Improve Your Innovation ROI Tenfold
This is the first in a series of bi-monthly articles I will be writing for Forbes.com. In an attempt to stop the flow of the oil after the Deepwater Horizon oilrig explosion, the Unified Command turned to crowdsourcing to find a workable solution. Concerned citizens were invited to submit ideas. And that they did. They […]
The Danger Of Being Too Controlling
If you want to grow your company, you’ve got to learn to let go of any task that doesn’t set you apart from the competition. *** I recently spoke at an event where attendees were mainly small-business owners and solopreneurs. One of the points of my talk addressed the need to “innovate where you differentiate.” […]
John C. McGinley on Memorizing Scripts
John C. McGinley, best known for his role as Dr. Cox on “Scrubs” was interviewed on The Opie and Anthony Show. He was asked how he memorizes a script. He gave three steps: He writes the entire script by hand. This helps cement the words in his head. In the column, he writes down the […]
How to Deliver a Boring Presentation
Think about the last speech you saw. Think about the structure of the speech. Many speakers use the “tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them what you told them” model. Using this approach, I might say, “To innovate more effectively, you need to define your challenges properly. […]
Writing for Forbes
Starting today I will be writing a regular column on innovation for Forbes.com. As a result, there may be a bit of a slow down on this blog while I write articles for them and the American Express OPEN Forum. But don’t worry. All articles will eventually be posted here too. Stay tuned!
Driving Your Differentiator Down
Imagine you are a company that produces products for consumers. It could be toothpaste or soft drinks. You decide that your differentiator is your marketing. (Read one of my articles on “Innovate Where You Differentiate“) Given this, you might assume that the marketing department is the most important part of the business. This assumption would […]
Stop Being an Order Taker
Imagine that I am holding a glass of water. Here’s a question for you (you know this one)… What is the difference between a pessimist, and optimistic, an efficiency expert, and an innovator? The pessimist sees the glass half empty. The optimist sees the glass half full. The efficiency experts says, “There’s too much glass […]
Look for Purposeful Tangents
According to a recent Huffington Post/YouGov poll 28% of Americans did not read a book last year. As an author, I find this both disappointing and yet not surprising. Fortunately most people read. But is what you are reading enhancing your creativity, or just furthering your intellect? Most people who read for business purposes focus […]
Don’t Confuse Popularity with Value
A technology expert friend of mine just started blogging. We discussed which topics should be the focus of his articles. He told me that he recently read about another technology blogger whose most popular blog entries (as measured by tweets, comments, and Facebook likes) were in fact the least technical topics. My friend wondered if […]
Diversity Doesn't Work
Imagine two groups of problems solvers. Group #1 is homogeneous. That is, everyone has similar personalities and areas of expertise. Group #2 is diverse and comprises a blend of different styles and experiences. Which group will perform better? In times of crisis and on simpler tasks, Group #1 will always perform better. They “speak the […]