phil mckinney
I Told the Department of Education Their Graduates Were Useless
The room went silent. But I'd been watching this crisis unfold for decades—starting on a factory floor in 1981
5 Questions That Spot Breakthroughs Before They Happen
In October 1903, The New York Times published an editorial mocking the idea of human flight, stating that a successful flying machine might take "from one to ten million years" to develop through the efforts of mathematicians and engineers. Eight weeks later, on December 17, 1903, the Wright
I Evaluated Over 30,000 Innovation Ideas at HP: Here's Why Most Failed
Your best innovation ideas aren't losing to bad ideas – they're losing to exhaustion. I know that sounds counterintuitive. After 30 years of making billion-dollar innovation decisions at HP and CableLabs, I thought I understood why good ideas failed. Market timing. Technical challenges. Resource constraints. Sometimes
How To Master Lateral Thinking Skills
A software engineer grabbed a random word from a dictionary – "beehive" – and within hours designed an algorithm that saved his company millions. While his colleagues were working harder, he was thinking differently. This breakthrough didn't come from luck. It came from lateral thinking – a systematic approach
Moving to Substack: A New Chapter
Innovation veteran Phil McKinney launches "Studio Notes" on Substack—revealing untold stories from 30 years of innovation leadership. What really happens in Fortune 100 boardrooms? Discover raw wisdom from failures and successes. Experience innovation's human journey as lived, not taught.
Innovation Books | My Library of Inspiration
Building a library of inspiration in your innovation studio is what ensures you have a ready source of ideas. This inspiration library can come in the form of a collection of innovation books. I am a visual learner, so reading books is where I often find my inspiration. I am
How I Turned my Podcast into a Book and Radio Show
This episode is the last of Killer Innovations as a radio show. Not an easy decision, but as part of our drive for innovation, we believe this is the best decision. We will discuss the show's history, my book and radio show deal, and what Killer Innovations will
How I Learned to Be an Entrepreneur
This week's topic is an extension of a show I did a few weeks ago about my innovation self-confidence. Entrepreneurship is a huge part of innovation at any level. We will discuss my learning experiences as an entrepreneur. What were the steps that made me a successful
Innovation Coaching and Innovation Mentoring - What Is The Difference?
The topic this week is one that I have touched on over the years in various ways. People reach out to me all the time asking about this. Coaching, as well as mentoring, often get placed in the same category. In reality, they are different. We will discuss the differences
How I Built My Innovation Self-Confidence
People are always asking me how I made it to the point I'm today in my career. While I can't cover my career's full extent, I want to share some valuable learning experiences. This week, we will discuss how I built my innovation self-