Innovation has many enemies, but the one you can count on to rear its ugly head all the time is expertise. You see, true innovation is something new, surprising and radically useful; it’s an order of magnitude better than what currently exists. Expertise driven innovation results in incremental improvements, which is good for stability; but it hinders progress when it comes to making leaps.
We’re living in exponential times, the Big 5 tech companies – Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Apple, Facebook – occupy the top 6 spots of the most valuable companies in the world, thus driving the Next Economy. It’s safe to say that we live in a world dominated by technology.
This means the way we work, collaborate and do everything on a daily basis changes; and organizations that don’t adapt will certainly become irrelevant.
Often I get asked about what the best marketing strategy is. Before answering the question, I make people consider the fact that it’s hard to pay attention to anything on a day to day basis when we are bombarded with so information, notifications and all types of distractions. …
If you ever get to collaborate with me (I wrote a User Manual to Jorge Barba if you’re interested), know that one of my pet peeves is limitations; I hate being fit into a box. For me, limits and fears are just an illusion. So, I approach everything with a sense of possibility rather than a sense of “this is how it is”.
You might not know that I’m a big basketball fan. Along with the UFC, it’s the sport I follow the most. So, every once in a while I’ll find interesting lessons that apply to my “better your best” mindset. For example, during this year’s playoffs Isaiah Thomas, point guard of the Boston Celtics, reached out to NBA legend Kobe Bryant for some help on studying film. Kobe Bryant, as we’ve seen before, was obsessive about offense and defense during his playing days and is one of the reasons why he’s an all-time great. …
What do innovators do that imitators don’t? Innovators are alike in many ways, they ask more questions, observe deeper, cultivate a diverse network and experiment more.
Simply put: innovators are Hungry Minds; they have insatiable curiosity and a bias for action. . …
Illustration by Christian Laborin
Survival in the 21st century demands a ceaseless obsession with your customers and with the possibilities that new technologies can offer them. When hiring or collaborating, we want to work with the most talented people. But have you ever thought about the most obsessive? Unlike naturally talented people, the most obsessive will challenge you and make you better. …
