What's Your Problem? with Kevin Popović

The Idea Guy®
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Business leaders write in with real questions about creativity, innovation, design, management, and entrepreneurship—and Kevin Popović, The Idea Guy®, delivers clear, creative answers in under three minutes. Based on his San Diego Business Journal column, What’s Your Problem? is a micro-learning series for leaders who want to think differently, spark innovation, and turn challenges into opportunities—one problem at a time.

  1. Jun 8

    When Expertise Becomes a Liability

    Throughout our careers, we're rewarded for having answers. Experience earns credibility, expertise builds confidence, and success reinforces what we know. But what happens when certainty starts getting in the way? In this episode of What's Your Problem?, Kevin Popović explores the relationship between expertise, curiosity, and innovation—and why the most innovative leaders aren't always the ones with the best answers, but the ones asking the best questions. In this episode: • Why expertise and innovation can sometimes be in conflict • How success can unintentionally create blind spots • The role curiosity plays in creativity and problem-solving • Why great leaders continue asking questions long after they've earned the right not to • How organizations can create cultures that reward learning instead of certainty If innovation begins with curiosity, the real question may be: When did we stop asking questions?

    When Expertise Becomes a Liability

  2. Jun 1

    When You Realize You Were Wrong

    At some point, every leader faces the same uncomfortable reality: a decision they believed in isn't working. The strategy made sense. The team was aligned. The investment was made. Then the results started telling a different story. In this episode of What's Your Problem?, Kevin Popović explores one of the most difficult moments in leadership: realizing you were wrong—and deciding what to do next. The challenge isn't making mistakes. The challenge is recognizing when confidence becomes commitment, commitment becomes attachment, and attachment prevents learning. This conversation examines why some leaders double down on failing ideas while others use new information to adapt, improve, and move forward.

    When You Realize You Were Wrong

  3. May 28

    When Efficiency Starts Costing You Connection

    Businesses are automating everything: communication, workflows, customer service, onboarding, meetings, even creativity. The intention is good: move faster, reduce friction, and improve efficiency. But what happens when a company becomes so optimized that it no longer feels human? In this episode of What’s Your Problem?, Kevin Popović explores the hidden cost of over-optimization and why some businesses are unintentionally removing the very moments that create trust, culture, and connection. This conversation isn’t anti-technology. It’s about intentional leadership in an era where authentic human experiences are becoming increasingly valuable. Topics include:• Why efficiency and effectiveness are not the same thing• The danger of optimizing away connection• How automation can weaken culture without leaders realizing it• Why “friction” is sometimes where trust is built• The business advantage of staying human If your company feels faster but less connected, this episode is for you.

    When Efficiency Starts Costing You Connection

  4. Apr 27

    Data Isn’t the Problem. Interpretation Is.

    Most teams are drowning in dashboards, reports, and analytics—but still struggling to make decisions. Why? Because data doesn’t create clarity. Interpretation does. In this episode of What’s Your Problem?, Kevin Popović breaks down why organizations get stuck reviewing numbers instead of making progress—and how to shift from reporting to real insight. If your meetings feel like endless data reviews with no clear direction, this episode will help you rethink how your team uses information to drive action.

    Data Isn’t the Problem. Interpretation Is.

  5. Apr 20

    Don’t State. Demonstrate.

    Ever leave a meeting thinking everyone agreed—only to realize later that no one saw the same idea? That’s not an idea problem. It’s a communication problem. In this episode of What’s Your Problem?, we tackle a common frustration: ideas that get lost in explanation. When teams rely only on words, interpretation takes over. The result is confusion, misalignment, and stalled momentum. The fix is simple, but most teams skip it: demonstrate. You’ll learn how to use quick sketches, Post-its, and everyday office supplies to make ideas visible in real time. No design skills required. Just enough to get everyone looking at the same thing. Because innovation doesn’t move at the speed of conversation—it moves at the speed of shared understanding.

    Don’t State. Demonstrate.

  6. Apr 13

    How to Innovate Without Permission

    In large organizations, innovation doesn’t stall because of a lack of ideas—it stalls because no one owns the problem. This episode challenges the belief that innovation starts at the top and shows how individuals can create real progress by acting where they are. If you’re waiting for permission, you’re waiting too long.

    How to Innovate Without Permission

  7. Mar 30

    Solutions Looking for a Problem

    What happens when teams build before they understand? In this episode of What’s Your Problem?, Kevin Popovic breaks down one of the most common and costly mistakes in innovation: solutions without a clear problem. Learn why activity isn’t progress, how misaligned ideas waste time and resources, and the simple shift that brings focus back to what actually matters. If your team feels busy but stuck, this is where to start.

    Solutions Looking for a Problem

  8. Mar 23

    Where Did Our Creativity Go?

    Most people think creativity is something you either have or you don’t. But what if that’s the wrong question? In this episode of What’s Your Problem?, we unpack a familiar challenge: teams that struggle to generate and scale new ideas. The assumption is often that creativity is lacking—but the reality is something else entirely. Drawing on a simple but powerful insight—popularized by the idea that “flowers are red”—we explore how creativity isn’t lost over time. It’s conditioned out of us through systems that reward correctness, consistency, and compliance. You’ll learn why your team may already be creative, how organizations unintentionally suppress new thinking, and one practical shift you can make to unlock better ideas—starting today. If your team feels stuck, this episode will help you reframe the problem and refocus your efforts where they matter most.

    Where Did Our Creativity Go?
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About

Business leaders write in with real questions about creativity, innovation, design, management, and entrepreneurship—and Kevin Popović, The Idea Guy®, delivers clear, creative answers in under three minutes. Based on his San Diego Business Journal column, What’s Your Problem? is a micro-learning series for leaders who want to think differently, spark innovation, and turn challenges into opportunities—one problem at a time.

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