You’re Solving the Wrong Problem: Scaling Genius with Jason Wild

You’re Solving the Wrong Problem: Scaling Genius with Jason Wild

From Mick Unplugged by Realm

April 27, 2026 · 34 min · Episode 263

About this episode

Jason Wild discusses the importance of focusing on the right problems to drive innovation and business success.

Jason Wild is a globally recognized innovation strategist and co-author of the groundbreaking book “Genius at Scale: How Great Leaders Drive Innovation,” written alongside Dr. Linda A. Hill of Harvard Business School and Emily Tedards. A former child actor turned business leader, Jason has shaped innovation strategy for some of the world’s most iconic brands—including Microsoft, Salesforce, and IBM—while advising CEOs across six continents. As the former Global Vice President of CEO Co-Innovation and Customer Engagement at Microsoft, Jason brings a rare blend of practitioner experience and thought leadership to the art and science of scaling breakthrough ideas. Takeaways: Stop Falling in Love with Ideas and Start Falling in Love with Problems: Most companies pour millions into brainstorming and ideation—and then wonder why nothing actually changes. Jason nails it: innovation isn’t about getting to the top of the mountain, it’s about making it back down alive. More initiatives die in execution than in conception. The Waldorf Astoria didn’t have a slow elevator problem—they had a boring wait problem. An intern with a mirror solved what a million-dollar algorithm couldn’t. Leaders…

People in this episode

Guest: Jason Wild

Topics covered

  • innovation strategy
  • leadership
  • problem solving
  • business growth
  • scaling ideas

Keywords

  • innovation
  • leadership
  • business strategy
  • problem solving
  • scaling ideas

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Microsoft, Salesforce, IBM, Harvard Business School

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