ideas

The Real Recipe for Innovation

When I talk to business leaders, I always ask about the most difficult challenges they face day in and day out. Increasingly, I’m hearing about how hard it is to innovate on a consistent basis. This anecdotal evidence is now being supported by a recent McKinsey Global Survey that polled more than 2,200 senior executives…

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Are You Inspiring or Dousing Innovation?

Seeing as how summer is supposed to include some rest and relaxation, I took advantage of a rare day off last week and went to Sea World (one of the many perks of living in San Diego). I especially enjoyed the Shamu “House of Douse” show, in which several large killer whales do their best…

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Our Brains Are Out to Get Us!

Andy Grove, the founder of microchip giant Intel, once said, “Business success contains the seeds of its own destruction.” Just look around and it’s hard to argue with him. General Motors. Enron. Washington Mutual. Lehman Brothers. PanAm. The landscape is littered with once-dominant companies that have lost their position of market leadership or gone completely…

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What If You Took the Time to Ask “What If?”

Recently I was doing a keynote presentation on innovation when a member of the audience, a senior manager at a large company, posed this question: “What’s the difference between individual and organizational innovation? We have plenty of people who come up with good ideas, but nothing new ever seems to get done in our company.”…

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Making the Leap to Disruptive Innovation

Does your organization struggle to innovate on a consistent basis? If so, you may want to get your customers involved. Innovative companies have always intuitively understood the importance of customer feedback. But now there’s evidence that strongly suggests that direct customer involvement in the new product development process can make a real difference in your…

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Two, Four, Six, Eight… Are You Going To Innovate?

Are you sick and tired of hearing about the constant need to innovate in today’s markets? If so, I have some bad news. Innovation is not just another catchphrase of the day. It’s a new business imperative, and it’s not going away any time soon. The good news is that most leaders and managers are…

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