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 […]
Innovation does not need to be new or original. It just needs to be valuable… One of my favorite quotes comes from Mark Twain: “There is no such thing as a new idea. It is impossible. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope. We give them […]
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 […]
Is your organization a cult? Most are, and this high level of commonality can hurt your innovation efforts… The recruiting and retention efforts of most organizations are not designed to attract and retain a diverse group of innovation personalities: analytical, methodical, creative, people-oriented. They are designed for one style only–the style that is consistent with […]
Being different is not the same as being differentiated… After years of development and $2.4 billion in investment, the Revel Casino opened its doors to the Atlantic City Boardwalk on April 2, 2012. This beautiful hotel is top-notch, sophisticated, and classy. I know. I visited it. To differentiate themselves from other casinos in the area, […]
I am on the road nearly 200 days a year. With over 30 years of travel under my belt, I’ve discovered many simple and free ways to make your travel more enjoyable. Here are my four favorites. I hope you like them as they’ve made my life a lot better. Keeping Window Shades Closed After […]
Busy entrepreneurs need to step away from the business in order to grow their business… As entrepreneurs, we are all busy. There never seems to be enough time to complete even the basic tasks we need to accomplish. So, when do we have time to innovate? 5 years ago, I realized that it felt like […]
Your past experience could be creating blind spots that are limiting your ability to see better opportunities… In an earlier article, I wrote about why expertise is the enemy of innovation. Our past experiences blind us to potentially new and different opportunities in the future. Therefore, we somehow need to shift our view of the […]
Although we’ve been told that goals are a key to success, what if goal-setting actually reduces performance? Many years back I worked with a Formula One racing team. At that time, pit crews consisted of 19 guys who serviced the ultrafast, high-tech race– refueling cars, changing tires, and performing required maintenance in a matter of […]
When you are on autopilot, you are highly efficient. But when the rules change around you, this can lead to disaster…. I lived in London for several years. Before moving to England, I considered myself to be an excellent driver. But I quickly learned that some simple changes could make it difficult to operate a […]
