Tag Archives: management

What are the big unanswered, but answerable, questions when it comes to innovation?

Jorge in Innovation

question to innovate

This is the seventh 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.

Last week Michael Raynor, of Deloitte and author of The Strategy Paradox, contacted me because he wanted to ask me a big question: What are the big unanswered, but answerable, questions when it comes to innovation? To answer this, he asked me to share three questions or topics which are unanswered but that are answerable when it comes to innovation.

Here’s my answer:…

The Best of Game-Changer October 2012

Jorge in Innovation

Here’s a look back at the posts you liked the most in the month of October 2012:

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Is the CEO responsible for product failure and wins?

Jorge in Innovation, Leadership, Questions

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.…

How do you know when it’s time to innovate?

Jorge in Innovation, Leadership, Question-To-Innovate, Questions

This is the third 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.

All the time.

The best and most productive activity and organization can do, is to always be thinking about how they will become irrelevant. Think about how you will be disrupted, and disrupt your success.

And, it all starts with the individual:…

How do you encourage employees to share ideas?

Jorge in Innovation, Question-To-Innovate, Questions

This is the second 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.

Good ideas can come from anywhere, but just asking for them doesn’t mean everyone will speak their minds. I think this is where a gap exists between activating innovation and simply talking about it. It’s also why it is important for leaders to be open and share their thought process with others to encourage dialogue.

Beyond the Here are a few more ways:…

Why is innovation so hard for large companies?

Jorge in Innovation, Question-To-Innovate, Questions

This is the first of a series 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.

There are many reasons why large companies don’t innovate. But to simplify, it is because most companies are designed to execute, not innovate.

There are a few that do “get” innovation. But, traditionally companies are founded to make money as an outcome, not to last. And, even if companies make money and have both resources and assets, it doesn’t mean that they will innovate. To innovate, you must change. And to change, is something most don’t plan to do or are willing to do.…

3 Questions to help you take charge of change

Jorge in Leadership

This is a guest post from John Baldoni. John is an internationally recognized leadership consultant, coach, author and speaker. This excerpt is adapted from his newest book, The Leader’s Pocket Guide.

One reason we fear change is because we feel a loss of control. And while you cannot control the change process, you can control how you and your team react to it.

Assert your ownership. Doing so shifts the emphasis from something being done to you to something over which you have control. Consider these three questions to help you take charge:

What do we do now? Understand that you have a choice; you can opt out and not accept the change. Of course you may feel that for financial reasons you cannot do this, but understand that, unless you have been sentenced to jail, you are free to decide what to do. Making decisions to stay for whatever reason means that you have made a decision. Likewise, if you decide to leave, that is your decision.
What do we do next? Make your teammates aware of what you have decided to do. If you are staying in, you want to make certain your boss knows that you are still part of the team. If your disappointment is evident, as it might be with a loss of promotion, acknowledge it but do not dwell on the negativity. Reassure the boss that you are still in the game and want to be considered as a contributor. Such behavior will mark you as one who has a strong sense of self and can deal with disappointment.
How can we make this work for us? Consider how you can turn the situation to your advantage. Look for ways to turn the change into new opportunities. Find ways to assert your can-do spirit. Be proactive. Look for ways to make a positive difference.

Owning the change process and making it work for you is critical to demonstrating resilience as well as an ability to move forward. It is very definitely a mark of leadership.

P.S. I highly recommend my readers to get Mr. Baldoni’s Leadership pocket book guide because it is full of useful to the point advice like this on a variety of leadership and management topics.