Pink Boxes, Assumptions and Innovation

I recently met up with a client. The first thing I noticed was the bandage on his left hand. I asked what happened. He said, “I was looking for a box that contained cloth napkins for a dinner party we were throwing. I went to the garage, remembering that they were in a box on a […]

The Innovation Engine Podcast

I was recently interviewed for “The Innovation Engine” podcast. The conversation was easy and a lot of fun. We discussed innovation and breakthrough thinking. During this interview I shared: how neural pathways get hard-wired into our brains stand in the way of breakthrough thinking an anecdote on how crowdsourcing and breakthrough thinking solved a 2 […]

What Aren't Your Customers Telling You?

During a recent podcast, the interviewer, Fei Wu, asked me, “What is a question that other interviewers have not asked that you would like me to ask?” I’ve never been posed that question before in over 100 interviews. The conversation was being recorded and felt pressure to answer quickly. I was unable to process the […]

2 Part Interview on Fei's World

I was recently interviewed by Fei Wu for her Fei’s World podcast. She is a fantastic interviewer. It was truly a conversation that meandered to a lot of different, yet related topics. We discussed concepts such as: Innovation Asking Better Questions and Creating Better “Briefs” Confirmation Bias The Impostor Syndrome Public Speaking How to Engage […]

Mastery is Not Enough

Think about the last time you went to your favorite restaurant. Was the quality of the food the only reason you enjoyed it so much? Or were there other factors? Décor? Service? Overall atmosphere? Other intangibles? If you can, recall a time you needed technical support and were 100% pleased with the service. Was your […]

Voices of Experience Transcription

Last week, I posted the audio of an interview where I shared some thoughts about innovation in the speaking industry – and in general. You can listen to the audio, or read the transcription below. Michael: With this month’s emphasis on innovation, I can’t think of a better person to speak to than leading edge keynote […]

Be the Source

Last week while in Vegas, I saw Larry the Cable Guy off in the distance. I expected everyone in the room to be flocking to him. Although a few people went up to get their picture taken with him, he was pretty much left alone. I decided to go over and talk with him. I […]

My SUCCESS Magazine Article is Online

For those of you who missed my article on “4 Great Ways to Make Breakthroughs,” you can now read it online. Here’s the beginning… Steve Jobs, Apple’s maverick co-founder, once said, “Creativity is just connecting things…. Creative people… connect experiences and synthesize new things…. They were able to do that [because] they’ve had more experiences […]

Differentiation, Expertise and Opposites

I was recently interviewed for the National Speakers Association’s “Voices of Experience” CD. Each month, experts are interviewed about topics relevant to the speaking industry. For the September 2014 issue, I was asked to talk about innovation and professional speaking. In this 6 minute minute interview, I discuss why: we need to differentiate ourselves as […]

Interview on SiriusXM Business Radio

Yesterday I was on SiriusXM’s Business Radio show “Innovation Navigation.” During the 25 minute interview with Wharton Professor, David Robertson, I discussed my perspectives on how to create a culture of innovation. The show is only available through SiriusXM. If you are really interested in hearing the show and you don’t have a subscription, you can sign up […]