Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Innovation”
Updated January 31, 2023 In part 1 of the What Is Innovation? series, we talked about the difference between creativity and innovation. If creativity is the practice of bringing a new perspective and having it add value, innovation is the process of transforming that creativity into value. But even using the most creative tricks I know – like thinking inside …
Updated January 17, 2023 The many definitions for innovation If you asked 10 different people to define innovation, you’d get 20 different responses. It’s one of those things that seems simple to define and understand but turns complicated when you’re pressed for specifics. It’s no wonder. Innovation has turned into one of the biggest cliché words executives use to talk …
January 3, 2023 A century ago, economist Joseph Schumpeter said that crises were seedbeds of innovation and entrepreneurship. History shows that during these times, new technologies are developed and industries remade. These are times when people discover undiscovered possibilities. For example, from previous depressions came the incandescent light bulb, radio, refrigeration, the first working helicopter, and the ballpoint pen. The …
December 20, 2022 I’ve had goals since I was in third grade and wanted to run faster than Dee Maxon at recess. But I had no clue how to do it. I’ve had hundreds of goals since third grade, and I’m probably at about a 50% success rate – but my success rate is getting better fast. Here’s the one …
December 6, 2022 How does a company swing from scrapping together toys from actual scraps in the Great Depression to becoming a household name to nearly filing for bankruptcy to being one of history’s greatest innovation superstars? By being really good at building, and rebuilding, one brick at a time. I’m talking, of course, about LEGO. LEGO wasn’t always an …
November 22, 2022 Have you ever noticed how creative kids are? Young people see a cardboard box and it becomes a pirate ship. A stump in the woods is now a queen’s throne. Tie a swath of cloth around their neck and suddenly they’re a superhero. When’s the last time you did that? Have you ever thought about why you …
November 8, 2022 What do Netflix, Dollar Shave Club, Apple, and Cirque du Soleil all have in common? According to William Kilmer, author of Transformative, these companies all did something none of their competitors could: transformed their business model to create entirely new markets while making their competitors struggle to keep up. It’s the holy grail for a company. To …
October 25, 2022 I can still remember my first big travel adventure as a kid. It was the summer between first and second grade. My dad took a week off of work, which is a big deal for a farmer in the summer. Mom packed suitcases and stuffed sandwiches into fold-over baggies. My sister, one of my brothers, and I …
October 11, 2022 I remember the first day I walked into my engineering classes as a college freshman. Within a nano-second it was clear there was no one else like me in the class. “Like me” meaning I was the only woman. As I walked through the door at the front of the room, my gaze instantly went up the …
September 27, 2022 When was the last time someone at work asked you how you felt about a major change in the business? Has anyone ever asked you for your perspective? And if they did, did you feel heard? Valued? Respected? If you’re thinking that seldom happens but it’d be amazing if it did, you’re not alone. Eighty-eight percent of …
August 30, 2022 An idea needs six components to stick in people’s minds. Chip and Dan Heath’s research, published in their 2007 book Made to Stick, found that an idea has to be: Simple Unexpected Concrete Credible Emotional A Story Any leader worth their salt knows that ideas need to be simple, credible, and create an emotional reaction. But why …
August 9, 2022 “Fail fast.” “Fail forward.” “There’s no innovation and creativity without failure.” “Failure’s not an option.” A lot of language gets thrown around about failure in innovation. It all seems well and good until someone actually fails. Then? All hell breaks loose. People point fingers, make excuses, and look for the sacrificial lambs. Someone to reprimand or even …
July 12, 2022 Six weeks ago I started lifting weights back at the gym.Yesterday morning my daughter Abby came with me. I asked her why she was dressed in full-blown Rocky Balboa sweats and hoodie.“I’m hiding my pump, Mom.” What does that even mean???? She explained that it’s a Tik Tok thing…that people go to the gym and get all jacked up but no one knows …
June 14, 2022 Did you know that 5.4 million companies opened last year? And, out of all these companies, there are thousands of employees with innovative ideas just waiting to be shared. To create a culture of innovation and inspire your employees, you need to take the right steps. Work culture should be inclusive and encouraging, not demotivating and dull. Now, you …
May 31, 2022 Breaking down silos is more important than ever in order to transform business. We often see departments stay within their team and job description confines. However, by sticking with these job titles, it creates barriers and prevents your organization from working together more collaboratively. We’re at a tipping point, where the skills of an employee are more …
May 17, 2022 More than 60 years ago, Psychologist J. P. Guilford created the terms convergent and divergent thinking. Convergent refers to your ability to bring things together into a narrow focus or well-defined answer to a problem. This is great when you’re working on logical projects where there is one best answer. Divergent thinking, on the other hand, is …
May 3, 2022 When was the last time you saw someone use a Blackberry? Once one of the most popular smartphones in the world, Blackberry’s stock dropped by 94% between 2007 and 2016. Why? A lack of realizing that innovation should be a competitive advantage. Amid their roaring success in the business world, Blackberry didn’t fight to keep its competitive …
March 22, 2022 New teams struggle to gel because they’ve been asked to perform in ways they aren’t conditioned to do. In a band, every person has their own expertise, and they practice on their own over and over again. They know that being great as a solo act is one thing. But when they add in the harmony of …
March 8, 2022 Today is International Women’s Day. There’s no better day of the year to acknowledge and celebrate women who are leading innovation in their areas of expertise around the world. Research shows that when women are in leadership positions, they bring better business performance. When there’s greater gender diversity, especially at the senior level, companies perform better and …
March 1, 2022 If you asked 10 different people to define innovation, you’d get 20 different responses. It’s one of those things that seems simple to define and understand but turns complicated when you’re pressed for specifics. It’s no wonder. Innovation has turned into one of the biggest cliché words executives use to talk about how they differentiate their companies …
