Most people say they want feedback. What they really want is validation.

In this episode of What’s Your Problem?, Kevin Popovic explores a common leadership challenge: asking for help, then reacting defensively when the answer isn’t what we expected.

It happens in business all the time. A founder asks for advice on their website. A leader asks for feedback on a strategy. An entrepreneur shares a new idea. But when an expert points out the gaps between the current work and industry best practices, the conversation suddenly becomes uncomfortable.

Why?

Because contrast reveals gaps — and gaps can feel personal.

In this episode, Kevin explains why separating your identity from your work is essential for growth, innovation, and leadership. He also shares a principle he often reminds clients of:

There’s a difference between being right and finding the right answer.

If you’ve ever asked for help but struggled with what you heard, this episode will help you rethink what feedback really means — and how to use it to improve your work instead of defending it.

In this episode of What’s Your Problem?, Kevin Popović expands on his latest San Diego Business Journal column tackling a common leadership frustration:

Why do teams disengage when asked to create new ideas?

When innovation is framed as a workshop, an exercise, or something separate from “real work,” it competes with deadlines and performance pressure. But when it’s positioned as a way to remove friction, improve outcomes, and solve meaningful problems, engagement shifts.

Kevin explores the psychology behind work vs. play, why framing drives participation, and how leaders can reposition innovation so it feels energizing instead of exhausting.

Key takeaway:
When innovation feels like extra work, you’ve likely framed it wrong.

If you’re trying to build a culture of innovation without burning out your team, this episode will help you rethink how you introduce and lead idea creation.

Most teams don’t struggle because they lack effort. They struggle because they lack clarity.

In this episode of What’s Your Problem?, Kevin Popović explores why busyness often masks avoidance, how activity replaces progress, and what leaders can do when everything feels urgent but nothing moves.

If your team is working hard but spinning its wheels, this one’s for you.

Most leadership teams don’t stall because they lack intelligence. They stall because everyone wants to be right.

In this episode of What’s Your Problem?, Kevin Popović explores a common but rarely named innovation trap: confusing being right with finding the right answer. When opinions turn into power plays, progress slows, learning stops, and leaders are forced to make decisions just to move things along.

You’ll hear why:

• Being right ends the conversation

• Learning requires a willingness to be wrong

• Experimentation dissolves ego and power dynamics

• Better decisions come from evidence, not authority

If your meetings feel more like debates than discoveries, this episode offers a simple reframe—and a practical question—to help your team move forward.

Key takeaway:
Being right isn’t the goal. Getting it right is.

Every team has one. The person who always has an idea—and somehow, none of them seem to make things better.

In this episode of What’s Your Problem?, I break down why bad ideas keep surfacing, why shutting people down isn’t the answer, and what leaders can do to turn noise into progress.

We’ll talk about the real difference between good ideas and bad ones, why ideas without impact are just distractions, and how clarity around the problem quietly filters out what doesn’t matter.

Because innovation doesn’t need more ideas.
It needs ideas that actually create change.

Some teammates don’t mean to derail a project — they just do it by “helping.” They work ahead, change direction, or create their own version of the plan, convinced they’re contributing. Meanwhile, the team is left confused, frustrated, and off-track.

In this episode of What’s Your Problem?, I break down why this happens and how leaders can bring talented but independent teammates back into a shared process. You’ll learn how to set clear expectations, define roles, and make collaboration work for everyone — without killing initiative or creativity.

If you’ve ever thought, “I wish they’d just work with the team,” this one’s for you.

Most business leaders struggle to find time for innovation. The calendar fills up, urgent tasks take over, and the work you want to do gets pushed to “someday.” In this episode of What’s Your Problem?, The Idea Guy® reframes the challenge: the issue isn’t time — it’s the absence of a simple system that supports thinking.

Kevin explains why ideas don’t require long afternoons or creative retreats. They require clarity, consistency, and a reliable process for capturing insights as they happen.

You’ll learn how small daily habits, grounded in Human Insights, amplified by AI, can unlock the innovation your business needs next.

HI × AI: Start with People, Accelerate with AI

AI is moving fast, but that doesn’t mean your strategy should. In this episode of What’s Your Problem?, Kevin explains why the smartest leaders start with human insights — not technology — and how AI can amplify the impact when it follows the right foundation.
A simple principle guides it all: Humans provide the insights. Artificial intelligence amplifies the impact.

If you’re wondering how to adopt AI in a way that’s practical, sustainable, and grounded in what people actually need, this episode shows you where to begin.

In this week’s What’s Your Problem? column for the San Diego Business Journal, Kevin Popović, The Idea Guy®, answers a question from a leader wondering whether HR can really contribute to innovation.

This episode explores how HR can shift from managing policy to building capability by teaching employees the fundamentals of problem identification, Design Thinking, and prototyping.

Innovation begins with curiosity, and HR is uniquely positioned to develop it across the organization.

Not every partnership fuels innovation. In this week’s What’s Your Problem?, Kevin Popović, The Idea Guy®, tackles a reader’s question about finding better collaborators. Too often, we default to working with whoever’s nearby — the people we sit next to or already know — but proximity doesn’t equal compatibility.

KP explains why creativity thrives on complementary strengths, not identical ones, and how a little creative conflict can push ideas further. He also shares how tools like the Creative Confidence Assessment (CCA) and CliftonStrengths can help you understand your own patterns of thinking and find partners who balance them.

If your team feels stuck or too comfortable, this episode will help you rethink how you collaborate — and who you collaborate with.

🎧 Listen now and learn how to turn creative friction into forward motion.