What if the solution to your biggest problem already exists—but you’re not talking to the right people? After a year researching how organizations solve problems, I found that more than 70% of the time, a solution already exists. The challenge is connecting with the people who have it. That’s the idea I’m bringing to TEDx Astor Place. My biggest takeaway from preparing for the talk? Every great story needs a villain. Mine is silence—when someone has a problem or knows the answer but never speaks up. Breaking silos starts with sharing what we know across different worlds. I’m excited to take the stage on November 6! #TEDx #TEDxAstorPlace #Innovation #ProblemSolving #Leadership #Collaboration #Communication #Outthinker

Bangladesh is roughly the size of Wisconsin, yet home to around 178 million people. Still, it’s a blind spot in many global boardrooms. That’s the danger of conventional wisdom: it can make you overlook massive markets, emerging competitors, and opportunities hiding in plain sight. Don’t build your strategy around assumptions. Look at the facts. Your biggest blind spot may be right in front of you. #Strategy #EmergingMarkets #BusinessStrategy #Leadership #GlobalBusiness #BusinessTok

A key opens a door. But it can't guarantee belonging. I've been thinking about the keys we carry, the connections they represent, and something even more important: the doors we have the power to open for others. My latest newsletter explores why. linkedin.com/pulse/keys-we-c…

Eric Rosenthal said something in Miami that stuck with us: “Your payment rails leapfrogged. Your back office did not.” Banks keep adding systems. The bigger opportunity may be getting them to work together. Coordinate the uncoordinated. #MastercardDigitalSafari #Payments

Early morning in Seattle, watching the sun rise as I put the finishing touches on my next podcast. A quiet start, a fresh perspective, and another great conversation ahead. Stay tuned! #Podcast #BehindTheScenes #Seattle #Leadership #Strategy #Outthinker

Sometimes, a crisis reveals what matters most. After 20 years as a professional speaker, I had never missed a keynote not even when my father passed away. But this week in Bangladesh, an urgent situation at home forced me to choose between keeping that streak alive and returning to be with my family. I chose my family. It made me reflect on how we define our priorities. In business, we can spend hours debating budgets, market share, and minor decisions. But when something fundamental is at stake, the hierarchy becomes clear. We may not know our true priorities until we're forced to choose. What are you treating as essential simply because you've never had to test it? #Leadership #CoreValues #BusinessStrategy #Priorities #DecisionMaking #LifeLessons #StrategicLeadership #Outthinker

Everyone is racing to adopt AI. But if everyone eventually has access to similar models, the advantage shifts to orchestration, workflow, judgment, and governance. AI may be accessible. What you build around it is harder to copy. #MastercardDigitalSafari #AI #mastercard #Outthinker #kaihankrippendorff #Strategy

What happens when #AI, payments, ecosystems, and strategy collide in one room? After three days with 17 banking leaders in Miami, I came away with a clearer view of where banking's next moves may be. @ntsinoremas @Mastercard @Paysend linkedin.com/pulse/three-day…

What can Dhaka’s streets teach us about organizational design? In complex environments, control has limits. Adaptability, intuition, and decentralized decision-making can help people navigate what rigid rules can’t anticipate. As uncertainty grows, successful organizations may need less top-down control and more freedom for people to respond intelligently. #Leadership #Strategy #Innovation #dhaka

We rarely believe something is possible until we see it. That’s why travel matters—and why companies need exposure to ideas outside their own walls. Great organizations can become convinced their way is the best way. But there’s no single “best.” Different places and companies excel at different things. Sometimes the fastest way to expand what you believe is possible is to go somewhere that shows you a different version of it. #Strategy #Innovation #Leadership #Travel #Learning #BusinessTok #Perspective

We rarely believe something is possible until we see it. That’s why travel matters and why companies need exposure to ideas outside their own walls. Great organizations can become convinced their way is the best way. But there’s no single “best.” Different places and companies excel at different things. Sometimes the fastest way to expand what you believe is possible is to go somewhere that shows you a different version of it. #Strategy #Innovation #Leadership #Travel #Learning #BusinessTok #Perspective

Are you building teams around people’s strengths, or around the work that happens to land on their desks? @patricklencioni’s The 6 Types of Working Genius offers a useful lens for spotting where people create their best work. linkedin.com/pulse/stop-figh…

Want employees to act like owners? Then let them understand the game. Teach them how the business makes money. Show them the numbers. Help them connect their decisions to the results. That’s when people stop asking, “What am I supposed to do?” And start asking, “What would make the business better?” Ownership requires visibility and agency. #Leadership #CompanyCulture #EmployeeEngagement #BusinessTok #GreatGameOfBusiness #Innovation

I had the privilege of opening The Great Game of Business Conference in St. Louis with a challenge: What if the rules your industry follows are the very thing holding you back? My 9 Ps framework gives leaders a place to start questioning the status quo. #GGOB26 #Strategy @Apple @PappySmokehouse linkedin.com/pulse/give-your…

Will we ever need to build another database? AI agents could make that question surprisingly relevant. Instead of creating new databases just to combine information, AI could pull from the systems companies already have and assemble what’s needed in real time. Imagine your bank knowing you may be ready for a mortgage before you apply. That’s proximity: sensing what customers need earlier and getting the solution closer to them. #AI #Innovation #Fintech #Strategy #AITransformation #BusinessTok

Will we ever need to build another database? AI agents could make that question surprisingly relevant. Instead of creating new databases just to combine information, AI could pull from the systems companies already have and assemble what’s needed in real time. Imagine your bank knowing you may be ready for a mortgage before you apply. That’s proximity: sensing what customers need earlier and getting the solution closer to them. #AI #Innovation #Fintech #Strategy #AITransformation #BusinessTok

We’ve spent the money. We’re almost done. Those are reasons stopping is painful, not reasons continuing is strategically right. My interview with Ron Johnson reveals why Steve Jobs chose to hit rewind. #Strategy #Leadership @Apple linkedin.com/pulse/courage-h…

What does loving yourself have to do with innovation? More than you might think. Naveen Jain shared a powerful idea: if your worth depends on the outcome, you’ll eventually stop taking the risks that matter. But if you know you gave everything you had, you can keep going—even when the experiment fails. Innovation requires resilience. #Innovation #Entrepreneurship #Mindset #Leadership #Resilience #BusinessTok

Want to win the next game? Don’t just learn. Unlearn. We often use AI and new technology to do the old things faster because our intuition was trained for a different world. Dick Fosbury changed high jumping by seeing a completely different possibility with technology that already existed. The same can happen in business. Ask yourself: What do I need to unlearn? #Strategy #Innovation #Leadership #AI #BusinessTok #Reinvention

Stop asking: “How do we steal customers from our competitors?” Ask: “Who isn’t buying from anyone?” Ron Johnson saw that only about half of Americans were using computers when he joined Apple. Instead of fighting Microsoft for customers, Apple went after nonconsumers—and redesigned the entire experience around removing their barriers. Your biggest growth opportunity may be outside your category. #Strategy #Innovation #BusinessTok #GrowthStrategy #CompetitiveAdvantage #Apple