{"podcast":{"title":"Innovation Storytellers","slug":"innovation-storytellers-3701797","podcast_index_feed_id":3701797,"rss_url":"https://innovationstorytellers.libsyn.com/rss","website_url":"https://susanlindner.com/","image_url":"https://static.libsyn.com/p/assets/a/7/5/5/a755d4cc9a3cd33116c3140a3186d450/Cover-InnovationStories_1.jpg","author":"Susan Lindner","episode_count":100,"summary":"Did you ever wonder how an innovation got to its finish line? How innovators saw the future, made a product, and created change – in our world and in their companies? I did. Innovation Storytellers invites changemakers to describe how they created their innovation and just as important – THE STORIES – that made us fall in love with them. Come learn how great innovations need great stories to make them move around the world and how to become a better storyteller in the process. I'm Susan Lindner, the Innovation Storyteller. But I wasn't always. I've been a wannabe revolutionary, an epidemiologist at the CDC and an AIDS educator in the brothels of Thailand helping to turn former sex workers into entrepreneurs. Trained as an anthropologist and the Founder of Emerging Media, I've spent the last twenty years working with innovators from 60+ countries. Ranging from cutting edge startups to Fortune 100 companies like GE, Corning, Citi, Olayan, and nine foreign governments, helping their leaders to tell their stories and teaching them how to become incredible advocates for their innovations. Great innovation stories make change possible. They let us step into a future we can't see yet. I…","last_synced_at":"2026-06-16T14:17:09.638531+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/innovation-storytellers-3701797"},"episode":{"title":"237: Transparency + Tech + Teamwork = The DHL Innovation Formula","slug":"237-transparency-tech-teamwork-the-dhl-innovation-formula","published_at":"2025-12-16T05:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/innovation-storytellers-3701797/237-transparency-tech-teamwork-the-dhl-innovation-formula","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/innovation-storytellers-3701797","url":"https://innovationstorytellers.com/podcasts","audio_url":"https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/innovationstorytellers/Innovation_Storytellers_Dec_12.mp3?dest-id=2720171","summary":"What does it really take to innovate at a global scale when speed, precision, and trust all have to coexist? In this episode of the Innovation Storytellers Show, I sit down with Dr. Paul Schlinkert, Senior Global Innovation Lead at DHL Supply Chain, to unpack how one of the world's most complex logistics organizations turns bold ideas into operational reality. From robotics and AI to transparency and culture, this conversation goes beyond technology to reveal the human systems that enable large-scale innovation. Paul shares his unconventional journey from biochemistry and nanotechnology to global supply chain leadership, and how a scientific mindset shapes his approach to logistics, problem-solving, and continuous improvement. The discussion explores how DHL has quietly transformed warehouse operations through robotics, automation, and digital tools, while keeping people firmly at the center of the equation. The conversation also dives into the often overlooked side of innovation. Change management, storytelling, and trust. Paul explains why transparency matters, how naming robots can increase adoption, and why open conversations about failure are just as meaningful as celebrating success. Together, Paul and I explore how innovation leaders can cut through hype, build credibility, and create environments where new ideas actually stick. Looking ahead, Paul offers a grounded perspective on what comes next for AI, robotics, sustainability, and supply chains, including where expectations may need to be reset and where long-term value will emerge. The episode closes with a thoughtful reflection on the innovations that shaped humanity, the teams that inspire enduring creativity, and what the world may need next to move forward responsibly. So if innovation really is a team s…","meta_description":"What does it really take to innovate at a global scale when speed, precision, and trust all have to coexist? In this episode of the Innovation Storyteller…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1929,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/innovation-storytellers-3701797/episodes/237-transparency-tech-teamwork-the-dhl-innovation-formula/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/innovation-storytellers-3701797/237-transparency-tech-teamwork-the-dhl-innovation-formula.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}