Traits of a Great Leader

When you think of great leaders, what traits come to mind? Honest? Competent? Inspirational? Courageous? Fair? Looks like a leader? Although that last one is typically not found on lists of leadership characteristics, looks may be related to one’s leadership style. In an interesting article published in The Economist, researchers found that students could determine […]

Want What You Have

I was just having a conversation with a good friend of mine. She’s currently in a bit of a funk because life is not turning out the way she expected. From an external perspective, she has an incredible life. But that doesn’t matter. She is still not happy. As we continued the conversation, we discovered […]

Slowness + Purpose = Creativity

Christopher Richards, the author of an interesting article, suggests that the secret to creativity is slowing down. He implies that our best ideas emerge when we are in a relaxed state. In the article, Richards said that “Ex-Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan wrote most of his latest book while soaking in the bathtub.” Could be. […]

Get Online Innovation Training

This week, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) released an online training version of my 24/7 Innovation book. The course includes all of the materials from the book plus a series of questions after each chapter to test your retention. The cost is $100 and can be ordered online from the ASME website.

Oscar Wilde Was Right

A recent blog entry of mine focused on how price impacts perception. Today’s topic is on how perception drives price. Many times, the cost of something is driven by what we paid in the past – even when the rules have changed. Seth Godin recently wrote about how Apple will be charging $3 for online […]

Innovation Quotes of the Day

Man can only have a certain number of teeth, hairs, and ideas. There comes a time when he necessarily loses his teeth, his hair, and his ideas. – Voltaire Ideas must work through the brains and arms of good and brave men, or they are no better than dreams. – Ralph Waldo Emerson Don’t worry […]

Goals That Work

I recently received an email from a reader of this blog. He describes what he calls a “loophole” in the goal-setting process: either you achieve a goal and then invalidate it with counter-productive behaviors, or you see that a goal won’t be achieved so you give up totally. He then describes what works (something I […]

Increase the Price – Increase the Pleasure

I wrote a blog entry entitled, “How to Lose a Sale By Charging Too Little.” In it I describe why charging too little reduces the perception of value. According to a recent Stanford Graduate School of Business study, there are biological reasons why price impacts perception. Subjects were given a number of wines for tasting […]

Innovative Minds Don’t Think Alike

I’ve always said, “Expertise is the enemy of creativity.” The New York Times recently had an article on this exact topic. Although the article is pretty basic, it is a good reminder that sometimes the most creative ideas come from those who are not experts on the problem being solved. This poses a dilemma for […]

Pursuing Passion Quote of the Day

“If it is possible to make yourself into a great hacker. The way to do it may be to make the following deal with yourself: you never have to work on boring projects (unless your family will starve otherwise), and in return, you’ll never allow yourself to do a half-assed job (not done properly). All […]