In the heady days of coming up with what you think is a breakthrough idea, it’s easy to get carried away by assumptions. Forcing yourself to create a deliverables specification can create powerful discipline. Entrepreneurs… Read more »
Innovation
You asked, We Answered: Questions on Innovation
Drop in on the Q&A portion of a recent innovation conference, sponsored by my colleagues at Visagio. I gave the keynote speech about Seeing Around Corners and the criticality of innovation. Here is an excerpt… Read more »
Key Ingredients of a Killer Prototype
We often think of prototyping as something only a gifted designer or developer can do. But there are lots of examples in the real world of how ordinary people can pull it off. If you… Read more »
A no-nonsense guide to measuring innovation mastery
What is it like to work in an organization that has attained high levels of innovation mastery? It’s growth-oriented, future-focused and unrelentingly positive. And by taking small steps, the place you work can be more… Read more »
The Future is Already Here Department: Hololens 2 Edition
Strategic inflection points create a 10X shift in your business – 10X more efficient, 10X more convenient, 10X easier – you get the idea. But they take a while – let’s look at one in… Read more »
On the folly of rewarding for business-as-usual when you are hoping for innovation
Even with the best intentions, reward systems in corporate life all too often mean that most of the people you need supporting innovation work flee from it. Here are some ideas for getting a better… Read more »
Not Buying It: When your biggest challenge is non-consumption
We’re used to thinking of competition as the biggest challenge for getting customers to buy from us. But a much bigger challenge is non-consumption – especially when the reasons people aren’t buying have more to… Read more »
Strategy and the Resource Hostage Problem
The old watchword, “follow the money” will give you great insight into what really matters in any organization. It will also show you where the most significant blockers to transformation are likely to be. If… Read more »
A New Social Contract? Part 2: Reaching for a Vision
Welcome to part 2 of a three-part series, looking at the likelihood of a fundamental transformation of the basic social contract in the United States, reflecting Roosevelt’s New Deal. The framework combines two uncertainties to… Read more »
What Now? The Board Agenda for 2021
“What’s next” is the question on everyone’s mind. The reality is, we don’t – and can’t – know for sure. What we can do is articulate our best hypotheses and assumptions and then pay close… Read more »
Building a Proficiency for Game Changing Innovation and Growth: Mastering the Opportunity Portfolio
When you ask why large companies have a problem building an innovation proficiency, you get back all the usual suspects: “We have silos.” “It’s nobody’s job.” “We’re afraid of failure.” “It’s unpredictable.” And what do all… Read more »
Finding your arena – a new book and new toolkit
I was delighted to read Steve Blank’s great post featuring the work of my friend and colleague Marc Gruber. Marc and I have been colleagues since my days in the entrepreneurship program at Wharton and… Read more »