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Unlocking Innovation at Speed and Scale with Tom Pullen
Innovation is often hailed as the engine of progress, but what does it actually mean to lead innovation in today’s complex organisations? In this episode of Unlocked, we sit down with Tom Pullen, former Innovation Director at Danone, Founder of Innovinco®, and author of the award-winning book Innovator, to break down myths, share practical tools, and uncover the mindsets behind building a culture of innovation at scale.
Demystifying Innovation: More than just new ideas
When most people hear the word “innovation,” they picture breakthrough products or trendy start-ups. But, true innovation is far more practical and accessible. Tom believes it’s a process anyone in an organisation can engage with and his simple, and actionable definition is that real innovation must:
- Be new (in some way)
- Create value for both customer and company
- And be real (actually implemented and driving results in the marketplace)
It doesn’t always have to fix something, it can also grow something. Sometimes innovation solves pain points, but often it’s about enhancing life in ways that are aspirational or simply enjoyable.
Beyond Products: Innovating everywhere
Innovation shouldn’t just belong to just the R&D, Product or Marketing teams. It must be cross-functional. Success in launching new services or products relies on input from every organisational discipline – from product and marketing, through to production, finance, operations, and more.
Tom advocates for empowering everyone to innovate. “Doing things better, quicker, cheaper… that should really be on everyone’s radar in the way that they show up and do their job every day.” Even process tweaks or improvements in customer interactions count as meaningful innovation.
The power of asking the right questions
One of the most compelling takeaways from our chat with Tom is: successful innovators aren’t necessarily the most creative, they’re the most curious.
Tom shares a powerful story from his time at Danone, where meeting senior customers in their homes reveals an unmet need: older consumers are opening water bottles with their teeth due to arthritis. This insight led to a new, highly successful product.
The lesson? Don’t just rely on surveys or secondhand reports. Real breakthroughs come from asking better, deeper questions, spending time where your target consumers live and work to truly understand the mindset of your consumer.
Building a repeatable Innovation System
How can organisations embed innovation as a repeatable process, not just an occasional project? Tom’s “Innovator Way” is a ten-step system but with a crucial first step: start with strategy. Only 12% of innovation projects in large organisations are linked to strategy, meaning most effort is wasted.
From there, it’s about systematically understanding consumer needs, generating ideas, prioritising them, testing solutions, and sharing learning. Embedding learnings across the organisation rather than letting insights stay siloed is essential.
Overcoming the real challenges: People and Persistence
Innovation isn’t just technical, it’s deeply human. The biggest barriers, Tom shares, are often about getting buy-in. It takes a specific type of bold, gutsy person to try and break the status quo, and pushback can often stifle and stop great projects.
He argues that making innovation part of formal roles, with clear KPIs and support, is vital. But leading innovation also requires integrity, commitment, and contagious energy, qualities that create a culture where new ideas can flourish even amid challenges.
The Future: Human-centered innovation in an AI world
As AI reshapes industries, Tom advises leaders to see AI as an enabler, not an end in itself. The organisations that thrive will combine AI’s strengths with deep human empathy, curiosity, and collaboration.
Innovation isn’t magic. The most powerful unlock comes from empowering everyone to find better ways of working, grounding projects in strategy, and above all never stopping asking sharp, insightful questions.
Unlocked Tip: Ask better questions
Tom believes that asking better questions and simple curiosity is the true engine to unlock transformation and drive innovation in your organisation.
Unlock your own leadership journey and listen to the full episode wherever you get your podcasts!
