Leading innovation is about recognizing the importance of formal and informal rewards, communication through storytelling, and giving people freedom while providing just the right amount of structure. Here are four rabble-rousers from the last few months that will give you an edge: 6 Ways to Create a Culture of Innovation Gain insight into six ways…
Details(Download the Painstorming Template) Most brainstorms fall far short of breakthroughs. Painstorming provides the focus and insight to leapfrog to the next big thing. Here’s a template tool to uncover customer pain points for innovation. Brainstorming is today’s no-brainer. Most leaders and organizations preach it and teach it. It’s about generating lots of ideas, deferring…
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When FastCompany published 6 Ways to Create a Culture of Innovation, within the first few days the article received thousands of tweets and shares from FastCo’s page alone. It went on to become one of the year’s most popular pieces on innovation. Why such keen interest in this topic? Many leaders and organizations have finally…
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Today I spoke to over 100 executives as part of the American Society of Association Executives Leadership Forum. The venue: Quebec, Canada. The topic: Breakthrough Innovation. When I asked the audience how many of them have experienced disruptive change in their markets and organizations, every hand in the house went up. In addition to sharing…
DetailsAll companies, whether they’re successful with innovation or not, have one thing in common: they have their own “personalities.” These personalities are their unique organizational cultures – the shared experiences, values, norms, assumptions and beliefs that shape individual and group behavior, and that (for better or for worse) ultimately impact their business success. Video: Culture…
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Sustained competitive advantage comes from innovating how we innovate. That’s the essence of real innovation. In the past, new products and technologies consumed the vast majority of the innovation air-time. That’s no longer the case. The most innovative companies today realize that competitive differentiation comes as much from how they innovate as it does from…
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Stop Drinking the Bath Water The last couple of weeks have been far from restful for me. Two weeks ago The Wall Street Journal published an article on “bestseller campaigns” and highlighted the fact that I used the marketing strategy to vault my book Leapfrogging onto the bestseller lists. I woke up to see my…
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A Lesson in the Status Quo, Risk-Taking, and the Gray Areas of Life and Business The other day, I received an unexpected phone call from Jeff Trachtenberg, a reporter at The Wall Street Journal. He said he wanted to talk about my bestselling book, Leapfrogging. At first, I was thrilled. Any first-time author would jump…
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Last week I had the good fortune of having my book Leapfrogging published as a “Manifesto” by 800-CEO-READ. Here’s a quick synopsis, or you can download the full version here. Most leaders are taught to avoid uncertainty. Big visions, carefully crafted strategies, and detailed plans are signs of great leadership. Surprise is the enemy. Or,…
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The New Year brings about resolutions to redefine the status quo. It’s usually an individual endeavor focused on fitness, relationships, or finances. But great things can happen when we apply the catalytic energy of the New Year to our teams and organizations. 2013 represents the ideal time to leapfrog our mental models and innovate our…
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