Innovation You by Jeff DeGraff

I recently read Innovation You: Four Steps to Becoming New and Improved.  It is a new book by the "Dean of Innovation", Jeff DeGraff.

I have been thinking about the topic of innovation.  Change has been so consistent in my life and I know the only way to find more success is to be willing to accept this reality.  If we want to discover our potential we must constantly be innovating.  I have the most fun working with those who are excited by change, as they are the ones who achieve results.

The companies, law firms and individuals I work with want more business in the changed economy, but many have remained the same in their attitudes toward business, sales, marketing, relationships, brand, visibility, etc.....  "We have always done it this way" has become the lamest excuse in the marketplace.  What worked before is no longer the guarantee for the future. (While it might work for some, not paying attention to what is new in your industry is a bad idea).

I also witness this struggle in myself.  As my business grows I find new and exciting opportunities, but I need to expand my expertise.  I am harnessed with the same economic conditions other businesses are facing, but I am not other businesses.  My unique situations present a chance for me to forge my own path to success.  I get excited when I can find ways to overcome problems with a new and fresh approach.

DeGraff is a professor at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan and the Executive Director of Innovatrium, a creativity center for executives.  He works with some of the worlds "best and brightest" to help them rethink their innovation, approach, methods and journey.  His experience is important, but he goes further than just another academic who writes a book... he writes with impact that keeps the reader's attention and interest.

In the end, creativity is the key to innovation and success. He tells stories throughout the book that show how people can overcome the road-bumps and reached their victories.  The game has changed, and we all can use a dose on innovation.

Innovation You is a good book, and it is worth the time to read it, as it will kick-start your own re-engineering process.

Have A Great Day

thom singer

Lesson From Back to School Night

I do not always look forward to the "Back to School Night" ritual that happens each year in our schools. As an involved parent I appreciate meeting the teachers, but have come to believe the format is stale and does not often provide any new information (it is the same agenda my parents had when I was in school).

Last night I was blown away by how excited I was about my high school freshman's teachers, school, and what this means for her future.  She attends a public magnet school program for math and science.  The expectations and culture are very different my high school experience, and I enjoyed hearing from each teacher.  I was inspired by the challenges and opportunities she fill face this year.

The highlight of the night was meeting the "Sci-Tech" teacher and learning about this unique program.  It a mechanical engineering class required of all freshmen, and the students will work on a variety of projects throughout the semester that will engage them in ways I never imagined in school.

My favorite part is the journal they must keep in this class.  Each day every student must answer (in detail) the following five questions:

1.  What did I do or learn today?


2. What will I do or learn tomorrow?


3. What is my current progress: short term and long term?


4. What environmental factors or people influenced my productivity today? (identify setbacks or problems).


5. What did my teammates do today?

Think for a minute if grown-ups in real jobs had to reflect each day on our successes and failures in such a manner.  I am not talking about a typical HR annual review, but a focused reflection on each day.  WOW.  What if these young men and women learn from this experience to be this introspective about their progress for the rest of their lives --- I imagine the sky would be the limit.  I wonder what more I might have accomplished if I had experienced these lessons when I was 14-years-old.

I did not show up at Back to School Night expecting to be impacted.  I have not been able to stop thinking about the power in these questions for the business professionals whom I train and consult.  This morning I worked these five questions (giving full credit to the high school Sci-Tech program) into a speech to twenty people from a variety of careers.  BOOM!, they were all captivated by thought of the results that would come if they had the discipline to ask these questions every day.

What do you think?

CHALLENGE:.  Purchase a small notebook and write these questions on page one.  Everyday for the next month end your workday by pondering your experiences and recording the answers to the five questions.  I imagine if any of us really did this we would see more productivity and creativity spark in our lives.  

Have A Great Day.

thom singer

Are You A "Thought Follower"?

Many people spend an exuberant amount of time trying to position themselves and prove to others that they are "thought leaders". This buzz-word became popular in the 1990s and is now the holy grail in business. Every company and corporate "guru" strives for this label.

Many self-assign themselves the "thought leader" moniker, but you cannot appoint yourself the leader. If nobody is following you, then you are not necessarily out front.

But is it a bad thing to be a "Thought Follower"? Our cowboy society applauds the self-made pioneer and makes the concept of not being the leader into a sub-standard position. You do not see executive committees sending the second best sales person to Hawaii or praising the late adopters inside the organization.

(Only Avis Rent-A-Car ever publicly cheered their own runner up status and said that the number two position can be a darn good thing - there was a lot of money to be made for number two).

I am not condemning leaders (thought or otherwise). They are great. Important. But if there can be just one first, then everyone else is left to be a loser. If victory is reserved for those who create something totally unique or dream up a premier idea, then there is no room for those who follow to have an impact.

I believe that there are many paths to success, and first-mover innovation is only one of the routes.

This does not mean that the masses should just sit back and wait for "thought leaders" to create the new way and then mindlessly follow. Instead the real challenge is to see the new concepts and extend them even further into fresh arenas that the original creator did not imagine.

You do not always need to be the "thought leader" and we need not only admire those who hold that title. Instead we should always be observing the new new thing and pushing it in even newer directions. Observe and honor the thought leaders, and then take their inspiration and create something more spectacular so that the world can cheer.

Thought Followers of the world unite!

Have A Great Day.

thom

Your Perception Is NOT Always Reality

What you think about an issue makes it true. For you. Our perceptions are our reality, but not the only reality.

This is a very hard concept for many to understand. Human beings are very sure that the world is as they know it to be, but we miss the fact that others see things differently. Our personal experiences and beliefs effect how we interpret everything, and this can lead to dangerous misunderstandings.

This is very visible during a time of a major political event, like the United States presidential election. Passions run strong and people divide themselves into competitive camps. The more they jump in behind their candidates, the more they learn to hate and disrespect the other side. I feel everyone would benefit if all those involved in politics were required to site three new things they respect about the people on the other side before they could be allowed to talk about their own world views. Rather than slamming the competition, we should learn from them.

But myopia happens in the business world, too. People often surround themselves with those who are most like them and who share their focused points of view. This creates walled cities within industries, communities, organizations and companies.... and those who are not part of "the club" are dismissed as useless, annoying or just plain wrong.

The most successful business professionals realize that their perception is not the only one (or always the right one!), and create networks compiled with people who have a variety of backgrounds, education, disciplines and personality types. They respect those who have different opinions and look for ways to expand their own ideas to uncover not just any way to tackle a challenge, but for the best way that will lead to more business.

When you face challenges in your business, try to expand beyond the "we have always done it this way" mentality and look for ways that others are tackling similar problems. There is always someone out there who has a creative way to circumvent the commonplace. Make that person part of your inner-circle and mutually find ways to expand your own horizons.

Do not let tradition, the economy, the competition or your own tunnel vision stop you from success. There is a way for you to accomplish more... you just need to look at your world from another angle. I am confident that there are always new solutions to beat down old problems. You just have to be tenacious about uncovering the prized idea.

I have written before about the concept of "Big Tent Thinkers". Become a person who lets more people under your tent and share with them your largest challenges. You will be surprised how much others in your life want to see you succeed and will help you chart your course. One never knows whose perception will create new reality you seek.

Have A Great Day.

thom

Innovation - Google's Got It, How 'bout You?

Fast Company Magazine's March cover story features The World's 50 Most Innovative Companies. This is an important article for anyone in business, because large or small, we all want our companies to be innovative. The businesses that soar to the top, and those we admire always seem to be those that look beyond the bottom line and reach for creating something exciting.

I have never spoken to a single entrepeneur who says:

"I want my business to grow up to be a stuffy, run-of-the-mill company that takes no risks and where employees just show up to collect a paycheck. I desire to have an organization where my people feel excluded from the decision making and long-term vision. I want this company to stand for nothing and those who work for me to be mediocre in all their endeavors. My goal is to just create another company that is lost in the muck of blah. Being reactionary beats being proactive any day!".

Never, Never, Never does a CEO want that for his company! Yet that is what many companies become.

Google comes in first place on this seventh annual list of fifty. The magazine goes on to interview 15 employees of Google, who share their personal experiences as to what makes this company a spectacular place. In reading these comments, that come from people with titles like "Green Energy Czar", "Director of User Experience", and "Executive Chef" (yes, they have multiple restaurants on their campus, The Googleplex, and require a full time chef to oversee the operations. Kinda cool), you start to see what makes truely innovative companies prosper.

The best quote in the article comes from Tim Armstrong, president of advertising and commerce in North America:

"I tell new employees, 'At Google, there are rocks and a stream. You either become a rock, and the stream goes around you, or you get in the stream and move things along and start adding value.' People here don't start with conclusions. They start with questions. If you're open-platform, respectful of others, and really driven to execute, you'll be successful."

You are either a rock or part of the stream. Wow. Great analogy, and one we can all understand if we have spent any time in the business world. I don't know about you, but I want to be part of the stream! But look around, there are lots and lots of big rocks.

If innovation is our ticket to victory, then we should all learn from Google and the other 49 companies profiled by Fast Company. Apple, Facebook, Nike, Amazon, News Corp., Disney, Target, Whole Foods, Cisco, Toyota, Microsoft, BMW and the others all embrace and empower their people for the power they bring to create tomorrow's success.

Have A Great Day.

thom
http://www.thomsinger.com/