How to Break 6 Common Barriers to Innovation

Diana Kander is a serial entrepreneur, innovation strategist, and bestselling author who’s made a name for herself by helping both global corporations and solo entrepreneurs with their innovation strategies. Her work focuses on the human side of innovation: the mindsets, behaviors, and leadership decisions that either unlock creativity—or quietly kill it.

As one of the speakers at Nordic Business Forum 2025, Diana will bring her fresh and engaging approach to the stage. But before the event, we sat down with her to explore the most common barriers that hold companies back from true innovation—and how to break through them.

Here are six key takeaways from our conversation:

1. Start with the Customer

Innovation starts with the customer, Diana underlines. It might sound obvious, but she explains that it’s one of the first things established companies tend to forget.

“My specialty is working with organizations that are over 75 years old. What usually happens is they come to believe in their story and their past success, thinking it will continue indefinitely. But your value needs to constantly evolve, because your customers are constantly changing.”

She points out that many companies become too focused on internal processes and operational efficiency, at the cost of staying in touch with real customer needs. “If you’re not getting surprising feedback from customers, you’re probably not asking the right questions—or any at all.”

True innovation starts with relevance—and relevance starts with listening.

2. Remember: Innovation Begins at the Top

One of the biggest myths Diana works to debunk is that innovation belongs to the product team, the creatives, or just anyone but the leadership.

“The number one mistake companies make is thinking innovation is everybody else’s job other than the leader’s,” she says. “They’ll say, ‘Our employees need to come up with more ideas,’ or ‘Our teams need to be more agile.’ But they don’t realize that their own words, decisions, and behaviors are creating the culture.”

Diana highlights that the most forward-thinking companies often bring in executive coaches—not just to boost performance, but to change how leadership thinks and talks about innovation. She has seen how innovative thinking and talking trickle down through the organization.

3. Find and Solve Your Blind Spots

Diana believes that many of the things holding us back aren’t even on our radar.

“Most of us stand in our own way. We have this to-do list of things we think need to happen. But there’s another list—our blind spots—that we’re not even aware of. And that’s where the real obstacles to innovation often lie.”

To find them, Diana recommends inviting outside perspectives. “It can be a consultant, but often there’s no need for that. Ask a colleague from another department to give feedback on your team’s strategy. Or reach out to customers directly. Let others point out what you might be missing.”

She illustrates this with a fun personal story: “When I set a goal to do a 10-minute plank for a book I was writing, I plateaued at two and a half minutes. So I researched world record holders and learned they train muscles I didn’t even know existed. Once I started doing what they do, I doubled my time in three weeks.”

The lesson? Others can help you see what you can’t—and that’s where the breakthroughs happen.

4. Make Space for Innovation to Happen

Sometimes leaders fall into the trap of thinking of innovation as spontaneous, but Diana challenges that assumption.

“If curiosity and reflection aren’t on your calendar, they don’t exist,” she says.

Diana is currently working on an AI tool that scans your calendar for creative gaps. “It looks at how many meetings you have, whether you’ve scheduled time for after-action reviews or brainstorming. If you don’t have those breaks, you’re just reacting all day long.”

She encourages leaders to consider when they get their best ideas—it’s usually in the shower or on a walk. “Unless you’re scheduling four showers a day, you’re limiting the space where creativity happens.”

Innovation needs intention and that starts with carving out the time to think.

5. Equip Your Team for Innovation

Even the most innovative people can’t thrive in the wrong environment. Diana shares a powerful metaphor:

“Think about planning a hike. You’d bring the right shoes, water, maybe a few friends. But if suddenly that hike turns into climbing a mountain? That same gear and group won’t cut it. You’d need a totally different preparation.”

That’s the difference between incremental improvement and disruptive innovation. Too often, companies expect their core teams to deliver breakthrough results using the same tools and processes. Diana argues that organizations need to recognize the difference—and build the right conditions.

“It’s not just about structure. It’s about mindset, incentives, psychological safety, and giving people permission to try something that might not work.”

6. Change from Static to Adaptable Plans

The world moves fast and traditional long-term planning can’t always keep up. Diana’s advice? Swap rigid strategies for a more experimental approach.

“Most companies create three-year rollout plans. But by month six, things have changed, and they’re lost. They weren’t built to adapt,” she says.

Instead, she encourages leaders to approach new initiatives like a startup: create hypotheses, design small experiments, test quickly, and pivot based on what you learn.

“This isn’t planning—it’s pre-planning. You’re figuring out what works before you scale. That’s what agility really means.”

Join NBF 2025 to Learn More from Diana

At Nordic Business Forum 2025, Diana will demonstrate how the power of curiosity and asking the right questions can transform your organization. Drawing on years of experience working with leaders and teams across industries, Diana’s keynote will reveal simple yet impactful strategies to spark creativity, think outside the box, and foster a culture of innovation. Join the NBF 2025 event to learn more!