I was reading today about a number of the biggest product failures of all time (kind of a fun read actually). One of the things that jumped out at me was the number of companies that are known for being really innovative that made the list of failures. Normally if you were to put together […]
Category Archives: Blog
Curiosity Killed the Cat (But Satisfaction Brought It Back)
I was doing my morning reading today and I came across a few posts and thoughts the value of opposing ideas, disagreement, and controversy and it reminded me of the value of curiosity when we are going about our daily lives. Increasingly we see leaders just “speaking louder”, believing that by talking louder they will convince […]
How Did You Do In 2016?
As we wrap up another year and start to think about our real plans and goals in 2017 I have been doing a lot of reading of year end “best of” lists, looking forward “trendspotting” lists, and a few “remember our goals last year” lists and the last category made me really think… mainly because […]
Flawless Execution In Innovation
I’ve had many bosses who spoke about the need for “flawless execution” in our organization. They spoke of delivering with excellence, achieving plan, and a relentless pursuit of productivity in our work. Then they spoke about how innovative we were going to be. How we were going to try new things, adapt and increase our […]
Empathy Mapping – A Versatile Tool for your Toolbox
One of my favourite tools, when I’m working on innovation, strategic planning, marketing, or even just preparing for an important meeting where a key decision is needed, is Empathy Mapping. Empathy Mapping is a way to discover new insights into people, customer segments, or personas you have developed for your new product or marketing campaign. […]
Addressing Your Leadership Blind Spots (Yes You Have Them)
We would all like to think that we are completely aware as leaders of what is happening around us and completely self-aware of how we are contributing to it but here is a harsh reality: You probably are missing a lot… you have blind spots. No matter how much time we invest in personal development, […]
Life Begins at the End of your Comfort Zone
Your comfort zone is the behavioural space where your patterns and routines minimize your stress and risk with a situation. It provides you with mental security and provides you with the obvious benefits of basic happiness, reduced anxiety, and lower stress. It is also one of the most important challenges to your success and enjoyment […]
Starting a Successful New Business – What’s the Headache?
When you are thinking about starting a successful new business, one of the first questions you need to be able to answer is: “What is the headache that I’m solving for, and how bad is the headache?”. You need to solve a problem for someone (your target customer) that they recognize (it is a headache) […]
Building a Full Stack Strategy
This is a presentation I did for the Bank IT Conference earlier this year on my “Multi-Dimensional Strategy Cube” approach to integrating strategic planning across an organization. If you’re interested in more details or how this may apply within your business please contact me today.
Follow the Yellow Brick Road
I was thinking about my experience during my current search for my next challenge and it dawned on my that this journey has some interesting parallels to Dorothy’s experience in The Wizard of Oz. We both were surprised by a tornado that took us into an unfamiliar place, had to get our bearings and find a […]