To successfully navigate the innovation process, you need more than one type of leader. As the saying goes, you are only as strong as your weakest point. This applies to many aspects of life but is especially visible when your organization is trying to roll out a new innovation initiative. Most companies have a single…
As a leader, you’ve likely heard that you need to get all the right people on your bus to make progress. It’s one of Jim Collins’ biggest lessons from his best-seller, Good to Great. But it’s not that simple—as Collins points out, “There are really three parts of this question of the right people. The…
Stay ahead of the competition and become future-ready Talent development is key to building a competitive organization. A common mistake is to think your organization’s competitive advantage only comes from products and services, but this is not true. A competitive advantage is a result of superior talent—who are then able to make more contextual products…
How to help everyone find their role in creating innovation. Does this innovation challenge sound familiar? Your team leaders and managers acknowledge the importance of innovation and even sing its praises— but if you ask them how they routinely champion innovation within their teams, you might get crickets. The problem is that most people managers,…
Without imagination, innovation stalls in the present. Futuristic thinking is a critical skill for everyone—business owners, leaders, veteran team members, and new hires alike. Without it, teams can’t imagine what the organization will look like in five, 10, or 20 years. They can’t imagine their future customers, sources of revenue, competitors, or even what it…
Steve Jobs once said, “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” He was certainly referring to leading in terms of industry: if your company is innovating, it will generally lead the pack. But I think he was also referencing positional titles in the workplace. If you are a leader, you are expected to innovate….
While most leaders champion innovation in their companies, very few employees actively engage in innovation activities. There is a problem to solve, then—if employees aren’t involved and passionate about innovation, the result will be higher failure rates of innovation initiatives. Why don’t employees get excited about innovation? One factor could be that the term “innovation”…
When you think about your job, how do you feel? Truly think about it—write something down even. Are you fulfilled? Frustrated? Overwhelmed, engaged, proud, bored, thankful, unchallenged? If you’re feeling unchallenged and frustrated in your work, then something needs to change—and soon. Because it’s likely you will realize, or already have realized, that your position…
As innovators, we are always striving for betterment. But how do we achieve it? You cannot be a successful innovator alone, nor can you if you do not know the challenges you face. Some of the most important aspects of being a successful innovator are knowing yourself and knowing who can help you—and when it’s…
Being an inventor is a great achievement. After all, you are the one who comes up with the ideas, or a new discovery. From incandescent light bulbs to the internet of things (IoT), inventors have made untold numbers of improvements to our lives. We have been privileged to work with many people who are truly world-class…
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