Monthly Archives: August 2010
Credit cards, in their current form, won’t exist in 10 years. “How” we pay for things won’t resemble how we pay for them today. But I am going to work my way up to that point. I was reading this article in the paper last weekend by Susan Saulny about the fact that lighthouses have become nothing more than ornamental tourist attractions. It reminded me of an old (probably untrue) story about an overbearing Navy commander ordering someone in its path to change course or face getting run over. Back and forth they went over the radio, “you change course!” “No, YOU change course” back and forth and then the final remark in the conversation was “this is a light house, your call.” These days, with GPS and real time weather reporting, vessels don’t need the light of the lighthouse, they don’t need the fog horn, and they don’t need … Continue reading
This is the third of several ‘Innovation Perspectives’ articles we will publish this week from multiple authors to get different perspectives on ‘What do you consider the most important single development in innovation methodology?’. Here is the next perspective in the series: by Bob Donnelly Historically, most innovations have come from corporate research labs and entrepreneurs coming up with faster, better or cheaper solutions to consumer’s constantly changing requirements. However, today the dynamics of innovation have shifted dramatically from these traditional sources of innovation to what is the most important development in innovation methodology ever – the customer. The internet has enabled customers to now dictate to manufacturers what they need and want, and through their social networks share their experiences with others like them in ways that were never before available. The web and e mail have empowered customers with greater latitude over how they interact and on what … Continue reading
If you are like me, you cut your TV comedy teeth on M*A*S*H, the show about doctors in Korea. The comedy was biting, topical and insightful, although honestly the show jumped the shark about two years before it finally, mercifully ended. There are parallels to innovation in the M*A*S*H story – improvisation, doing a lot with very little, asking forgiveness rather than permission – but one I want to highlight today is the concept of the scrounger. Every good military movie or TV show has a scrounger – a person who has all the contacts or the wiles to get the gear, food or necessities that others can’t possibly seem to obtain. In the M*A*S*H episodes, Radar originally and Klinger eventually took on the role of scrounger – the individual who could get almost anything, regardless of circumstances. In these roles they were merely reflecting roles in …
You should be in business for yourself. We all should. I don’t mean quit your job and form a new company. I mean right now – at the job you are in – you should be in business for yourself. You see, we manage ourselves differently when we’re self-employed versus working for a company. When you ‘work for a company’ you rely on systems within the company to: Recognize the great work you do Reward your achievements Upgrade your salary when appropriate Promote you to a more challenging role I should also add… Fire you when you’re no longer growing or adding value. When you’re in business for yourself, as a freelancer you don’t have “systems.” You have you. Many of us have learned, during the interview process, to interview the company just as much as they are interviewing you. But that is often where many of us stop managing … Continue reading
Does perception matter? We’ve all heard the saying “perception is reality,” but is it true? Does perception never, rarely, sometimes, or always equal reality? While I long ago reached the conclusion that perception does in fact matter, it may not be for the reasons that you might think. I have found that the majority of people tend to be myopic with regard to perception…they understand their own perceptions, but are quite often either ignorant or intolerant of other’s perceptions. You see, the most important item to understand is that success as a leader has very little to do with your perception, but rather it has everything to do with the perception of others. I’m not suggesting that you ignore your perception, subordinate your perception, or change your perception, but I am strongly suggesting that you take the time to both be aware of, and understand the perceptions of others. …
It’s time for me to come clean. In today’s social media crazed world it will come out sooner or later anyway. I have one high school varsity letter and it’s for bowling. Yes, you heard right, bowling. And it wasn’t ten-pin, but candlepin bowling. Anyone who grew up in New England, with parents like mine who looked for ways to get the kids out of their hair on rainy Saturdays, knows exactly what I’m talking about. Candlepin bowling rocks. For those of you who aren’t from New England, candlepin bowling is a unique version of the sport invented in 1880 in Worcester, Massachusetts by a local bowling alley owner, Justin White. Candlepin bowling is clearly evidence of New England as a regional innovation hot-spot. For the most part candlepin never caught on outside of New England and the Canadian Maritime provinces. In the …
