Here is the video from the conference we held at our office two months ago.
Edwin Aguilar, Assistant Director at The Simpsons, and Jose Zelaya, Character Designer at Walt Disney Studios, talk about the Process of Animation to a large audience at IOS Offices Tijuana.…
in Leadership, Strategy
Cynthia Montgomery, Professor of Strategy at Harvard University, asks her students what terms come to mind when they hear the word “strategy.” This word cloud illustrates their typical responses, which tellingly lack the word “leader.”
Why is that? More of the same leads to more of the same.…
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Scott Forstall, is apparently out of Apple because he didn’t want to apologize to the public for the whole maps and Siri mess. Products he was responsible for.
Why is this important? Are we seeing arguably “the most innovative company in the world” starting to implode in front of us?
I don’t think so. I think this move is a clarification of purpose. See, when you operate by a different set of beliefs established by a Heretic founder, purpose precedes being nice.…
in Leadership, Strategy, Thinking
How can you get better at strategic thinking? Or in other words, “How do you improve your thought process?” One of the keys to becoming a great leader is to constantly improve your strategic thinking, so you can adjust to new global realities.
The first step is to accept that you are not right most of the time. You have to “constantly” question your own opinions. One way to do this is to surround yourself with people who don’t think like you. People who will question you. Make these people a key part of your team because what you don’t want is to be surrounded by YES men.
Another tip is learn game theory. Game theory is the study of strategic decision making. And strategic thinking is all about making better decisions. Game theory provides you tools to help you gain added perspective to generate alternative views. If you have added perspective, you’ll be able to anticipate and think critically about what may lay ahead; which are key strategic thinking habits.
Anyway, here a few simple and cost-effective ways to begin developing your strategic thinking ability:…
in Leadership, Strategy
Here’s the question posed on yesterday’s #bizforum chat.
Apple is OFTEN used as a case study for how biz can & should grow, yet it’s always a one-off. Few compare. Why?#bizforum
— Sam Fiorella (@samfiorella) October 11, 2012
My answer: Because, as always, everyone copies tactics. Not strategy.
Apple’s strategy is unique to them. Their reason for existing is theirs alone. And their tactics are aligned with that strategy. More importantly, their type of leadership, based on principles of excellence and artistic perfection; is laser focused on executing their strategy.
Who else thinks and acts that way? Not many.…
This is the fourth 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.
This week I wrote about how you have to own it before you can do it. That includes anything. Not just innovation.
What does “owning it” mean?
Here’s an example. Lets suppose that you are a design agency, and a client asks you to design a stand for them because they have an upcoming trade show or event. If you are the agency, and want to truly “own it”, the key question you have to ask yourself is: what is the outcome that our client wants and how can we help him do that? And then knowing what they want, how can we make it even better?…
in Innovation, Leadership
If I were to tell you that you can’t innovate, would you try to prove me wrong? If your customers were to tell you that they will leave you because you can’t exceed their expectations, would you commit to exceeding them?
What if your customers suddenly became immune to your marketing speak? What if they suddenly stopped moving toward your preferred outcome every time you nudge them?
What if your customers offered to help you exceed expectations? Would you take their offer?…
