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It happens to all of us from time to time. We miss out on something great — an insightful podcast, a hot show on Netflix, or, maybe, that million-dollar idea — all because we're wearing blinders. And yes, it can even happen to you!
If you're a video person, I lay it all out in the video below. If reading is more your ...
This Thursday those of us in the United States will celebrate Thanksgiving Day — and, along with it, a tradition that dates all the way back to 1981!
I’m talking, of course, about the Butterball Turkey Talk Line — the go-to crisis center for all things turkey. This was a brilliantly innovative idea from the folks at Butterball!
At the core, it’s a simple idea, based on a common problem: cooking a turkey. Most people only do it once a year, ...
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During times of crisis (like, say, a global pandemic), some organizations (businesses, community groups, associations, etc.) will fold, while others will flourish. This has been true throughout history.
So what is it that separates the two? Luck? Timing? A smile from the Fates?
My research shows that, more than anything else, one single trait makes the difference. One asset — which is completely free and is available to anyone — separates the organizations that ...
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Let’s not beat around the bush. We are going through an unimaginably (at least until recently) difficult time — a time that requires innovative thinking. At some point, of course, the news will start to get better. But as of now, it just seems to be getting worse and worse.
It’s difficult to take. It’s all too easy (and perfectly justifiable) to fall into despair, or even depression. And there’s a certain part of that that’s appropriate. It’s part of the ...
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There’s this company based not too far from me in downtown Seattle that routinely makes the Top 10 lists of Most Innovative Companies. You might have heard of it.
It’s called Amazon.
Amazon is run by the richest man in the world, Jeff Bezos. Bezos took the crown away from the previous richest man, Bill Gates (who also lives relatively close to me, albeit in a slightly more upscale neighborhood).
So Jeff Bezos is one ...
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You have a choice.
Right now.
You have a choice over how you will spend this unique moment in history.
Right now, most of us are in some version of a quarantine, self-isolation, or stay-at-home mandate. Like me, you have a choice over what you will do with this extraordinary block of time. And your choice is this:
Will you shut down, or will you ramp up?
You can use this unique moment in history as an opportunity to relax, chill out, and binge watch ...
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There’s a good chance that the coronavirus — COVID-19 — is disrupting your business and your life. It’s certainly disrupting mine. As a keynote speaker on innovation, I work in the meetings industry. In other words, I work in an industry that is predicated on large numbers of people gathering together in a single place. And we all know how that’s going right now.
The disruption might be different in your world. Perhaps you’ve been affected by supply chain issues. If ...
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You see it so often you probably don’t even notice it anymore.
Heinz 57 Varieties.
You see it on bottles of ketchup, jars of pickles, cans of baked beans.
Heinz 57 Varieties.
Which begs two questions: Are there really 57 varieties? And, if so, 57 varieties of what?
The answers, respectively, are: no; and, it doesn’t matter.
That brilliant slogan, which made Heinz a world-famous brand, was created when a person connected two dots that nobody else ever had before.
It happened in 1896 when Henry John ...
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In a rapidly changing and increasingly competitive world, the next breakthrough idea wins.
Depending on how you feel about #innovation, #creativity, and #breakthrough thinking, you may find this concept either frightening or exhilarating.
It’s frightening if you think of innovation, creativity, and breakthrough thinking as specialized skills that are only available to “the others.”
It’s exhilarating if you realize that innovation, creativity, and breakthrough thinking are natural human traits that are available to us all.
In other words, if you ...
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You’ve heard of FOMO, right? Fear Of Missing Out. It’s why we’re addicted to Facebook and Instagram and all the rest. It’s why we tell our devices to notify us the instant anything happens anywhere in the world. Because heaven forbid we’re not in the know!
Industry leaders have a similar fear, which I call FOD: Fear Of Disruption. They don’t want to be the Blockbuster to someone else’s Netflix. They don’t want to be the ...
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