The traditional approach to brainstorming is wildly ineffective. Fortunately there is a better way… Brainstorming sessions are often the lifeblood of many corporate innovation efforts. But do they work? Not the way they are typically conducted. Here are five reasons they are typically ineffective, along with some possible solutions: 1. Poorly defined challenge Most brainstorming sessions […]
Instead of always shifting direction, sometimes the best strategy is to go deeper…. Given I have dedicated my business life to innovation, people (rightly) assume I will be innovating my business. The question I am often asked is, “What are you doing to pivot your business?” This question implies that I am changing direction. But […]
Technology is important to all businesses, but the human element can not be ignored… We all want the latest and greatest technology for our businesses. But there is one important factor that needs to be addressed, as is evidenced by a recent experience of mine. After a long trip, I arrived at a hotel ready […]
As the prevalence of a problem decreases, we may find problems that don’t exist… Does it sometimes feel that no matter how hard you work on solving your business problems, you never seem to make enough progress? Does it seem like you are on a treadmill going nowhere? If so, you are not alone. In […]
The brain loves to be correct, so even when you are wrong, you get a “rush” that can increase innovation failure rates…. In a previous article, I wrote about why “wow this is a great idea” can lead to higher failure rates of your innovation efforts. This results in wasted time, money, and effort that […]
Your best source of revenue typically does not involve chasing new customers… Over the years I have tried many methods for growing my business. I’ve hired internet marketing firms to implement outbound marketing programs or improve my Search Engine Optimization (SEO). I’ve worked with public relations (PR) firms who secured me key spots in national […]
We can learn a lot about innovation by studying linguistics… The other day I found some old VHS tapes (for those a bit younger than I am, this was the predecessor to the DVD). On one was a speech I gave to a couple thousand executives about 20 years ago. I talked about a topic […]
The key to convincing people that your innovation is great is to sell them on something other than your innovation… “What’s the best way to sell innovation?” This was a question I was recently asked by a client. He’s an innovation leader in his company and he wanted to sell the concept of innovation internally, […]
Price drives the perception of value, and unfortunately most customers don’t understand value… Do you know what your customers really value? When I first started my business as a professional speaker, I realized that I didn’t have a clue. In order to find out, I did an experiment called PW3 – “Pay What We’re Worth.” […]
There are two types of games. One kills creativity and the other is for kids… Business is serious. Right? But what if we could game playing to enhance our businesses? Games can be a useful tool for enhancing creativity. They make work more fun, they reduce stress, and they get people in action. However, not […]
