Jeff Dyer is a professor of strategy at BYU and the Wharton School. He and two co-authors, Nathan Furr and Curtis Lefrandt, have written the book, Innovation Capital, which explores how to lead innovation work, whether for companies or for projects, in situations where the innovator lacks the formal “power” to cause the needed steps. What do you do, for instance, if your boss doesn’t see the need for innovation? How do you get people to want to join your project? 

In our conversation, Jeff says part of the answer is what he calls the human capital skill of forward thinking -- which he likens to mental time travel, envisioning what people in your industry will want next, and what technology is coming that will enable new things to happen. He talks about spotting opportunities -- being a “scout” and learning to see patterns. He talks about getting other people to want to help, so that you can amass the needed resources. And he talks about building an innovation reputation that will continue to attract people to your efforts over time.