in Creativity, Innovation
Last week I asked if it’s possible to innovate without loving what you do. There were plenty of comments and the reactions were mixed. Most think it’s not possible because people have to be passionate about the work they do. I’m not going to argue with that.
What I will argue is that you can become passionate about just about anything if you have the right intent in mind. The context, topic, initiative is just the vehicle towards your purpose.
With that said, I think the next obvious question to ask is: Do you love creating?
I love to play.
For me it’s not so much about creating, what matters to me is making a meaningful impact. Period. If no meaningful impact is delivered, it’s a failure.…
in Innovation, Strategy
“The side that learns and adapts the fastest often prevails.” – General David Petraeus
You can’t mess with evolution. That’s the message I got from the book Little Bets by Peter Sims.
If you are well versed with the state of current innovation thinking, you will find that the main ideas are heavily influenced by design thinking. This is not a recipe book for design thinking. There are no how to’s. It’s strength lies in it’s synthesis of the main principles of experimental innovation. Today, more commonly known as design thinking.
It’s a well written and engaging book. I read Little Bets in a little over 6 hours. It’s a short read but entertaining read.
What stands out about the book is the distinctive stories and characters Mr. Sims uses to illustrate the main ideas. For example, how Chris Rock tests new jokes in small venues with small audiences before taking them to bigger events. This helps him tests and refine jokes that he knows will resonate with audiences at bigger events. The story of how Pixar’s Toy Story begun from little bets. How the the success of the U.S. Military’s ‘Surge Strategy’ is influenced by Design Thinking.…
Lessons from 175 years of Innovation by @dscofield
How Good Designers Think – HBR
How to Build an Innovation Ecosystem via @timkastelle
Special sauce in innovation – Being T-shaped and have the right network by @jabaldaia
How Power Influences Creativity – Psychology Today
Innovation’s Hidden Enemies – HBR
What is the actual role of Chief Innovation Officers? by @malbonnington
in Creativity, Innovation
I spotted this question on a Linkedin group and thought I post it here.
My answers is: Yes, it’s possible.
Interestingly, HBR posted an article about why you shouldn’t do what you love last week. I encourage you to read it if you haven’t already.
Here’s the thing about innovation:
Most people who are considered innovative don’t really set out to ‘innovate’. They set out to solve a problem they have/saw because they either see nobody doing anything about it, or they are personally dissatisfied.…
in Innovation, Strategy
A few years ago I was advising three guys who wanted to start a t-shirt company business in Mexico. These guys were still in college and were studying graphic design.
In Mexico there is a brand called Naco that started a trend of inverting words so something like AC/DC looks like AISI/ DISI. People found this funny and so these shirts started selling like hot cakes.
This idea has since been copycatted a million times over.…
in Innovation
According to congressman Jesse Jackson Jr., the iPad is killing jobs.
My god!
He’s basically suggesting we should go back to the pre-internet era, but completely forgets to mention that people of all ages now have access to wide education because of technology like computers and now the iPad.…
