Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Most companies think innovation is a straight line. Bruce Vojak spent years studying the people who actually break through — and what he found looks nothing like a Stage-Gate process.
Bruce Vojak, co-author of Serial Innovators, joins Aidan McCullen for a focused bonus episode on the Hourglass Innovation Model — the descriptive framework that maps how serial innovators actually move from motivation to flawless launch, and why that path is nonlinear, iterative, and often invisible to the organisations around them.
In this conversation, Bruce reveals:
→ Why the Hourglass Model is descriptive, not prescriptive — and why that distinction matters
→ How serial innovators often redefine the problem they were assigned before they ever solve it
→ The Tom Osborne story — how rethinking a feminine hygiene product from diaper to garment changed everything
→ Why serial innovators can appear deeply unproductive for months — and why that's actually the work
→ How they were doing design thinking and customer empathy before those concepts had names
→ Why the Execute stage — the one most firms obsess over — is just one circle in a five-part model
→ How to use the Hourglass as a self-diagnostic: "Am I doing these things, or is it really them?"
Chapter timestamps:
00:00 When To Walk Away
00:38 Sponsor Message
00:55 Hourglass Model Intro
01:26 Stage Gate Vs Hourglass
02:10 Redefining The Problem
05:11 Pragmatic Innovators
07:23 Deep Understanding Phase
08:44 Experiment And Iterate
09:34 Nonlinear Flow Explained
10:58 Org Maturity And Politics
12:42 If You Hit A Wall
13:25 Body Diagram Joke
13:48 Wrap Up And Thanks
About Bruce Vojak
Bruce Vojak is Co-author of Serial Innovators: How Individuals Create and Deliver Breakthrough Innovations in Mature Firms (Oxford University Press). He spent decades researching the individuals inside large organisations who consistently produce breakthrough products — and what separates them from everyone else.
About The Innovation Show
The Innovation Show with Aidan McCullen is the Thinkers50-recognised podcast where square pegs find their place in a world of round holes. Aidan McCullen — keynote speaker, author of Undisruptable, and former professional athlete — brings you conversations with world-class authors, scientists, and practitioners on disruption, innovation, leadership, creativity, and the ideas shaping tomorrow.
This episode is brought to you by Kyndryl, who run and reimagine the technology systems that drive advantage for the world's leading businesses. Learn more at https://www.kyndryl.com.
Subscribe to the Thursday Thought on Substack: thethursdaythought.substack.com
Connect:
🌐 theinnovationshow.io
📨 thethursdaythought.substack.com
🎧 Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/the-innovation-show/id1148455669
🎧 Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/63nFKf4bsSWo3W72gWtOsK?si=b62d9614237c4450
▶️ YouTube: youtube.com/c/theinnovationshow
🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/aidanmccullen
#HourglassModel #SerialInnovators #BruceVojak #Innovation #Disruption #Leadership #TheInnovationShow #AidanMcCullen #Thinkers50 #Podcast #BreakthroughInnovation #FuzzyFrontEnd #StageGate #InnovationStrategy
Most companies think innovation is a straight line. Bruce Vojak spent years studying the people who actually break through — and what he found looks nothing like a Stage-Gate process.
Bruce Vojak, co-author of Serial Innovators, joins Aidan McCullen for a focused bonus episode on the Hourglass Innovation Model — the descriptive framework that maps how serial innovators actually move from motivation to flawless launch, and why that path is nonlinear, iterative, and often invisible to the organisations around them.
In this conversation, Bruce reveals:
→ Why the Hourglass Model is descriptive, not prescriptive — and why that distinction matters
→ How serial innovators often redefine the problem they were assigned before they ever solve it
→ The Tom Osborne story — how rethinking a feminine hygiene product from diaper to garment changed everything
→ Why serial innovators can appear deeply unproductive for months — and why that's actually the work
→ How they were doing design thinking and customer empathy before those concepts had names
→ Why the Execute stage — the one most firms obsess over — is just one circle in a five-part model
→ How to use the Hourglass as a self-diagnostic: "Am I doing these things, or is it really them?"
Chapter timestamps:
00:00 When To Walk Away
00:38 Sponsor Message
00:55 Hourglass Model Intro
01:26 Stage Gate Vs Hourglass
02:10 Redefining The Problem
05:11 Pragmatic Innovators
07:23 Deep Understanding Phase
08:44 Experiment And Iterate
09:34 Nonlinear Flow Explained
10:58 Org Maturity And Politics
12:42 If You Hit A Wall
13:25 Body Diagram Joke
13:48 Wrap Up And Thanks
About Bruce Vojak
Bruce Vojak is Co-author of Serial Innovators: How Individuals Create and Deliver Breakthrough Innovations in Mature Firms (Oxford University Press). He spent decades researching the individuals inside large organisations who consistently produce breakthrough products — and what separates them from everyone else.
About The Innovation Show
The Innovation Show with Aidan McCullen is the Thinkers50-recognised podcast where square pegs find their place in a world of round holes. Aidan McCullen — keynote speaker, author of Undisruptable, and former professional athlete — brings you conversations with world-class authors, scientists, and practitioners on disruption, innovation, leadership, creativity, and the ideas shaping tomorrow.
This episode is brought to you by Kyndryl, who run and reimagine the technology systems that drive advantage for the world's leading businesses. Learn more at https://www.kyndryl.com.
Subscribe to the Thursday Thought on Substack: thethursdaythought.substack.com
Connect:
🌐 theinnovationshow.io
📨 thethursdaythought.substack.com
🎧 Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/the-innovation-show/id1148455669
🎧 Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/63nFKf4bsSWo3W72gWtOsK?si=b62d9614237c4450
▶️ YouTube: youtube.com/c/theinnovationshow
🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/aidanmccullen
#HourglassModel #SerialInnovators #BruceVojak #Innovation #Disruption #Leadership #TheInnovationShow #AidanMcCullen #Thinkers50 #Podcast #BreakthroughInnovation #FuzzyFrontEnd #StageGate #InnovationStrategy
