Innovation Insights
by Stephen Shapiro
In audio, there is the concept of the “signal to noise” ratio. This is the ratio of a signal (what you want – such as the music) to the noise (what you don’t want – such as the background noise).
I was quoted in today’s online edition of Forbes. Read the article, How to Unlock Your Company’s Creativity Also be sure to click on “In Pictures: Six Tips For Fostering Innovation At Your Company” I am quoted in Tip #4
When my computer is not working, life is miserable. Unfortunately, over the past few months, my computer has crashed nearly every day. To make matters worse, the expert technicians could not recreate my problems, so they could not fix the
“Build it and they will come.” We hear that mantra a lot. But with innovation, it is often more like, “Solve a pain and they will come.” The ultimate success of the automated teller machine (ATM) is a great example
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsK1c9ZBpuw[/youtube] “21: The Movie” is in theaters today in the United States. Last week I wrote a blog entry on what innovators could learn from blackjack card counters. Today, to celebrate the formal release of the movie, I am including
What if you could train a fish like you train a dog? What if you could create a Pavlov’s fish? And why would you want to? According to an Associated Press article, “The idea is to train fish to return
Which will help your business be more successful: statistics or probability? Underwriters at insurance companies use statistics to assess future risks. This is based on years of collected data. Probability is what card counters in Vegas use to increase their
Antoine de Saint-Exupery, author of The Little Prince, once said, “Perfection is finally attained not when there is no longer anything to add but when there is no longer anything to take away.” This is a brilliant quote because it
Want your organization to be more creative? Maybe you should “hire” college students. Or at least that is what some companies are doing. Yesterday’s Journal Gazette (Fort Wayne, Indiana) described a cabinet maker who is partnering with a local university
HP recently announced that they are consolidating their innovation efforts and will focus on fewer projects. According to an Associate Press article, HP is “reassigning its worldwide research team of about 600 employees to focus on a total of 20
Yesterday I had lunch with Scott Westover, a pilot, a business executive and an aspiring speaker. He shared with me some thoughts on how what he learned from aerobatic flying could be applied to business success. I asked him
As the economy continues to tumble, it is tempting to cut back on your investments in innovation. But now is the perfect time to increase your innovation efforts. Here are seven creative ways that innovation can help you recession-proof your
There is one thing I realized early in my speaking career: being a great speaker does not mean you will necessarily have a great speaking business. This past weekend I gave a presentation on how to have a great speaking
Last night I attended an event where three presenters shared examples of how “New Media” has become a powerful marketing tool. Here are my three favorites. The best video series award goes to the “Will It Blend” videos. Done as
Although I rarely write about politics, the current Presidential campaigns are giving us some interesting examples of psychological manipulation. For example, this morning’s newspaper’s headline was, “(Obama) says Clinton’s attacks paved way for her big night.” It is believed that
Innovation can be, and should be, fun. Here is a 16 question “diagnostic tool” I published back in 2001 in my first book, 24/7 Innovation. It may help you assess just how innovative your organization is. It is, admittedly, quite
Here’s a great quote from Ville Keränen from Finland: “One idiot who walks gets further than five intellectuals who only talk…”
I was having a conversation the other day with the CEO of a small and growing company. We were talking about innovative pricing models that could help attract – and then lock in customers. Although there are many models out
Last week I attended a presentation at the Four Seasons hotel in Boston given by Barbara Talbott, the EVP of Marketing for the Four Seasons. She discussed “The Power of Personal Service.” Here are my notes from that speech. Admittedly,
A person functioning exclusively in the Cartesian mode may be free from manifest symptoms but cannot be considered mentally healthy. Such individuals typically lead ego-centered, competitive, goal-oriented lives. Over preoccupied with their past and future, they tend to have a
photo credit: Peter Emmett Here is another tip from our “Little Book of BIG Innovation Ideas.” As adults, when we try to solve a problem, we often ask, “What does this mean?” We try to pull the answer from our
“The more you are like yourself, the less you are like anyone else, which makes you unique.” — Walt Disney This quote is quite appropriate given my recent blog entries (and this one too). This is great advice for any
My previous entry focused on innovation as a way of helping you stand out in a crowd. I also discussed how wearing a bathrobe at a black tie event can have the same effect. In my Goal-Free Living book, I
Innovation can help your organization improve its products, processes, or business model. But maybe, innovation’s greatest strength is helping you stand out from the crowd. Let me give you a personal example where I learned this by accident. A few
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