Resources
Resources
Turn Uncertainty Into Your Competitive Advantage
(The Good Stuff We Usually Keep Close)
When change is the only constant, leaders need more than good instincts. They need proven systems. These tools and insights help you navigate ambiguity with confidence, make smart bets under pressure, and build organizational capability that thrives in unpredictable environments.
Originally developed for innovation, these approaches are now essential for any leader managing uncertainty and driving sustainable growth.
Innovation and Uncertainty
At MileZero, we help leaders transform uncertainty into competitive advantage and growth by using tools purpose-built to manage risk and increase confidence.
These are proven tools with real-world results that can work for any organization in any industry. How do we know? They’ve been used for decades but have, historically, been confined to innovation.
Give them a try and experience how they can change the way you think, operate, innovate, and lead.
Innovation ABCs: Self-Assessment and Action Plan
A comprehensive diagnostic tool to evaluate your organization’s innovation readiness
Discover where your innovation efforts stand—and what to focus on next. This interactive assessment evaluates the three critical elements every successful innovation program needs: Architecture (strategy and processes), Behavior (leadership mindsets), and Culture (shared beliefs and practices).
Get your personalized ABC Score plus a detailed action plan based on whether you’re “At the Start Line,” “Revving Your Engines,” or “Hitting the Gas.”
What’s included:
- 20-question diagnostic covering all three innovation pillars
- Instant scoring system with personalized interpretation
- Stage-specific action plans with concrete next steps
- Timeline expectations for building lasting innovation capability
Perfect for: Innovation leaders, executives planning transformation initiatives, and teams wanting to benchmark their current state
5 Ways to Get Rapid Results from Innovation
Proven strategies to deliver immediate value while building long-term growth
Stop waiting months or years to see innovation payoff. This actionable guide reveals five practical approaches to generate quick wins that build momentum, prove value, and create organizational buy-in for bigger innovation investments.
From helping colleagues accelerate stalled projects to discovering $25M revenue opportunities hiding in plain sight, these strategies work because they start with existing assets and relationships—not blue-sky thinking.
What you’ll discover:
- How to identify high-impact, low-risk innovation opportunities
- Real examples including Stanley’s revenue-doubling color strategy
- Ways to expand your customer base without new product development
- Process innovations that save millions annually
- Metrics beyond revenue that prove innovation’s organizational value
Perfect for: Innovation leaders needing quick wins, executives seeking proof of concept, and teams wanting to demonstrate innovation value fast
Beyond Buzzwords
Beyond Buzzwords is a series of conversations with thought leaders, practitioners, and interesting and fun people working in and around innovation.
In just 20 minutes, we bust through corporate jargon to get to the heart of issues like the role of long-term incentives in driving growth, why “best practices” fail, and how to recognize and repair workplace trauma.
The following one-pagers summarize the insights and recommendations from these sessions, offering counter-intuitive insights and practical advice for leaders in all organizations.
It's Not Resistance. It's Trauma.
July 22, 2025
Here’s an uncomfortable truth: your change initiatives aren’t failing because people don’t understand the vision or lack motivation.
They’re failing because you’re asking traumatized nervous systems to do something they literally cannot do: embrace uncertainty and risk.
Alla Weinberg, founder of Spoke & Wheel and author of A Culture of Safety, and Robyn Bolton challenge everything you think you know about organizational change, revealing why the language we use to describe workplace problems keeps us from solving them.
Warning: this conversation will change how you see your role as a leader.
Growth Without the Grind
June 25, 2025
The push for quick wins is quietly killing long-term success for both individuals and organizations.
In this provocative 30-minute webinar, Kathy Oneto, author of Sustainable Ambition, and Robyn Bolton, innovation consultant to Fortune 100 firms, unpack how short-term thinking undermines progress across the board.
You’ll learn how the pressure to “do more now” leads to burnout, stalled innovation, and strategic failure. And you’ll learn how to rewire your brain and your organization for sustainable momentum.
Because growth isn’t just about speed—it’s about staying power.
Navigating the Peaks and Valleys of Change
March 13, 2025
Does this sound familiar? You’re leading a change initiative, championing transformation, and encouraging your team to embrace new ways of working when suddenly a budget is cut, priorities shift, or a reorganization is announced.
Despite your resiliency and experience, you are frustrated, resistant, or disengaged. Yet, you still need to help your teams move forward.
You’re not alone. The disconnect between how we lead change and how we experience it is precisely why most change initiatives fail.
Theresa Ward, founder of Fiery Feather, and Robyn delve into why even seasoned change agents struggle when change is thrust upon them and reveal practical tools to move beyond merely recovering from change to becoming a true transformation leader.
Nice Curtains. Weak Foundation.
February 5, 2025
You’ve invested in all the innovation best practices and tools:
- Accelerators and hack-a-thons
- Design thinking
- Customer Research
- Prototypes and MVPs
But where are the results?
Ellen DiResta, founder of Pearl Partners, and Robyn Bolton have a frank discussion about why “best practices” and popular tools fail and how to sequence your innovation efforts for real results.
Innovation & Incentives: Rewarding Long-Term Growth
January 22, 2025
Innovation is an investment in the future, but most incentive plans reward delivering today.
This disconnect is at the heart of why so many executives don’t walk the talk of innovation.
We can change that.
Kate Dixon, principal and founder of Dixon Consulting and author of Name Your Price and Pay Up!, and Robyn draw from our experiences with Fortune 50 companies, B Corps, and fast-growing startups, to share insights and examples you can use in your organization.
Including:
- How to spot if your incentives support or stifle innovation
- Ways to balance short-term performance with long-term growth
- Practical approaches other companies are using to drive results