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Start With Why...no, Who...no, What
What would innovation look like if we Started With What—if present-tense introspection were treated as essential infrastructure rather than optional self-improvement? Not moments of silence and meditation at the start of design charrettes but intentional moments of noticing in real time. And could we initiate the shift to this practice (and regenerative innovation) by Starting with Who—intentionally hiring and developing more “unicorns”?
Thanks for listening to this week's Innovating Out Loud, say it ugly attempt at sense-making. Don't forget to register for this month's LIVE Innovating Out Loud webcast with our guest Juliana Tioanda of Xbox. Thursday, February 26th at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET. Register at www.regenerouslabs.com/innovatingoutloud.
Connections to The Insider’s Guide to Innovation at Microsoft:
* Boundary Crossers (#68): The translators who live between systems may be the natural practitioners of “what” over “why”—and the leaders this moment requires.
* Language as Strategic Tool (#60): Just as Bing’s shift from “launch” to “flight” changed how teams related to risk, the shift from “why” to “what” changes how practitioners relate to unintended consequences.
* Assumption Mapping (#36): The introspective extension asks: what assumptions about myself am I carrying into this decision?
* Double-Loop Learning (#35): Reflection’s power tool—but even double-loop learning stays retrospective.
Sources
Schön, D. The Reflective Practitioner. Basic Books, 1983.
Eurich, T. "The right way to be introspective (yes, there's a wrong way)." TED Ideas, 2017.
Winner, L. "Do Artifacts Have Politics?" Daedalus, 1980.
Cranfield University. "Embedding ethics up front in AI and robotics." PMC, January 2026.
Inner Development Goals Foundation. innerdevelopmentgoals.org.
IDG Guide. "Inner Development Goals: from inner growth to outer change." OpenEdition Journals, 2024.
AI was used as a research (Perplexity) and drafting partner (multiple custom Claude experts). All thinking, conclusions, and editorial decisions are mine.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit innovatingoutloud.substack.com
View all episodes
By JoAnn Garbin and Taryn KutchesWhat would innovation look like if we Started With What—if present-tense introspection were treated as essential infrastructure rather than optional self-improvement? Not moments of silence and meditation at the start of design charrettes but intentional moments of noticing in real time. And could we initiate the shift to this practice (and regenerative innovation) by Starting with Who—intentionally hiring and developing more “unicorns”?
Thanks for listening to this week's Innovating Out Loud, say it ugly attempt at sense-making. Don't forget to register for this month's LIVE Innovating Out Loud webcast with our guest Juliana Tioanda of Xbox. Thursday, February 26th at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET. Register at www.regenerouslabs.com/innovatingoutloud.
Connections to The Insider’s Guide to Innovation at Microsoft:
* Boundary Crossers (#68): The translators who live between systems may be the natural practitioners of “what” over “why”—and the leaders this moment requires.
* Language as Strategic Tool (#60): Just as Bing’s shift from “launch” to “flight” changed how teams related to risk, the shift from “why” to “what” changes how practitioners relate to unintended consequences.
* Assumption Mapping (#36): The introspective extension asks: what assumptions about myself am I carrying into this decision?
* Double-Loop Learning (#35): Reflection’s power tool—but even double-loop learning stays retrospective.
Sources
Schön, D. The Reflective Practitioner. Basic Books, 1983.
Eurich, T. "The right way to be introspective (yes, there's a wrong way)." TED Ideas, 2017.
Winner, L. "Do Artifacts Have Politics?" Daedalus, 1980.
Cranfield University. "Embedding ethics up front in AI and robotics." PMC, January 2026.
Inner Development Goals Foundation. innerdevelopmentgoals.org.
IDG Guide. "Inner Development Goals: from inner growth to outer change." OpenEdition Journals, 2024.
AI was used as a research (Perplexity) and drafting partner (multiple custom Claude experts). All thinking, conclusions, and editorial decisions are mine.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit innovatingoutloud.substack.com