Tag Archives: Leadership

Innovation needs intent

in Innovation, Leadership, Strategy

innovation needs intentUltimately, just like your business strategy, your innovation strategy needs to be focused. It can’t be all things to all people. It must be able to stand on its own.

Last Friday I conducted a second innovation workshop with graduate students from UABC, the largest university in Tijuana. Before we were done, I made sure they took two things to heart:

  1. Figure out their own definition of innovation;
  2. Be intentional with your innovation intent.

The last point is important, and hopefully they caught my drift because a lot of what the media considers innovation fits into the silly category……

31 things you should know about me as a leader

in Leadership

leadership self awareness

Self awareness, the one characteristic that can help you improve very fast. I consider myself quite self-aware, and last month I published a post where I laid out a simple tactic anyone can use to develop culture, think about it like a manual for me. It also laid out some accompanying examples from other people who use a similar tactic, which I found interesting.

It’s been quite some time since I filled out a form, questionnaire, and the like about myself, so last week when I came across an article on INC about the 31 things every leaders needs to know about themselves, I jumped on the opportunity to the answer the questions.

Here they are:…

10% of the majority: when ideas get adopted

in Innovation, Leadership
Domino Effect

Domino Effect (Photo credit: k.landerholm)

How long does change take?

Interesting question. And one that, at least to me, doesn’t have a concrete answers. But a good answer is that it takes time. It simply doesn’t happen overnight.

But, we do know that if we want to accelerate change then it is best to aim to win over / enlist a few people in our crusade.

From Rebels at Work:…

A simple technique to help you develop culture in your organization

in Innovation, Leadership

develop culture in your organization

Do you have a User Manual of yourself for others to learn about how to deal with you?

This is an interesting idea I read about in an interview with Ivar Kroghrud, lead strategist of QuestBack, by Adam Bryant for his upcoming book Quick and Nimble: Lessons from Leading CEOs on How to Create a Culture of Innovation.

The basic idea of the User Manual is simple: shorten that inevitable learning curve of building work relationships, and let people know right up front what you’re like as a leader.

Below is a one-page cheat sheet of what a User Manual might look like:…

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.…