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Phil McKinney

Phil McKinney is an innovator, podcaster, author, and speaker. He is the retired CTO of HP. Phil's book, Beyond The Obvious, shares his expertise and lessons learned on innovation and creativity.

Predicting The Future With A Vision Video

Predicting the future is not for the faint of heart. It can be tricky to know what and when something is going to happen. It’s not enough to just have an opinion of what the future holds but you have to have a way to show the future so others can see and respond to […]

Creating a vision video to tell your innovation story

Biennial of the Americas: Innovating Education So Our Kids Can Compete In The Creative Economy

So what is the Biennial?  The Biennial of the Americas is an international festival of ideas, art, and culture hosted in Denver, Colorado, that provides a nonpartisan platform for leaders in business, government, civil society, and the arts to examine the significant issues impacting life in the Ame

Biennial of the Americas

How protocol, bureaucracy and turf wars block innovation

Innovation, if it includes a change in the status quo, is commonly perceived as a threat. People and organizations resist change and can call on their corporate antibodies to both slow and block innovation. All that is further compounded by turf considerations that tend to align supporters and detra

turf wars block innovation

If Playing Fuels Creativity Then When Is The Last Time You Played?

In today’s busy world it can be hard to carve time out of a daily routine, especially for activities whose benefits don’t seem immediately obvious.  However, an exception should be made for playing.  Commonly seen as the domain of children, playing has benefits for everyone, including adult professi

playing fuels creativity

Are You Blind To The Disruptive Trends In Your Industry?

When I saw this cartoon on my flight back from China last week, I couldn’t stop laughing. It reminded me how easy it is to be blind to the disruptions that are happening all around us. How is it that we can’t see the changes happening?  Because it requires that we admit that we missed something […]

Beyond The Obvious Is Now Available In Simplified Chinese [创客学:苹果公司也在偷师的创新课]

During my recent trip to China I discovered that the simplified Chinese translation of my book, Beyond The Obvious (创客学:苹果公司也在偷师的创新课), has been released and on-sale.  I reached out to the publisher while I was in China and there was a mad scramble to setup a handful of press interviews while I was t

How Does Creativity Benefit the Economy?

Creativity produces fresh ideas, which are the basis for progress in today’s economy.  Why should we value creativity in the 21st century? With an uncertain global economy and a need not just for progress, but for innovative progress that creates jobs and benefits the global society, emphasizing cre

economy creativity creative innovation

Is It True That Exercise Can Radically Boost Creativity?

You lace up the running shoes and go out for an early morning jog. Halfway through your workout, the crystal-clear solution to that nagging problem you’ve been thinking about for weeks pops into your head like a bolt of lightning. You speed up to get home and write down that creative solution before

improved creativity exercise

Personal Creativity Lives in All of Us

We have all heard someone say, “Oh, I am not a creative person at all. I don’t paint, draw, write, or do anything like that.” People tend to think of personal creativity in terms of artistic skills or genetic abilities. But whether that creative spark is a barely-heard whisper or a loud buzz that yo

personal creativity skills

Could Your Innovation Failure Be Innovation Progress?

Is innovation failure a contradiction? Innovation leaders and analysts say no. Venture Capitalist and Forbes writer Henry Doss observes that “…failure is a feature of highly innovative organizations….[T]here is a strong correlation between failure and innovation.” According to Doss, in a culture whi

innovation failure risk