Fear is paralyzing innovation. Here’s how to fix it

Let’s be honest: fear is everywhere inside organizations right now.

You can feel it in how people talk about headcount or not. You see it in 10-slide decks justifying one decision. You sense it when smart teams stop raising bold ideas and start hedging every word.

I’ve been in innovation and design for nearly 20 years, working with Fortune 100s through recessions, crises, and COVID-19. I’ve never seen fear take up as much space as it does now. It’s no wonder why we are here, though.

Headlines are dominated by mass layoffs, inflation, AI threats, climate disasters, and geopolitical instability. The pressure to “do more with less” only seems to grow inside organizations. Where we once saw enthusiastic collaboration and time for ideation, we now hear repeated reminders that “this project i