Expert insights. Personalized for you.
Can you find 33 hidden countries in the text below? Don’t look back in anger,” many a wise man has said, including William Shakespeare who wrote “Much Ado about Nothing.”. The captain asked the sargent in an email if he could plug and advertise the notice in the formal information pack. He wore a jumper under his coat and a cap which protected him when the ice landed on his head. Did you happen to go to London recently?” I enquired. “I MORE
140 
Roger Hargreaves and the Mr Men Books. In 1970, Roger Hargreaves’ 6-year-old son Adam asked his father a question. It was a question that only a child could ask. No adult would ever conceive of it. Adam said, ‘Daddy, what does a tickle look like?’. In response Hargreaves, a cartoonist, drew a picture of a round orange blob with a face and long rubbery arms. It became the central character in Hargreaves’ first book, Mr Tickle. MORE
Vidusha. Vidusha Nathavitharana is an author and trainer on leadership issues. He argues that you need five key people in your close circle. A Supporter. This is someone who believes in you and likes you. They are generally positive and supportive about your plans and ambitions. MORE
Until 1954 there was only one television channel in the UK. It was the publicly owned BBC. In that year the government auctioned licences for commercial TV stations. These would be regional operations which could offer advertising on TV for the first time. Various companies were interested in this opportunity and they naturally focussed on the regions with the best demographics – it seemed natural that rich regions would generate more advertising revenue. MORE
Thomas Sullivan was a tea merchant in New York. In 1908 he despatched to customers samples of tea leaves in small silken sachets for them to try. Some people thought that the sachets were to be used like metal infusers. MORE
There are many ways. Here are some suggestions: First recognise that we all live inside boxes which frame our view of the world. We all make assumptions. Stay curious and open-minded. Ask many questions about any situation and be receptive to different points of view. MORE
Which of these is the most important skill for a leader of innovation? Setting the vision, goals and metrics. Generation of great ideas. Selection of the best ideas. Starting exploration projects. Listening to customer feedback. Managing the portfolio and stage-gates. MORE
If your organisation is facing a difficult time during the current downturn then here are some questions to ask at your next executive meeting. Are we doing all that is necessary in order to survive? I guess that is the question that you are already sharply focussed on. MORE
Image by Mhouge from Pixabay. I was pleased and proud to be appointed to the position of CIO (Chief Innovation Officer). It seemed like a great opportunity to join a dynamic executive team and help drive the growth and ambition which inspired the company. MORE
Women are under-represented in the lists of great inventors, innovators and pioneers. How many can you name in this quiz? Who was the first woman to be elected head of state in modern history? Which pioneer of nursing was the first person to use pie charts and was the first woman member of the Royal Statistical Society? Which female mathematician is considered to be the world’s first computer programmer? Who invented the modern life raft? MORE
Are you creative? I want to show you that you are can be more creative than you might think. Please take a moment to view these three Creativity Challenges on Youtube. Creative Challenge #1. Creative Challenge #2. Creative Challenge #3. MORE
Image by Elisa Riva on Pixabay. Here are ten ways to develop your logical thinking skills. Play chess. Solve soduko puzzles. Make lists, analyse your work, break it down into smaller tasks. Learn problem analysis methods such as six sigma and why, why. Learn critical path methods. Study Mathematics. MORE
LinkedIn is the primary social media platform for business professionals. Your profile is important but so is your activity. There are several benefits in posting articles on LinkedIn (LI). 1. It demonstrates your expertise. MORE
Why are tribes so hostile to those who depart from the norms of the tribe? Joseph Palmer was born in 1791 in Massachusetts, one of 14 children. He grew up to be a successful farmer. He took to wearing a beard which was a most uncommon practice at the time. MORE
Supercharge your memory with my online course. Here are three video clips from my five day memory challenge which introduced the course. How to remember names. Memory pegging – how to remember a list. Memory pegging part 2. Enroll on the full course for more great memory tips and techniques. MORE
Image by Neven Divkovic from Pixabay. If you are planning a major change, a big initiative, a new product launch or something really innovative then try writing a future news story. Imagine that the project has been a surprisingly big success. MORE
Each question contains a three letter combination in capitals. There follows a short clue with the length of the answer shown in brackets. You have to find the word which contains the unusual letter combination. For example if the question were TTH, restrain (8) the answer would be WITHHOLD. MORE
Here is a question for leaders and managers. Would you like your people to try out their ideas for better ways to meet the needs of customers or better ways to run the business? MORE
Gibbard and Tamborello. In 2001 two musicians, Ben Gibbard and Jimmy Tambrello, wanted to collaborate on some new compositions. The problem was that they lived hundreds of miles apart at opposite ends of America’s west coast. MORE
Paul MacCready. Paul MacCready (1925 – 2007) was an aeronautical engineer and inventor of the first human-powered aircraft. MacCready was born in Connecticut to family of doctors. He was fascinated by engineering and airplanes from a young age. At 15 he won a national model building contest. MORE
How do you go about making a really tough decision? Like whether to quit your job, buy a house or dump your boyfriend? You have weighed up all the options, written down the pros and cons, tossed and turned in your bed but still cannot decide. MORE
According to Jim Rohn, you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. The people you associate with help shape what you think and who you are. We tend to congregate with friends who are like us in background, interests, education, attitudes and opinions. MORE
An Oxford comma walks into a bar where it spends the evening watching the television, getting drunk, and smoking cigars. A dangling participle walks into a bar. Enjoying a cocktail and chatting with the bartender, the evening passes pleasantly. A bar was walked into by the passive voice. MORE
223 
I love playing games. I believe that there are great benefits in playing games and in adopting a playful approach to life in general. Games help develop a range of vital skills in children and they love playing them. MORE
The use of chance is a key element in lateral thinking. How can you deliberately introduce chance into your creative thinking? The Random Word method is very good. Here is another brainstorm method for you to try – Roll the Dice. MORE
(With apologies to Paul Simon). Say goodbye with a wave, Dave. Just get up and leave, Steve. Go for the kill, Bill. When you hear an idea. Don’t try something new, Stu. Just do what you know, Joe. Don’t mess with success, Jess. Treat failure with fear. Don’t share your concern, Bern. MORE
201 As an author and trainer, I have run master classes around the world on lateral thinking and innovation. I have now created a number of online courses to help you acquire skills in these areas. Please take a look at these courses. Master Lateral Thinking. Problem Analysis Tools and Techniques. MORE
In times of severe recession should you cut costs and focus on survival or take the opportunity to invest in innovation so that you can benefit from the eventual recovery? Well the short answer is that you have to survive first. MORE
Have you ever used a knife as a screwdriver or a shoe as a hammer? If so you repurposed a product for an application that the producer did not foresee. You put the product to another use. This idea can be a fruitful source of innovations for your product or service if you only you can think laterally. De Beers is a diamond mining company founded in South Africa in 1888. MORE
Tony Hsieh (pronounced Shay) was born in 1973 in Illinois. His parents were immigrants from Taiwan who met at graduate school. Hsieh studied computer science at Harvard University where he was a member of a prize-winning programming contest team. MORE
Here are some thinking tips to help make you a better chess player. Funnily enough the same approaches can be very helpful in other walks of life too. Develop your pieces. At the start of the game don’t move the same piece several times or launch a premature attack with just one or two pieces. This rarely works. Use each move to develop another piece and put it on a strong square. Get your knights and bishops out to guard your centre. Castle and then centralise your rooks. Have a plan. MORE
Bryan Cranston in Breaking Bad. Here are my choices for the top TV box sets to binge watch. Breaking Bad. The very best. Bryan Cranston is brilliant as a high school chemistry teacher who starts a new career as a meth producer. Five seasons of compelling drama. The Sopranos. MORE
184 In the 1970s, psychologist Matie Flowers carried out an experiment to study how teams discuss and make decisions. Flowers asked 40 separate teams to come up with plans to solve a hypothetical problem at a school. This involved a mix of issues including staff conflicts, inadequate budgets and classroom discipline. Each team consisted of four people who played different roles; superintendent, principal, counselor and parent representative. They were given different sets of information. MORE
Elon Musk. What do the following people have in common? Levi Strauss, Henry Ford, Estee Lauder, Walt Disney, Elon Musk, Arianna Huffington, Sergey Brin? They are all famous entrepreneurs who founded successful new businesses. But also they are all immigrants or the children of immigrants. MORE
Most new products and services are developments or combinations of existing offerings. But just adding features can lead to a product overloaded with ‘feature bloat’ Instead try giving with one hand and taking away with the other. MORE
If you want to lead a transformation in the business, then you have to sell the idea over and over again to people throughout the organisation. In particular, the leader has to answer these questions which are present in people’s minds even if they are unspoken. Why do we need to change? MORE
Destination Innovation
MAY 19, 2021
Image by Elisa Riva on Pixabay. Here are ten ways to develop your logical thinking skills. Play chess. Solve soduko puzzles. Make lists, analyse your work, break it down into smaller tasks. Learn problem analysis methods such as six sigma and why, why. Learn critical path methods. Study Mathematics.
Destination Innovation
JUNE 14, 2021
Vidusha. Vidusha Nathavitharana is an author and trainer on leadership issues. He argues that you need five key people in your close circle. A Supporter. This is someone who believes in you and likes you. They are generally positive and supportive about your plans and ambitions.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Destination Innovation
APRIL 5, 2021
Most new products and services are developments or combinations of existing offerings. But just adding features can lead to a product overloaded with ‘feature bloat’ Instead try giving with one hand and taking away with the other.
Destination Innovation
JULY 5, 2021
Elon Musk. What do the following people have in common? Levi Strauss, Henry Ford, Estee Lauder, Walt Disney, Elon Musk, Arianna Huffington, Sergey Brin? They are all famous entrepreneurs who founded successful new businesses. But also they are all immigrants or the children of immigrants.
Advertiser: Rosetta Stone
Did you know? Language learning is a proven PD tool that many employees already want, whether their organization is multilingual or not. In this eBook, you’ll learn how language learning makes employees more productive, reduces turnover, and more.
Destination Innovation
DECEMBER 3, 2020
An Oxford comma walks into a bar where it spends the evening watching the television, getting drunk, and smoking cigars. A dangling participle walks into a bar. Enjoying a cocktail and chatting with the bartender, the evening passes pleasantly. A bar was walked into by the passive voice.
Destination Innovation
AUGUST 2, 2020
Gibbard and Tamborello. In 2001 two musicians, Ben Gibbard and Jimmy Tambrello, wanted to collaborate on some new compositions. The problem was that they lived hundreds of miles apart at opposite ends of America’s west coast.
Destination Innovation
APRIL 1, 2021
The use of chance is a key element in lateral thinking. How can you deliberately introduce chance into your creative thinking? The Random Word method is very good. Here is another brainstorm method for you to try – Roll the Dice.
Destination Innovation
JUNE 13, 2021
LinkedIn is the primary social media platform for business professionals. Your profile is important but so is your activity. There are several benefits in posting articles on LinkedIn (LI). 1. It demonstrates your expertise.
Destination Innovation
APRIL 14, 2021
Image by Neven Divkovic from Pixabay. If you are planning a major change, a big initiative, a new product launch or something really innovative then try writing a future news story. Imagine that the project has been a surprisingly big success.
Destination Innovation
JANUARY 28, 2021
According to Jim Rohn, you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. The people you associate with help shape what you think and who you are. We tend to congregate with friends who are like us in background, interests, education, attitudes and opinions.
Advertiser: Rosetta Stone
Communication is the lifeforce of any company. Without it, productivity, employee happiness, and ultimately your business suffers. Investing in language learning better positions global business leaders to see gains in organizational effectiveness as a result.
Destination Innovation
DECEMBER 20, 2020
Here is a question for leaders and managers. Would you like your people to try out their ideas for better ways to meet the needs of customers or better ways to run the business?
|
Destination Innovation
OCTOBER 18, 2020
Thomas Sullivan was a tea merchant in New York. In 1908 he despatched to customers samples of tea leaves in small silken sachets for them to try. Some people thought that the sachets were to be used like metal infusers.
Destination Innovation
APRIL 10, 2020
As an author and trainer, I have run master classes around the world on lateral thinking and innovation. I have now created a number of online courses to help you acquire skills in these areas. Please take a look at these courses. Master Lateral Thinking. Problem Analysis Tools and Techniques.
Destination Innovation
JUNE 30, 2020
(With apologies to Paul Simon). Say goodbye with a wave, Dave. Just get up and leave, Steve. Go for the kill, Bill. When you hear an idea. Don’t try something new, Stu. Just do what you know, Joe. Don’t mess with success, Jess. Treat failure with fear. Don’t share your concern, Bern.
Destination Innovation
FEBRUARY 21, 2020
There are many ways. Here are some suggestions: First recognise that we all live inside boxes which frame our view of the world. We all make assumptions. Stay curious and open-minded. Ask many questions about any situation and be receptive to different points of view.
Advertiser: Rosetta Stone
Most global companies are diverse in perspectives, backgrounds, and yes, language. Language barriers can compound existing communication problems, often resulting in business losses. Learn the 9 warning signs your employees need language training today!
Destination Innovation
APRIL 20, 2020
Which of these is the most important skill for a leader of innovation? Setting the vision, goals and metrics. Generation of great ideas. Selection of the best ideas. Starting exploration projects. Listening to customer feedback. Managing the portfolio and stage-gates.
Destination Innovation
FEBRUARY 7, 2021
I love playing games. I believe that there are great benefits in playing games and in adopting a playful approach to life in general. Games help develop a range of vital skills in children and they love playing them.
Destination Innovation
APRIL 3, 2020
If your organisation is facing a difficult time during the current downturn then here are some questions to ask at your next executive meeting. Are we doing all that is necessary in order to survive? I guess that is the question that you are already sharply focussed on.
Destination Innovation
MARCH 3, 2021
In the 1970s, psychologist Matie Flowers carried out an experiment to study how teams discuss and make decisions. Flowers asked 40 separate teams to come up with plans to solve a hypothetical problem at a school. This involved a mix of issues including staff conflicts, inadequate budgets and classroom discipline. Each team consisted of four people who played different roles; superintendent, principal, counselor and parent representative. They were given different sets of information.
Advertiser: ZoomInfo
In our 24-criterion evaluation of B2B marketing data providers, we identified the 11 most significant vendors — Data Axle, Dun & Bradstreet, Enlyft, Global Database, InsideView, Leadspace, Oracle, SMARTe, Spiceworks Ziff Davis, TechTarget, and ZoomInfo Technologies — and researched, analyzed, and scored them. This report shows how each provider measures up and helps B2B marketing professionals select the right one for their needs.
Destination Innovation
JANUARY 9, 2020
Are you creative? I want to show you that you are can be more creative than you might think. Please take a moment to view these three Creativity Challenges on Youtube. Creative Challenge #1. Creative Challenge #2. Creative Challenge #3.
Destination Innovation
DECEMBER 5, 2019
Supercharge your memory with my online course. Here are three video clips from my five day memory challenge which introduced the course. How to remember names. Memory pegging – how to remember a list. Memory pegging part 2. Enroll on the full course for more great memory tips and techniques.
Destination Innovation
JANUARY 18, 2021
Can you find 33 hidden countries in the text below? Don’t look back in anger,” many a wise man has said, including William Shakespeare who wrote “Much Ado about Nothing.”. The captain asked the sargent in an email if he could plug and advertise the notice in the formal information pack. He wore a jumper under his coat and a cap which protected him when the ice landed on his head. Did you happen to go to London recently?” I enquired. “I
Destination Innovation
MARCH 22, 2020
Bryan Cranston in Breaking Bad. Here are my choices for the top TV box sets to binge watch. Breaking Bad. The very best. Bryan Cranston is brilliant as a high school chemistry teacher who starts a new career as a meth producer. Five seasons of compelling drama. The Sopranos.
Advertiser: ZoomInfo
Over the last two years, there’s been a 76 percent increase in AI adoption across sales organizations. For sales teams, AI opens up a world of new possibilities, including automating outreach, identifying best-fit buyers, and keeping CRMs flush with fresh data. Read on to learn the four AI hacks sales teams need to improve their performance. Download the eBook today!
Destination Innovation
APRIL 10, 2020
Each question contains a three letter combination in capitals. There follows a short clue with the length of the answer shown in brackets. You have to find the word which contains the unusual letter combination. For example if the question were TTH, restrain (8) the answer would be WITHHOLD.
Destination Innovation
MARCH 27, 2020
In times of severe recession should you cut costs and focus on survival or take the opportunity to invest in innovation so that you can benefit from the eventual recovery? Well the short answer is that you have to survive first.
Destination Innovation
DECEMBER 31, 2020
Tony Hsieh (pronounced Shay) was born in 1973 in Illinois. His parents were immigrants from Taiwan who met at graduate school. Hsieh studied computer science at Harvard University where he was a member of a prize-winning programming contest team.
Destination Innovation
MARCH 9, 2020
Image by Mhouge from Pixabay. I was pleased and proud to be appointed to the position of CIO (Chief Innovation Officer). It seemed like a great opportunity to join a dynamic executive team and help drive the growth and ambition which inspired the company.
Advertiser: ZoomInfo
CRM software is a powerful tool when used correctly, yet another obstacle to a sales team’s efficiency when it’s not. Leveraging research and commentary from industry analysts, this eBook explores how your sales team can get back valuable time by overcoming some pain points with your CRM, such as low adoption rates, integrations, and data quality.
Destination Innovation
MARCH 16, 2020
Why are tribes so hostile to those who depart from the norms of the tribe? Joseph Palmer was born in 1791 in Massachusetts, one of 14 children. He grew up to be a successful farmer. He took to wearing a beard which was a most uncommon practice at the time.
Destination Innovation
MAY 2, 2019
Roger Hargreaves and the Mr Men Books. In 1970, Roger Hargreaves’ 6-year-old son Adam asked his father a question. It was a question that only a child could ask. No adult would ever conceive of it. Adam said, ‘Daddy, what does a tickle look like?’. In response Hargreaves, a cartoonist, drew a picture of a round orange blob with a face and long rubbery arms. It became the central character in Hargreaves’ first book, Mr Tickle.
Destination Innovation
JANUARY 14, 2020
If you want to lead a transformation in the business, then you have to sell the idea over and over again to people throughout the organisation. In particular, the leader has to answer these questions which are present in people’s minds even if they are unspoken. Why do we need to change?
Destination Innovation
NOVEMBER 8, 2018
Here are some thinking tips to help make you a better chess player. Funnily enough the same approaches can be very helpful in other walks of life too. Develop your pieces. At the start of the game don’t move the same piece several times or launch a premature attack with just one or two pieces. This rarely works. Use each move to develop another piece and put it on a strong square. Get your knights and bishops out to guard your centre. Castle and then centralise your rooks. Have a plan.
Advertiser: ZoomInfo
Fact: Good data lives at the core of every successful B2B demand generation strategy. Without quality data, it’s nearly impossible to identify and segment your target audience and create messaging that speaks to their values and interests. Whether you’re stepping into a new position or you’re new to demand generation, learning the tricks of the trade can be, well, tricky. In this eBook, you’ll discover how to improve your demand generation program—and your bottom line.
Destination Innovation
MAY 20, 2020
How do you go about making a really tough decision? Like whether to quit your job, buy a house or dump your boyfriend? You have weighed up all the options, written down the pros and cons, tossed and turned in your bed but still cannot decide.
Destination Innovation
JANUARY 4, 2019
Until 1954 there was only one television channel in the UK. It was the publicly owned BBC. In that year the government auctioned licences for commercial TV stations. These would be regional operations which could offer advertising on TV for the first time. Various companies were interested in this opportunity and they naturally focussed on the regions with the best demographics – it seemed natural that rich regions would generate more advertising revenue.
Destination Innovation
MARCH 30, 2019
Women are under-represented in the lists of great inventors, innovators and pioneers. How many can you name in this quiz? Who was the first woman to be elected head of state in modern history? Which pioneer of nursing was the first person to use pie charts and was the first woman member of the Royal Statistical Society? Which female mathematician is considered to be the world’s first computer programmer? Who invented the modern life raft?
Destination Innovation
MAY 9, 2019
Have you ever used a knife as a screwdriver or a shoe as a hammer? If so you repurposed a product for an application that the producer did not foresee. You put the product to another use. This idea can be a fruitful source of innovations for your product or service if you only you can think laterally. De Beers is a diamond mining company founded in South Africa in 1888.
Advertiser: ZoomInfo
The evolution of every high-functioning, effective customer success strategy centers around three C’s: connected experiences, an engaging customer journey, and a culture built on customer-centricity. Satisfaction won’t cut it. Quarterbacking your customers to long-term success and growth is proven to combat churn and transform customer success teams into revenue-drivers. But where do you start? Download the playbook today!
Let's personalize your content