Creating Success via Luck

Much has been written about success, most of it gives the same advice: set goal, learn from the masters, work hard, reap the rewards. But what if there is a different path to success?  What if “luck” plays a critical role? What if you can create luck? Creativity/innovation and luck go hand-in-hand. Creativity is about […]

Book in Dutch

I just received my copy of “Best Practices Are Stupid” in Dutch.  More translations are on their way!

Think Around The Box

I’m working on a TV show.  As we were fleshing out the concept the other day, the agent said something brilliant… “Don’t think OUTSIDE the box.  Think AROUND the box.”  He was suggesting that in some cases, innovation is best when it is an extension of something people already know and love.  Studios will be […]

Books in Chinese

I’m please to announce that both Personality Poker and Best Practices Are Stupid  are now available in Chinese.  I love the cover designs, especially the cat on the Best Practices Are Stupid book.

Crowdsourcing Content

On July 19th, 2012, I will be keynoting at the inaugural Crowdopolis event being held July 19th in Los Angeles. You don’t want to miss this event!  I can assure you it will be incredible.  And at the bottom of this article there is a link which will give you a discount. I asked Crowdopolis […]

Stop Calling it Innovation!

A potential client asked, “What is the best way to create a culture of innovation?” My response: “Stop calling it innovation!” Innovation has become the word du jour.  Is it important?  Of course.  But the term has been used and abused by so many people that it means nothing. I am seeing a backlash against […]

Expectation Creates Dissatisfaction (and what to do about it…)

While on vacation recently, I thought to myself, “This is perfect.”  The weather was nice.  We had a great hotel room.  The food was wonderful. Was it really perfect? Were there nicer rooms, better food, and warmer climates?  Indeed. Comparatively speaking, it was not truly perfect. But perfection in such matters is a state of […]

Exception Handling Continued

In my AMEX OPEN Forum article, “Design Your Business to Handle the Exception, Not for the Exception,” someone commented that simplification is a better strategy than segmentation.  And I wholeheartedly agree. Car manufacturers do this when they use common parts and reduce the number of configurations to reduce costs and complexity. Having said that, if […]

7 Tips to Sell Your Ideas Like a Motivational Speaker

“You don’t listen!” All of us have likely heard these words spat at us in frustration at some point in our lives. And guess what, it’s true! The fact is that no one listens. In a previous OPEN Forum article, I wrote on how to more effectively hear what others are really trying to say. By recognizing how you listen […]

Innovating Water Treatment

In my latest American Express OPEN Forum article, I talked about how designing to handle the exception, not for the exception can improve efficiency and reduce costs, while increasing overall performance. [If you didn’t read that article, please do so before proceeding] When I first wrote that article, I included a potential use of this concept as […]