Scott Anthony of Innosight wrote a great blog post: 3 ways to prioritize a long list of ideas which provides some good insight into how to start. I'll add to that:: I also try to think of contrasts. Good projects (and what made them good) vs. not so good (and what made them that way). …
Opportunities
Uncertainty and risk in discovery driven planning
I was recently fortunate enough to be teaching in a very interesting program for strategy consultants at IBM. One of their senior leaders, an ex-BCG guy, pointed out to me that I really could use a picture to communicate the value of Discovery Driven Growth. Here, therefore is his suggestion! What it basically shows you…
Idea generation is seldom the problem
So, you've decided that its time to get out from under that black cloud your business has been in for the last two years and start thinking about growth again. If you're a senior leader or CEO, what do you do next? If you're like many, you'll gather together a group of important people in…
Paying attention to unconventional “links” in a customers’ consumption chain
I've often encouraged executives to pay attention to the customers' complete consumption chain rather than focusing just on what they do, sell or make. One of my colleagues forwarded me a fascinating article from the New York Times describing how retailers are doing this by helping customers get loans, provide financing or otherwise solve the problem…
Six Sigma is Deadly for Innovation - But then I’ve said that before!
Every so often, doubtless in a doomed bid to make the whole process of growth and innovation more predictable, some bright spark comes up with the idea of trying to apply six-sigma quality controls to the innovation process. They seem to think that if only innovation could be made more orderly, a more predictable result…
Jigsaw - creating a market for contact information
Anne Ferguson, my assistant, drew this one to my attention. The company in question, Jigsaw, is trying to create a market for contact information, using a variant of the ‘free labor’ theme I’ve written about before. Here’s the idea: Each member adds contact information (the more detailed, the better) into the Jigsaw database. For doing…
Enraged customers will create opportunities in the wireless space
Business Week recently described the sad state of the art of wireless phone services in the United States. Wireless companies, it seems, generate more customer complaints than any other industry. Even more than airlines. Wireless companies, in fact, according to the Better Business Bureau, generate the most complaints out of all 3,900 industries it tracks! …
Social Trends among the younger generation - opportunities?
I was recently at the Microsoft Global Accounts Summit, which is a high level meeting for the company’s top customers. Among the fascinating agenda items was a presentation by Robbie Bach, President of Microsoft’s entertainment and device businesses (yes, he’s the guy responsible for much of Microsoft’s reputation for “cool” among some customer segments!). He…
Second order effects of sub prime about to land on insurance
Apparently “the insurance industry is bracing for an increase in arson among homeowners who see setting the house afire and collecting the insurance payment as an alternative to foreclosure”. This according to the January 21 Fortune. What an interesting example of several things: The law of unintended consequences – who anticipated that financial troubles could…
Emerging Enrager - Too Many Unwanted Catalogs and other unsolicited outreach
BusinessWeek, in its December 31 year-end issue, reported on the activities of an activist website called “Catalog Choice” which promises to help people opt out of receiving unwanted catalogs. Apparently, so many people are irritated by the sheer mass of catalogs they receive, that since the site’s launch in October, over 300,000 people have reportedly…