Have you ever had a trip that felt more like you were a contestant on The Amazing Race? That was the case for me a few weeks back when I was scheduled to be the keynote speaker in Brazil at a marketing conference for 1,500 people. This turned out to be an adventure that looked […]
I was recently listening to an old-time radio broadcast and heard a commercial that ran back in 1959. It shared the story of how the Colt Revolver was invented. As it is told, when he was younger, Samuel Colt, was fascinated with gun powder and weapons. However, he was dissatisfied with the “one-shot” pistols that were […]
I was recently asked by a European magazine to provide my list of the most disruptive companies of 2015/2016. I thought about it and struggled to answer. For me, companies don’t disrupt; platforms, industries, and other macro forces do. Given that I provided my top 7 disruptive forces… Peer-to-peer – This is causing disruption to all […]
I’ve been talking/writing about the phygital movement for a while now. This is the blending of the physical and digital worlds. Be sure to read my recent article on the topic, “Let’s Get Phygital.” In the past, we were a physical world. We didn’t carry electronic devices everywhere. When we said we were connected, we were […]
A couple of days I posted a new video that introduces the “science of breakthroughs.” For those who prefer to read rather than watch, here’s the transcription. (you can watch the video here) Today, we move to the third part of my FAST innovation model. You’ll remember that FAST stands for Focus, Ask, Shift and […]
I am a big fan of business partnerships. My mantra is, “Innovate where you differentiate, and partner with others for everything else.” There’s an important caveat to this. Be sure to choose your partners carefully. Think about the bad experiences you’ve had with a company. Were they the company’s fault? Or was a business partner […]
I was asked by BigSpeak to write an article with three activities that would stimulate innovation with teams. And I needed to do it in under 1,200 words. Here’s the result: Companies are becoming irrelevant faster than ever. Why? The pace of change outside of organizations is moving faster than the pace of change within. The […]
If your head is filled with images of Olivia Newton-John jumping around in leotards and donning a headband, please re-read the title. This article is not about exercise but is focused on the “phygital” movement; the blending the physical and digital world. In life, most trends swing like a pendulum. For most of history, we […]
Management gurus love to talk about the carrot vs the stick. Which works better, rewarding for positive behavior (the carrot) or penalizing for negative behavior (the stick)? The answer to this is not cut and dried. Both work in different situations.
Throughout history, people have had seemingly good ideas that didn’t work out as planned. These were good intentions that resulted in less than stellar results. For example, imagine that you are tasked with reducing pickpocket rates in an area known for this crime. You have millions of tourists from all over the world visiting your […]
