Don't Present What Can Be Pre-Sent
Being a professional speaker on innovation, I attend a lot of conferences and meetings. And I am always amazed at how poorly most meetings are run. One things in particular disturbs me… When meeting time is used to present things that could have been sent via email. Don’t do it! Meeting time should be viewed […]
How Focusing On The Big Picture Can Help Grow Your Bottom Line
This article was published on the American Express OPEN Forum. When I sent in the article, I called it “If you focus on the hot dog, you might go hungry.” Clearly they didn’t like that title 🙂 Regardless of how you feel about Trump’s now aborted run for President, you have to give him […]
Tactics For Captivating Your Audience
I just returned from a fantastic weeklong cruise to the Southern Caribbean and noticed that it was structured similarly to others that I have enjoyed in the past. Immediately upon arrival, there is much fanfare: champagne as you board; a band rocking out tunes on the pool deck; the captain and crew shaking hands and […]
7 Strategies For Running Your Business While Pursuing Your Passions
People often live by the saying: if you want to get something done right, you need to do it yourself. While I have heard people toss this phrase around like a badge of honor, there is no philosophy more toxic for an organization, especially small businesses. Businesses of any size are complex and it is […]
My Next Book
I am happy to announce that my next book will be published by Portfolio Penguin on September 29, 2011. The title? Best Practices Are Stupid: 40 Ways to Out-Innovate the Competition. This book contains 40 bite-sized tips and tricks for creating a culture of innovation. Most are quite counterintuitive or irreverent. For example: Asking for […]
Why Edison Was Wrong
Researchers often throw around the Edison quote, “I have not failed 700 times. I have not failed once. I have succeeded in proving that those 700 ways will not work. When I have eliminated the ways that will not work, I will find the way that will work.” Researchers use this quote because it “validates” […]
How Losing Personal Attachments Can Help You Realize Ambition
My friend Susanne and I were recently playing a trivia game, a game in which she excels. However, at one point, she got a couple wrong answers in row. “Urgh,” she blurted out, “every time I have a gut answer and change it, it was actually correct.” This made me curious. Malcolm Gladwell, in the […]
How to Be Selfless by Being Self-Centered
I travel the world extensively. And during these jaunts, I am always interested to hear of the differing points of view held by others about American culture. One commonly-held perception is that Americans are self-centered, believing that they are the center of the universe. There is some truth to this perspective. On the whole, American […]
How To Create Luck In Business And In Life
I know St. Patrick’s Day has passed, but it got me thinking about the concept of luck. Have you ever met people who are consistently lucky? It is as if they are always in the right place at the right time. Meanwhile, you feel as though the cards of fate have dealt you a bum […]
15 Minute Speech in Spain
Last week I spoke at the launch of the Navarra Factori, an innovation center near Pamplona, Spain. This government backed initiative is designed to help stimulate creativity and innovation in the region. I was the keynote for the opening. They asked me to speak about how creative ideas don’t necessarily come from within the four walls […]