This page contains a summary of all of the past shows in the form of an archive. They are presented in date order starting with the newest. If you are looking for a specific topic, I would suggest you use the search function to the right.
Is it better to use internal innovation resources?
Organic (internal) Innovation Organic Innovation, based on the use of internal resources, is one of three elements of an organizations innovation mix. As with any type of innovation, there are pros (control) and cons (risk). To properly manage internal innovation programs, an organization needs to properly manage the innovation portfolio. Innovation Portfolio The innovation portfolio consists […]Read More »Getting The Innovation Mix Correct
Innovation Mix The innovation mix is about managing the 3 different sources of innovation in a way to; a) improve the innovation success rate while, b) reducing the innovation risk. The 3 sources of innovation for the mix are: Organic InnovationOrganic innovation is the innovation that results from the resources (people, time and money) from […]Read More »How To Fight The Innovation Antibodies And Win
The antagonist of the innovator is the corporate antibody. Much like antibodies in our immune system attack and destroy foreign objects that might harm the body, “antibodies” in your organization identify and neutralize forces that threaten to destabilize a company. And in much the same way as antibodies can damage the very thing they seek to protect […]Read More »Do you need innovation skills for a successful career?
It takes innovation leadership skills to win in the highly competitive world these days. While most will try to rest on the traditional management and leadership skills to succeed in their careers as executives, its those that innovate their leadership skills for innovation that will achieve career success. So what are the differences? Below is a brief summary of […]Read More »Going Beyond The Obvious
This weeks Killer Innovations podcast is ~15 minute segment from a one hour talk I recently gave to the team at PureMatter at their annual team offsite at the Computer History Museum. The topic: Going Beyond The Obvious We are faced with the obvious next steps in our daily lives. But doing the obvious without thinking […]Read More »Innovation Is About Sticking With It
One piece of advice I give to anyone who desires to be the innovation leader within their organization – get ready for the long haul. Success as an innovator requires focus, determination, tensity and a “never give up” mentality. Why? Because there will be more than enough reason to give up. Others within the organization […]Read More »Getting Comfortable Taking Innovation Risks – Getting over your fear of something going wrong
So … you’ve come up with that killer idea. To move it forward, you need to take some risk. Risk that could include: investing your retirement fund, quitting your job and possibly including convincing others to invest their retirement fund and quitting their job to join you. Suddenly you hesitate … the risk seems enormous […]Read More »How To Uncover Emerging Trends And Weak Signals
During a recent press interview, I was asked by a reporter for my view on what the next “hot” thing will be. A question that is becoming more common with each press interview given the current market conditions. I shared a few trends of personal interest that I’ve been tracking. So, what is the […]Read More »Using Creativity To Create A Killer Career – Using questions to think differently about your career
I’m amazed at the breadth of human ingenuity to solve social, economic, political and even technical challenges. The one area where I don’t see ingenuity applied nearly as much is when it comes to planning our careers and preparing future job prospects. Can you apply the same killer question approach to planning your career? YES! […]Read More »Telling Your Idea Story – Create a convincing story so that others will sacrifice to make your idea successful
How do you create a convincing message so that others will sacrifice to make your idea successful? Its all about storytelling. If you follow the same structure used by movie industry and by book authors, you can create a story that will attract others to your killer idea. What is that structure? Stimulate their emotion […]Read More »How To Estimate The Value Of An Idea
So you have a great idea. How big is it? What is the value of the idea to the organization? Most people get hung up trying to come up with the exact answer. In most cases, you won’t find the perfect answer. Especially if you are breaking new ground. What I find lacking is the […]Read More »Improve Innovation Adoption By Communicating The Utility and Cost Benefit
Why are some innovations more successful than others? Innovation success is never just about what is possible. It’s always about the choices customers and markets make from among what we can do. A key consideration when making the choices on which innovations to us is the “total utility” — which is defined as: The sum […]Read More »Career Advice For Finding The Dream Innovation Job
Finding that dream job in the innovation/creativity economy seems out of reach to many. It’s not. With the right level of commitment, energy and passion, you can land that job. What is your dream innovation job? Some may say that I have the dream job and I would have to agree. Now that doesn’t mean […]Read More »Proving The Value Of Innovation – How do you prove to management that innovation is important?
Innovation is one of the key catalysts from the economic recovery – but only if senior management protects and support it, rather than cut it or even eliminate it. The reason senior managers consider cutting innovation programs is because of the impression that it delivers little to no impact. Are there ways to prove the […]Read More »When is the best time to innovate?
When is the best time to innovate? Innovation is 24×7 .. not something that you wait “until your in the mood” Some of the drivers that cause people/organizations to all of sudden change their view of innovation Competitors … they are constantly beating you to market Economic Trends … our old products aren’t selling – […]Read More »Adjacent Innovations – How to use adjacencies to create killer innovations
How do you improve the success rate of your innovation programs? Everyone wants to focus on the “new/new” (new product/service with a new “go to market”). These kinds of project are high risk and hard to convince management that the project will be successful. One way to de-risk the project is the take a “new/new” […]Read More »Lessons Learned From Creating Innovation Teams
Segment 1: Lessons Learned From Creating Innovation Teams Changing the organizations culture People will resist Be prepared for corporate anti-bodies Secure deep management support Win by example Find/train/support innovation evangelists Define the metrics Management needs proof of impact and success Secure broad agreement on the right metrics (management, finance, operations, etc) Metrics that have worked […]Read More »Changing Your Perspective Skills
Segment 1: How to change your perspective and look beyond the obvious We all have filters We don’t even realize we have filters (what is half of thirteen?) We need our own internal flags to remind us to change our perspective Segment 2: Why is the killer innovation approach better? Full 360 degree view of […]Read More »Observation Skills – Find the unspoken needs and wants of customers
Segment 1: Using observation to find the unspoken needs and wants of customers Simple approach – Use feedback from customers (complaints, emails, etc) Go deeper Active Observation – get our of the chair/office and go to where the customers are Active Reflection – after the observation, go back and dig deeper in the information you […]Read More »