The strategy is bold, the investment is real, everyone nods in the room. A year later the targets are missed and the team is exhausted. The gap between what we said we'd build and what got built is demoralizing.

Noel Sobelman has spent more than twenty-five years helping leadership teams fix exactly where innovation breaks down. He joins Sana to explain why bold strategies stall, and how to link strategy to execution.

About the Guest:

Noel Sobelman is an innovation strategist and transformation advisor with over twenty-five years helping leadership teams at major companies. He is the author of Innovation Portfolio Management: Linking Strategy to Execution.

Key Takeaways:

Strategies often fail not from weak vision, but from a disconnect between strategy and execution.
Incented to hit quarterly targets, teams skew toward safe bets that can't meet bigger growth goals.
Shape a balanced portfolio: protect the core, fund adjacent moves, and place transformative bets.
De-risk high-reward projects early, validating need before you ramp up the spending.
People, not money, are usually the scarce resource; allocating them is how strategy gets real.

Connect With the Guest:

LinkedIn: Noel Sobelman (Accel Management Group)

Book: Innovation Portfolio Management: Linking Strategy to Execution

Episode Chapters: (approx.)

[00:00] The demoralizing gap between strategy and what gets built

[03:15] The real reason bold strategies fail: a strategy-execution disconnect

[06:00] Risk as a choice, and how to de-risk projects early

[09:30] The 70/20/10 mix: balancing the core, adjacent, and transformative

[14:00] The core as cash engine, and why people are the scarce resource

[16:45] Case study: turning around a medical device company

[24:00] Where to start: honest benchmarking and course correction

🎙️ Want to Be a Guest on Healthy Mind, Healthy Life?

Send me a direct message on PodMatch.

👉 DM Me Here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/avik

🌱 About Healthy Mind By Avik™️

Healthy Mind By Avik™️ Global Mental Wellness Podcast Network - focused, credible, no more identity clutter.

👉 Subscribe and be part of this healing journey.

Refer a Guest

Know someone who would be a great fit for one of our podcast shows? Email us at services@podhealth.club with the subject line “Refer a Guest.” Requests without this subject line cannot be catered to.

Support Our Podcast: Support this Podcast

📬 Contact & Links

Brand: Healthy Mind By Avik™️

Contact Us

Based in: India & USA

🎧 All Podcast Shows

🤝 Be a Guest

📩 Newsletter Substack

👉 Join the LinkedIn Community

📌 Disclaimer - This episode is produced for educational and informational purposes only. All views expressed by the guest are their personal opinions alone and do not represent the views of the host or Healthy Mind by Avik™. The Network does not verify, endorse, or assume responsibility for any guest statements. Nothing in this episode constitutes medical, legal, financial, or professional advice, please consult a qualified professional before making any decisions. Listeners are encouraged to engage critically and independently with all content do not consume blindly. Use this content as a starting point for your own reflection and research, not as a substitute for professional guidance. Third-party content is referenced under fair use for informational purposes only. Guest speakers are solely responsible for their own statements.

If you have concerns about any content, please contact us here

By listening, you acknowledge and accept this disclaimer in full. Read detailed disclaimer here.

#podmatch #healthymindbyavik #podhub.club #bizblend #innovation #strategy #execution #portfoliomanagement #leadership #growth #productdevelopment #riskmanagement #businessstrategy #decisionmaking #noelsobelman #innovationstrategy