Podcast E7: Stop Loving Your Ideas & The NBA’s Orlando Magic
Episode #7 of the Invisible Solutions podcast is now live. What if loving your ideas can lead to failure? I first address this question and why confirmation bias and positive test strategy can destroy your innovation efforts. Then I have on my first guest, Jack Elkins, the former Director of Innovation for the National Basketball […]
Podcast E6: Goal-Free Living
Episode #6 of the Invisible Solutions podcast is now live. In this episode we discuss the Performance Paradox (Lens #18 in Invisible Solutions) and Goal-Free Living. The Performance Paradox is based on the perspective that the more you focus on a goal, the less likely you are to achieve that goal. This lens is based […]
Podcast E5: Changing Just One Word Can Change Your Solutions
Episode #5 of the Invisible Solutions podcast is now live. We will explore why sometimes changing just one word in a problem statement can fundamentally change the range of solutions you see. We often don’t give enough thought to the language we use when problem-solving. Also, we will use the lenses to reframe a listener […]
Podcast E4: Expertise is the Enemy of Innovation
Episode #4 of the Invisible Solutions podcast is now live. In this episode, we start by exploring why expertise is the enemy of innovation. The more you know about a topic the harder it is to think differently. But not all is lost. You can leverage your expertise to generate breakthrough solutions. We then put […]
Podcast E3: Hiring Friendly People
Episode #3 of the Invisible Solutions podcast is now live. In it, I explore why you don’t want to think outside the box. And today we tackle a challenge submitted by one of the listeners: How can we get friendly people to work with us? Enjoy!
Podcast E2: Goldilocks and Going Virtual
Episode #2 of the Invisible Solutions podcast is now live. In it, I explore the Goldilocks Principle and Going Virtual. Goldilocks wanted a bed that was “just right” and we want the same for problem statements. Also, is replicating the in-person experience virtually really the best solution? Probably not. I use the lenses to help […]
First Episode of the Invisible Solutions Podcast
Finally I launched my podcast. This has been in the works for quite some time. Although it will be available through most podcast platforms in the near future, for now I decided to share an early preview here. In this first episode, I share a story you may have seen here: my baggage claim story. […]
Stop Worrying About the Novelty of Your Ideas
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 […]
People Don’t Want Creativity
People don’t want creativity. They may say they do, but there is a strong anti-creativity bias in most organizations. And unfortunately this bias happens at an subconscious level. This video shares some interesting findings from a study by Cornell University (my alma mater) – and the implications. Note that the video talks about “newness.” In […]
You Don’t Know Your Customers
Just because you KNEW your industry and customers, doesn’t mean you KNOW them. Our past experiences can limit our ability to see new opportunities. According to the World Economic Forum, complex problem-solving is the most important soft skill companies and individuals need right now. I would argue that complex problem-formulation is what is needed. The […]