Innovation Is a Choice: Moving from Comfort to Courage

Innovation isn’t just about technology or government policy, it’s a leadership choice. In this episode of The Better SMB Podcast, we sit down with Sean Doherty, former Callaghan Innovation leader, to unpack why New Zealand’s prosperity depends on the decisions business leaders make today. Sean shares insights from decades in engineering, manufacturing, and national innovation programmes, challenging SMB owners to step out of their comfort zone and start building capacity for growth. What You’ll Learn in This Episode: Why New Zealand is “poor because it chooses to be” The real difference between R&D, innovation and adoption How leadership, not funding, is the biggest barrier to progress Practical steps to shift from cost-cutting to growth Episode Highlights: “Innovation isn’t a destination—it’s a daily choice.” The three barriers holding SMBs back: funding, lack of strategy, and comfort Why waiting for government support is a losing game How small acts of leadership courage, like listening to staff ideas, can unlock big breakthroughs  --------------------- The Better SMB Podcast is sponsored by SetSeed, the all-in-one platform that redefines what a website can be. Smart, secure and AI-tailored to reflect your brand. No plugins, no patchwork, no problems. Just world-class software and support in one subscription. Discover more at setseed.com --------------------- Connect with Rob and David on LinkedIn Rob Bull David Altena Learn more about New Zealand Lean Academy and the mission Rob is on to make NZ the best place in the world to do business  Download David's NBR-featured report "Boosting Productivity in New Zealand SMEs" by joining the mailing list on the Altena Solutions website and start your journey to a more productive business today