Category Archives: Innovation

Innovation What Not To Do: Asking the two deadliest words in business

in Innovation, What Not To Do

no permission needed to innovate A few days ago I mentioned that I had been receiving a lot of inquiries about developing an innovation capability, cultural development, and why this matters to avoid systemic failure. My post touched upon feedback as the shortest path to innovation and how people need it to learn.

This is the essence of agility, the ability to move quicker, learn faster, understand what works and doesn’t, and shift direction if needed. In the world that big organizations live in, agility is not business as usual. Rather, life inside a large organizations feels like you are going backwards, not forward.

Inside large organization’s, the common obstacle innovator’s have to overcome to get traction is getting permission to innovate. Of course, in a perfect world innovation shouldn’t require permission, but we don’t live in that perfect world. So, most of the time, permission won’t be granted.

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What innovation and customer loyalty have in common

in Customer Service, Innovation

Customer loyalty. Oh my, today it is as important as the topic of innovation. Customer loyalty is the key to profitability. The reason is simple: It costs more to acquire a new customer than to keep a current one. Without customer loyalty, customers leave.

I’ve had the opportunity to work with companies of all sizes, from scrappy startups to large multinationals. And while there are many differences between them, there is one distinction that trumps them all: their attitude towards existing keeping customers.…

The shortest path to innovation

in Innovation

there is no innovation without experimentation

In the past week I’ve had some interesting conversations with colleagues, friends and random people about culture and innovation capability. There are a couple of themes that have come up, one of which I’ll touch on here: feedback as it relates to innovation.

First, let’s put one thing on the table: there is no innovation without experimentation.

Why? Because……

10 Change your course questions CEO’s need to ask themselves

in Innovation, Leadership, Strategy

question everything

Questioning, one of my favorite activities. I’ve been spotting a lot of it lately, and that’s good. Whether it’s because we are entering the last month of the year or because people are feeling the need to reflect, we need to be constantly questioning the obvious.

The obvious, if you’re succeeding, should also include this “change your course question” by Rosabeth Kanter: What is going to destroy our business, and are you taking steps to do it yourself before others do it to you?…

Why do successful companies fail?

in Innovation, Leadership, Question-To-Innovate

Why do successful companies fail?

Question-to-innovate Series: This the thirtieth of a series of weekly posts where I will answer a few common questions about innovation. Please feel free to add your own response. Also, if you have any questions you think we should discuss, let me know.

Success hides problems.  – Ed Catmull, President of Pixar

This is a question that really interests me, and spend quite some time thinking and contemplating this question. And it doesn’t necessarily have to be an organization, but a person. It is the reason why I worship companies like Disney and Pixar, and people like Michael Jordan and Madonna, they’ve overcome the trap of complacency.

And that, is what I believe it all comes down to: complacency.

This question, doesn’t just interest me, it is a question that puzzles many, but not most. Ed Catmull is one that was puzzled, and figured it out, by why so many successful companies ultimately failed. “I’m thinking, ‘If we’re ever successful, how do I keep from falling into the traps these companies are falling into?” he recalled in a recent lecture at Stanford Business School.…

How innovation happens at Intuit

in Innovation

In the innovation space, we rarely talk about Intuit. Yet, they are supreme innovators. Scott Cook, the founder, says that Intuit is a company of small startups.

Below is a series of tweets, I stumbled on, about how Intuit innovates. It is all quite straightforward, but this will give a visual idea of what a culture of innovation looks like when it is expected and practiced by all.

Hat tip to @SmartOrgInc for sharing these!

What is your pet peeve about the current state of innovation consulting?

in Innovation, Question-To-Innovate

What is your pet peeve about the current state of innovation consulting?

Oh yes, what doesn’t  irritate me. See here, here, and here.

Although I’ve been referred to as an innovation consultant, I’m don’t consider myself one. For an innovation consultant is one that is well versed in the tools and techniques of innovation, but I don’t believe most have the mindset of an innovator.

And this is where it gets interesting, because there is no innovation tool or method that addresses every situation and every need. The only Swiss Army Knife for continuously overcoming human nature (the enemy of innovation) is a fluid mind, with varied mental models, and the will to never get stuck.…