Blog Archives

Having worked with innovation teams from global companies like Visa, Colgate-Palmolive, Kimberly-Clark, Disney, Medtronic and many others, there’s one consistent…

You get what you measure, so make sure you’re tracking the right things. I’ve seen a lot of organizations create…

In 1998, Chuck Templeton started a company called EasyEats.com. I went to high school with Chuck. We discussed the business…

Harvard Research Suggests Pessimism Is Bad for Business. Replace pessimism with “calculated optimism” for better decision-making. Research from Harvard University…

‘Unconscious thinking’ helps you analyze data so you make the best decisions. I get asked a lot about how much…

Successful strategy and innovation are about how fast you can become aware of your assumptions. When it comes to strategy…

Here’s how Amazon defines the ideal customer experience and then works backward to create it. Everyone wants to uncover the…

All opportunities have uncertainty. Use a map to navigate it. Let’s kick-off 2022 with a useful tool. Here’s the downloadable…

Focused on insight, not numbers Planning for next year is well under way. Because of unprecedented uncertainty, there’s a strong…

Companies don’t fail at innovation due to lack of ideas. They often don’t create the right innovation structure to implement…

Fifty years ago, a little-known children’s book introduced the “SCAMPER” model as way to help teachers foster creativity in their classrooms. It’s an amazingly…

Project Charters Are the Secret to Keeping Teams on Track. Real success occurs when you combine the big picture with…

Strategic plans become outdated the moment they’re created. Instead, create a one-page strategy map. Having run the internal strategy consulting…

Culture is a key success factor for every organization. Shape it to get more innovation from your remote team. Companies…

Stop trying to disrupt. Start changing the world. In the late 1990’s when I was running the strategy consulting group…

Innovation is an art and science. Here’s how to help your team generate and prioritize the best ideas and opportunities…

Management guru Peter Drucker once said, “What’s measured improves.” So true. The problem is that most teams don’t have clear key performance indicators…

Innovation is an art and science. Here’s the secret to identifying & prioritizing ideas in a virtual world. Over the…

As the co-founder of LinkedIn, Reid Hoffman once said that trying to innovate and scale a business quickly requires you…

As a consultant, I’ve had the chance to work with some of the world’s biggest businesses and organizations to help…

It always surprises me that business leaders think they know what’s best for their customers without asking them. Unless you’re…

One of the most important skills a manager and a business leader must have is the ability to quickly filter…

Creating a solid business case is integral to the success of any new opportunity. The right business case can mean the…

Amazon’s unique approach to innovation helps teams “work backwards” to create breakthroughs The best business strategies focus on meeting and exceeding…

A project plan is a list of ingredients. A project charter is the recipe. Having worked with both startups and big companies for more…

One of the longest standing questions in the field of innovation lies in the debate surrounding whether or not “creativity”…

A Balanced Scorecard Provides a Model for Businesses to Align High-Level Objectives With Their Mission and Vision by upBOARD  …

The Management Consulting Industry is Booming, and it’s about to be Disrupted. This article originally appeared in Inc Magazine and…

Lean Start-Up. Rapid Iteration. Fast Cycle Times. Moving faster and cheaper when creating new products and services ideas is the…

Disrupt or be Disrupted… Here are Five Business Model Strategies & Tools for Digital Innovation   At some point every…

Promoting a culture of innovation focused on business growth starts with providing practical tools that give anyone the opportunity to…

In large organizations, Innovation come from Intrapreneurs. Here are the 4 most common characteristics that entrepreneurs exhibit within companies. Intrapreneurs…

Sustained competitive advantage comes from innovating how we innovate. That’s the essence of real innovation. In the past, new products…

It’s been a year since I wrote 6 Ways to Create a Culture of Innovation for FastCompany. Since then, the article…

Even before it goes on sale, Walter Isaacson’s The Innovators is a bestseller out of the gate. Here’s why the…

Mainstream business culture penalizes women for being women. But “feminine” skill sets are the not-so-secret ingredients for what it takes…

What Types of Questions Push Thinking and Inspire Innovation? Pushing thinking to find breakthroughs and innovate is as much about…

Why do we avoid uncertainty and surprise? Most leaders avoid uncertainty.  Most organizations hate surprises.   It makes sense.  Predictability and…

What are the leadership competencies for disruptive innovation? Disruptive innovation is no longer the exception, it’s the rule. Just look…

Does power hinder or help our ability to innovate? When it comes to innovation, we all know that open-mindedness, deferring…

Magnum uses the Power of Surprise for Breakthroughs So you think ice cream is for kids? Try telling that to…

How does FEAR impact innovation? At many companies, there’s a lot of room for lip service, but little for real…

Why Fighting Everyday Fires will Burn Down Your House I recently had the opportunity to provide a guest blog post…

It’s tough to challenge assumptions and innovate when we have the same conversations with the same colleagues and about the…

What lessons can we draw from times of scarcity and discipline to help us be more creative and innovative during…