About Creating Mission Impact

In the aftermath of 9/11, the Central Intelligence Agency grew rapidly with the infusion of large number of very talented new hires.  Unfortunately, many of these new officers became frustrated with the organization because their ideas were not rapidly accepted and implemented. When we were asked to investigate, we found that the core issue was a lack of understanding about how to bring ideas into use in an organization that was hierarchical, steeped in tradition, involved in high-risk activities, and had well-established ways of doing things based on experience. We took this on as an organizational challenge.

In 2002, we developed a workshop that addressed the challenge of developing and moving ideas forward in the Agency. The workshop defined innovation, provided a series of relatable case studies, debunked myths and misperceptions, and taught a number of critical skills (such as short pitches) that we found lacking. Years later, we are now able to share many of those insights with you.