leadership
Thinking Creatively in a World of Normality
The world is a place of normality. It’s the place where we go to school, work, and come home to our families. We see the same people every day and do the same things. We are used to doing things in a certain way and we don’t question it. But what if we were to […]
Innovation Mentoring vs. Innovation Coaching: Which Do You Need?
Mentoring is certainly not a new concept. In fact, the name comes from a character named “Mentor” in Homer’s Odyssey. He was a trusted advisor to Odysseus’ son. Even though its roots run back thousands of years, however, the recent growth of social learning has given rise to a boom in mentoring and
Great Leaders Keep Cool Under Fire
My grandfather had an old saying when I was growing up, “Never burn a bridge.” At the time, I thought it was a strange saying. It was only later that I realized what he was saying. No matter how someone treats you, don’t get angry and never retaliate as it will destroy the relationship. Great […] h
Why You Need an Innovation System
So, what happens if you don’t use an innovation system like FIRE to innovate and execute the strongest ideas? One of the biggest dangers of not having a way to identify and execute the best ideas is that weak ideas get selected and the results are disappointing. When this happens, management loses c
What Are The Corporate Antibodies And Are They Dangerous To Your Ideas?
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 antib
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
4 Questions New Leaders Should Ask
IDG (parent company for CIO, Computerworld, CSO, Infoworld, ITWorld and MACWorld) asked what advice I would give new leaders. At the moment, I didn’t think it was going to be that hard. But then they added a constraint. I had to do it in less than 5 minutes. So I shared what I did when […]
3 Big Hairy Audacious Goals That Drove Game-Changing Innovations
Arnold H. Glasow would know. An entrepreneur of the Great Depression, Glasow set the goal of making everyone in America smile. And he did. He published humor magazine after humor magazine for 60 years. In fact, he was so good at it that publications like the Chicago Tribune, Forbes, and the Wall Str
Developing Leadership Skills for Innovation: The Questions Strong Leaders Ask
Becoming an effective innovation leader is about more than just understanding the principles of leadership. If you’re trying to improve your innovation leadership skills, there are several questions you can ask yourself to see where you stand and how you are impacting your organization. Question #1:
Leadership Failures and the Innovation Lessons Learned
Individuals in a position of leadership have a heavy weight of responsibility on their shoulders, particularly when it comes to the innovation process. Breaking the laws of innovation can cause the entire process to crumble. Learning from the leadership failures of others can offer some insight into
