The CEO innovation Q&A: Everything a leader needs to know about innovation

In a world marked by uncertainty, acceleration, and disruption, a new responsibility rests on the CEO’s shoulders. Not just to lead the company, but to future-proof it. Innovation is no longer optional, it’s a strategic imperative. This blog series (and accompanying FAQ) translates the RevelX CEO Innovation Guide into practical insights and action steps for every CEO and Managing Director.

1. Why Innovation belongs on the CEO agenda
2. Innovation governance: Why every CEO needs a Growth Board
3. Step 1: Why every CEO should play the DisruptR game with their team
4. From chaos to capability: Why every CEO Needs to implement an Innovation Target Operating Model (iTOM)
5. The CEO innovation Q&A: Everything a leader needs to know about innovation

Because “fine” doesn’t last. Customer needs shift. New technologies emerge. Competitors move fast. Innovation is how you stay relevant, resilient, and ahead of disruption. Companies that excel at innovation generate 3x more revenue growth than laggards.

Execution. Ideas are easy. Making innovation part of your business-as-usual is hard. You need structure, discipline, and alignment with strategy, not just creative brainstorming.

Here are the top five traps:

• Innovation theater – Lots of noise, no real value.
• Strategy disconnect – No link to business goals.
• Siloed thinking – The “not invented here” syndrome.
• Fear of failure – No room to experiment.
• No data culture – Decisions based on opinion, not insight.

It’s clear, future-focused, and actionable. It includes:

• A compelling North Star
• A roadmap across strategic horizons (core, adjacent, transformational)
• Alignment with business model evolution
• Clear themes, targets, and KPIs

Like any other business process, with rigor. Use an Innovation Operating Model that covers:

• Strategy
• Stakeholders & propositions
• Processes & resources
• Funding & performance
• Governance & decision-making

Set the tone. Own the outcome. As CEO, you must:

• Create urgency
• Provide resources
• Break down silos
• Make the tough calls
• Lead by example

If you don’t take innovation seriously, neither will your organization.

Install a Growth Board. This cross-functional team governs innovation like a venture capitalist:

• Makes stage-gate decisions
• Allocates metered funding
• Reviews learning, not just performance
• Kills or scales initiatives with discipline

Measure both process and performance:

• Time to market
• Stage gate pass rates
• Pipeline balance across horizons
• % of revenue from new business
• Learning velocity

Innovation needs leading and lagging indicators, not just ROI.

Embrace uncertainty.

Great innovators run disciplined experiments. They validate, pivot, and persevere based on evidence. A culture of experimentation beats a culture of perfection.

Start with urgency and structure.

Play the DisruptR game to create awareness, urgency, and strategic alignment. Then, build your innovation operating model. Don’t just launch an initiative, build a capability.

Innovation isn’t magic. It’s management.
And it starts with you.

“You can’t outsource your future.”
— RevelX