The Innovation Trap: Why Most Companies Fail ft. Michael Glatts | Tell Me More

What happens to a business that stops innovating? It disappears. Innovation isn't a department. It's a leadership mindset. In this episode of Tell Me More, Joel Worthington sits down with Michael Glatts, founder of 901 Innovation and former Pfizer leader, to explore why the most innovative organizations don't just create better products. They create cultures where people feel safe to think differently. After spending more than 26 years at Pfizer leading global teams, Michael left corporate America to help organizations unlock creativity, improve employee engagement, and build innovation into their everyday culture. Together, Joel and Michael discuss why empathy, psychological safety, curiosity, and trust are essential ingredients for innovation, and why leaders who say "yes, and..." consistently outperform those who default to "no." In this episode, you'll learn: Why innovation is critical for long-term business growth and competitive advantage How empathy helps leaders uncover unmet customer needs Why psychological safety is the foundation of innovative teams How the "Yes, And" mindset encourages creativity and collaboration Why great leaders create environments where employees feel heard How fear of failure shuts down innovation and engagement Why organizations should experiment, prototype, and learn quickly instead of waiting for perfection How innovation improves employee engagement, customer experience, and organizational culture Michael also shares how his background in improvisational comedy shaped his approach to leadership development and why some of the best business breakthroughs happen when leaders stop trying to have all the answers and start creating space for new ideas. Because innovation doesn't begin with technology. It begins with leaders who are curious enough to listen, humble enough to learn, and courageous enough to say, "Tell me more." When people feel safe to contribute, organizations don't just innovate. They thrive. Lean in, and tell me more. 📘 Learn more about Michael Glatts: 901 Innovation (901innovation.com) | connect with him on LinkedIn ➡️ Connect with Joel Worthington: Website: https://www.joelworthington.com/ Instagram:   / joeldworthington   LinkedIn:   / joelworthington   Facebook:   / joeldworthington   TikTok:   / joeldworthington   Twitter/X: https://x.com/J_D_Worthington #Leadership #TellMeMore #MichaelGlatts #Innovation #901Innovation #PsychologicalSafety #DesignThinking #YesAnd #LeadershipDevelopment #businessleadership 0:00 Why aren't you innovating? 0:40 Welcome and meet Michael Glatts 1:31 26 years at Pfizer 2:23 Why he left to start 901 Innovation 4:34 Why innovation matters to an organization 5:33 The companies that vanished (and the ones in garages) 6:22 Innovation as survival 6:45 Marketing and innovation: a business's two core activities 7:27 The secret: start by asking why you aren't innovating 7:52 The myth that doing your job is innovating 8:33 Most people are creative, not just innovative 8:54 Design thinking, empathy, and the unmet need 9:30 Why competition means there's a market 11:16 How every franchise must innovate to stand out 13:04 Success starts with empathy 14:01 Finding the customer's pain points 14:56 Changing the delivery: from cable to streaming 15:42 Where improv comedy meets innovation 17:36 The golden rule: the "yes, and" mindset 18:28 Why "no" is easy and "yes" is hard 18:52 "Yes, and" and psychological safety 19:14 The quiet person who used to be ambitious 20:21 The best ideas that never leave the brain 20:33 "Already figured it out, thanks": how to kill an idea 22:26 Give your people the credit, not yourself 23:24 Building a "yes, and" culture through self-analysis 24:41 Why saying no is human nature, not malice 24:57 Iterate, prototype, and fail early 25:43 Naming the fear so it loses its power 25:49 Where to find Michael and 901 Innovation 26:58 The in-house retreat approach 27:28 The "success starts with empathy" high school story 28:45 Closing thoughts: getting the most out of people