Blog
In these posts I try and challenge, stretch and inspire new ideas & conversations.
Are you a creator, enhancer or judger?
The 3 key roles in any innovative team In my experience working with creative or innovative groups or teams there are 3 key roles. Each is important. The 3 roles are -- a creator, enhancer and judger. One without the other will mean smaller ideas or plenty of blue-sky...
What are the pros & cons of using an external workshop facilitator?
Some key learnings as a workshop facilitator Over the past 10 years I have designed and facilitated numerous ideation, brainstorming, strategy and planning sessions. In all but one occasion* I added significant value. But someone asked me the other day why and when...
What leaders can learn from the Ryder Cup
A tale of two different leaders In case you have missed it the Golf Ryder Cup has just finished. It is a regular competition among the best male players in the US competing against the pros from Europe. Europe won convincingly. There is no doubt that the European...
The 5 steps small wins innovation process
Now there is an alternative to the stage-gate innovation process For too long anyone in an organisation that wanted to innovate had to use the stage-gate process. Whilst this process has many advantages for large innovation projects e.g. structured, formal and...
What is small wins innovation?
At last, there is a faster, easier & simpler approach to innovation Innovation for too long has been seen as a mysterious quality that some organisations have and others do not. There is a belief that you either have it (e.g. Apple) or you don't. If you don't have it...
9 ways leaders can accelerate innovation
"The people really winning here are adapting to consumers and the marketplace. We just have to move faster" Mark King, President, Adidas I totally agree with him. In a fast-moving world, where everything can be copied you simply have to innovate better and faster than...
The secret to Apple’s innovation success
It's all in their name A -- Awesome -- Apple aspire to make awesome new products. As Steve Jobs famously said -- we are here to make a dent in the universe. P -- Personality -- Every new product is an extension of and reflects the Apple brand personality -- cool,...
Is Apple’s approach to innovation worth copying?
The Apple approach to innovation Apple has just launched a new iphone 6 and Apple Watch to great fanfare. As expected this launch created a great deal of buzz around the world. It appears from the early reaction that employees, consumers and investors are all excited...
What a gelato business can teach us about small wins innovation
Small things can have a big impact Small wins innovation is any bite-size, new idea, solution or action that could make a difference to someone's life. It can be used by a small business, team or across an organisation. One of the best examples is in my own...