Category: Leadership of Innovation

How to Kill Innovation Projects

Which of these is the most important skill for a leader of innovation?  Setting the vision, goals and metrics  Generation of great ideas  Selection of the best ideas  Starting exploration projects  Listening to customer feedback  Managing the portfolio and stage-gates  Gaining support and resources from other departments  Killing the weaker projects  Launching new products or services  Celebrating... Read More--

Ten Questions to ask during a Recession

If your organisation is facing a difficult time during the current downturn then here are some questions to ask at your next executive meeting. Are we doing all that is necessary in order to survive? I guess that is the question that you are already sharply focussed on.  So we will not go into all the ancillary questions and issues that go with it.  Needless to say, survival is the number priority... Read More--

Six Things I wish I had known before I accepted the position of Chief Innovation Officer

Image by Mhouge from Pixabay A Salutory Tale. I was pleased and proud to be appointed to the position of CIO (Chief Innovation Officer).  It seemed like a great opportunity to join a dynamic executive team and help drive the growth and ambition which inspired the company.  Unfortunately, things did not work out well and there are some hard lessons to be shared.  Here are some things I wish I had... Read More--

Six Questions Leaders of Change Must Answer

If you want to lead a transformation in the business, then you have to sell the idea over and over again to people throughout the organisation. In particular, the leader has to answer these questions which are present in people’s minds even if they are unspoken. Why do we need to change? We have already had so much change and now things are starting to go well so why rock the boat?  People will... Read More--

15 Things Leaders should Not Do – if they want Innovation.

We hear plenty of advice for leaders on what they should do to drive entrepreneurship and innovation in their organizations.  It might be smarter to just stop making some of the common mistakes which inhibit innovation.  Here is a list of things that leaders should definitely not do. Do not encourage people to contribute ideas unless you mean to act on them. Brainstorms, away-days, offsite meetings... Read More--

Eight Reasons why Innovation beats Efficiency

If you are running an organization of any kind then making it more efficient is a key priority.  It is important to speed up processes, eliminate waste, improve quality, reduce costs and generally please customers.  And if you work hard at it you can do all of these things.  But it is also important to prioritise innovation – finding new products and services and new ways to do things.  The... Read More--

Which Rock Band is the Model for your Innovative Startup?

It has been said many times that founding a startup is similar to launching a rock band.  For example: You gather a small, talented team with different skills but a common passion. You practise for long hours to improve your product. You create a demo tape or prototype product to show people. You network like crazy to get exposure to the right people. You choose a target audience who likes the kind... Read More--

The Explosive Power of Trial, Error and Self-Play

In 1997 an IBM computer called Deep Blue famously defeated the world chess champion, Russian Gary Kasparov.  It was seen as a seminal victory for a machine over the human brain.  Deep Blue had been programmed by chess experts who gave it all the tactics and strategies known in chess.  It was developed over years and played many games against people.  Each time it lost the experts would reprogram... Read More--

Treat Your Innovation Pipeline just like your Sales Pipeline

Managing the Sales pipeline is a well-developed executive skill in any company selling large ticket items to business customers.  Each sales person has to gather data and input their reports and forecasts.  Some of the key actions in managing the pipeline include: Qualification questions have to be answered.  Does the customer need our product?  Do they have a budget?  Are we in contact with... Read More--

Encourage Action with the Get Out of Jail Free Card

  Is your organization a little too comfortable?  Are your people risk averse?  Is there a blame culture?  How can you encourage innovation by getting men and women to be more adventurous and entrepreneurial?  How can you get them to take more risks?  Here is an idea that is borrowed from the game of Monopoly – the Get out of Jail Free (GOJF) card. Give every member of your team two... Read More--