Expert insights. Personalized for you.
Anything worth doing in life will challenge you. Our minds and bodies want to take the path of least resistance. By pushing yourself, you will get the most out of life. Like people, organizations are the same; most organizations simply go through the motions of innovation. They mistake innovation work for efficient work, but innovation is messy. It’s the opposite of business as usual, it aims to change business as usual for the better. MORE
One of the simplest and most powerful ideas that isn’t really taught anywhere is the willingness to change your own mind. Being able to change your mind is a superpower, and there aren’t many people out there with this unique superpower. Why is that? MORE
There are thousands of books written, consulting services sold, it’s talked about all the time, and I’ve written about this many times, yet people continue to ask: what’s the fastest, less risky, path to innovation? Is there a cheat code? Yes, there is. MORE
Leadership impacts everything. Everyone will focus on the most obvious outcome, which is company performance. But it also includes future performance, which depends on developing individuals so that they too can lead. One thing I learned early on is you suck if everything depends on you. MORE
The goal of every leaders is to leave people better than you found them. Unfortunately this is an anomaly in many organizations since the modus operandi is the opposite: not develop employees for fear they’ll take your job or leave. MORE
For things to change, someone has to start thinking and acting differently. Most of the time, it’s maverick’s who challenge the status quo; not incumbents. For all the talk about corporate innovation going on, truth is there’s not much going on. Most of it is just talk. MORE
The quest for innovation, transforming your business, overwhelms most organizations. Most organizations just don’t know where to start , or worse they believe they’re doing it right. MORE
I believe there is an incredible deficit in critical thinking. Those of us who actively think critically are seen as negative from people who just want to be told exactly what they want to hear and never have their thoughts and beliefs challenged. MORE
As an employee, you can notice the difference when working for a manager that works for you; not the other way around. We’ve all had managers that seemed to believe that being authoritative is the way to lead people; it isn’t. MORE
Innovation has many enemies , chief among them is fear of failure. Many organizations fail because they miss the future, unable to adapt to changing conditions. They didn’t try. And when they did it was too late. MORE
Subtraction is the simplest, most common path to innovation. Whether it’s products, services or writing, simplifying is one of the greatest abilities of innovators. Do only certain people hold a monopoly on this very valuable skill? It seems so. MORE
According to recent research by Stanford Graduate School of Business alumna Melanie S. Brucks and associate professor of marketing Szu-chi Huang, regular brainstorming sessions are not likely to lead to an increase in unique ideas. In fact, the average novelty of your output — that is, the degree to which your inspirations depart from convention — actually might decrease over time. This doesn’t seem intuitive, thus why it’s surprising. But it really isn’t. MORE
I have a deep rooted passion for learning, and one thing I’ve thought about since I was a kid is that I’ll still be sharp minded and productive way into my senior years; that’s a life goal of mine. MORE
Every once in a while someone says or writes something that is worth sharing. I want to introduce you to Tom Goodwin, who wrote a great piece called Why you probably don’t want innovation. His point is that everyone wants innovation without knowing what it means; which I agree with. Most of the stuff you read, listen and watch is mostly innovation theatre: just a bunch of fluffy activities that have no impact. The culprit? MORE
“If you think design thinking is a cookie-cutter, templatised way to “safely” be creative, think again.” ” Absolutely! This is a quote from my friend Sunil Malhotra. It’s a topic we’ve talked about extensively , and one that still gets talked about it. MORE
An organization’s culture is the driving force behind innovation. You can have the best minds on your team, but nothing will happen if the environment doesn’t let them bring out their full potential. MORE
All innovators share common traits and skills that when put into action enables them to detect problems, come up with better ideas, recruit people and collaborate, sharpen their ideas and execute on them. MORE
I remember back in 2010 I started telling friends and people with businesses they should start adopting digital technologies, how things would change and they had to or risk being left behind. Fast forward to 2016, I gave speeches at universities and organizations talking about the Next Economy and how 10 key technologies would drive and change everything. In 2016, the organizations that adopted digital technologies were mainly the ones leading their industry. Today, things have changed. MORE
How does Netflix innovate? Just like any organization that has a track record of innovation, you have to start with it’s culture. Luckily, you can learn about Netflix’s culture from the CEO himself. MORE
It has been a while since I last read a book specifically about innovation because it’s quite repetitive. Innovation is about doing a few things consistently ; driven by a very specific skillset found in people. MORE
One of the biggest mistakes people make as they take on leadership roles is they focus too much on the bottom line, and not much on how those results are achieved. Results matter, but unfortunately what they fail to see that improvement happens in the how not in the what. MORE
Any culture that puts curiosity, creativity, collaboration and innovation at the forefront creates an environment where people’s ideas are encouraged, solicited and heard. It’s harder than it sounds if you’ve operated on the assumption that the boss has all the answers and makes no mistakes; many organizations operate this way. MORE
Many years ago I received one of the best compliments ever from a client: “the best thing you do is you work for us, not your business. You treat our business as if it were your own.” ” Back then I was in college, and I was building my IT consulting business. MORE
There are many warning signs of bad leadership and management, one of them is when followers are confused. Last week I witnessed a meeting between a manager and his immediate reports. MORE
Yesterday I gave a talk to Foxconn employees and Directors about culture and how it drives innovation. A good way to frame culture is like this: what you reward and what you punish. With that said, turn your attention to the following tweet: A6 Failure as a growth engine … #innochat pic.twitter.com/5nBvcKZ9fZ. — Sunil Malhotra (@SunilMalhotra) August 17, 2017. Failure As A Growth Engine. MORE
Are you the type of person who seeks recipes and follows them to the T? Most people are. This is one of the things I dislike about the innovation space, where there’s a whole industry devoted to spreading innovation methodologies. The reason they exist? MORE
How do you develop an organizational culture? It starts with practicing what you preach on a day to day basis; your values and beliefs. And you have to do that consistently, not every once in a while. MORE
As has been the case since technoly has existed, businesses will always flaunt they have the latest and greatest tech at their disposal in order to gain attention. Nowadays, that technology is artificial intelligence. Yet, the organizations that have adopted AI are still rare. Let’s face it, you don’t have to read a report to know that companies are late to adopt artificial intelligence. MORE
Working for a traditional company means that you follow a set of rules, the company is configured so things happen in a determined way on a daily basis. There are set processes, therefore surprises are chided and anything that disrupts routines is avoided. MORE
In the U.S. the expectation is that sometime in the summer we’ll go back to pre-pandemic normalcy. So, some companies have announced that in a few months they’ll start accepting employees back in their offices. MORE
I don’t read a whole lot of business books anymore, but I do like reading ones written by people who were actually there. The most recent one I read is Bob Iger’s Ride of a Lifetime , where he writes about his 40+ years at Walt Disney Company; including being CEO. I’ve obsessed about Disney for a long time, so a book written by the CEO of Disney is very appealing to me. This is a leadership book, and good one. MORE
Shunryu Suzuki famously said “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, in the expert’s mind there are few.” ” What it means is you are open-minded, eager to learn and approach everything without preconceptions. Approaching, living life, with a beginner’s mind is something some of us try to do, but most don’t. And trying is very hard because we have to actively force ourselves to do it. MORE
The last book I read in 2019 was Shoe Dog , a memoir by Phil Knight; the co-founder of Nike. It’s a great book for entrepreneurs and leaders in any domain. Building a company in the 60’s, pre-internet and pre-venture capital was super hard. No email, no instant messaging, no social media. MORE
The pandemic has changed many of the ways we’re used to doing things. It’s created loss for many, anxiety for others, and frustration for most everyone. MORE
When I put my consultant hat on I have a very easy way to detect whether or not your company is committed to innovation, and whether or not it will: the way you lead and prioritize. My examination has nothing to do with capability, but with leadership. You see, leadership is another code word for innovation. And your organization will eventually fail if your leadership is focused on protecting the present instead of the past. MORE
Are you willing to suffer? Before I make a decision, I ask myself this question when I approach a new challenge I’m thinking about. I’ve heard many people tell me they love learning. Often it’s just a spur of the moment thing where they have to say something because they can’t keep quiet. Most simply read stuff. Yes, reading is a way to learn. But the best learning happens when you do something; most people don’t approach learning this way. MORE
Game-Changer
APRIL 26, 2021
In the U.S. the expectation is that sometime in the summer we’ll go back to pre-pandemic normalcy. So, some companies have announced that in a few months they’ll start accepting employees back in their offices.
Game-Changer
APRIL 21, 2021
Subtraction is the simplest, most common path to innovation. Whether it’s products, services or writing, simplifying is one of the greatest abilities of innovators. Do only certain people hold a monopoly on this very valuable skill? It seems so.
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Game-Changer
APRIL 19, 2021
How do you develop an organizational culture? It starts with practicing what you preach on a day to day basis; your values and beliefs. And you have to do that consistently, not every once in a while.
Game-Changer
APRIL 15, 2021
As an employee, you can notice the difference when working for a manager that works for you; not the other way around. We’ve all had managers that seemed to believe that being authoritative is the way to lead people; it isn’t.
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Take our short quiz to determine if your IoT pilot is set up for success, or at risk of being delayed.
Game-Changer
FEBRUARY 10, 2021
“If you think design thinking is a cookie-cutter, templatised way to “safely” be creative, think again.” ” Absolutely! This is a quote from my friend Sunil Malhotra. It’s a topic we’ve talked about extensively , and one that still gets talked about it.
Game-Changer
JANUARY 17, 2020
I have a deep rooted passion for learning, and one thing I’ve thought about since I was a kid is that I’ll still be sharp minded and productive way into my senior years; that’s a life goal of mine.
Game-Changer
FEBRUARY 8, 2021
The quest for innovation, transforming your business, overwhelms most organizations. Most organizations just don’t know where to start , or worse they believe they’re doing it right.
Game-Changer
FEBRUARY 4, 2021
Innovation has many enemies , chief among them is fear of failure. Many organizations fail because they miss the future, unable to adapt to changing conditions. They didn’t try. And when they did it was too late.
Game-Changer
JANUARY 22, 2021
An organization’s culture is the driving force behind innovation. You can have the best minds on your team, but nothing will happen if the environment doesn’t let them bring out their full potential.
Game-Changer
JANUARY 19, 2021
Leadership impacts everything. Everyone will focus on the most obvious outcome, which is company performance. But it also includes future performance, which depends on developing individuals so that they too can lead. One thing I learned early on is you suck if everything depends on you.
Advertisement
Every company is either an experience company today or will need to reinvent themselves to become one. Learn how Cadillac is using research, experience design and organizational change to deliver a next-generation user experience.
Game-Changer
JANUARY 4, 2021
One of the simplest and most powerful ideas that isn’t really taught anywhere is the willingness to change your own mind. Being able to change your mind is a superpower, and there aren’t many people out there with this unique superpower. Why is that?
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Game-Changer
DECEMBER 28, 2020
The goal of every leaders is to leave people better than you found them. Unfortunately this is an anomaly in many organizations since the modus operandi is the opposite: not develop employees for fear they’ll take your job or leave.
Game-Changer
APRIL 2, 2021
Any culture that puts curiosity, creativity, collaboration and innovation at the forefront creates an environment where people’s ideas are encouraged, solicited and heard. It’s harder than it sounds if you’ve operated on the assumption that the boss has all the answers and makes no mistakes; many organizations operate this way.
Game-Changer
DECEMBER 21, 2020
It has been a while since I last read a book specifically about innovation because it’s quite repetitive. Innovation is about doing a few things consistently ; driven by a very specific skillset found in people.
Game-Changer
DECEMBER 3, 2020
All innovators share common traits and skills that when put into action enables them to detect problems, come up with better ideas, recruit people and collaborate, sharpen their ideas and execute on them.
Advertisement
How do micro-innovations affect businesses' way of thinking? Those small acts of 'everyday innovation' are the stuff of greatness. Download the eBook today to learn more about micro-innovations and how they have influenced some of the biggest companies to date.
Game-Changer
NOVEMBER 17, 2020
For things to change, someone has to start thinking and acting differently. Most of the time, it’s maverick’s who challenge the status quo; not incumbents. For all the talk about corporate innovation going on, truth is there’s not much going on. Most of it is just talk.
Game-Changer
OCTOBER 27, 2020
How does Netflix innovate? Just like any organization that has a track record of innovation, you have to start with it’s culture. Luckily, you can learn about Netflix’s culture from the CEO himself.
Game-Changer
SEPTEMBER 11, 2020
Working for a traditional company means that you follow a set of rules, the company is configured so things happen in a determined way on a daily basis. There are set processes, therefore surprises are chided and anything that disrupts routines is avoided.
Game-Changer
AUGUST 23, 2020
There are many warning signs of bad leadership and management, one of them is when followers are confused. Last week I witnessed a meeting between a manager and his immediate reports.
Advertisement
Xandr, a division of AT&T, has built an identity graph that connects information on people, households, and more. The company is using this graph to provide advertisers an ability to deliver commercials more successfully than ever before. Learn more.
Game-Changer
FEBRUARY 2, 2021
I remember back in 2010 I started telling friends and people with businesses they should start adopting digital technologies, how things would change and they had to or risk being left behind. Fast forward to 2016, I gave speeches at universities and organizations talking about the Next Economy and how 10 key technologies would drive and change everything. In 2016, the organizations that adopted digital technologies were mainly the ones leading their industry. Today, things have changed.
Game-Changer
JULY 31, 2020
There are thousands of books written, consulting services sold, it’s talked about all the time, and I’ve written about this many times, yet people continue to ask: what’s the fastest, less risky, path to innovation? Is there a cheat code? Yes, there is.
Game-Changer
JANUARY 14, 2020
Are you the type of person who seeks recipes and follows them to the T? Most people are. This is one of the things I dislike about the innovation space, where there’s a whole industry devoted to spreading innovation methodologies. The reason they exist?
Game-Changer
AUGUST 31, 2020
I don’t read a whole lot of business books anymore, but I do like reading ones written by people who were actually there. The most recent one I read is Bob Iger’s Ride of a Lifetime , where he writes about his 40+ years at Walt Disney Company; including being CEO. I’ve obsessed about Disney for a long time, so a book written by the CEO of Disney is very appealing to me. This is a leadership book, and good one.
Speaker: Karen Lim, Alliance Academy
The concept of Global HR is becoming more common as more companies become permanently remote. As companies expand their talent-bases beyond borders, HR reps will bear the responsibilities that come along with it. Adapting to different cultures, distances, and legal implications whilst preserving core company values is essential. Once you can do this, the world becomes your oyster. Join Karen Lim of Alliance Academy, and learn to thrive in a remote-first mindset.
Game-Changer
OCTOBER 8, 2019
Are you willing to suffer? Before I make a decision, I ask myself this question when I approach a new challenge I’m thinking about. I’ve heard many people tell me they love learning. Often it’s just a spur of the moment thing where they have to say something because they can’t keep quiet. Most simply read stuff. Yes, reading is a way to learn. But the best learning happens when you do something; most people don’t approach learning this way.
Game-Changer
JANUARY 13, 2021
According to recent research by Stanford Graduate School of Business alumna Melanie S. Brucks and associate professor of marketing Szu-chi Huang, regular brainstorming sessions are not likely to lead to an increase in unique ideas. In fact, the average novelty of your output — that is, the degree to which your inspirations depart from convention — actually might decrease over time. This doesn’t seem intuitive, thus why it’s surprising. But it really isn’t.
Game-Changer
DECEMBER 26, 2019
I believe there is an incredible deficit in critical thinking. Those of us who actively think critically are seen as negative from people who just want to be told exactly what they want to hear and never have their thoughts and beliefs challenged.
Game-Changer
JANUARY 11, 2021
As has been the case since technoly has existed, businesses will always flaunt they have the latest and greatest tech at their disposal in order to gain attention. Nowadays, that technology is artificial intelligence. Yet, the organizations that have adopted AI are still rare. Let’s face it, you don’t have to read a report to know that companies are late to adopt artificial intelligence.
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.
Game-Changer
SEPTEMBER 23, 2019
Shunryu Suzuki famously said “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, in the expert’s mind there are few.” ” What it means is you are open-minded, eager to learn and approach everything without preconceptions. Approaching, living life, with a beginner’s mind is something some of us try to do, but most don’t. And trying is very hard because we have to actively force ourselves to do it.
Game-Changer
AUGUST 18, 2017
Yesterday I gave a talk to Foxconn employees and Directors about culture and how it drives innovation. A good way to frame culture is like this: what you reward and what you punish. With that said, turn your attention to the following tweet: A6 Failure as a growth engine … #innochat pic.twitter.com/5nBvcKZ9fZ. — Sunil Malhotra (@SunilMalhotra) August 17, 2017. Failure As A Growth Engine.
Game-Changer
FEBRUARY 17, 2020
Many years ago I received one of the best compliments ever from a client: “the best thing you do is you work for us, not your business. You treat our business as if it were your own.” ” Back then I was in college, and I was building my IT consulting business.
Game-Changer
MAY 11, 2020
One of the biggest mistakes people make as they take on leadership roles is they focus too much on the bottom line, and not much on how those results are achieved. Results matter, but unfortunately what they fail to see that improvement happens in the how not in the what.
Advertiser: ZoomInfo
Every sales forecasting model has a different strength and predictability method. It’s recommended to test out which one is best for your team. This way, you’ll be able to further enhance – and optimize – your newly-developed pipeline. Your future sales forecast? Sunny skies (and success) are just ahead!
Game-Changer
DECEMBER 15, 2020
Anything worth doing in life will challenge you. Our minds and bodies want to take the path of least resistance. By pushing yourself, you will get the most out of life. Like people, organizations are the same; most organizations simply go through the motions of innovation. They mistake innovation work for efficient work, but innovation is messy. It’s the opposite of business as usual, it aims to change business as usual for the better.
Game-Changer
JANUARY 3, 2020
The last book I read in 2019 was Shoe Dog , a memoir by Phil Knight; the co-founder of Nike. It’s a great book for entrepreneurs and leaders in any domain. Building a company in the 60’s, pre-internet and pre-venture capital was super hard. No email, no instant messaging, no social media.
Game-Changer
MAY 3, 2017
Every once in a while someone says or writes something that is worth sharing. I want to introduce you to Tom Goodwin, who wrote a great piece called Why you probably don’t want innovation. His point is that everyone wants innovation without knowing what it means; which I agree with. Most of the stuff you read, listen and watch is mostly innovation theatre: just a bunch of fluffy activities that have no impact. The culprit?
Game-Changer
JANUARY 4, 2018
When I put my consultant hat on I have a very easy way to detect whether or not your company is committed to innovation, and whether or not it will: the way you lead and prioritize. My examination has nothing to do with capability, but with leadership. You see, leadership is another code word for innovation. And your organization will eventually fail if your leadership is focused on protecting the present instead of the past.
Advertiser: Treehouse Innovation
You can achieve a huge amount in a short period with a virtual design thinking project. While some teams want to come together for several weeks or months to tackle a challenge, others want to run short, sharp projects to find a quick solution. And with the right preparation, attitude, and structure in place, that's totally possible.To help make sure your short innovation projects are a success, download this free guide from the team at Sprintbase, a virtual design thinking platform, to learn their top tips.
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