How to Be Awesome at Your Job

1103: The Four Universal Patterns of Winning Innovation with JoAnn Garbin

25 snips
Oct 20, 2025
Guest
JoAnn Garbin
JoAnn Garbin, a former Director of Innovation at Microsoft and co-author of The Insider's Guide to Innovation at Microsoft, shares her insights on driving successful innovation. She emphasizes that true innovation is about execution rather than just inspiration. JoAnn identifies four key patterns that fueled Microsoft's success, discusses the importance of storytelling to engage stakeholders, and advocates for continuous innovation and building coalitions. Additionally, she provides practical advice on securing executive support and establishing daily habits for discovering new opportunities.
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INSIGHT

Execution Beats The Lightning Bolt

  • Innovation is mostly execution, not a lightning-strike idea.
  • JoAnn Garbin emphasizes that 99.9% of innovation is the sweat after the insight.
ADVICE

Rally People With Story And Small Wins

  • Tell a compelling story to get others excited about your vision.
  • Provide stepping stones and quick wins so stakeholders see progress and stay committed.
INSIGHT

Patterns Underpinning Repeatable Innovation

  • Innovation follows repeatable patterns across organizations and eras.
  • JoAnn and Dean found four universal innovation patterns at Microsoft.
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