The Innovation Capabilitity

For innovation to be repeatable, it needs to be treated like any other business capability (e.g., finance, HR, or sales). All capabilities are comprised of five key components: Strategy A strategy is needed to decide when, where, and how innovation will be used within the organization. It also needs to address “why” innovation is important. […]

Creating Luck in Sales

In Goal-Free Living I discuss how to create luck by being less goal-focused. I was recently copied on an email sent to a sales team at a client of mine. Here is how this one sales director interpreted these concepts for his team – with a paraphrase from the book. During my Asia trip I […]

Phrase Concerns as Opportunities

One of the most simple, yet most powerful approaches for increasing your creativity potential is to phrase concerns as opportunities.  When brainstorming, inevitably someone will say, “We don’t have enough time to implement this idea,” or “We don’t have enough money.”  When you say this, you are stating it as fact.  Instead, state this concern […]

Leaky Ceiling Leads to Creative Solution

Yesterday, I was at a conference in a posh New York City hotel.  While we were inside, the rain was relentless outside.  As the day progressed, it started to rain inside too.  The ceiling sprouted several leaks.  At first the hotel staff used the standard approach for catching the water – white plastic buckets.  But remember, this is […]

Kick The Goal Habit

Here is an excerpt from an article written by Jim Bright that appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) February 24, 2007.  Jim has written many interesting articles that support the Goal-Free Living concept (in fact he mentions Goal-Free Living in this article, but I did not bother including that part below).  Enjoy. Support for goal setting can […]

How To Always Be On Time

Right now I am sitting in the Las Vegas airport. With an hour to kill, I decided to write this blog entry with the harmonious sound of slot machines ringing in my ears. I know so many road warriors who pride themselves in being able to get to the gate just as the doors are […]

Move From Consensus to Alignment

Here is another tip from my new “innovation tips” book. There are two extremes of innovation culture. One is “the right of infinite appeal.” This is a culture where anyone, anytime, has the right to veto any suggestions, bring the process back to the starting point. In this environment, very little gets done, and innovation […]

Quote of the Day

In particular, he sought to restore to his life several qualities he had shunned as a businessman — spontaneity, patient acceptance of the uncontrollable, and an uncluttered awareness of each moment. To his surprise, this new mindset seemed to slow time down. Rather than rushing through life fixated on goals, he gained a richer perspective […]

Why It's So Hard to Be Happy

Have you noticed more and more literature supporting the goal-free concept? I have. And nearly every day, someone writes to tell me about an article they read that touts the benefits of “not focusing on your goals.” One such article entitled,”Why It’s So Hard to Be Happy” by Michael Wiederman, appeared in the Feb/Mar 2007 […]

When a Map is a Compass

In Goal-Free Living, the first secret is “Use a Compass, Not a Map.”  Today, someone sent me an interesting article by Donald Berwick (President and CEO of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement) that recounts a story told by Karl Weick in his book, The Collapse of Sensemaking in Organizations: The Mann Gulch Disaster. Weick tells […]