Ben Sywulka

An Innovation Journey

Main Content

Sharing my
innovation journey.

Reflections, articles, and frameworks that have helped me simplify complexity throughout my life as an innovation leader.

Innovation from many angles.

I'm Ben Sywulka. I’ve had the privilege working in innovation from many different perspectives over the past decade.

Innovation Consulting Experience

As an innovation consultant I worked with hundreds of companies (from small to huge), non-profit organizations, universities, industry associations and governments—helping them innovate more effectively.

Corporate Innovation Management Experience

I've also been able to manage innovation from within a large company with tens of thousands of employees, giving me an insider's perspective on how to navigate the complexities of a large organization.

National Innovation Leadership Experience

I was also honored to be the head of innovation for a country, giving me a broad perspective of the challenges of building innovation ecosystems. More recently I’ve done a lot of work in systemic innovation, which is a more wholistic approach to building disruptions that will improve quality of life.

Startup Incubation Experience

In the past few years I’ve decided to focus on building innovative companies that really make a difference. This has given me first-hand experience of the rollercoaster rides of building startups.

…

What experience taught me

I’ve learned a lot over the years about what works and what doesn’t work when trying to innovate. Whether you are a CEO wanting to implement innovation in your company, a Chief Innovation Officer or Innovation Manager wanting to leave a legacy in your organization, or an entrepreneur wanting to build an effective business, I hope you can find value in the learnings of my own innovation journey.

Get to know me

How to learn from my journey

Explore the different solutions I've developed to help you on your innovation journey.

Frameworks & Guides

See guides and frameworks I've used or developed over the years to be more effective.

See Frameworks & Guides

Articles & Reflections

Read articles and reflections resulting from my own experiences with innovation.

See Articles & Reflections

Speeches & Webinars

Find out more about Speeches and Webinars that I give that cover a range of topics.

See Speeches & Webinars

Recent Reflections

Blessing #41

Blessing #41

May 19, 2021

Yesterday, I turned 41.  I started a new tradition last year, to give myself a blessing for the year.  It’s a blessing that brings together what I have learned about life in the previous year.  Here is my blessing for this year: May you have perspective: That little moments have ...

Read More
What to do if my great idea doesn’t work

What to do if my great idea doesn’t work

January 15, 2021

I learned a great lesson from my two-year-old daughter the other day. We were putting a puzzle together, and she was frustrated because the piece she had in her hand didn’t work. I started thinking that this happens to us a lot in our innovation efforts. We have a great ...

Read More
Why are we so polarized politically?

Why are we so polarized politically?

November 25, 2020,

I’ve been living political polarization for a long time, but have always managed to bridge between opposing sides. In the past decade, this has become increasingly more difficult. As I’ve wrestled with why this is happening, I’ve found it helpful to visualize the role of political communication in this process. ...

Read More