Innovation

Get More Done – Interrupt Your Interruptions

If you’re feeling the need for more peace and quiet these days, you’re not alone. One of the latest trends sweeping the business world is the “pod” – a small, free-standing soundproof space that can comfortably hold one or two people.  If you look around, you’ll notice them sprouting up in offices, airports and other…

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Let Your Brain Take the Road Less Traveled

   Do you often find yourself doing the same things over and over and wondering why you get the same results every time? Contrary to the popular adage “insanity is doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results,” it doesn’t mean you’ve lost your marbles. In fact, you’re probably doing exactly…

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Work Less, Get More Done

One of the great ironies of our times is that the more we learn about the importance of uninterrupted focus in human performance, the more distractions and interruptions we face on a daily basis. Voice mail. Email. Telemarketing. Spam. Tweets. Snapchats. Texting. Instant messaging. Popup ads wherever we go on the Internet. Mobile applications that…

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Achieving Disruptive Innovation

    “Disruptive innovation” seems to be one of the more popular buzzwords in today’s business lexicon. Many companies pursue it. Few actually achieve it. Most end up settling for incremental innovation. What’s the difference between the two? Apple offers a perfect example. When the iPad and iPhone first came out, they revolutionized the mobile…

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Strategic Agility –The Next Big Thing is Here

In today’s hyper-paced world, few things are more important to business success than the ability to respond quickly to sudden changes in market conditions or customer needs. Whether the disruption comes from the introduction of a new technology, a new competitor that nobody saw coming, or drastic changes in economic policy and trade agreements, the…

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Three Common Innovation Mistakes

    Company leaders love to talk about innovation.  When was the last time your company came out with something really new? How long has it been since you totally reinvented a critical business process that resulted in significant cost savings or productivity increases?  If you can’t remember (or you can remember but it’s been…

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Prompt Employees to Think Strategically

In today’s hyper-paced markets, leaders must prompt employees to think strategically.  Gone are the days of employees plodding along waiting for the next big thing to roll down from corporate.  Companies need to innovate on a consistent basis in order to win. However, ongoing innovation is no easy task. First of all, innovation doesn’t mean…

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Oh, The Things you Can Thunk

Dr. Seuss has always been one of my favorite authors, especially his book Oh, The Thinks You Can Think. As a child I loved his clever rhymes, wild imagination, and endless array of made-up creatures. As an adult, I love his playfulness with the English language and how he really gets what a marvelous instrument…

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Is Your Strategic Plate Too Full?

What is strategy? A simple question, but the answer may be more complex than you think. The dictionary defines strategy as “a plan, method, or series of maneuvers or stratagems for obtaining a specific goal or result.” Hard to argue with that. But while the basic definition may not have changed, how we go about…

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Ready for 3D Printed Rocketry?

If think you’re doing a pretty good job adjusting to today’s light-speed rate of change, take a deep breath, because in the words of Bachman Turner Overdrive, b-b-b-baby you ain’t seen nothing yet! Ever heard of a company called Planetary Resources? Its long-term vision involves landing robots on asteroids and planets to mine them for…

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Five More Ways to Sustain Your Innovation Efforts

  Innovation often requires us to think and act differently from the way the human brain likes to operate.  For example, some of the most important innovation leadership skills require conscious effort to override the brain’s innate tendency to see what it wants to see. These include: Challenging your assumptions Changing your perspective Asking the…

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How to Lose the Fear of Focus

    The business world moves so rapidly these days it’s a wonder anyone can keep up. While this create stress, it also opens up a host of opportunities for those with the vision and passion to pursue them. However, like a kid in a candy store with only a few dollars to spend, it…

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