3. Asking for Ideas is a Bad Idea

3. asking for ideas is a bad idea

This is tip 3 from Best Practices are Stupid. I love this one. It’s core to so much of my innovation work. The concept of the SIGNAL-TO-NOISE RATIO is overlooked yet critical. Here’s a short snippet of the content: A large European retail bank that was suffering from eroding market share thought they had a […]

2. Avoid Becoming a One-Hit Wonder

capability

In yesterday’s strategy from Best Practices are Stupid, I talked about the three levels of innovation: event, capability, and system. In today’s post, we explore the capability level. Here is strategy 2: Avoid Becoming a One-Hit Wonder Do you know the bands Lipps Inc, The Sugar Hill Gang, or Haddaway?  You might know the song that […]

1. Survival of the Adaptable

3 levels

As mentioned in yesterday’s blog post, I’m going to try an 8-week experiment. Back in 2011, I wrote Best Practices are Stupid (published by Penguin Portfolio). It was selected as the best innovation & creativity book of the year by 800-CEO-READ (now Porchlight). The book contains 40 strategies for driving innovation. The experiment is, for […]

Best Practices are Stupid Cliff Notes

Best Practices Are Stupid (3D)

Hi everyone. I’ve decided that for the next 8 weeks, I will post one of the 40 strategies from my Best Practices are Stupid book every day here on my blog and on LinkedIn. If you are super eager to get a head start, head over to my LinkedIn page as the first handful have […]

Podcast E36: DIVOT

E35 Want What You Have web min

It has been a while since my last podcast episode. I’ve been busy launching a new program and writing a new book. Therefore, to kick off the podcast season, I decided to do an episode just about my next book. The working title is DIVOT. A divot is a term from golf. It’s when you […]

Podcast E35: Want What You Have

E35 Want What You Have web min

To celebrate Thanksgiving here in the United States, I decided to share a segment from my book, Goal-Free Living. Chapter 4 is entitled, “Want What You Have.” Instead of looking for more and creating a different future, appreciate what you have now. Before we get to the podcast, I want to share two items: My […]

Purple Monday Sale and Bonus Items

Purple Monday

Happy belated Thanksgiving to my friends here in the United States. Although the Black Friday sales might be over, I’ve decided to throw in a little color into the mix with two special offers as part of my Purple Monday. This week only (through December 3rd), I am offering my Personality Poker® Starter Kit for […]

Podcast E34: From Boxes to Lines

E34 From Boxes to Lines web

This podcast celebrates 20 years since the launch of my first book, 24/7 Innovation. It also marked the time when I left Accenture and started my own innovation business. In honor of this special period in my life, I read the Prologue to that book and share some thoughts on where we have come in […]

Podcast E33: Don’t Think Outside the Box

E33 Don't Think Outside the Box

What if instead of thinking outside the box, you want to find a better box? This is Chapter 4 from Best Practices are Stupid. We explore the power of Challenge-Centered Innovation (CCI)and why it leads to higher ROI than idea-driven innovation. In this episode, we explore Einstein’s perspective on innovation (hint: the problem is more […]

When to Follow ‘Best Practices’–and When to Ignore Them

best practices web

Be skeptical any time someone tells you they have a best practice… While speaking at a conference several years ago, I tried an experiment. I told the audience that I had discovered the five best practices that nearly all successful people have in common. I printed these practices on a sheet of paper and invited […]