A Great Idea Isn’t Enough—Build the Coalition to Make It Real: with Jason Wild & Linda Hill

August 17, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

The Real Engine of Innovation Isn't R&D—It's Relationships

Harvard Business School professor Linda Hill and former IBM/Microsoft/Salesforce innovation leader Jason Wild spent nearly a decade studying what actually separates successful innovation from good ideas that die. Their conclusion: the decisive factor isn't the quality of the idea or the size of the R&D budget. It's the ability to build the coalitions needed to get an idea across the finish line. As Wild puts it, innovation dies "not because the idea was bad but because the partnerships meant to deliver it just broke down."

Why Most Leaders Miss the Network Piece

Hill's earlier book Being the Boss structured leadership around three domains: managing yourself, managing your team, and managing your network. Most people, she found, focus on the first two and treat the third as "playing politics"—something to minimize or avoid. Wild admits this was his own blind spot early in his career. He saw network management as "part of the BS game" until he realized that neglecting it was actually failing to do his job.

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What you'll learn

1 (00:00) **Introduction: The Real Engine of Innovation** - Host Kwame Christian introduces guests Linda Hill (Harvard Business School professor) and Jason Wild (innovation leader at IBM, Microsoft, Salesforce). They reveal that the key to innovation isn't R&D—it's relationships and coalitions.
2 (05:05) **Redefining Leadership: Managing Self, Team, and Network** - Linda Hill explains the three-part framework from her book *Being the Boss*, and Jason shares how the "managing your network" piece was a personal blind spot he initially dismissed as "playing politics."
3 (09:51) **Network Management vs. Politics: The Mindset Shift** - The host and guests dissect the difference between constructive network management and cynical politicking, emphasizing that intentionality and mission clarity are crucial.
4 (14:07) **The Three Sources of Political Conflict (and Why Powerlessness Corrupts)** - Linda provides an analytic framework for organizational politics, identifying diversity, interdependence, and competition for scarce resources as systemic, not interpersonal, sources of conflict.
5 (17:04) **The Bridger Role: The Missing Skill in Organizations** - The conversation introduces the "bridger"—someone who can work across differences—and uses Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla as an example of a leader who deliberately manages relationships with the entire ecosystem around his team.
6 (23:22) **Finding Your Agency: Power Starts with Your Talents and Passions** - Linda reframes power as agency, urging listeners to start with their own "slice of genius"—their talents, passions, and curiosity—as the primary source of influence.
7 (27:17) **Knowing When to Walk Away** - Linda offers a critical caveat: when you are in a situation where you truly cannot exercise any influence, having the courage to leave is a form of power.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

Your best ideas won’t go anywhere if you don’t know how to build the influence to make them happen.

In this episode of Big Swings Only, Harvard Business School professor Linda Hill and innovation leader Jason Wild, co-authors of Genius at Scale, reveal what it really takes to turn ambitious ideas into meaningful change. Their research shows that breakthrough innovation isn’t just about having the right idea—it’s about building the relationships, trust, and coalitions needed to carry that idea across the finish line.

Linda and Jason break down how to lead and influence without formal authority, navigate organizational politics without simply “playing politics,” and recognize the sources of power you may already have. They explore why self-awareness is an underrated leadership skill, how to become a “bridger” who works effectively across boundaries, and why the strongest leaders know when to give away credit to build commitment and trust.

You’ll also learn how great leaders build coalitions that transform individual efforts into movements—and how people with little authority, budget, or status can still create change at extraordinary scale. From navigating AI-driven uncertainty to leading former peers and having difficult conversations with transparency, this episode offers a practical look at the human side of leadership and innovation.

If you have a big idea you want to bring to life, stop waiting for authority to make it happen. Build your influence, find your coalition, and take the swing.

Connect with Linda Hill and Jason Wild

Website: https://geniusatscale.com/

Book: Genius at Scale: How Great Leaders Drive Innovation (multiple languages)

Consulting, Research & Speaking: https://paradoxstrategies.com/

LinkedIn:

Linda Hill - https://www.linkedin.com/in/linda-hill-hbs/

Jason Wild - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonwild/

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