Melissa Dinwiddie

Click to watch (16:26) or scroll down to read on… Hey there, innovation champions! I used to think being a good leader meant having all the answers. Knowing exactly what to do in every situation. Being the smartest person in the room. Boy, was I wrong Back in November, when I was faced with a choice — do I start up a grassroots democracy group, or not? — I certainly did not have all the answers. The path ahead was foggy at best, completely dark at worst. It would have been so easy to just say...

Click to watch (13:10) or scroll down to read on… Hey there, innovation champions! I recently found myself reflecting on a challenge I see across the tech world: we're trying to measure 21st-century innovation with 20th-century metrics. Innovation leaders often face the same frustrating question: "But how is this impacting our bottom line?" It's a fair question, but traditional financial metrics like ROI, revenue growth, and cost savings tell only a fraction of the innovation story. They're...

Click to watch (19:27) or scroll down to read on… Hey there, innovation champions! Picture this: It's December, I'm sitting in a living room with eleven other people, launching what we think will be a small local community action group. Our stretch goal? 50 members. Fast forward just three months, and we're suddenly 220+ members strong, with multiple teams, projects, and a communication stream that one member aptly described as "a firehose." Sound familiar to any startup founders out there?...

Click to watch (19:27) or scroll down to read on… Hey there, innovation champions! Picture this: It's December, I'm sitting in a living room with eleven other people, launching what we think will be a small local community action group. Our stretch goal? 50 members. Fast forward just three months, and we're suddenly 220+ members strong, with multiple teams, projects, and a communication stream that one member aptly described as "a firehose." Sound familiar to any startup founders out there?...

Click to watch (14:06) or scroll down to read on… Hey there, innovation champions! Have you ever wondered why some teams consistently produce breakthrough ideas while others seem stuck in a cycle of "same old, same old"? The answer might surprise you – and it's something I've been experiencing firsthand in a completely unexpected arena. Over the past few months, I've found myself, quite unexpectedly, at the helm of what feels like a startup. What began as a local community action group with...

Click to watch (13:08) or scroll down to read on… Hey there, innovation champions! Have you ever wondered why some teams seem to innovate so differently than others? I've recently had a fascinating experience that shed light on this question in a way I never expected. Back in December, I facilitated the kickoff meeting for a grassroots democracy group in my area. What started with a dozen people sitting around a living room quickly grew to more than 10x that number in just over two months....

Click to watch (09:55) or scroll down to read on… Hey there, innovation champions! Ever notice how a four-year-old will fearlessly create masterpieces with finger paint, while highly skilled professionals often freeze when asked to innovate? The difference isn't talent or resources – it's pressure. Let me share a story that transformed how I think about innovation and pressure. For 15 years, I lived what many would consider the dream – making my living as a professional artist. But there was...

Click to watch (09:43) or scroll down to read on… Hey there, innovation champions! During the depths of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, California suffered from some of the worst fires in history. We were all on lockdown, stuck inside our homes, while ash rained down from skies that looked like they came straight out of a trailer for Bladerunner. It was at that moment that my husband and I decided to invest in some air purifiers. After extensive research, we bit the bullet and forked out a...

Click to watch (11:32) or scroll down to read on… Hey there, innovation champions! When I tell you that my most powerful lesson about innovation came from organizing a grassroots movement, you might wonder what that has to do with tech leadership. But stick with me – this story could transform how you think about team connection and breakthrough innovation. Back in December, I gathered twelve people in a living room to tackle what seemed like an impossible challenge. We weren't developing...