Nine Traits of Successful Innovation Teams
It’s no secret that innovation is tough to pull off, and even the “most innovative” companies, such as General Electric (#18 on Boston Consulting Groups’ most recent list) and Whirlpool (tariffs aside, consumers favor Korean and European styling and brands) and Proctor & Gamble (sinking to #47 on BCG’s list) can fall fast, despite great effort on the part of…
Build a Life and Not Just a Living. Think Big Anyway!
Thank you so much distinguished faculty, parents, alumni and most importantly scholars! It is a huge honor to congratulate you on earning an advanced degree from this great university. You did it! You earned it! Give yourselves a big hand. A couple of months ago when they called to invite me to speak at this celebration, I went home and…
Creativity is the Single Most Important Leadership Skill
Why is creativity so important? That’s a question I’m sometimes asked. IBM did a study not long ago where they asked CEOs what leadership competency they needed more than any other. Their resounding response? Creativity. The report concluded: “Creativity is the single most important leadership skill in a world that is more volatile, more uncertain, and more complex than at…
Why Courage is Crucial to the Innovation Process
Trying something for the first time can be discomfiting, but in that discomfort often lies immense potential. Think of some of the most celebrated inventors throughout history; they must certainly have had their detractors, not to mention their own self-doubt that the idea would be successful. Thus, the courage to take action and attempt to turn the idea into reality…
SXSW: Where Global Innovators Gathered
Last week in Austin I attended the South by Southwest Conference and Festival, which is to say I got a drink from a firehose and came back wet with enthusiasm! The confab was started back in the 1980s when Austin was still a small Texas town. It now attracts over 100,000 innovators from all over the world. I usually approach a…
