Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share Serving Without the Uniform: Rethinking Innovation from Air Force to MITRE to Founder
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
Serving Without the Uniform: Rethinking Innovation from Air Force to MITRE to Founder
In this Success After Service (SAS) Special Episode of GovCon Unscripted, Chelsea Roberts sits down with Dan Ward, Author and Co-founder of The SparkLit Group, to explore how innovation actually works after military service and why so many organizations unintentionally block it.
Drawing from his career in the Air Force, his time at MITRE, and his transition to co-founding an innovation consultancy, Dan explains why innovation must be democratized across organizations rather than isolated inside special teams. He shares how language, humility, and communication determine whether ideas gain traction or trigger resistance.
This conversation breaks down what “novelty with impact” really means, how innovators can invite experimentation without threatening the status quo, and why small, fast failures outperform large, prestige-driven programs. Dan also explores portfolio-based risk management, data-driven storytelling, and what punk rock teaches leaders about building sustainable cultures of innovation.
Timestamps
- 06:34 – The danger of isolated innovation teams
- 12:11 – Why innovation challenges the status quo
- 14:34 – Defining innovation as “novelty with impact”
- 18:13 – “Let’s try this” as an invitation to innovate
- 21:02 – Why communication blocks innovation more than ideas
- 25:10 – Optimal failure vs. epic failure
- 30:40 – Sunk cost bias and prestige programs
- 38:03 – Portfolio theory and innovation risk
- 42:47 – Confronting reality with data
- 45:27 – Why data never speaks for itself
Resources
- Dan Ward
- The SparkLit Group Website
- Dan's Authored Books
- Chelsea Roberts LinkedIn Profile
🎧 Listen now on:
🔹 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/govcon-unscripted/id1766384482
🔹 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1NL0kFAvmgECLTJpUZYNHy
Like and follow us:
🔹 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS
🔹 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/govcon-unscriptedpodcast/
🔹 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/govcon-unscripted/posts/
Join our #govcon #community:
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14618490/
New to GovCon? Here’s a guide for you:
https://share.hsforms.com/288nO18bsRCCmdJZL66pClwbzmvx
21 AI Prompts to Supercharge Your GovCon BD Engine:
https://collaborativecompositions.com/21-ai-prompts-to-supercharge-your-govcon-bd-engine/
View all episodes
By Chelsea MeggittIn this Success After Service (SAS) Special Episode of GovCon Unscripted, Chelsea Roberts sits down with Dan Ward, Author and Co-founder of The SparkLit Group, to explore how innovation actually works after military service and why so many organizations unintentionally block it.
Drawing from his career in the Air Force, his time at MITRE, and his transition to co-founding an innovation consultancy, Dan explains why innovation must be democratized across organizations rather than isolated inside special teams. He shares how language, humility, and communication determine whether ideas gain traction or trigger resistance.
This conversation breaks down what “novelty with impact” really means, how innovators can invite experimentation without threatening the status quo, and why small, fast failures outperform large, prestige-driven programs. Dan also explores portfolio-based risk management, data-driven storytelling, and what punk rock teaches leaders about building sustainable cultures of innovation.
Timestamps
- 06:34 – The danger of isolated innovation teams
- 12:11 – Why innovation challenges the status quo
- 14:34 – Defining innovation as “novelty with impact”
- 18:13 – “Let’s try this” as an invitation to innovate
- 21:02 – Why communication blocks innovation more than ideas
- 25:10 – Optimal failure vs. epic failure
- 30:40 – Sunk cost bias and prestige programs
- 38:03 – Portfolio theory and innovation risk
- 42:47 – Confronting reality with data
- 45:27 – Why data never speaks for itself
Resources
- Dan Ward
- The SparkLit Group Website
- Dan's Authored Books
- Chelsea Roberts LinkedIn Profile
🎧 Listen now on:
🔹 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/govcon-unscripted/id1766384482
🔹 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1NL0kFAvmgECLTJpUZYNHy
Like and follow us:
🔹 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS
🔹 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/govcon-unscriptedpodcast/
🔹 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/govcon-unscripted/posts/
Join our #govcon #community:
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14618490/
New to GovCon? Here’s a guide for you:
https://share.hsforms.com/288nO18bsRCCmdJZL66pClwbzmvx
21 AI Prompts to Supercharge Your GovCon BD Engine:
https://collaborativecompositions.com/21-ai-prompts-to-supercharge-your-govcon-bd-engine/