollars, I've decoded the thinking patterns that separate breakthrough decisions from costly mistakes. Now I help leaders avoid the decision traps that destroy good ideas before they ever get started.

My Experience:

• Former CTO of HP (leading breakthrough technologies)
• Current CEO of CableLabs (driving telecommunications infrastructure innovation)
• Co-founder of a company I took public (entrepreneurial decision-making under pressure)
• Host of "Killer Innovations" podcast (20+ million downloads since 2005)
• Author of "Beyond the Obvious" (award-winning innovation methodology)

What I've Learned: Intelligence doesn't predict decision quality. The best innovations come from better decision-thinking, not just better ideas. Most breakthrough failures happen because smart people use the wrong mental frameworks when evaluating uncertain opportunities.

Where You'll Find My Insights:

🎙️ Killer Innovations Podcast - Innovation frameworks and methodologies
📝 Studio Notes on Substack - Unfiltered stories from 30 years of billion-dollar decisions
📺 YouTube Channel - Decision frameworks that work under uncertainty
✍️ This Blog - Deep dives into innovation decision-making strategies

What You'll Get Here: In my newsletter and blog posts, I share decision-thinking frameworks from three decades of Fortune 100 experience. You'll get real stories of innovation choices that succeeded, costly decisions that failed, and the thinking tools that help you avoid predictable mistakes.

This isn't theory—it's battle-tested wisdom from someone who's made the decisions, lived with the consequences, and learned what actually works when outcomes are uncertain.

Ready to make better innovation decisions? Join thousands of leaders who get weekly insights on decision frameworks that actually work.

Master Innovation Decision-Making Get weekly frameworks from 30 years of billion-dollar innovation choices. Learn why smart leaders make terrible decisions and how to think better about breakthrough opportunities.

Real Stories, Proven Frameworks Access behind-the-scenes stories of innovation decisions that succeeded (and failed), plus the decision-thinking tools I wish I'd had earlier in my career.

Join Innovation Decision Leaders Connect with executives, entrepreneurs, and innovators who understand that breakthrough results come from breakthrough decision-making, not just breakthrough ideas.