Actioning The Rogue Mindset

QUICK PANEL SUMMARY

A diverse panel of executives discussed unconventional approaches to innovation and decision-making, followed by interactive roundtable discussions where attendees explored questions about bias, fear, and storytelling. The panel emphasized the importance of cross-functional collaboration, creating psychological safety for dissenting voices, and looking outside one’s industry for inspiration. The session culminated in practical insights about making decisions in innovation contexts, highlighting the need to balance data with intuition, challenge assumptions, and create environments where failure is viewed as a learning opportunity rather than a setback.

PANEL KEY QUOTES

“If we follow the rules we have today, we’re not ready for tomorrow. So we need to find where that space is… Where are those gray spaces that we can really push and challenge some assumptions and make a difference in the world with the work that we do.” – Tammy Butterworth
“Most people spend most of their time trying to figure out how the horse they’re riding can go faster rather than taking a step back and going, ‘Well, should it be a horse?'” – Rick Ehrlich
“Innovation work doesn’t feel like work when we’re all supporting each other and pulling for that same goal… We are all aiming for the same stuff, and when we all pull together, it makes it much easier.” – Bridget Wolf

PANEL SUMMARY

Panel Perspectives

The “Actioning The Rogue Mindset” session at FEI25 brought together a diverse panel of executives to discuss unconventional approaches to innovation and decision-making. The panel included Craig Dubitsky (CEO, Happy), Bridget Wolf (CMO, MyMochi), Liza Sanchez (VP of R&D, Procter & Gamble), Tammy Butterworth (Product Development, Welch’s), and Rick Ehrlich (Chief Innovation Officer, Sinclair Broadcast Group).

The Rogue Mindset Defined

The session began with each panelist sharing their perspective on bringing a “rogue mindset” to their respective roles. Craig Dubitsky described his role as CEO as finding “the coolest, smartest, best people” and removing obstacles so they can do their best work. Bridget Wolf emphasized the importance of connecting dots and focusing on the end user while ensuring cross-functional collaboration. Liza Sanchez highlighted the challenge of balancing current optimization with future innovation, noting that leaders must create a learning culture where both can coexist. Tammy Butterworth introduced the concept of the “rogue mindset,” explaining that it involves finding gray spaces where assumptions can be challenged to avoid “me-too innovation.” Rick Ehrlich described his approach as getting people out of the “faster horse mindset” by taking a first-principles approach to problem-solving.

Breaking Out of Industry Silos

A central theme throughout the panel discussion was the importance of looking outside one’s industry and comfort zone for inspiration. Craig shared an anecdote about diversity of thought, noting that hiring from the same business schools results in homogeneous thinking. Liza emphasized the value of dissenting voices, stating that she “demands to hear the dissenting voice” because they might know something others don’t. Bridget stressed the importance of psychological safety and humility, encouraging leaders to admit when they’re wrong and show their humanity.

READ THE ROGUE MINDSET REPORT

Interactive Roundtable Discussions

Following the panel discussion, attendees participated in roundtable discussions addressing questions posed by the panelists. These questions included exploring biases in decision-making, identifying fears that prevent innovation, and considering different approaches to storytelling (writing a book versus making a film). The roundtable format allowed for deeper exploration of these topics in smaller groups, with moderators capturing insights anonymously under Chatham House Rules.

Insights from Collaborative Exploration

Key insights from the roundtables included strategies for overcoming bias, such as hiring talent from outside one’s industry, seeking external opinions, and maintaining curiosity. Participants also discussed the importance of asking “why” questions and slowing down intentionally to avoid failing for no reason. The storytelling question sparked an interesting debate about agency and control, with some preferring books because they allow readers to interpret the story personally, while others favored films for their ability to control the narrative through multiple elements.

Decision-Making in Innovation Contexts

The session concluded with a discussion about decision-making in innovation contexts. Craig introduced his “FFF” approach (an acronym for “fuck up fast”) and emphasized the importance of trying rather than fearing failure. Liza highlighted the need to recognize and overcome biases that lead to familiar solutions. Bridget described decision-making as a “witches brew” that combines consumer empathy, market data, and intuition. Tammy emphasized the value of spending time with consumers to truly understand their problems, while Rick stressed the importance of relentlessly seeking truth and listening to customers.

Capturing Outside-the-Box Thinking

Throughout the session, participants were encouraged to write down their “outside the box” ideas and place them in designated boxes, symbolizing the process of bringing unconventional thinking into structured business contexts. The session embodied the conference’s focus on aligning innovation with business strategy by providing practical approaches to integrating diverse perspectives into decision-making processes.

PANEL KEY TAKEAWAYS

Create environments that welcome dissenting voices: Innovation thrives when teams feel safe to challenge assumptions and present alternative viewpoints. Leaders should actively seek out and value these perspectives as opportunities for learning rather than threats to established thinking.
Look outside your industry and comfort zone: True innovation often comes from cross-pollination of ideas from different fields. Seeking inspiration from unrelated industries, hiring talent with diverse backgrounds, and maintaining curiosity about unfamiliar approaches can lead to breakthrough thinking.
Balance data with intuition in decision-making: Effective innovation decisions combine rigorous market data and consumer insights with intuitive understanding and willingness to take calculated risks. This “witches brew” approach acknowledges that innovation inherently involves venturing into unknown territory.

OUTSIDE OF THE BOX THINKING INSIDE THE BOX

Overview of the Roundtable Format

The roundtable portion of the “Actioning The Rogue Mindset” session featured structured discussions where attendees explored specific questions posed by the panelists. Each table had a designated moderator who captured insights anonymously under Chatham House Rules. The discussions allowed participants to dive deeper into topics related to bias, fear, decision-making, and storytelling approaches in innovation contexts.

Key Questions Explored

The roundtables addressed several thought-provoking questions:

Tammy’s question about bias and behaviors to change bias
Scott’s question about fears that prevent asking important questions
Craig’s question about storytelling preferences (writing a book vs. making a film)
A modified version of Tammy’s question: “If you knew you couldn’t fail…”

Roundtable Insights by Topic

Overcoming Bias in Innovation

One table focused extensively on strategies to overcome bias in decision-making and innovation processes. Their insights included:

Hiring from outside your industry: An example was shared about Best Buy, where a CEO from outside the industry questioned why 80% of inventory came from three declining categories, leading to a rethinking of the store footprint.
Seeking external perspectives: Participants emphasized the value of bringing in outside opinions and attending conferences like FEI to meet people from different industries and learn alternative approaches to innovation.
Creating environments for innocence and curiosity: Mixing experts with novices was suggested as a powerful approach, as newcomers tend to ask simple but profound questions like “Why are we doing that?” that challenge established thinking.
Maintaining open-mindedness: The group acknowledged that years of experience can sometimes close minds to new approaches, and staying open to challenges is essential for growth.
Customer-centricity as a bias-breaker: One participant from a 120-year-old company shared that focusing on customer needs has been effective in overcoming objections to change in a tradition-bound organization.

Fear and Innovation Barriers

Another table explored Scott’s question about fears that prevent asking important questions:

The “Why” question: Participants discussed the fear of asking “Why do we care?” or “Why are we doing this?” noting that these fundamental questions often go unasked due to organizational politics or pressure to be tactical.
Intentional slowing down: The group observed that sometimes teams “fail fast” when they didn’t need to fail at all—they just went too fast without questioning the fundamental purpose.
Checking biases: Participants noted the value of “putting all cards on the table” and having thoughtful discussions before proceeding, ensuring everyone understands the rationale behind decisions.

Storytelling Approaches in Innovation

Craig’s question about preferring to write a book or make a film sparked interesting discussions about control and agency in innovation narratives:

Control vs. interpretation: One table noted that films allow control over narrative, acting, music, and lighting—providing a holistic approach to visual storytelling. In contrast, books allow readers to interpret the story personally.
Context-specific storytelling: Another table rejected the binary choice, suggesting that the medium should match the audience and context—whether it’s a book, movie, TikTok, or Instagram post.
Reading as a lost art: Participants observed that while reading is becoming less common, it remains important to consider how stories are conveyed to customers and what the right context might be.

Hypothetical Fearlessness

A modified version of Tammy’s question about what participants would do if they knew they couldn’t fail led to discussions about:

Asking better questions: Participants focused on whether they’re challenging assumptions enough and thinking big enough.
Balancing long-term and short-term approaches: The group drew parallels between brand building vs. performance marketing and innovation approaches, suggesting that one can serve the other to create comfort with bigger risks.

Key Takeaways from Roundtable Discussions

Diversity of thought requires intentional effort: Organizations must actively seek perspectives from outside their industry and traditional hiring pools to overcome entrenched thinking patterns.
Psychological safety enables fundamental questioning: Creating environments where people feel safe to ask “why” questions is essential for avoiding unnecessary failures and ensuring alignment on purpose.
Customer focus can overcome organizational inertia: Even in tradition-bound organizations, centering decisions around customer needs provides a compelling rationale for change.
Storytelling medium should match the message: Different approaches to communication (books, films, social media) offer different balances of control and audience interpretation—choose wisely based on your innovation goals.
Slowing down can prevent wasteful failure: Not all fast failures are valuable—sometimes taking time to question assumptions prevents unnecessary missteps.

ROUNDTABLE ACTION POINTS

Create Structured Opportunities for Outside Perspectives

Implement “outside industry day”: Invite speakers from unrelated fields to share approaches that might transfer to your challenges.
Establish cross-industry mentorship programs: Partner with organizations in different sectors to exchange perspectives and approaches.

Build Psychological Safety for Fundamental Questions

Institute “why” sessions: Before launching projects, hold dedicated meetings where only “why” questions are permitted.
Reward question-asking: Recognize and celebrate team members who ask fundamental questions that prevent wasted effort.

Develop Customer-Centric Decision Frameworks

Create customer immersion experiences: Following the roundtable advice, develop programs where team members spend time “being” the customer rather than just observing them.
Establish customer-impact metrics: Ensure every innovation decision includes explicit consideration of how it addresses actual customer needs.

Diversify Communication Approaches

Match medium to message: Develop guidelines for when to use different storytelling approaches based on the type of innovation and audience needs.
Practice multiple formats: Train innovation teams to communicate their ideas in various formats—written, visual, experiential—to reach different stakeholders effectively.

Implement Intentional Pauses

Create “slow down” checkpoints: Build formal pauses into innovation processes where teams must justify continuing before proceeding.
Develop failure criteria: Establish clear parameters for what constitutes valuable failure versus wasteful failure to guide “fail fast” approaches.

How This Session Delivered on the Focus of the Event

ALIGNING INNOVATION WITH BUSINESS STRATEGY

The session directly addressed the conference focus of aligning innovation with business strategy by exploring practical approaches to integrating unconventional thinking into organizational decision-making. Panelists shared concrete methods for bringing “outside the box” ideas into strategic frameworks, such as cross-functional collaboration, creating psychological safety, and challenging established assumptions. The roundtable format allowed participants to discuss specific challenges they face in their organizations and develop actionable strategies for implementing a rogue mindset within their business contexts.

How This Session Delivered on the Theme of the Event

HARVESTING INNOVATION & SOWING THE SEEDS OF FUTURE GROWTH

The session supported the theme of “harvesting innovation and sowing the seeds of future growth” by emphasizing the importance of balancing current optimization with future-focused exploration. Liza Sanchez specifically addressed this balance, noting that organizations must simultaneously optimize today’s operations while investing in tomorrow’s opportunities. The discussion of bias and the “faster horse mindset” highlighted how conventional thinking can limit future growth, while the emphasis on diverse perspectives and cross-industry inspiration provided practical approaches for sowing seeds of innovation that will yield future returns.

COMPLETE SESSION ACTION POINTS

Diversify Your Team and Thinking

Audit your team composition and hiring practices: Evaluate whether you’re bringing in diverse perspectives or reinforcing existing thought patterns. Consider hiring from outside your industry and valuing problem-solving ability over industry-specific experience.

Create Structures for Alternative Viewpoints

Implement structured processes for capturing dissenting voices: Create formal mechanisms in meetings and decision-making processes that ensure alternative viewpoints are not just permitted but actively encouraged and valued.
Establish cross-functional collaboration rituals: Design regular opportunities for different departments to work together on innovation challenges, ensuring that marketing, R&D, product development, and leadership perspectives are integrated from the beginning.

Deepen Customer Understanding

Develop a “consumer empathy” practice: Create opportunities for team members to directly observe and interact with consumers in their natural environments, following Tammy’s advice to “be with” consumers rather than just studying them from a distance.

Improve Decision-Making Processes

Reframe failure metrics: Implement Craig’s “FFF” philosophy by establishing clear parameters for what constitutes a valuable failure versus a wasteful one, and celebrate teams that learn quickly from well-designed experiments.

Create a “bias check” step in decision-making: Before finalizing innovation decisions, explicitly question whether familiar biases might be limiting your options, and force consideration of solutions from completely different domains.

MOVING FORWARD

By implementing these insights from the roundtable discussions, innovation leaders can create environments where outside-the-box thinking flourishes while maintaining strategic alignment with business objectives.