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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.

The Power of Questions And How To Use It!

I’ve been fascinated by the power of questions, either good or bad, for my entire professional life. The more I thought about them, the more I began to notice how people used them. I started to see how some people had the innate ability to formulate and pose questions that propelled others to make i

power of questions

Goals and the Journey to Fully Living S14 Ep17

Download Goals_and_the_Journey_to_Fully_Living_S14_Ep17.mp3 Did you ever set a goal or New Year’s resolution only to abandon it?  Do find your life lacks purpose? Do you doubt your ability to accomplish amazing things?  Today’s show features Tal Gur, blogger, author, motivational

goals

What input, if reduced, would allow me to cut the price by 25 percent

There is a reason that the percentage in this question is as high as it is. Sure, it would sound less scary and more reasonable if I asked you how you could cut your price by 5 percent, or maybe 8 percent, but that would be missing the point. If

What input, if reduced, would allow me to cut the price by 25 percent

Building and Testing The Killer Questions

I started collecting the Killer Questions when I was in my short-lived “retirement” early in 2001. As I relaxed in the Virginian countryside, my mind started to flash back to various experiences I’d had during my working life. Over the course of the preceding twenty years I’d seen dozens of highly i

Killer Questions

Politics of Innovation: How Should Politicians Think About Innovation? S14 Ep16

Download Politics_of_Innovation_How_Should_Politicians_Think_About_Innovation_S14_Ep16.mp3 The pressure is intense in the U.S. government to get innovation efforts underway.  “Beltway bandits” riddle proposals with “innovation” in hopes of securing contracts.  Politicians believe it will solve all the problems. This politics of innovation

politics of innovation

Who do I not want to use my product now, but may want to in the future

We tend to assume that any customer is a good customer. However, if you find that you’re working like crazy and have a solid and reliable customer base, but you’re still not making the profits you expected, then ask the Killer Question, Who do I not want to

Who do I not want to use my product now, but may want to in the future

Why Do Questions Matter For Your Success?

One day when my kids were still little I was sitting in the car with my daughter Tara. She was about four years old at the time, and as we drove down the street she noticed the curb along the side of the road and got curious about it. Suddenly I was fielding question after […]

Questions Matter

The Innovation Nursery: Technology Growth in the Midwest S14 Ep15

Download The_Innovation_Nursery-_Technology_Growth_in_the_Midwest.mp3 What brought a successful Wall Street investor and a lauded entrepreneur to Central Ohio?  Flavio Lobato and John D’Orazio, Ikove Capital Co-Founders, saw amazing innovation where few were looking.  To cultivate technology growth in the Midwest, Ikove Capital

innovation nursery

Who is using my product in a way I never intended and how

Once a product has sold, it’s pretty much out of your control. You may have an idea why people will buy it, and what they’ll do with it, but the most you can ever do is guess. So why are you assuming that you know what your customer

Who is using my product in a way I never intended and how

Is The Current Innovation Refresh Rate A Good Thing?

As the retired CTO of a major technology company, I was surrounded by visual clues that clearly indicate when a tech product is headed to the gadget graveyard. Most of the time, it’s hard to ignore these clues, because they are pretty obvious. I see them in meetings with my coworkers or customers wh

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